10 Best Horror Films from the James Waniverse
In September of 2004, James Wan was just a would-be filmmaker from Australia palling around with his pal Leigh Whannell. A month later, he would become one of the biggest names in horror, and his legend has only grown since. When Saw hit theaters, modern horror wasn’t quite stale, but it had yet to find its footing in the 21st century. Wan’s gruesome little flick about a deranged killer punishing those who don’t value life with fiendish contraptions and deadly games quickly established the bar for where horror was heading. In the twenty years since, Wan has been one of the main figures in the horror genre. Saw has become a massive franchise with ten films and counting. The latest movie hit theaters less than a month ago and has already surpassed $100 million. And that’s just one brand that Wan has created. In 2010, he released Insidious, which launched its fifth series earlier this year, with a sixth already in production. Then came the 2013 release of The Conjuring, which spawned an entire universe that has now grown into eight films, the last of which came out about two months ago. In short, since 2004, James Wan has launched two separate franchises and a universe, all of which include at least five films, and all of which have had new additions as recently as this year.
Saw II
James Wan was already carried away on Dead Silence when the Saw II dinner bell got wrung. He had to pass his baby off to Darren Lynn Bousman, and while few would argue the sequel’s superiority to the original, it is where the franchise took off and became its own weird thing. Saw sequels are rarely sequels but are often prequels and sometimes side missions. Saw II is perhaps even worse than the first, and its traps are more complex and at times more visceral. Needle pit, guys. It’s not The needle pit, folks. It’s not the gnarliest thing you’ve ever seen on screen, but its simplicity sticks. Shawnee Smith transforms a memorable turn from Saw into an essential franchise ingredient. She and Tobin Bell became horror’s Batman and Robin. (Brad Gullickson)
Lights Out
Adapting a successful short film into a feature film often involves many risks. David F. Sandberg took a risk with his directorial debut in 2016 and the results were mostly positive. The principle of Lights Out is simple but very effective. A woman-like creature with claw-like hands appears in the darkness as the lights go out. In the dark, she can attack and kill, but turn the lights back on and you’ll be safe. Sandberg happily plays with light and shadow to create a tight 80-minute thriller, perfect for younger fans looking to transition into a more mature film. (Chris Coffel)
Insidious: Chapter 2
Unlike my colleagues here, I’m not the biggest Devils fan. This seems incomplete to me. that is, until you watch it with a sequel that serves as a nice tapestry and ties the entire story together. This movie relies entirely on Patrick Wilson’s performance. After being possessed at the end of the first film, we see Wilson’s Josh gradually descend into madness, overcome by the desire to kill his family. Chapter 2 takes the audience between “The Further” and the real world, deepening fears and filling in details hinted at in the first film. This is a near-perfect sequel and another outstanding example of a James Wan thriller. (Chris Coffel)
Saw III
While Saw II expanded on Jigsaw’s story and provided some motivation for his actions, Saw III begins to add a little more emotion and weight to the relationship between the game-obsessed killer our player and his young apprentice, Amanda. The film succeeds in this regard, with Amanda becoming jealous of Jigsaw’s relationship with a doctor they kidnap to help him survive. This jealousy has led to some of the most brutal traps and gameplay the franchise has ever seen. The belt caused poor Kerry’s ribs to explode? It’s an absolute chronograph. Saw III is also the movie that gave us Jigsaw’s moral code. It seems strange since this man kidnaps people and puts them in death traps, but he has rules and follows them, dammit! (Chris Coffel)
M3gan
When the first trailer of M3gan was released, everyone online exploded. A lifelike AI-equipped doll with killer dance moves? Can it live up to the hype? Notably yes. Gerard Johnstone’s sci-fi thriller effectively explores our modern dependence on technology and the emotional connection that young children form with the most unusual things. But more importantly, it’s a movie about a killer doll. Yes, the PG-13 rating avoids some iconic moments of bloodshed, but the ending is a little bit Alien and a little bit Robot Jox. And for that, I took off my hat. Now just give it a few sequels and possible Chucky crossovers. (Chris Coffel)
Insidious
After Saw, James Wan’s horror films tried to move away from his torture-porn past with the doll-centric supernatural thriller Dead Silence. Despite this film’s intriguing premise and cheesy execution, it languished in the post-9/11 horror landscape, with audiences still craving something a little more extreme to match its content. content at that time. However, the seeds Wan planted on Dead Silence eventually bore fruit with Insidious. From its clear use of light and shadow as well as its blend of emotional narrative beats and over-the-top horror, Insidious debuts with all the artistry that Wan would use in the film his later, increasingly moving away from the aesthetics of the original series that established him as the new master of horror in the 2000s. (Jacob’s Menace)
The Conjuring
A bunch of kids running around a creepy old house with creepy trees and secret rooms is a surefire way to make a successful horror movie. And that’s exactly what James Wan did when he brought the adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren to the big screen for the first time ten years ago in The Conjuring. Based on a story believed to be true, Ed and Lorraine take a trip to Rhode Island to help the Peron family deal with spooky happenings at their newly purchased farm. They discover that dark forces have taken over the family and the only solution is to perform an exorcism. The Conjuring succeeds as an atmospheric horror film highlighted by memorable moments – applause that will haunt me forever. But more importantly, it launched a franchise and a mini-universe, a staple of modern horror movies. (Chris Coffel)
Saw
On October 29, 2004, James Wan changed the landscape of the modern horror genre with the release of Saw. While critics at the time were disgusted and outraged by such a film, it was a huge success at the box office, putting Wan on the map and creating the blueprint for the next decade. next weird. Haters will dismiss it as simply gore for gore’s sake, or worse yet, give it the shameful label of “torture porn,” but Saw is low-budget movies of the highest caliber. Wan is able to take the simple premise of two guys locked in a room with no idea how they got there and turn it into something amazing. Yes, some of the flashbacks complicate things, and yes, Cary Elwes does scream a lot, but nearly twenty years later, the film is as effective and impactful as ever . And the final twist, even when we know it’s coming, always hits hard. (Chris Coffel)
The Conjuring 2
The second part of the “superhero but for Catholics” universe, The Conjuring 2 brings together the audience with ghost hunting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Adapting the alleged poltergeist incident in Enfield, the sequel sees the Warrens head overseas to jolly old England, where another large family is being terrorized by a unique supernatural presence. evil. While it doesn’t quite reach the tightly choreographed heights of its predecessor, The Conjuring 2 excels at balancing crowd-pleasing shmaltz with truly memorable scares. Where else can you find this level of chemistry in married couples with children? What other horror movie takes the time to have Patrick Wilson sing Elvis on an acoustic guitar? What other movie with a six-foot-tall, shark-mouthed nun could be a Valentine’s Day and Christmas movie? No matter how you slice it (or exorcise it), The Conjuring 2 has something for everyone. It’s the best of both worlds (including the bottom one). (Meg Shield)
Malignant
James Wan is a rarity in the horror genre in that he is directly responsible for launching not one, not two, but five franchises – Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Annabelle and The Nun – and he doesn’t. shows signs of slowing down. Some of his films as director or producer have had or could potentially have sequels, but the one that hasn’t (for now anyway) is his hugely enjoyable one, Malignant. It comes in our top spot here despite being his lowest-grossing film since 2007, and that’s a testament to the amount and level of horror fun it packs in. Fast running time. Bloody murders? Check. Stylish design? Check. Extremely good action sequence? Check. Fun and crazy third act reveal? Check. Wan’s spooky sequels may have made the most money, but when it comes to James Wan’s horror movies, this wonderfully unique and eerie film is the one that made us horror fans. the happiest. (Robber hunter)