Continuing my look back at the best of 2018, it is now time to reveal my picks for the best SyFy movies and performances of the previous year!
But before I do that, a plea to the SyFy Network. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because I make this plea every year and it never does any good. It probably won’t do any good this year. But still, I’m going to make it. SyFy, give us more original films! From a business point of view, I can understand why SyFy shifted their focus from movies to episodic television. But I’m not a business person! I’m a movie lover, one who has wonderful memories of when every weekend would bring another gloriously over-the-top SyFy movie. Those were wonderful days and it’s sad that the only time that I get to relive them is either during Shark Week or during October.
(Of course, with the Sharknado franchise ending last year, is there even going to be a Shark Week in 2019?)
Seriously, SyFy — give us more original movies!
With that in mind, allow me to say that SyFy’s 2018 films were some of the best that they’ve ever aired. It’s unfortunate that there weren’t more of them but the ones that they did show were excellent. It was not easy to narrow down my picks this year but I’ve done it. And here they are:
(All credits are based on what’s listed at the imdb. If anyone has been incorrectly credited or left out, please leave a comment and I will correct the mistake.)
Best Picture — The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time (produced by Paul Bales, Jarrett Furst , David L. Garber, Andrew Golov, David Michael Latt, Bogdan Moncea, Tara Reid, David Rimawi, Justin Smith, Josh Van Houdt, Ian Ziering)
The Sharknado franchise ended with everything you could possibly want: flying sharks, bad puns, meta humor, and finally a heart-warming speech from Finn that not only saluted those who worked on the films but those of us who watched as well. After years of defining SyFy for many people, the Sharknado franchise concluded on the perfect note.
Best Director — Anthony C. Ferrante for The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time
Anthony C. Ferrante has been with the franchise since the beginning and he brought it to an end with style.
Best Actor — Reid Miller in Santa Jaws
Playing an aspiring comic book artist who brings to life a shark that’s full of Christmas spirit, Reid Miller gave a likable performance that achieved just the right balance between comedy and terror.
Best Actress — Jearnest Corchado in Cucuy: The Boogeyman
Jeanest Corchado did a great job grounding this Halloween in film in reality (or as close to reality as you’re going to get in a SyFy film).
Best Supporting Actor — Varun Saranga in Killer High
If you’re high school reunion is ever attacked by hellish monsters, you’re going to want a friend like Varun Saranga’s Ronnie at your side. Or maybe not….
Best Supporting Actress — Alyson Hannigan in You Might Be The Killer
If you ever find yourself surrounded by a bunch of dead bodies at a summer camp, Alyson Hannigan is exactly the friend that you want giving you advice. Or maybe not….
Best Screenplay — Jesse Mittelstadt for No Escape Room
With its clever script and ominous feeling of impending doom, No Escape Room was my favorite of SyFy’s Halloween films. Seriously, it was creepy as Hell.
Best Cinematography — 6-Headed Shark Attack (Mark Atkins)
Paradise is a paradise, even with a multi-headed shark eating everyone in sight.
Best Costumes — The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time (costumes by Oana Draghici)
The best thing about time travel is getting to see what everyone’s wearing.
Best Editing — Santa Jaws (Eva K. Morgan and Misty Talley)
If the Sharkando films really are finished with, I certainly wouldn’t mind another five or so films about Santa Jaws.
Best Makeup — The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time (Petcu Alina, Alexandra Barladeanu, Devin Bianchini, Jeremy Bramer, Roxana Cardas, Denise M. Chavez, Bee Cruz, George Doroftei, Brianna Farfel , Adelina Handuri, Caitlin Krenz, Andreescu Maria, Tracy Rosen, Victoria Rowe)
Again, the best thing about time travel is getting to see what everyone looked like.
Best Score — You Might Be The Killer (Andrew Morgan Smith)
Smith’s score created the perfect mood and atmosphere for this homage to the horror films of the past.
Best Production Design — No Escape Room (Shane Boucher and Garrett Dunbar)
Seriously, this film was creepy as Hell.
Best Sound — No Escape Room (Bryson Cassidy, Joseph Facciuolo, Danielle McBride, Lucas Roveda, Laszlo Szijarto, Julie Zhu)
Again, creepy as hell.
Best Visual Effects — Nightmare Shark (Adam Clark and Gretchen McNelis)
When you give your film a title like Nightmare Shark, you’re obviously making a bold statement. Fortunately, the visual effects were able to live up to the title.
And that’s it for the best in SyFy! I really hope that SyFy will continue to air original movies so I’ll be able to do another one of these lists next year.
(For my previous picks, click on the links: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017)
Up next: dinner! And then, after that, I’ll post my favorite novels of 2018.
Lisa Looks Back at 2018:
Through the Shattered Lens 