Category: lists

Andrew Buckner’s 75 Favorite Horror Films of the 2000s (So Far) Ranked

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by Andrew Buckner 

*Please note that the inclusion of the feature films on this list are done so based on the criteria of an original release date in the 2000s.

75. Planet Terror (2007)

Director: Robert Rodriguez 

74. The Menu (2022)

Director: Mark Mylod

73. Titane (2021)

Director: Julia Ducournau

72. X (2022)

Director: Ti West

71. Long Night in a Dead City (2017)

Director: Richard Griffin 

70. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

Director: Andre Ovredal

69. Mother of Tears (2007)

Director: Dario Argento 

68. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Director: Andre Ovredal

67. Lilith’s Awakening (2016)

Director: Monica Demes

66. Happy Death Day (2017)

Director: Christopher Landon

65. The Sacrament (2013)

Director: Ti West 

64. Land of the Dead (2005)

Director: George A. Romero

63. The Hunt (2020)

Director: Craig Zobel

62.  Horror in the High Desert (2021)

Director: Dutch Marich

61. Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Director: Lee Cronin

60. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Director: Drew Godard

59. Piranha 3D (2010)

Director: Alexandre Aja

58.The Last Exorcism (2010)

Director: Daniel Stamm

57. Thanksgiving (2023)

Director: Eli Roth

56. Pearl (2022)

Director: Ti West 

55. Speak No Evil (2022)

Director: Christian Tafdrup 

54. The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears (2013)

Directors: Bruno Forzani, Helene Cattet

53. The Neon Dead (2017)

Director: Torey Haas

52. 28 Days Later (2003)

Director: Danny Boyle

51. Late Night With the Devil (2023)

Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes

50. Crimson Peak (2015)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

49. The House of the Devil (2009)

Director: Ti West

48. Teeth (2007)

Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein 

47. Possum (2018)

Director: Matthew Holness

46. High Tension (2003)

Director: Alexandre Aja

45. Bring Her Back (2025)

Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

44. Suspiria (2018)

Director: Luca Guidagnino

43. It (2017)

Director: Andy Muschietti

42. The Invisible Man (2020)

Director: Leigh Whannell

41. Doctor Sleep (2019)

Director: Mike Flanagan

40. The Black Phone (2022)

Director: Scott Derrickson 

39. The Girl With the Needle (2024)

Director: Magnus von Horn

38. The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Director: John Erick Dowdle

37. The Loved Ones (2009)

Director: Sean Byrne

36. The Lighthouse (2019)

Director: Robert Eggers

35. Midsommar (2019)

Director: Ari Aster

34. May (2002)

Director: Lucky McKee

33. Three…Extremes (2004)

Directors: Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike, Park Chan-wook

32. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Director: Shinichirou Ueda

31. Red Rooms (2023)

Director: Pascal Plante

30. Sinister (2012)

Director: Scott Derrickson 

29. Censor (2021)

Director: Prano Bailey-Bond

28. In a Violent Nature (2024)

Director: Chris Nash

27. Saw (2004)

Director: James Wan

26. The Conjuring (2013)

Director: James Wan

25. Rec (2007)

Directors: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza

24. Barbarian (2022)

Director: Zach Creggor 

23. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

Director: Panos Cosmatos

22. The Babadook (2014)

Director: Jennifer Kent 

21. Swallow (2019)

Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis

20. The House That Jack Built (2018)

Director: Lars von Trier

19. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

18. Martyrs (2008)

Director: Pascal Laugier

17. Inside (2007)

Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury

16. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

15. The Black Swan (2010)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

14. Skinamarink (2022)

Director: Kyle Edward Ball

13. Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collett-Serra

12.  The Golden Glove (2019)

Director: Faith Akin

11. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Director: Oren Peli

10. Us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele

9. The God Inside My Ear (2018)

Director: Joe Badon

8. The Substance (2024)

Director: Coralie Fargeat

7. The Wolf House (2018)

Directors: Joaquin Cocina, Cristobal Leon

6. Raw (2016)

Director: Julia Ducournau 

5. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

4. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

3. Antichrist (2009)

Director: Lars von Trier

2. Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster

1. mother! (2017)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Runners-up:

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Director: Ronny Yu

Seed of Chucky (2004)

Director: Don Mancini

Terrifier 2 (2022)

Director: Damien Leone

The 20 Best Short Films of 2016

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By Andrew Buckner

It has been a breakout year for both up-and-coming as well as established talent. This is especially true in the medium of the short film. From heart-wrenching and experimental dramas, to mind-bending multi-genre tales, horrifying chronicles of fear and uproarious comedies, here is the list of my twenty favorite related works in this field from 2016. Please note that the name of the director of the piece is provided after the title of the production. Enjoy!

