#13 - We Are Still Here (2015)
"Action-packed" and "haunted house" generally don't go together. Many ghost movies are slow burns - lots of creepy tension but not a lot of action or big scares. They usually focus on the mystery of the ghost's identity, or of their death, or on whether or not the haunting is real. There's nothing wrong with this - some of my favorite horror films follow this pattern (e.g. The Changeling, The Haunting, etc). However, We Are Still Here is a haunted house film that isn't afraid to ignore all that, and just go hog wild with the ghosts and violence.
The plot is pretty simple - Paul and Anne, a middle aged couple who recently lost their son to a car accident, move into a big old house in the country. Shortly after moving in, they experience some creepy ghost stuff that may or may not be related to their dead son. Their neighbors are also acting strangely, and the townsfolk seem to shun them. Most films would take their time exploring any one of these ideas, but this one jumps right in and goes full-tilt haunting. There is nothing ambiguous here - right from the start the ghosts make their presence known and dig right in to terrifying the couple. We do eventually learn the "why" of everything, but the focus is really on the increasingly intense action. Movies about ghosts are typically not very gory, but this one has more than its share of blood and viscera.
This film has a lot in common with Cabin in the Woods, in ways that I'd love to discuss but would be spoilers. It isn't a comedy, but thematically they are pretty similar. It isn't a perfect film - the acting is occasionally not so good, and the score is so minimal that many of the quieter scenes feel empty and a bit dull. However it is clear that the fimmakers have a lot of love and respect for the genre, and I think this will prove to be one of the top horror films of the year. Recommended.
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