[We're happy to announce the return of Daddy's Little Monster! Take it away, Ron and Emma...]

First, a short apology. We’re back, we’re sorry, won’t happen again.

Now, for our return, we felt it would be wise (and appropriate) to look back at the past year and its various highs and lows. We also both agreed that since most – okay, all – of you want to hear what she had to say, I’d let Emma do the talking. Without further ado, Part One of 2011: The Little Monster’s Point of View.

Scream 4: I’ve just become a fan of the Scream films, and the fourth was a lot of fun. The ads said “new decade, new rules” and they were right. The kills were much more brutal, the horror nerd was a girl this time out and even the reasons for the murders were different this time. The cast was great, the writing was good and the scares worked, especially in a darkened theatre. I know a lot of horror fans don’t like the Scream movies, but it’s one of my favourite series and the fourth one was one of the best yet. I’m hoping to talk more about the Scream series a little more later this year. Stay tuned!

Fright Night: Like a lot of people, I don’t like remakes. I like the original Fright Night. I don’t love it, but I enjoyed it and didn’t think it needed to be redone.  So I was very surprised at how much I liked this. It was funny, bloody and full of thrills – the scene where Charley tries to sneak his just-bitten neighbour out of Jerry Dandridge’s house was waaaaay tense. The cast was really good, too – loved the new Peter Vincent, who was hilarious! It also had Colin Farrell, who’s the sexiest and scariest vampire I’ve ever seen. All the other girls can get all mushy over Edward Cullen – Colin Farrell is HAWT!

Super 8: I know my dad liked this a lot more than I did [Note: one of my top three of the year - Ron], but Super 8 was a huge surprise for me. The actors were all really good, especially the kids – they acted like real kids. The mystery they built up through the film was really cool and left me guessing.  The creature design was awesome, too – one of the coolest looking creatures I’ve seen in a movie in a long time. If you haven’t seen it (and Dad said a lot of people didn’t), this is a great one to watch with the kids. And make sure  to watch the ending credits – it’s really cool. I know why my dad liked it so much – because he was just like those kids, making monster models and hanging horror movie posters on his walls. It’s like getting a look at my dad as a kid… nerd! Just kidding, I love you, Dad.

The Thing prequel: No. No. Nooooo. All wrong. The special effects were flashier and the creature stuff was pretty wild, but it wasn’t as scary as Carpenter’s version.  You should also know that The Thing from the ’80s is not one of my favourite horror movies. Yeah, I know, it’s a classic and stuff, but it’s not that big a deal for me. And this one worked even less for me. And the spaceship stuff? What was the weird Tetris thing in the center of the ship? It looked like something that should have been in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World! None of the stuff inside the saucer worked for me at all – a stupid way to end the film.  The ending was cool because it led right into the older film, but that was the only really cool thing about it.

Attack the Block: Awesome. Just plain awesome. I already talked about it right here, but I have to repeat it: You have to see it. I’ve watched it a few times on DVD now, and it’s still just as cool as it was the first time. One of the best films of last year.

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Yeah, I know, it’s not horror and everybody likes to pick on it, but I keep going to these movies with my friends and I keep hoping these movies will get darker as they go along, like the Harry Potter films. Nope. The characters are still unemotional and boring, the story is still boring and I don’t care about anything that happens to anybody. Bella is the lamest heroine in any big series, a wet blanket who is nothing without a man to save her. The birthing scene is kind of bloody, but I really find it hard to care about anybody or anything that happens to them in this film. If I had to pick one film as my least favourite, this would be it.

Which brings me to my favourite film of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you….

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil: This movie rocked! I saw this at Rue Morgue’s Cinemacabre and the audience loved it! Funny, gory and really, really good. The part with the wood chipper, and Tucker and Dale holding what was left after that, had me laughing out loud. I love how they took the “killer hillbilly” horror film, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and turned it around into something really different.  Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are so good, especially Labine – a big sweet teddy bear, even in the chainsaw fight at the end. Now, I know that some people are going to say, “ But is it really a horror film?” I think it’s enough of a horror film to say “yes.” Out of all the horror films I saw this year, Tucker & Dale was the most entertaining and the one that I remember the best this year. That’s why I picked it.

Next time, Part Two, as Emma recalls her adventures behind-the-scenes at 2011’s Festival of Fear.