Excision

Fleshed out from his acclaimed 2008 short film, director Richard Bates Jr's high-gloss tragicomedy firmly places the idea of the misfit teenager in a surreal horror context. AnnaLynne McCord gives a raw performance as the awkward adolescent trying to fit into high school, please her demanding parents and find her place in life. She dreams of becoming a surgeon to help her younger sister who's dying of cystic fibrosis, but her angst-ridden delusions and medical fantasies eventually slam into psychosis, providing this challenging and creepy chiller with a nerve-shattering ending. Tricked out with a cool cult cast (Traci Lords, John Waters, Malcolm McDowell, Marlee Matlin, Ray Wise), smart cultural references, and graphic sex and gore, this suburban nightmare merrily runs the gamut from pitch black to ultra bizarre. It has an unusual impact and though not for everyone, those with a more twisted sense of humour will embrace it wholeheartedly.