18. ‘Tusk’ (dir. Kevin Smith, 2014)
What it is: A midnight masterpiece from Kevin Smith about a podcaster whose trip to Canada takes a dark turn when he’s captured by a man who wants to surgically turn him into a walrus.
Why it’s terrifying: …you heard the ‘wants to surgically turn him into a walrus’ part, right? Smith manages to craft a genuinely compelling piece of body horror by fully committing to his ludicrous premise, giving Michael Parks’ deranged surgeon a tragic backstory that almost makes you see where he’s coming from. While ‘Tusk’ will always be remembered for the human/walrus hybrid suit that Justin Long eventually dons — a serious contender for the most ridiculously fucked up image A24 has ever released — it holds up because it doubles as a psychological thriller that justifies its choices with sharp writing. —CZ