Martyrs (French Subtitle)

Teaser: A young girl tortured for years before escaping, returns 15 years later to show that a child never forgets.

Best Feature: Non-stop gore and tension. Interesting premise and strong female socio-pathic leads. Very hardhitting and emotionally raw.

Worst Feature: More an exercise in terror and excitement than substance.

While this movie is nowhere near as polished as films like Let The Right One In, it does what many horror films fail to do: it shocks, it awes and it puts you on the edge of your seat for the duration.

My Ranking: Top 5 Entire Horror Genre
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/martyrs/

Battle Royale (Japanese Subtitle)

Teaser: It's 2002 in Japan. High unemployment has caused the youth to run amok. Struggling to get a hold of their young citizens, the Japanese government employs a very draconian form of punishment for its youth offenders...very draconian indeed.

Best Features: The concept is original and utterly fascinating and it feels like a bunch of sick, but interesting people went to the movie room drawing board. Not a boring moment.

Worst Features: It has some elements of that Japanese style cheesiness (dialogue, dramatic effect).

This is one of the coolest concept movies of all time. It is a masterful blend of sadism, inventiveness and sheer sci-fi wonderment.

My Ranking: Top 5 Entire Horror Genre
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1217514-battle_royale/

Rec (Spanish Subtitle)

Teaser: A news crew in Barcelona is shadowing a fire department when they get a call. With handheld camera dictating the viewers exposure to the characters we follow them as a routine call goes horribly wrong.

Best Features: It is the best in the handheld horror genre (ex., Blair Witch Project). The scares are genuine. The plot is compelling throughout.

Worst Features: The ending gets way to involved in an otherwise never before mentioned plot development, where it wasn't needed in order to drive the movie (I say this even having seen the sequel).

This movie is so high on my list mostly because it is such a powerful and effective use of an otherwise annoying and contrived camera style (handheld documentary style). I like this movie's use of the technique much more than Paranormal Activity and would go as far as to say it is the best use of that camera technique that I have ever seen. The movie, within itself (plot, script) will not blow you away, but the scary movie experience is delightfully visceral and stands above any horror offering of the past 20 years.

My Ranking: Top 5 Entire Horror Genre
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009132-rec/

The Chaser (Korean Subtitles)

Teaser: A former Detective, disgraced after being on the take, becomes a pimp. When one day he begins to notice that his women are going missing, he uses his former professional skills to hunt them down. In his journey he finds that something truly sinister is going on and that he must stop it.

Best Features: The plot, while seemingly ridiculous, is actually very compelling. The violence is bone-chilling, believable and unnerving. They are able to make the suspense palpable for a very long time. The protagonist and antagonist are both expertly portrayed and drive the film. It is loosely based on real events. It does not seek to make the audience happy again by having a sunny payoff.

Worst Features: Maybe a little long. Police procredural aspect of the movie seems a little contrived.

What makes this movie great is that it is actually scary and suspenseful, even for someone who is normally bored by the average horror film. The plot is unique and compelling and the two main actors really sell the tension and hatred. Also, the violence is very realistic and adds to the impending suspense. This is the best Korean horror film I have seen, with Old Boy and I Saw the Devil trailing behind it in the Korean Horror genre.

My Ranking: Top 5 Entire Horror Genre
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chaser/