FILM GUTTER’S TOP 5 OF 2021

Yes, it’s that time of year once again – we’ll be heading into the festive season, which serves us up the perfect chance to look back at all the movies watched in 2021 and the real standouts there. We had a whole host of themed months as part of proceedings this annum, as well as plenty of ‘mixed bag’ months, and we’ll be looking to continue some of those specials as we push into 2022! But for now, let’s reflect on the very finest of this year…

5) OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (9/10)
Takashi Miike month was not surprisingly packed with very good films, and my first watch of Over Your Dead Body proved to be a revelation. A sort of ‘story within a story’, this intriguing take on the Japanese ghost tale presented a play that began to spill all too painfully into the real life of its performers. Probably not Miike’s most brutal or confronting, but a powerful and complex offering nonetheless – I’ve not got round to my rewatch yet, but I sure will be giving it a second viewing to unpick it further.

4) ANTIVIRAL (9/10)
And similarly, Cronenberg month featured some exceptionally fine movies, but it was Brandon Cronenberg’s contribution that stood out the most for me. Playing out like a JG Ballard story that never was, this plot felt all too real, entering the strange world of bugs and diseases extracted from celebrities being sold to superfans in a near-future world. It feels like we’re only a few years off this becoming a reality if I’m completely honest. Stark, cold and involved, this is well worth a look and follows a fine family tradition of paranoid body horror.

3) DAHMER (9/10)
A movie that genuinely surprised me, with a strong central performance by a young Jeremy Renner, and one that zoomed in on the psychology and character of Dahmer rather than the hideous nature of his crimes. The slow-burn nature of this one drew me in bit by bit until I felt absolutely mesmerised by it, and the excellent script and acting performances boosted this one up immensely too. Not what I would have expected from a serial killer flick, but ultimately all the better for it!

2) AUDITION (10/10)
This was a movie that I remembered loving on first watch – though that first watch would have been about 15 years ago. And it certainly stood up to a second viewing – another serious slow-burner and a film probably best seen knowing little about it. This one has generally gone down as one of Takashi Miike’s best films, and that’s a reputation it’s well worthy of – and you can rest assured there’s plenty of competition in that particular filmography…

1) MOEBIUS (10/10)
A film I went into knowing literally nothing about that absolutely blew my socks off. A sort of modern Greek tragedy, without one word of dialogue in its whole runtime, this was totally unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It’s seriously dark and twisted, and crosses all sorts of taboos, but was just an absolutely compelling watch. All credit to the cast for conveying this with a script without a single line of dialogue in!

So, there we have the top 5 – I’m also going to add in a couple of honourable mentions that nearly made the list…
MEAT GRINDER (8.5/10) – this Thai horror movie was just brutal and nihilistic, but still incredibly hard to take your eyes off. The lead performance from Mai Charoenpura was awesome to boot, and while it did nothing to lift my spirits, I was very impressed all told.
THE LAST SUPPER (8.5/10) – This Japanese cannibal movie was surprisingly measured, although it did have its grotesque moments. Everyone absolutely loves our lead’s mystery meat, although it’s not a mystery to us as viewers. I’d also add this one certainly had an ending I’m never liable to forget…

So there we have it, another year of Film Gutter is officially in the books! As always, we’ll be bringing you plenty more extreme horror goodness every week as we push into 2022 – who knows what fresh delights we’ll find in the next twelve months? Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year, and we’ll see you again in January!

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