18 Best Survival Horror Video Games Of All Time

Credit: Konami

Since the likes of Sweet Home and Alone in the Dark - both games or franchises that have since fell completely by the wayside - survival horror has been one of the most consistently enjoyable and popular genres of them all. Whether it be the corridor-crawling delights of Resident Evil, the cerebral psychological mind-f*ckery of Silent Hill or the jump-scare delights of Slender Man, there's something quintessentially enjoyable about being 'inside' the genre itself.

Such a realisation has propelled developers to create some of most engaging and thoroughly memorable video games of all time, and you need only look to the likes of the 'dog window scare' in Resi or everything about Pyramid Head, to get a feel for how timeless a truly great scare can be.

That said, which games did it better than most? Which developers crafted the perfect survival horror experiences, truly making you fear for your life against all manner of opponents?

Let us know in the comments what the greatest survival horror of all time is, and here's another question for the ages as we go:

Do video games do horror better than Hollywood?

18. Alone In The Dark (1992)

Although its graphics have aged and the colour palette doesn't really match up to what we think of as survival horror, you have to hand it to Alone in the Dark for bringing the genre into full 3D following 1989's Sweet Home.

Combining environmental clues and the same isometric perspective we'd come to associate with Resident Evil and its ilk - alongside some campy dialogue and plenty of awkward gunplay - yes, every single aspect of Alone in the Dark has been exponentially improved upon, but there were a few thrills and scares to be had, simply because way back in 1992, nothing quite like this had ever existed.

Four years later, Capcom would open Resident Evil by welcoming you to "a world of survival horror" - thereby making history in the process - but you simply can't have survival horror without Alone in the Dark.

17. Alien: Isolation

Onto one of the finest examples of white-hot terror available on modern consoles, Alien: Isolation finally did justice to HR Giger's legendary Xenomorph design.

Casting you not as Ripley but her daughter, Amanda, the genius in Isolation's design came from searching the desolate hallways of the abandoned Sevastopol ship whilst being continually hunted by a murderous Xeno. Its A.I. meant that no two encounters were the same, giving you a motion tracker - complete with signature movie beep - a selection of places to hide and... not much else.

The ship is also staffed by 'Working Joes', prototype versions of the humanoid A.I. that the likes of Ash from the original film would be based on. As such, Alien: Isolation is an intricate balancing act of exploration, item-hoarding, the occasional fight with a Working Joe and the outright "OHSH*TOHSH*TOHSH*T" reaction whenever the alien itself pops up.

Perfect.

16. The Evil Within

The first horror title helmed by auteur Shinji Mikami since leaving Capcom after Resident Evil 4, you can think of The Evil Within as the real successor to that game we never got. Right from the get-go you're thrown into yet another mist-tinged village replete with angry/possessed denizens who want your face for breakfast, and things only get more outlandish from there.

Conserving ammo is a must as encounters can be dealt with relatively stealthily, but nine times out of ten all hell will break loose, forcing you to bust out the shotgun and crossbow to get by.

Yes, the story goes off the rails towards the end, but as a solid continuation of what Resident Evil 5 could've been - without overblown machine gun-equipped zombies - The Evil Within is one of the most underrated and true-to-form survival horrors in years.

15. Outlast

Of all the underused elements of silver screen horror that barely make an appearance in-game, Outlast took the notion of found footage - or rather, night vision handheld camerawork, and built a game around it.

Investigating a dilapidated asylum after an ominous message draws you in, one Miles Upshur seemingly forgot to pack the batteries, as you'll soon be exploring each and every nook and cranny through the lens of a forever-dying camcorder. Hold the lens up and you'll illuminate what's right ahead, but as can be expected, many rooms aren't anywhere near as empty as you think.

Outlast's blend of Blair Witch-style pupil-illumination and destitute human misery combines to form one of the most engrossing horror titles on the market - one that's surprisingly well bolstered by its fantastically expansive DLC, The Whistleblower.

14. Siren: Blood Curse

Back to the PS3 for this incredibly underrated gem, Siren: Blood Curse tells the tale of a haunted Japanese village dogged by the Shibito; a zombie-like curse affecting the local folk.