1. “Maya” (Veemsen Lama)
2. “Araf” (Fidan Jafarova, Tofiq Rzayev)
3. “Strawberry Lane” (Jeremy Arruda, Aaron Babcock)
4. “Chyanti” (Veemsen Lama)
5. “Kinnari” (Christopher Di Nunzio)
6. “Nihan: The Last Page” (Tofiq Rzayev)
7. “Numb” (Penelope Lawson)
8. “Dirty Books” (Zachary Lapierre)
9. “Here Lies Joe” (Mark Battle)
10. “The Deja Vuers” (Chris Esper)
11. “Tastes Like Medicine” (Steven Alexander Russell)
12. “Come Together: H&M” (Wes Anderson)
13. “In a Time for Sleep” (Tofiq Rzayev)
14. “Sisyphus” (David Graziano)
15. “Trouser Snake” (Alex DiVencenzo)
16. “Mail Time” (Sebastian Carrasco)
17. “Hell-Bent” (Foster Vernon)
18. “Hand in Hand” (Haley McHatton)
19. “Menu” (Matt Shaw)
20. “Last Night” (Tal Bohbot)

The Top 20 Albums of 2016

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By Andrew Buckner

From time-proven legends to up-and-coming independent artists, here is A Word of Dreams’ list of the twenty best albums of 2016!

1. We Got it From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service – A Tribe Called Quest

2. Black America Again – Common

3. 1992 – The Game

4. Everything is Nah Bro -Sean Strange

5. Everything in Between – Ugly Heroes

6. Beautiful Disaster – Jonezen

7. Instinctive Drowning – Red Pill

8. The Storm – Tech N9ne

9. Good Versus Evil – Kxng
Crooked

10. MartyrLoserKing – Saul Williams

11. A Fistful of Peril – Czarface

12.  And the Anonymous Nobody…- De La Soul

13. Anything But Words – Banks and Steelz

14. Top of the Line – Rittz

15. The Blank Face LP – Schoolboy Q

16. Malibu – Anderson .Paak

17. Natural Causes – Skylar Grey

18. The Easy Truth – Apollo Brown & Skyzoo

19. The Healing Component – Mick Jenkins

20. Go – Krizz Kaliko

The Best and Worst Films of 2016

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By Andrew Buckner

From war themed presentations, to awe-inspiring documentaries, horror pictures and magical family enactments, it has been a good year for movies. But, as we know, not every motion picture can be a gem. That is why A Word of Dreams is here to present my list of the thirty best feature films of 2016. I have also included the ten least enjoyed cinematic works from the past three hundred and sixty-five days. Please note that each feature is accompanied by the name of the director of the piece. Enjoy!

THE THIRTY BEST FILMS OF 2015

1. HACKSAW RIDGE (MEL GIBSON)
2. SILENCE (MARTIN SCORSESE)
3. ARRIVAL (DENNIS VILLENEUVE)
4. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (RICHARD GRIFFIN)
5. THE NEON DEMON (NICOLAS WINDING REFN)
6. THE EYES OF MY MOTHER (NICOLAS PESCE)
7. NUTS! (PENNY LANE)
8. THE B.F.G. (STEVEN SPIELBERG)
9. DELUSION (CHRISTOPHER DI NUNZIO)
10. TRINITY (SKIP SHEA)
11. LILITH’S AWAKENING (MONICA DEMES)
12. TOUCH GLOVES (FELIPE JORGE)
13. HELL OR HIGH WATER (DAVID MACKENZIE)
14. SNOWDEN (OLIVER STONE)
15. LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD (WERNER HERZOG)
16. INTO THE INFERNO (WERNER HERZOG)
17. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (JEFF NICHOLS)
18. BEFORE THE FLOOD (FISHER STEVENS)
19. THE WITCH (ROBERT EGGERS)
20. THE CONJURING 2 (JAMES WAN)
21. UNEARTHED & UNTOLD: THE PATH TO PET SEMATARY (JOHN CAMPOPIANO, JUSTIN WHITE)
22. KRISHA (TREY EDWARD SCHULTS)
23. A MAN CALLED OVE (HANNES HOLM)
24. KNIGHT OF CUPS (TERRENCE MALICK)
25. DON’T BREATHE (FEDE ALVAREZ)
26. SULLY (CLINT EASTWOOD)
27. SING STREET (JOHN CARNEY)
28.LA LA LAND (DAMIEN CHAZELLE)
29.THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (ANDRE OVERDAL)
30.THE NEON DEAD (TOREY HAAS)

RUNNERS-UP:

THE HANDMAIDEN (CHAN-WOOK PARK)

UNDER THE SHADOW (BABAK ANVARI)

MY 10 LEAST FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2016

1. GODS OF EGYPT (ALEX PROYAS)
2. MOTHER’S DAY (GARRY MARSHALL)
3. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES (BURR STEERS)
4. AMITYVILLE: VANISHING POINT (DYLAN GREENBERG)
5. MORGAN (LUKE SCOTT)
6. THE FOREST (JASON ZADA)
7. YOGA HOSERS (KEVIN SMITH)
8. THE SEA OF TREES (GUS VAN SANT)
9. THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY (LOUIS LETTERIER)
10. 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI (MICHAEL BAY)

RUNNERS-UP:

LIGHTS OUT (DAVID F. SANDBERG)

MECHANIC: RESURRECTION (DENNIS GANSEL)