ABGT End of Year Lists

With the seventh-annual "best of the year" list coming on Wednesday night, I thought I'd take the time to recap the past six years of my big year-end lists, which go all the way back to 2007. As I do in the column, I'll start with the worst

Bottom Three of 2007: I actually didn't have a bottom three this year, and didn't start including it until later. But here are my picks anyway.

3) The Number 23
2) Resident Evil: Extinction
1) Premonition

Bottom Three of 2008:

3) Day of the Dead
2) Shutter
1) One Missed Call

Bottom Three of 2009:

3) The Unborn
2) Amusement
1) It's Alive

Bottom Three of 2010:

3) Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
2) Legion
1) Case 39

Bottom Three of 2011:

3) Apollo 18
2) Hellraiser: Revelations
1) The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence

Bottom Three of 2012:

3) Playback
2) Below Zero
1) The Devil Inside



Let's continue on to The Top Ten Terrors of 2007. I may have changed the order slightly given time, and while Mr. Brooks is criminally underrated, it's not really horror...same for Zodiac.

10) Rob Zombie's Halloween
9) Saw IV
8) The Mist
7) 30 Days of Night
6) 1408
5) 28 Weeks Later
4) Mr. Brooks
3) Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
2) Zodiac
1) Grindhouse


Top Ten Terrors of 2008: A much stronger year, even if not everyone enjoyed Diary of the Dead or The Midnight Meat Train. Quarantine hasn't held up as well, but I still like it the same as I do REC.

10) Mother of Tears: The Third Mother
9) The Signal
8) Quarantine
7) Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
6) Splinter
5) The Midnight Meat Train
4) Eden Lake
3) Funny Games
2) Diary of the Dead
1) Let The Right One In


Top Ten Terrors of 2009: Another strong year, although I think my SAW bias clearly shows on these lists as Saw VI was decent but shouldn't have made the list.

10) Laid to Rest
9) Thirst
8) Saw VI
7) Pontypool
6) Dead Snow
5) Zombieland
4) Trick r Treat
3) Drag Me to Hell
2) Orphan
1) Paranormal Activity


Top Ten Terrors of 2010: A lot of people gave me grief over having Buried on the list at all, as they said it's not horror. Edgar Allan Poe would disagree with you. It's kind of sad that The Last Exorcism is on here and the sequel is dangerously close to making the worst of the year list.

10) Monsters
9) Suck
8) The Last Exorcism
7) Splice
6) Let Me In
5) The Crazies
4) Frozen
3) Daybreakers
2) [REC] 2
1) Buried


Top Ten Terrors of 2011: Probably a weaker year as I don't think something like Exorcismus or Black Death, as much as I did like them, would make the list in stronger years. Final Destination 5 was a hell of a lot of fun though, so I stand by that choice. In hindsight, I'd probably move Scream 4 down to #5 and move Stake Land and Bereavement up.

10) Exorcismus
9) Final Destination 5
8) Paranormal Activity 3
7) Black Death
6) Attack the Block
5) Stake Land
4) Bereavement
3) Scream 4
2) Insidious
1) Tucker and Dale vs Evil



Top Ten Terrors of 2012: Let's be honest. 2012 was the weakest year for horror since I've started doing this. There were some surprises, but Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was not one of the top ten horror films of the year. I liked it, it was a lot of fun, but the year had to be weak if something like that makes the list.

10) Penumbra
9) Silent Night
8) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
7) The Woman in Black
6) REC 3: Genesis
5) V/H/S
4) Lovely Molly
3) Sinister
2) Prometheus
1) The Cabin in the Woods

One thing I can say about 2013...it may be the strongest year yet.