As a stealth game, you're primarily clinging to the shadows and carefully picking your battles; considerations that form through the unique 'sight-jacking' ability. Basically, you're able to 'tune in' to the enemy's vision, meaning you can take the time to scour ahead through their eyes.

The only downside is, at one point or another you'll inevitably attempt to tap into an enemy sight line, only to realise the static character they're lumbering towards is you...

13. Bioshock

As the series went on, Bioshock evolved into far more of an adventure game-influenced shooter, but its underwater thrill-ride original? It's straight-up horror through and through.

Framed as something of a mystery, you'll delve in from above the surface, unravelling just what the hell happened to this former utopia known as Rapture. The true purpose of why you're there is now the stuff of gaming legend, but Irrational Games designed some truly macabre individuals that'll stick in the mind - and that's before you remember stumbling upon a couple of Splicers, made known only by the angular shadows they cast on every surface.

This first Bioshock's tone - especially back when we were all discovering it together - is one of primal fear, backed up by a learned script that knew every move you were going to make before you did.

12. System Shock 2

From the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space, System Shock was one of auteur Ken Levine's biggest surprises back in 1999.

Truly ahead of its time - especially given the conceptual similarities to how the Bioshock series played out - System Shock 2 is an isolating tale of survival aboard a space ship that actually outdoes Alien at its own game.

Combining slow, methodical exploration with character building, stat-boosts and the almighty, chillingly evil SHODAN A.I. that appears to be watching your every move, here's hoping System Shock 3 can come somewhere close to continuing such a high bar of quality.

11. Until Dawn

An out-of-left field release back in 2015, Until Dawn was transformed from a gimmicky PlayStation Move title into a full-blown game, delivering an exceptional horror experience that nobody expected to be worthwhile.

Tapping into the teen horror sub-genre - one not seen in video games since high-school slashing PS2 gem, Obscure - chances are your first playthrough will be completely different to anybody else's. It's built for replayability as you attempt to make every character survive the slasher flick-esque ordeal, and with the narrative also being framed as a set of flashbacks, there are a number of ways you can 'customise' various elements depending on how you describe they took place.

A really innovative take on the genre; one more cinematic than most, but one that perfectly encapsulates the stereotype-fuelled fun of teen horror.

10. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Despite its relatively low levels of hype considering, well, it's a Resident Evil game, Capcom's reinvention of what Resident Evil 'is' feels like a glorious return to the design ethos of the first two instalments.

Scavenging for items, carefully considering how to tackle enemies and conserving ammunition is paramount to survival, the entire "Find your presumed-dead wife" setup being perfectly paced to slowly turn the tables on your oppressors.

Sadly, without going into spoilers, RE7's final third does veer heavily into the sort of blob-monster boss battles we'd grown plenty tired of across Resident Evil 5 and 6, but when taken as a whole, there's a level of confidence and forward-planning - and, y'know, making a game about evil in a residential area - that plants a firm foot in the next generation for the franchise overall.

Here's to Resident Evil being back on top, because man that feels good to say again.

9. SOMA

Possibly one of the most conceptually brilliant horror setups in gaming, SOMA mimics the same "Your mind is a prison" setup from something like Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun, making the primary focus of gameplay being to investigate just what the f**k is going on.

Developers Frictional Games have always had a knack for presenting reactionary responses and representations of how our minds deal with negative phenomena in interesting ways, in this case meaning that SOMA doesn't have a whole lot of enemies, the real horror coming from dealing with various other characters' trapped mental states. To say more would give away precisely what is going on, and being SOMA remains one of the most underrated horrors of them all, I implore you to do so yourself.

Let's just say there are few games as intelligently written as this, and by the time the credits roll, the game's way of making you question your own perception on reality is what'll stick with you most.

8. Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Speaking of Frictional Games, their biggest claim to fame was Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a game that continues to be well worth playing, simply because of its core innovation that forces you to confront your greatest fears.

Thanks to a 'Sanity' meter, staying in the shadows or avoiding creatures and dwelling on your current predicament will only see it drain. Doing so incurs various things such as the screen beginning to warp, random cuts to black make progress harder, or all manner of piercing sound effects will kick in to throw you off balance.

The only recourse is to run headlong into what's hunting you. Seeing monsters also effects Sanity though, meaning you need to carefully pilot your heroes through the various levels, never stopping to catch your breath for a second.

