Horror Films You Didn't See in 2009 Quiz

Answer: Pontypool

Based on a novel by Tony Burgess, known as "Pontypool Changes Everything", this film was set almost entirely in a church basement, as a radio personality, known as Grant Mazzy, performed his early morning show for the townspeople and surrounding area. During this whiteout, a breaking story, involving rioting in the small town began to materialize, cutting into the day's events. Soon, an infection began to spread - it took a while before anyone realized its source: key words in the English language.

The director dubbed the infected individuals as 'conversationalists' in interviews. "Pontypool" received a small, limited release, which is probably why you didn't see it. Nonetheless, its 'out there' subject matter was unique and the performances and themes within caught attention from critics, who highly enjoyed the film. You didn't see this one because it rarely appeared anywhere. DVDs were scarce after release and it appeared in a very small limited release in major cities.

Answer: Grace

Jordan Ladd's character got into a car accident and miscarried her unborn child. Deciding to take the baby to full term, she gave birth, only to find the child was still alive. What developed was a truly horrific relationship, when it was discovered that the baby was certainly otherworldly. Soon, milk wasn't enough - it wanted blood...then flesh.

When it required more, its mother had no choice but to satisfy its needs. The film received modest reviews and appeared early in the year during the Sundance Film Festival.

It was picked up by Anchor Bay Entertainment shortly after. Director Paul Solet made his feature film debut with "Grace" (basing it off an earlier short film) and was mentored by "Cabin Fever" director Eli Roth. Coincidentally, Jordan Ladd also appeared in "Cabin Fever", Roth's debut film, in 2002. You didn't see this one because of its short release in theaters.

Answer: Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

"Cabin Fever" was originally Eli Roth's debut film and 'the little horror flick that could' earned over $30,000,000 in the box office. The sequel, directed by not-quite-first-timer Ti West (he made a couple of unknown horror films earlier), was reportedly so difficult for him to work on, due to frequent changes, that he pulled out before completion and attempted to remain nameless in the credits.

It didn't happen though; the movie was finished and released on DVD by Lionsgate. You probably didn't see it because it only appeared in a few film festivals before hitting store shelves in 2010. "Spring Fever" began after the events of the first film (though not long after).

The disease spread to a nearby school during prom and things got very messy.

Answer: The House of the Devil

Another Ti West film (and one he wanted to make!), "The House of the Devil" was filmed in a 1980's style and looked fairly convincing. A benchmark for slow-burn horror films of the decade, the movie was a critical success, although it only had a limited release.

It first showed at the Tribeca Film Festival - you probably didn't see it because of the lack of hype. Nonetheless, the film earned just over $100,000. The movie starred Jocelin Donahue, as a babysitter strapped for cash. She took a job at a mansion, only to discover that the couple who lived there didn't actually have children...things got weirder from there, as talk of satanic cults emerged and the couple wasn't what they seemed.

Answer: Thirst

You probably didn't see this one unless you were at Cannes...or lived in South Korea. The odds are against you right now.
Directed by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (who also won the Cannes Grand Prix for his 2004 film, "Oldboy"), "Thirst" was not his first-time affair in the horror world, as he had previously written a story and directed a segment for the Asian horror film "Three... Extremes" (along with Japanese director Takashi Miike and Hong Kong director Fruit Chan). "Thirst" followed the story of a priest turned vampire and the horrific realizations that followed, as he had to feed on human blood to remain under control. When he created another vampire from his lover, things got more difficult.
"Thirst" made over $12,000,000 worldwide and received critical acclaim; not bad for a South Korean language film.

Answer: Trick 'R Treat

Claiming almost unanimous positive feedback from critics, you didn't see this movie because it took forever to show up. Originally planned for theatrical release in 2007, Warner Bros. kept the project in the vault for an additional two years, before tossing it onto DVD (which may have been a big mistake). Horror fans ate it up and it appeared on a circuit of film festivals. The movie featured many different stories and characters, all connected by events occurring on Halloween night in one spooky town. Tales of ghouls, werewolves, specters, and jack-o-lanterns were woven in amongst each other as the movie progressed. Stars Anna Paquin and Quinn Lord were no strangers to horror either. Paquin appeared in the film "Darkness", in 2002, before becoming Sookie Stackhouse in HBO's "True Blood" vampire series.

While Lord, a child actor from Canada, appeared in the "White Noise" sequel and the horror anthology "Masters of Horror" (during the "We All Scream for Ice Cream" episode).

Answer: The Hills Run Red

To put it simply, you never saw "The Hills Run Red" because while Dark Castle tends to be a big name in horror, the film only showed up in film festivals before being shipped to stores on DVD. The movie followed a group of kids traveling into the backwoods of a region, to determine the location of a mysterious film print known as "The Hills Run Red", which was to be the scariest film ever created. What they discovered was that the killer from the movie was real and that yes, the hills really did run red. The movie was directed by almost-first-timer Dave Parker and written by horror author David Schow (who also wrote a couple episodes of "Masters of Horror"). Dark Castle, in the same year, would release "Orphan" and "Whiteout", the former of which I'd expect you to watch if you enjoy horror, and the latter of which I'd expect you to toss if you enjoy movies.

Answer: Giallo

"Giallo" may have been another coffin nail for Italian director Dario Argento's once prestigious horror career. While many horror fans would walk the mile for "Suspiria", "Opera", and "Tenebre", his later works left a unanimous desire for more. "Giallo" was on your list of movies that you never saw in 2009, because it was a critical failure and never got wide release in North America. Premiering in Scotland (as opposed to Italy, Argento's home country), the movie starred Adrien Brody and Emmanuelle Seigner and made very little money in theaters. Claiming his dislike for the people who worked on the movie with him, Argento left the project to write a new movie. The film followed Brody and Seigner as they set out to track down and capture a murderer known only as 'Yellow'. 'Giallo' is the Italian word for yellow and also refers to a style of murder mystery found popular in Italian cinema. Argento was one of the top names in the genre many decades before this film.

Answer: The Descent 2

"The Descent 2" returned to the same cave system seen in the first film, only while claustrophobia was a major factor found in the original
(making the original frightening in many different ways), the second simply seemed like an excuse to return to the ol' stomping grounds. Original director Neil Marshall, while onboard to co-produce, did not have as major a role in this one. Director Jon Harris took his first seat in the director's chair with this film, though he's edited movies in the movie industry for ages (including the first "Descent" and "Eden Lake").
You probably never saw "The Descent 2" because you mistook it for the original one - it's dark enough in those caves to ignore any subtle differences. The movie went straight-to-DVD in North America but earned over $5,000,000 internationally before this. It received lower reviews than the original.

Answer: The Thaw

"The Thaw" was one of only four "Ghost House Underground" titles in 2009, and while it wasn't the most critically acclaimed, it was worth watching for its outlandish approach to evoking a global warming message. Val Kilmer and a number of scientists discovered the remains of a mammoth in the snow and ice up north and with this came a number of once-frozen bugs that fed on the species and led to its downfall. Unearthing these creatures brought them back to life, to begin feeding on pretty much every other living creature.

The goal of the film was to stop this from happening; global warming was blamed. You probably didn't see this movie because of a lack of a theatrical release. If you saw any movie in the Ghost House Underground series of 2009, I'd hope it was "The Children". Nonetheless, "The Thaw" was a good time sink.