'Goodnight Mommy': More evidence of a horror movie renaissance

Even though I am fan of the horror genre I find that very few "scary" movies are very good. Some people use the barometer "did it scare me?" -- I don't -- I'm more interested in whether a horror film is actually cinematically strong.

There have been plenty of very good films that creeped me out but didn't exactly give me nightmares. And, of course, there is also a lot of junk out there.

There are the gimmicky ghost stories, the gruesome slasher films, the torture porn and most nauseating recently -- the possession retreads -- none of whom come close to the impact of the 1973 original The Exorcist.

And yet in the past year I have seen three horror films I would unabashedly call masterpieces. Yes, they all scared me, but more importantly -- like the best films in the genre -- they made me think, were open to interpretation and could be enjoyed on multiple levels on repeat viewings.

It Follows, The Babadook and now Goodnight Mommy all suggest that we may be on the cusp of a golden age of horror films, which would be nice since there have been very few original movies in the world of terror cinema in the last few years.

Goodnight Mommy, an Austrian film which is currently in theaters, has a dynamite trailer that brilliantly manipulates your expectations when you enter the film. It's a very dark and disturbing film, without really a single traditional "scare" in it. I'm not even entirely sure it's a horror film, although horrible, unsettling things happen in it.

Both It Follows and The Babadook deal with supernatural entities, but wisely keep them largely unseen. The genius of these movies -- as well as my all-time favorite horror film The Shining -- is that the terror is within the mind. It's less about what you see than what you can imagine.

The Babadook

Each film has virtuoso filmmaking -- they are beautifully shot, staged and acted, which shouldn't be remarkable, but stands out in a genre that has become infamous for either wooden or hackneyed acting.

These are also films that are not preoccupied with gore. Although Goodnight Mommy has its share of grisly moments, they serve the story and never feel like exploitation for exploitation's sake.

What is unique about scary movies is that when they work they can be effective in a way that is entirely singular. It's already a somewhat inherently spooky experience sitting in a darkened theaters with a bunch of strangers. And when a film really takes hold of you with its pacing and purposefulness, as these three films do, you find yourself totally surrendering to the world up on the big screen.

All three of these films don't go for typical jump scares that you can see coming from a mile away. Instead they are all about throwing you off their scent. I never saw where any of these films were going and that rollercoaster ride was both terrifying and exhilarating.

I don't want to spoil these films, and to say that their plots twist is really an understatement. I will say this, each of them would be a decent start for someone who thinks they are averse to horror in general.

They are not relentlessly horrifying or disgusting. But they do create a general discomfort and unease that really shook me after I left the theater.

After watching Goodnight Mommy, I found myself just saying over and over again -- "that was just unsettling." and in the weirdest way, that can sometimes be a very gratifying feeling. Movies, at their best should keep us from being complacent and unless they're a light comedy, I don't want to just be amused for a couple hours. I want something I can feast on.

And these three stellar films are delicious.