7. Silent Hill

There are two strands of horror in video games: The "big, crazy bloated monster" flavour and the cerebral, "haunts your nightmares no matter what" kind. Silent Hill helped proliferate the latter, creating one of the best setups for any horror property in history: A ghostly town inhabited and powered by your own worst fears.

Whilst the sequels would take the franchise in some spectacular directions, you just can't beat exploring the fog-caked streets of the original - an effect that came about thanks to the hardware capabilities of the time. As the PS1 couldn't render an entire town at once, said 'fog' was used to cover this up, creating an iconic aspect of the series that was annoyingly removed when the franchise went HD and Konami 'cleaned up' what they saw as a technical flaw.

At some point, if you're going to play a survival horror and pay homage to the greats, make it the original Silent Hill. Your primitive movement options and general "What the F**K is happening?!" is only part of the fun - as is one of the best 'thing through window' scares in video game history.

6. Dead Space

Truly great EA games are few and far between (007: Everything or Nothing, anyone?), but Dead Space took every last one of Resident Evil 4's influences and made one of the best followups of all time. Built around in the immortally effective context of being lost in space, the ferocious Necromorphs were fantastically engaging enemies; ones that made the most of the limb-severing "strategic dismemberment" mechanic as you slowly took them down piece by piece.

It's a toss-up as to whether you prefer the action-focussed sequel, but as for creating an environment that feeds perfectly into an overall sense of unease and survivability, attempting to make it out of the derelict Ishimura ship was a Herculean effort indeed.

Sadly EA would, well, be EA when it came to making a third instalment - turning in a Gears-lite shooter so bad it damn-near killed the franchise - but with any luck we'll get a Dead Space 4 on current-gen hardware at some point. Because, well, Dead Space in VR?

Hell yes.

5. Resident Evil 4

One of the most poignant shifts in any franchise's history, Resident Evil 4's pivot into third-person over-shoulder action marks the point you either hopped off the Resi train and came back for its newest instalment, or - like the rest of us - bathed in the glow of one of the most innovative survival horror games ever created.

Opening with a brilliantly foreboding - and full-on Wicker Man-esque - descent into an otherwise unassuming Spanish village, the reveal of Los Ganados was both a revolution in the franchise (running zombies!) and a supremely threatening force. The way the game pushes you to absolute breaking point in various horde-based encounters only reinforces the 'one man against all' mentality that runs throughout.

Capcom couldn't resist backing this up with the occasional "big crazy boss fight" (it is Resi, after all), but all-round this was a confident step into the next generation that ended up influencing every third-person shooter and horror title thereafter.

4. Resident Evil (2002/2015)

The grandaddy of them all, made immeasurably better in this 2002/2015 remake. Yes, the original Resi is legendary - and is more than responsible for continuing where Alone in the Dark left off - but Capcom's remake should stand as a tome for all developers on how to revitalise an original creation.

Everything about Resi, from the dog-through-window jump-scare to the iconic zombie designs, the corny, memorable as hell dialogue and the all-new Crimson Head enemies just feels momentous to play through. The isometric camera work allowed Capcom to frame all sorts of encounters in landmark fashion, too - something Resi and various other horrors have lost over the years when handing all control over to the player.

It's a rarity to recommend a remake and omit the original, but I defy anyone to give a solid reason as to why you'd check it out instead - over that brilliantly horrendous opening cutscene, anyway.

3. P.T.

It may be a tech demo - a cancelled one at that - and it may all be over in under an hour, but I defy anyone who's played the mighty, potential-filled P.T. to deny its effectiveness at being outright terrifying.

Set in a repeating L-shaped corridor where a number of subtle environmental clues, potential enemies or clues as to what's happening change, P.T. is on its way to becoming a bonafide gaming legend. Being Konami cancelled Silent Hills and removed it from the PlayStation Store in the end, this Hideo Kojima/Guillermo del Toro collaboration can only live on in the hard drives of those who downloaded and kept it at the time.

As such, its various unlockable details and bone-chilling scares can only be experienced if you really do your research, helping add to the mysticism of this once-beautiful project that shall never be.

