I had low expectations for the horror genre in 2011. After a lackluster 2010, and a nonexistent 2011 theatrical schedule, it looked like horror fans might be disappointed and letdown again this year. But there is hope! Magnolia Pictures’ Magnet Releasing has some great films lined up, and the vampire film Stake Land (not Magnolia) delivers what Daybreakers failed to bring — a nasty, violent vampire apocalypse.

The forced kitsch of the year award goes to Hobo With a Shotgun. Based off a fake movie trailer that gained attention from Ain’t He Fat News, and Robert Rodriguez’ “grindhouse” trailer competition, Hobo With a Shotgun should’ve never been made into a feature length film. Jason Eisener’s movie is a Hipster version of The Toxic Avenger where a vigilante Hobo (Rutger Hauer) takes on the crime boss who runs a town full of prostitutes, drug addicts and pedophile Santas. Think Street Trash meets Death Wish.

I had high hopes for Hobo, but it failed to shock or make me laugh. Don’t get me wrong, the movie delivers on what the trailer promised, plenty of over-the-top gore and an unlikely homeless hero, but the grime and grit have been washed away for a cartoon Troma-like comedy.

One of the most violent films you should see this year is I Saw the Devil. Ji-woon Kim’s film gives Chan-wook Park’s revenge trilogy a run for its money. I thought Park took the revenge film as far as it could go, especially with his Three… Extremes segment “Cut,” but Kim has taken it to a whole new level.

Min-sik Choi (Oldboy) returns as Kyung-Chul, a dangerous psychopath who kills the fiancee of special agent Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee). Soo-hyeon tests the limits of revenge by hunting down the serial killer and, well… I don’t want to ruin it.

Like Park’s films, I Saw the Devil asks the question how much revenge is too much revenge? Kyung-Chul’s apprehension or death is not enough for Soo-hyeon, who takes revenge to new heights, becoming an even bigger monster than his psychotic prey. Soo-hyeon hunts, tortures and embarrasses Kyung-Chul to the point where you almost feel bad for him.

I Saw the Devil is a must see for Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance or Lady Vengeance fans. My only complaint is that it’s a bit too long, but the 141 minutes is filled with enough blood and violence to make it move fast. I Saw the Devil is the first film in years that made me jump and cringe in my seat during one viewing. It’s definitely one of the better genre films that you must see this year.

While you will probably not take my advice and watch Hobo With a Shotgun anyway, hopefully you will listen to me and check out I Saw the Devil, however, both of these are not really horror films, Jim Mickle’s Stake Land is.

I have to admit, I love post-apocalyptic films, and any half decent end of the world movie does it for me. Adding the threat of zombies, vampires or cannibals only increases my interest, so while not a perfect film, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Stake Land is just what the doctor ordered, a friggen horror film. No watching 90 minutes of “lost footage” for one jump scare, no philosophical serial killers with a message, and no humor or wink at the camera moments.

The film follows a group of survivors as they battle their way to the Canadian border. Along the way they must trade for supplies, fight off vampires, and dodge a religious cult who’s out to kill their leader, the mysterious “Mister” (Nick Damici). The creators of movies like Hobo With a Shotgun and Hatchet claim their inspiration comes from watching genre films of the 80s and 90s, but Stake Land is the first movie that reminded me of my favorite films from my childhood. It’s Mad Max versus vampires, Children of the Night, and it even reminded me of the Eliminators or 80s fantasy films where the group picks up different characters along the way.

With Stake Land, Christopher Smith’s Black Death, I Saw the Devil and even Hobo With a Shotgun all releasing this year, 2011 has already surpassed 2010 for great genre films.