Scott Derrickson singles out Barbie and When Evil Lurks as the best films of the year

Acclaimed director Scott Derrickson has clear favorites for what he considers the best films of the year. Derrickson, who previously worked on Doctor Strange and The Black Phone, said in a recent interview with The Playlist that Barbie is a prime example of outstanding filmmaking and that the movie is deserving of earning the highest Oscar, Best Picture.

Barbie broke box office records and won over innumerable fans with its distinct blend of sincerity and whimsy, becoming the film industry's version of lightning in a bottle. The potential of Barbie being a contender at the upcoming Academy Awards has already been discussed, and fan favorite director Scott Derrickson thinks it's definitely worth thinking about.

Another film he singled out for praise was the upcoming horror flick When Evil Lurks. Scott Derrickson caught the horror film at the Fantastic Fest.

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Scott Derrickson claims - " I think ‘Barbie’ is the best film I’ve seen this year,"

In an interview with The Playlist, director Scott Derrickson got candid about what films he has liked the most this year and what deserves to win an Academy Award. He was also discussing his upcoming work V/H/S/85, the sixth installment of the horror anthology series. A made-for-TV documentary with five horrifying stories featured in it will send viewers on a heart-pounding journey through the dreary underbelly of the forgotten 1980s.

While in conversation about his upcoming anthology series, he went into a discussion regarding films based on intellectual properties (I.P.) (objects, toys, etc.)

Here is what Derrickson had to say about I.P. films:

"By the way, those movies can be amazing."

He further continued :

“I think ‘Barbie’ is the best film I’ve seen this year—well, maybe that’s not true; I saw this horror film, ‘When Evil Lurks’ at Fantastic Fest, but ‘Barbie’ and ‘When Evil Lurks’ those are my two favorite films of the year, which couldn’t be further away from each other.”

He then used Barbie as a prime example of a movie based on an already-existing intellectual property that is still thought-provoking, entertaining, and challenging to audiences.

Here is what he said about the film:

"Barbie’ is a good example of populist I.P. that was treated with true brilliance. That’s an extraordinary movie on every level. I think it should probably win Best Picture; the writing is so clever and so smart and subversive, the acting is amazing, and it’s so entertaining, it’s artful in its visuals, the style of it, it’s just an awesome film.”

When discussing the film When Evil Lurks, Scott Derrickson did not hold back on any praises and he considers the film at par with the Greta Gerwig blockbuster.

Derrickson said the following about the upcoming horror film:

"It’s as hardcore, transgressive, shocking, and violent as a horror film can be. But it’s not gratuitous, in the sense of everything that’s in there is serving the severity of the story. What’s amazing about it is that I cannot think of another time in my adult life, post-film education, post-horror-knowledge—I can’t think of the last time I saw a horror film where I had no feelings of references to other films. It didn’t remind me of anything else, and it was just so utterly original, and its mythology is scarier than any Christian demonology I’ve seen on screen.”

Scott Derrickson's upcoming series V/H/S/85 is streaming on Shudder from Friday, October 6, 2023. Do catch the electrifying horror series this Halloween season!