2. Resident Evil 2

Despite the various advancements Resident Evil would make over the years - the over-shoulder camera, going first-person - the quintessential ingredients of survival horror were perfected way back in its first sequel.

Taking the characterful charm of the original and bolstering it with far better graphics, a perfected balance of terror and action, iconic monster designs and exemplary environmental puzzles that require just the right amount of contemplation, there's a reason RE2 has been a firm fan-favourite ever since launch.

Luckily, Capcom are finally applying the remake treatment in 2017 too, hopefully meaning the revamped version will solve the 'issue' of outdated graphics, whilst upping playability all-round with better movement and aiming options.

1. Silent Hill 2

Unlike in Hollywood, where attempting to redo the same elements of a first instalment can only lead to disappointment, video game sequels are often infinitely better than than their predecessors. In the case of Silent Hill 2, Konami bolstered the original's brilliant 'a town made of nightmares' setup with one of the most emotionally affecting and oft-debated narratives of all time.

With a handful of endings and occasions where the game was almost playing you instead, the eery, Japanese horror feel of exploring the various dilapidated buildings and environments provided the perfect counterpoint to Resident Evil's more action-focussed appeal. Case in point: When a Silent Hill game is firing on all cylinders you'll be a quivering wreck, whereas a Resident Evil game's most horror-focused moments are often short-lived.

The way the game plays with our preconceived notions of video game 'heroes' and agency within in a game world is also total genius - an aspect the likes of sequel Shattered Memories would build itself around - leaving Silent Hill 2 as one of the most genuinely innovative and landmark horrors of them all.

What's the best survival horror video game of all time? Let us know in the comments!

10 Horror Films That Eerily Came True

Credit: Lionsgate

There are plenty of horror films out there that are based on true events. Usually these films are based very loosely on reality and leave you a little disappointed if you actually do the research.

There are terrifying supernatural horrors that are revealed to be massively exaggerated, or that have questionable sources. Slasher films based on notorious serial killers that have been given a generous dose of the Hollywood treatment. Details that don't serve the purpose of the story may be removed, characters or events may be added, and the end result no longer resembles the truth at all.

But what about when it happens the other way around and fiction becomes or even inspires reality? Horror movie sets that become victims of strange, ominous occurrences. Copycat killers that decide to act out their darkest movie fantasies. Even those who believe their favourite fictional villains have communicated to them directly, ordering them to carry out evil acts of their own.

They say that truth is stranger than fiction. And although it may be that in fact that's not always the case, what does stand out in the following entries is that when reality and fiction cross over, truth is inherently more terrifying than fiction.

10. Scream

Wes Craven€™s Scream became an instant classic when it was released in 1996. While being a genuinely solid addition to the slasher genre, it provided a satirical take on the genre's many cliches resulting in a refreshing, highly original horror film. Despite its comedic elements, the film also inspired several real life murders.

In January 1998, 16 year old Mario Padilla and his 14 year old cousin became the centre of a media frenzy surrounding what was referred to as "The Scream Murder." Ramirez confessed to helping hold down Padilla's mother, 37 year old Gina Castillo, as Padilla proceeded to stab her 45 times.

They confessed to being inspired by Scream and its sequel and to planning a murder spree after purchasing two Ghostface costumes and a voice changer like those used in the film. Another notable case was that of Belgian teen Alisson Cambier. One day while visiting her friend and neighbour Thierry Jaradin, she was propositioned by the 24 year old trucker. When she rejected his advances he excused himself to the next room and returned wearing the iconic Ghostface costume and holding two kitchen knives. He stabbed her 30 times, ripping open her left side in the process.

9. The Conjuring

The Conjuring is a 2013 supernatural horror film based on the true story of the Perron family and the unexplained ghostly activity they experienced in their family home in the 1970s.

During the making of the film the family visited the movie set several times but Carolyn, the wife and mother of the family, refused to set foot anywhere near the place.

Various strange occurrences surrounded the making of the film. Once, while the Perron family were visiting, a strong wind seemed to surround them and blow through the set despite the trees nearby not moving. At the same time, Carolyn, who was at home in Atlanta felt a strange, evil presence in the house shortly before falling and having to be taken to hospital.

