Metal Monday: Home for the Horrordays!

All this holly jolly jingle belling got you feeling down? Is braving the hordes of seasonal shopping zombies making you wanna kick someone in the ring-ting-ting-a-lings? Let me help you find some emotional catharsis during your winter holidays by catching up on some of 2013's most essential horror film releases.

Up first is a film especially for those who will be spending their time off with their extended family. You're Next is one of the strongest, most visceral films I've seen this year. You'll want to crawl into bed with Mommy and Daddy after watching this home invasion horror, which explodes from scene to scene while never letting up. With a strong female lead who fights back and plans ahead, instead of merely stumbling toward survival, this is the film that horror fans have been waiting for. RIYL: Survivalism (on the most basic level), survival horror, bickering with your family.

If you're in the mood to traumatize younger siblings or cousins over the holidays, have them sit down with you to watch The Conjuring, and then play a game of hide and go seek. They'll never sleep again. This film is a thrill ride, and you may find yourself watching it through your fingers, like I did. If you live for jump scares, this film has them in droves, and while there's nothing terribly new about the storyline, as a "scary movie" it does exactly what it says on the tin. The actors hold it all together, despite the risible semi-religious mumbo jumbo in the script, a signature of exorcist couple Ed & Lorraine Warren, on whom this film is based (they were most famous for the Amityville hauntings). RIYL: Hide & go seek, scary basements with long rickety wooden steps.

If you haven't seen the original V/H/S film from 2012, you should add that to this list right away. A rollicking and gruesome horror anthology by some of today's rising new stars, I greatly enjoyed V/H/S, but I found 2013's V/H/S/2 to be much stronger overall, with a far more coherent framing narrative, and segments that were much better developed. I can't promise, however, that this collection of found footage will be scarier than that moment your mom threatens to pull out your baby videos and show them to your new girl/boyfriend. Nothing is scarier than that. RIYL: V/H/S, jump scares, zombies, cults or aliens.

If these aren't enough, you could also check out The Purge, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, or Rob Zombie's latest film The Lords of Salem; or if you're looking for something a little more comedic, you could try Hell Baby or Bad Milo. Whatever you do, on behalf of CJLO 1690 AM, I hope your holidays are filled with fun and friends, and don't worry, we won't judge if you slip a little somethin' into your hot chocolate... whatever gets you through!

--Angelica hosts BVST every Wednesday from 7-9 PM