At the year’s midpoint, I brought you a list of ten underseen indie gems, pumping up such some ‘under the radar’ flicks like Lowlife, Primal Rage, and Eat Me. Likely, several of those films found their way to your hearts and minds. Our team even nominated several of those for our year-end awards. I guarantee some are gonna receive a Golden Eggplant this year.

That being said, the back half of 2018 was no slouch, and I’m beyond thrilled to bring you ten more genre gems that flew so far under the radar, nearly half of them didn’t even get an official review here at MH!

The Forest Of The Lost Souls

a moody, atmospheric psychological drama cross-bred with a slasher

I might be the only member of the staff to actually see this directorial debut from Portugal’s José Pedro Lopes. However, I was so impressed and have no reservations kicking off this list with The Forest of the Lost Souls. I gave it a solid 8 out of 10 in my review of this “moody, atmospheric psychological drama cross-bred with a slasher.” Granted, some viewers may find the black and white cinematography pretentious and off-putting. It’s also squarely in the ‘slow burn’ category in terms of the horror element. But once it cracks off, The Forest of the Lost Souls takes some wild turns and is definitely worth your time. Viewers can find it streaming on Prime Video, or on VoD.

Rabbit

combines gorgeous cinematography, skillful editing, and an unnerving synth score

Luke Shanahan’s debut feature is nothing if not divisive. That said, Rabbit is packed with top-notch performances, stunning cinematography, and a creepy atmosphere. Clocking in at a solid 7.8 in my review last year, Rabbit eschews a more straightforward mystery narrative. Instead, the mystery serves as more of a backdrop for the Shanahan’s exquisite character work. While not for everyone, Rabbit will eventually find an audience and is accessible now from most VoD outlets.

Monster Party

one of the most unique and unsung genre films of 2018

Monster Party got buried under an avalanche of December genre releases and has yet to come up for air. But my good friend and fellow MH staffer, Trev, called it “one of the most unique and unsung genre films of 2018” in his review. Peak performances from your favorite contemporary genre character actors (including Lance Reddick and Julian McMahon) and solid gore lead the way to a 7.5 out of 10 overall. In some ways the complete opposite of the first two flicks, Monster Party is a kinetic, bloody thrill-ride with satisfying conclusion. Check it out on VoD now!

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