One night James Wan, the film's director was working late in his office when his dog started growling viciously. Upon investigating, Wan found that there was nothing there, but the dog continued to focus on some unseen entity in the corner. Then, despite Wan seeing nothing, the dog's head moved, its eyes slowly following something across the room.

8. Saw

There are a total of 7 films making up the Saw franchise with another in production, each revolving around a sadistic killer called Jigsaw, who sets his victims torturous challenges, which require them to mutilate themselves in order to escape death.

In 2009, two teenagers, aged 14 and 15 were charged as juveniles with three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping after one of the boy's mothers overheard them planning to kidnap, torture and murder several people.

The two boys had detailed plans to set up Saw-style games to teach lessons to people they claimed were harming others, including a police officer and two young girls. The boys had even procured cameras in order to document the murders just as Jigsaw does in the Saw movies.

7. Child's Play

The cult horror movie series Child's Play consists of 6 films featuring the iconic character Chucky, a toy doll inhabited by the spirit of a vicious serial killer. Despite the film being one of the least likely to come true, (let's face it, no dolls are coming to life any time soon) it is actually responsible for inspiring a series of copycat killings.

The most notorious case was that of Martin Bryant, Australia's most prolific mass murderer. In 1996, Bryant went on a killing spree in Port Arthur, shooting 35 people and injuring 23 others.

Bryant, who had an IQ of just 66, was obsessed with Child's Play 2 and the film's influence was submitted by his psychiatrist as being a contributing factor in his crimes. He was reportedly obsessed with the childlike characteristics of the doll and its ability to wreak vengeful destruction.

6. Nightmare On Elm Street

Another classic Wes Craven film, Nightmare on Elm Street features the scar faced Freddy Krueger who visits his victims in their dreams before murdering them.

In 2004, the paranoid schizophrenic Daniel Gonzalez went on a drug-fuelled rampage murdering four people and injuring two others. It later emerged that the killer had been inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street and had a desire to become "a famous serial killer."

Gonzalez would later write letters to himself in which he would describe how much he enjoyed committing the murders and how similar he was to Freddy Krueger.

In what might be an even creepier example of a horror movie eerily becoming true, is the existence of what is known as Nightmare Death Syndrome. The condition, in which otherwise healthy young men die during sleep, is not well understood, and seems to mostly affect young, Asian men. Most victims are reported to be heard moaning and groaning in their sleep before death occurs.

5. Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 film about a pregnant woman who fears her husband has signed a pact with a Satan worshipping cult, offering the unborn child as a sacrifice in their rituals. The film was written and directed by Roman Polanski.

In 1969 Polanski was working in London while his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was at their home in Los Angeles. On the 8th of August 1969, Sharon Tate, her unborn baby and several others were viciously murdered at the Polanski home.

After months with no explanation, it was eventually revealed that the murders were committed by members of the Manson Family under the instruction of Charles Manson.

4. Interview With The Vampire

On the evening on November 17th 1994, Lisa Stellwagen and her long-term boyfriend Daniel Sterling watched Interview With The Vampire together. At approximately 3.00am Stellwagen awoke to find Sterling awake and staring strangely at her.

He said, "Tonight you're going to die. I'm going to kill you and drink your blood."

The next day Sterling stabbed Stellwagen seven times in the chest and back before sucking the blood from her wounds. He later admitted to believing in vampires and being inspired by the movie.

3. Poltergeist

Poltergeist is an iconic 1982 horror movie about a family who are plagued by an invasion of angry, malevolent spirits. Although there are many reported cases of poltergeists and other supernatural events each year, this entry is about another aspect of the film entirely.

The following entry, while not strictly an example of a horror movie coming true, has to be one of the strangest coincidences in horror movie history. In the scene below we see the two children in the film being terrified by a creepy toy clown just before it comes to life.

In case you can't quite make it out, the poster says, "1988 Super Bowl XXII." There's nothing particularly strange about a young boy having a Super Bowl poster on his wall. What is slightly peculiar is that the film was released in 1982, six years before Super Bowl XXII.

What's even stranger is what happened six years after the film's release.

On the 31st of January 1988, Heather O'Rourke, the actress who played the little girl in the film and its sequels, suddenly became violently ill. The next morning she collapsed and paramedics had to be called. On the way to hospital she suffered a cardiac arrest and after resuscitation was airlifted to hospital where she died later that day. She was 12 years old.

