Horror Films of 2010 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Crazies

Although "The Crazies" premiered in third at the box office upon its February release, it took in over $50,000,000 and received critical praise, a surprising feat for any horror remake. Like Romero's original version, "The Crazies" involved a small US town coming into contact with a contamination of sorts transforming its quiet residents into crazy creatures.

A small group of survivors tries to escape as the army is called in to quarantine the area. Breck Eisner originally directed the box office failure "Sahara" back in 2005 but seems to have turned it around. Eisner's only other explicitly-horror work was for the first episode of NBC's horror anthology "Fear Itself". "The Crazies" starred Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, and Danielle Panabaker, all of whom are no strangers to the genre.

Answer: The Last Exorcism

A minister known for performing exorcisms, real or fake, on many people over the years, a man named Cotton Marcus (played by Fabian) found himself coming face to face with a girl possessed by the Devil in this 2010 film. Anticipated to be as graphic as Eli Roth's earlier work, "Cotton" was renamed "The Last Exorcism" as it approached an August release.

Although it featured a single shaky-cam style characteristic of "The Blair Witch Project" and "Quarantine", the film was well-received by critics and viewers alike.

The movie opened at #2 in the box office and earned nearly $60,000,000 overall. Director Daniel Stamm made his international release debut with this film, having released a single independent film, "A Necessary Death", in 2008.

Answer: Saw 3D

"Saw 3D" (aka "Saw VII") was released around Halloween in 2010 and while there was originally supposed to be eight films in this major franchise, low box office earnings on 2009's "Saw" release brought that plan down. Kevin Greutert, who directed the sixth film, also directed this one after Lionsgate forced him to complete it (due to contractual obligations) though he was slated to direct "Paranormal Activity 2" instead. "Saw 3D" was also the first in the series to use the 3D gimmick (er... technology).

It brought in a modest $122,000,000 overall. Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, and (surprisingly) Cary Elwes all came back for this bout in the "Saw" world. As the battle between Detective Hoffman and Jigsaw's wife, Jill Tuck, came to a head, another series of gruesome traps were set for a character played by Sean Patrick Flanery. All in all it wrapped up the series and left the characteristic loose ends we've been accustomed to seeing from a "Saw" flick.

Answer: Let Me In

Based on the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel "Låt den rätte komma in", "Let the Right One In" as it was translated earned $10,000,000 in the box office and critical acclaim; not bad for a Swedish vampire film. As a result, Hollywood decided to release a remake and they got none other than Matt Reeves to write and direct this already well-executed film.

As it turned out, "Let Me In", the American remake, was very well-received as well. Despite being a near-identical replication of the original, Reeves' attempt changed just enough to make the film unique.

The movie starred Kodi Smit-McPhee (of "The Road") and Chloe Grace Moretz (of "Kick-Ass") and followed a young, outcast boy who met a young girl who turned out to be a vampire. "Let Me In" earned over $20,000,000 in the box office after its October release.

Answer: A Nightmare on Elm Street

While Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer (writers of "Doom" and "Final Destination 5" respectively) were busy penning this inevitable Platinum Dunes remake, Wes Craven, who created the series, decided to create "My Soul to Take" which released in October to even worse critical and box office failure. Craven would later go on to write "Scream 4".

Instead of helming the "Nightmare on Elm Street" reboot, the movie was directed by Samuel Bayer (first-time film director, big-time Green Day/My Chemical Romance music video director... he also directed the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video).

The decision was also made to replace Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in eight films and a TV series, with Jackie Earle Haley, who was nominated for an Oscar in "Little Children" and who played Rorschach in the "Watchmen" adaptation. Upon releasing in April 2010, the film earned over $115,000,000, just as we'd expect from a horror staple, and it became Platinum Dunes' highest-grossing movie since its inception in 2003.

Answer: Piranha 3D

A(nother) remake of the original 1978 "Piranha" (directed by Joe Dante of "Gremlins" fame), this 3D flick actually pulled itself off quite well. Taking in just under $80,000,000 overall, Aja's film starred Elizabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, and Adam Scott and was well-received. Aja also wrote and directed "Mirrors", "Haute Tension" and the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes". This trip to a lake of piranhas began with an earthquake which opened a fissure to a prehistoric, underground lake. Obviously, this meant piranhas. Obviously, this also meant party-goers frolicking in the nearby waters during spring break. Obviously, this meant carnage.

Answer: Resident Evil: Afterlife

"Resident Evil: Afterlife" brought Milla Jovovich (our ever-confusing, telekinetic, shoot-first-ask-questions-later Alice) to Alaska and Los Angeles, fighting zombies and a slew of unique creatures pulled directly from the later "Resident Evil" games. Video game characters, including Claire and Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, and Jill Valentine, showed their faces too; it was a regular zombie reunion.
"Afterlife" was the fourth in the series to be directed by Paul W. S. Anderson (who made "Pandorum" in 2009) and it was the highest-grossing. It was the first in the series to be made in 3D.

Answer: Daybreakers

"Daybreakers", set in a future where the population is essentially all-vampires as a result of a deadly disease, highlighted a shortage in blood which threatened to wipe out the entire world. Soon, Ethan Hawke came to realize that there might be a fix to the whole vampire problem altogether; the vampire process can be reversed. "Daybreakers" was a relatively well-received movie. Critics enjoyed this new take on the vampire genre and the box office proved its popularity with over $50,000,000 in ticket sales. Directors Michael and Peter Spierig also released the Australian zombie film "Undead" which, as it turned out, wasn't entirely about zombies.

Answer: Predators

"Predators" is another reboot to a classic genre staple. The original "Predator", directed by John McTiernan, was released in 1987. This version of the story produced by Robert Rodriguez (maker of "From Dusk Till Dawn" and the "Grindhouse" segment, "Planet Terror") took a group of bad guys and placed them on a planet populated by predators.

The movie starred Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, and Danny Trejo. A surprising summer hit, this July release raked in over $125,000,000 and made good on two relatively less-exciting "Alien vs. Predator" films... and egads was "Requiem" bad.

Answer: Devil

This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the year. When M. Night Shyamalan's name showed up in the credits, many were dissuaded by the director's long-running, diminishing track record. It turned out that Shyamalan played the producer role this time around and left the directing to the Dowdle Brothers (who previously directed 'Quarantine" and the unreleased "The Poughkeepsie Tapes").

The movie took in over $50,000,000 and despite not being pre-screened for critics it received moderate review scores. A cast of relative unknowns starred in this movie in which a group of five individuals (each with a hidden agenda) found themselves trapped in an elevator.

As it turned out, Satan himself may have had plans in motion. "Devil" was described by Shyamalan as the first in a series of films called "The Night Chronicles", all of which he would commission out to other directors for release and all of which he would produce.