There are still quite a few horror novels, films, and TV shows released in 2018 that I have yet to get to, but I'm proud that I did manage to read more this year than ever before (64 books, still not as many as most of my friends on Goodreads, but it was 14 over my goal of 50). I'm already compiling a list of books I want to read and movies I want to watch from other "Best of 2018" lists and hope to catch up in January. I just checked out The Hunger by Alma Katsu and Halcyon by Rio Youers from the library, I already have The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen on my Kindle, I just bought The Outsider by Stephen King from a thrift store, and plan on using an Amazon gift card I just received to buy Bone Saw by Patrick Lacey and Scream All Night by Derek Milman. I plan on watching Bird Box, Cam, and Annihilation on Netflix soon and I still really want to see the Suspiria remake and the new Predator movie. Anyway, here are my favourites in the horror genre this year. I'm going to list my top five books, and not limit it to books that came out this year (or else I would have a very short list), and only include my top two movies and TV shows because I watched less movies and TV than I read this year.
Top Five Books
This was, in my opinion, the best horror novel of 2018. I've loved the other Grady Hendrix books I've read, My Best Friend's Exorcism and Paperbacks From Hell, so it's no surprise that I loved this one as well. I'm always on the lookout for horror novels with strong female protagonists and the main character in We Soul Our Souls, Kris, is a total badass.
Best Movie: Hereditary
I normally don't like films that are a slow burn and when I first started watching this film I was a bit bored, but I quickly became invested in the family drama and the payoff at the end of the film was definitely worth it. The last half hour of Hereditary is terrifying and you'll be thinking about the ending for days.
Best TV Show: The Haunting of Hill House
I've had this book on my shelf for a long time (I inherited it from my mom), but I wasn't inclined to read it until Grady Hendrix mentioned it in Paperbacks From Hell, so I guess I have him to thank for the two best books I read this year. A fascinating book about a group of holocaust survivors and a golem in New York City with well-written characters.
OMG that crazy twist ending! Sarah Pinborough has written a handful of horror novels (I've read one, Breeding Ground), which is what piqued my interest when everyone was talking about Behind Her Eyes last year, because I typically would rather read horror than a psychological thriller. This was a real page turner and had a jaw dropping ending that would be impossible for even the most seasoned reader to guess.
I found this paperback at a used bookstore this past spring and read it immediately after reading a rave review for it written by one of my Goodreads friends, so thanks, because I really enjoyed it. Creepy psychological horror about a woman being haunted by her dead daughter...or is it all in her head? It's only 81 cents on Kindle right now, so there's no reason not to check this one out.
This was such a fun read! If you're a fan of creepy hospitals or asylums in horror, definitely give this one a go.
Best Movie: HereditaryI normally don't like films that are a slow burn and when I first started watching this film I was a bit bored, but I quickly became invested in the family drama and the payoff at the end of the film was definitely worth it. The last half hour of Hereditary is terrifying and you'll be thinking about the ending for days.
Runner-Up: Halloween (2018)
This was such a fun movie! I had low expectations going in because the original Halloween is one of my favourite horror films of all-time and I've been disappointed by other Halloween sequels before, but I would say this is now my third favourite film in the franchise (Halloween H20 will forever be my second favourite).
Best TV Show: The Haunting of Hill House
I rarely get scared when watching horror films/TV shows, but this show really freaked me out. I'm usually disappointed by adaptations of books I've read, but I actually enjoyed this more than the Shirley Jackson novel. Well, this is less an adaptation of the book and more of a reimagining--it's almost completely different, but it's still about Hill House being haunted. If you're a horror fan and somehow haven't watched it yet, I definitely recommend it. I loved it so much I think it has replaced American Horror Story as my number one favourite horror TV show.
Runner-Up: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Netflix really hit it out of the park with their original series this year. I read and loved the comic book series of the same name, so I was psyched when I heard they were developing it into a TV show. Plus, I was a huge fan of the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV series. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is nothing like that show, it's much darker and features much more cannibalism.
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