This next film stands out on my list in several ways. It is the only horror film on my list. It is certainly the most disturbing film on my list (with the possible exception of One Hour Photo). But what stands out most about this film is that most of you have probably never heard of it. This film by actor and first-time director Bill Paxton was praised almost universally by critics and even got raves from other filmmakers like James Cameron, John Carpenter and Stephen King…and then it closed about two weeks later. I can’t imagine what kind of marketing flub would cause such an incredibly interesting and compelling movie to be overlooked but as of now I and the person I saw the movie with, my great friend Lindsay, are the only two people I know of that have seen this movie. Frailty is the story of a strange 1950s spree killer as told by his now grown son, played by Matthew McConaughey. The killer (Bill Paxton), known to the world as the “God’s Hand Killer” chooses his victims based on a list of names that he says is given to him by an angel from God. The killer claims the angels are demons and that God has charged him and his family to destroy these demons and save the world from their evil. This is an interesting enough concept but it is the details of the story that really add to the overall creepiness and depth to the film, like the finding of the “sacred tools” that just happen to be a lead pipe, a pair of gloves and an axe. It is fascinating to see Paxton’s character disappear into his mission with such moral determination and seem utterly sane about the entire matter. The only real conflict in the film is between the two sons, Fenton and Adam. Fenton is horrified at his father’s behavior and is desperately trying to stop him while Adam blindly follows his father and does not understand Fenton’s qualms. The film tells its background story with incredible detail and while it is not the most technical brilliant film, the material is so complex and interesting that it really needs no embellishment. The shocker of an ending is of an entirely different nature than the typical “Kaiser Soze” endings that have recently become so popular in that it turns the film from a simple story about a psychopathic killer and his children into a complex supernatural tale about religion, human frailty and the morality of killing in the name of God. What seems at first like an interesting horror film turns out to be one of the most thought provoking works of the year and deserves everyone’s attention as one of the year’s best films.