Chloe's Not Scared

Is it just me or did 2021 go by really fast? With advances in vaccinations, 2021 felt fairly normal compared to 2020, but it was still one of the most objectively weird years in our lifetime. However, I tried to watch a musical comedy last night, and ended up switching it off to watch Midnight Mass, which I feels sums up the weirdness of the past year very nicely. Without further ado, here are my top 5 horror books and movies of 2021!

Top 5 Horror Books of 2021

The biggest horror book trend this year was slasher-mania (Hendrix, Jones, and Sager all wrote love letters to the genre this year), but we also saw the influence of Lovecraft, Mexican Gothic, I’m Thinking of Ending Things and everything in between. I predict this is the first year post-covid that isn’t going to be an onslaught of pandemic fiction. So let’s enjoy it while we can. 

1. My Heart is a Chainsaw

by Stephen Graham Jones

Goodreads link to My Heart is a Chainsaw

I’ve written about MHISC on the blog before and if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. I also just found out recently that this book is the first in a trilogy, which I’m so excited to read. Lucky for us, Stephen Graham Jones writes fast! The lead character is Jade Daniels, an angry Native teenager living in a small lake town in Idaho which is rapidly gentrifying. Obsessed with horror movies, Jade wishes for a slasher to come to town, and by golly it does. 

2. Chasing the Boogeyman

by Richard Chizmar

Goodreads link to Chasing the Boogeyman

Author Richard Chizmar imagines himself as the main character of a true crime- inspired fiction. Rich is a recent college graduate obsessively researching a serial killer in his hometown with help from his new friend Carly, an early career journalist. This novel feels like a true crime memoir, complete with black and white pictures which make the case of the Boogeyman feel all too real. The writing style is very Stephen King-esque (not surprising since they are friends), and while the plot is not paranormal, it still examines horror tropes like small town crime and urban legends.

3. This Thing Between Us

by Gus Moreno

Goodreads link to This Thing Between Us

Thiago Alvarez is grieving the sudden death of his wife Vera, when he realizes his house might be haunted with more than just memories. Gus Moreno roped me in with a haunted Itza premise (a fictionalized Alexa smart home speaker) in Pilsen, one of my favorite Chicago neighborhoods (shoutout to Benny’s pizza), and kept me intrigued with Carpenter-esque cosmic dread in the middle of the Colorado woods. Recommended for those who like Color Out of Space and The Thing.

4. Cursed Bunny

by Bora Chung

Goodreads link to Cursed Bunny

I happened upon this short story collection by chance on Hoopla, intrigued by its weird neon rabbit on the cover. From the first story, I knew that this collection was going to be a compilation of all my worst nightmares. Bora Chung crafts explicit and strange body horror with the first two stories, “The Head” and “The Embodiment,” that quite literally will stick with me forever. The other stories range between sci-fi, fairy tales, and everything in between. This book was originally published in 2017 in Korean and translated by Anton Hur into English this past year.

5. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

by Eric LaRocca

Goodreads link to Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

Eric LaRocca’s novella takes body horror to a whole new level. In the year 2000, two women connect on a queer chatroom. They begin a relationship via instant messenger, until one of the women begins to take things too far. Because of the horror aspects especially near the end, I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who get squeamish, but it’s a quick read. It resembles a Creepypasta in length and content, yet it feels very deliberate in its novella format. Plus, I can’t stare at the cover for too long without wanting to scream, but also… I can’t look away…

Honorable mentions: When the Reckoning Comes, A Touch of Jen, Children of Chicago

If you’re purchasing any books, I really recommend ordering from your local bookstore. They can also order any book you want, but you just have to request it. Or try your local library!

Top 5 Horror Movies of 2021

What happened in horror movies during 2021? We got all the pandemic delayed releases, original IP, giallo influences, and fog… lots of fog. For more takes on horror movies filmed during the pandemic, read my blog post. Otherwise, here is my list of my favorite 2021 horror movies.

1. The Empty Man

Directed by David Prior (2020)

I think it’s a bold move to count this as the best picture of 2021, because technically it came out in 2020, but didn’t hit streaming or a cult following until this year. But this movie is the shit. It captures the era-lessness (similar to It Follows), weird urban legends and political procedurals of the early 1990’s, Tibetan curses, tulpas, cults, and hella fog. The plot goes in so many directions, but summing it up: a grieving security officer attempts to solve the case of missing teens in a small Midwestern town. Some things work, some things don’t, but overall The Empty Man is so beautiful, funny, subtly self-aware and unlike any horror movies I’ve seen in recent years.

2. Last Night in Soho

Directed by Edgar Wright (2021)

In my opinion, there’s not much scarier than time slips and it seems like Edgar Wright agrees. This thriller, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie (two of my favorites), follows Ellie, a college freshman who can see ghosts. When she realizes someone was murdered in her flat during the 1960’s, she tries to solve the case. The technical effects of the actors mirroring each other was the best and most effective teamwork in cinema this year. The homage to Carnival of Souls was a nice touch too!

3. Candyman

Directed by Nia DaCosta (2021)

The original Candyman is one of my favorite horror movies, and this spiritual sequel lived up to the hype. Anthony is a Black artist living in Cabrini Green, formerly public housing and now a gentrified landscape. When he learns about the story of Candyman from a guy at the laundromat, Anthony feels compelled to make artwork about the urban legend. Nia DaCosta is one of the most talented directors in Hollywood today and the shots of buildings in Chicago are absolutely gorgeous, especially in the opening credits. Plus, Phillip Glass does the score. 

4. Malignant

Directed by James Wan (2021)

I’ve written about Malignant before on this blog, but I want to make it known that I have a love of James Wan that cannot be beat. But how does he come up with these original stories and moreover, how does he pitch them? Nevermind, don’t answer that, I want to see everything he ever makes, just take my money. Madison (Annabelle Wallis) starts experiencing terrifying visions of murders happening in her town. And that’s all I’m going to say. The less you know about this one, the better.

5. Till Death

Directed by SK Dale (2021)

Before the Megan Fox resurgence of 2021, I watched Till Death and fell back in love with her. She’s been a horror star before (Jennifer’s Body, duh) and this new movie doesn’t disappoint, though it’s less vampires and more tension and terror. Emma (Fox) wakes up handcuffed to her dead husband in a remote cabin on a lake in the dead of winter. When she hears someone else in the house, the film becomes a race for survival that kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time.

Honorable mentions: Lamb, The Night House, PG: Psycho Goreman

What were your favorite books and movies of 2021? Let me know!!