15 Action/Horror Films That Kick Ass All Year Long
October comes around and everyone loses their minds! Even your earliest of church attendees start doing Wes Craven movie marathons and talking about the differences in Romero zombies and everything else. I like to get into the horror action myself, and by doing so I tend to get into conversations with friends and colleagues about which action/horror films are the best and why? For this list, I called upon BPA contributor, Batman aficionado, and lover of all things horror Captain Ian Garriott!
You’re Next (2011) – Adam Wingard’s cult classic that plays like a demented version of Home Alone. Sharni Vinson is among my favorite “Final Girl’s” of all time and it also fits neatly into the Wingard-verse which is so in now.
Green Room (2015) – Heavy Metal music, skinhead Nazi’s, and people being mauled by a dog. It’s Writer/Director Jeremy Saulnier’s outstanding follow-up to Blue Ruin.
VFW (2019) – Horror guy Joe Begos goes old school with guys like Stephen Lang, William Sadler, Fred Williamson, Martin Kove, David Patrick Kelly, and fuckin’ George Wendt! Just picture these old dudes killing junkie/zombie types inside a VFW. It’s incredible!
Nightbreed (1990) – Properly scared the shit out of me when I watched it at the age of 9 and still a quiet banger that you can show your buddies. Clive Barker is an insane person.
The Terminator (1984) – The O.G. action/horror/sci-fi masterpiece that is as perfect as any movie I’ve seen in my all my years.
Overlord (2018) – Wildly entertaining and grotesque. Feels like a video game at times for the amount of goo and gore and that is a serious compliment. Come for the Kurt Russell look-alike, stay for the Nazi killing.
From Dusk till Dawn (1996) – Just like the inhabitants of The Titty Twister, this movie never gets old. George Clooney is an absolute madman playing a character that MOST fans of his would never expect. Killing vampires never looked so good.
Train to Busan (2016) – Both incredible for its death and destruction while still being extremely emotional. Director Sang-ho Yeon deserves all the awards for this one.
28 Days Later (2002) – Right at the forefront of the zombie resurgence in the early 2000’s, Director Danny Boyle’s “almost zombies” run amok in the UK while the non-infected cause just as much of the chaos.
30 Days of Night (2007) – One of the best vampire movies to come out in somewhat recent years and also one of the most brutal. Heart-throb Josh Hartnett takes the lead in this script adapted from a Steve Niles graphic novel.
Dawn of the Dead *Zac Snyder edition*(2004) – Is it the best remake ever? Maybe. It’s probably still not better than the Romero original but this one packs a punch and a whole shit-load of blood.
Bone Tomahawk (2015) – Such a well-made and acted film with an absolutely brutal finale. Kurt Russell is still the GOAT of mustache growth and the first in a trio of fantastically made films from S. Craig Zahler.
Dog Soldiers (2002) – Neil Marshall is one of those directors that you either love or you hate. I love the guy and Dog Soldiers is universally loved for its werewolf craziness.
The Descent (2005) – So much tension built up in such a small amount of space. Another Neil Marshall jam that knocks it out of the park as a group of women go spelunking deep in a cavernous and hellish deathtrap.
Malignant (2021) – The newest film on this list and one that took many people by surprise. Such a fantastic horror film with one of the best action sequences of the past few years. The less said about this movie the better, but massive respect to James Wan for this gem.