Do you know what else happened on 31st of January 1988? Yes, you guessed it. Superbowl XXII.

2. Queen Of The Damned

In 2002, Allan Menzies murdered his friend Thomas McKendrick after watching Queen of the Damned over 100 times. By no means was the link that tenuous.

Menzies claimed that one night he was visited by Akasha, a female vampire in the movie. He claimed that she ordered him to kill people and in return she would award him eternal life as a vampire.

"In general terms, she started off having conversations with me and it ended up that I had basically agreed with her that if I murdered people I would be rewarded in the next life," he said.

After Menzies stabbed his childhood friend with a bowie knife and beat him with a hammer, he drank his blood and ate some his flesh, before burying him in a shallow grave. The body was found 6 weeks later.

1. The Possession

The Possession is a 2012 supernatural horror film produced by Sam Raimi. It is based on a true story and the allegedly haunted dybbuk box.

The film's star Jeffrey Dean Morgan claims to be a skeptic, but had to confess to strange things happening during the making of the film.

Lights would continually blow during filming despite there being no apparent electrical faults. Cold breezes would blow through the sets with no clear source.

The strangest incident was a fire that broke out in the storage facility housing all the film's props. An investigation could find no cause for the fire, ruling out arson or an electrical fault. The prop Dybbuk box used in the movie was among the items destroyed in the fire.

The owners of the real Dybbuk box agreed to bring it to the set, but after being spooked by various strange events, the cast and crew declined the offer.

20 Best Indie Movies Of 2016

Add caption

In a year where action-packed superhero blockbusters and big-budget animations were the norm, it’s always refreshing to take a break from the all too predictable movies the Hollywood mainstream trots out month after month and check out the fruits of the less ubiquitous world of independent film. And thankfully, 2016 was proof that indie filmmaking is as strong as it ever was.

The films listed here are diverse in terms of genre, budget and eventual success. Every genre from neo-Western and black comedy to sci-fi and drama are represented, as are films with budgets ranging from miniscule to still pretty small and movies that managed to earn crossover hit status and ones that flew largely under the radar.

But a few things unite them all: they don’t need excessively huge budgets, big studio backing or hackneyed Hollywood tropes to be compelling, brilliant movies.

So, let’s hear it for the underdog and celebrate the cream of the crop of indie filmmaking in 2016.

20. Don’t Think Twice

Directed by and starring the multi-talented Mike Birbiglia, Don’t Think Twice was one of 2016’s most critically acclaimed comedy-dramas.

Centring on the ups and downs of working New York City’s comedy circuit, the movie focuses on a comedy improv troupe and how its members are affected when one of them finds fame and success by nabbing a spot on the fictional TV programme Weekend Live – a thinly veiled stand-in for the most hallowed of all comedy sketch shows, Saturday Night Live.

Co-starring a host of comedic talents including Keegan-Michael Key and Kate Micucci, it’s been hailed as an honest and bittersweet exploration of the life of working comedians and one that will resonate with anyone who’s had to grapple with the dilemma of following your dream or facing reality and giving up.

19. Louder Than Bombs

Joachim Trier, the Norwegian director behind the critically acclaimed films Reprise and Oslo, August 31st, returned to the big screen last year with his first English language film Louder Than Bombs.

Focusing on teacher Gene (Gabriel Byrne) and his sons, newly married Jonah (Jesse Eisenberg) and high school aged loner Conrad (Devin Druid), the film examines the impact on the remaining family unit when a retrospective of their matriarch – a successful and celebrated war photographer played by Isabelle Huppert – threatens to reveal the true circumstances of her tragic death three years earlier.

Byrne, Eisenberg and Druid excel as the grieving trio dealing with conflicting memories of their matriarch but it’s Huppert who really shines, despite a relatively small amount of screen time compared to her co-stars.

18. Indignation

The novels of Philip Roth are no stranger to big screen adaptation and 2016 saw two of the acclaimed author’s works transferred to film, one being the critically panned directorial debut of actor Ewan McGregor, American Pastoral. The other was Indignation: also the directorial debut of screenwriter James Schamus but thankfully a far superior one to McGregor’s.

Set in the early 1950s, the film focuses on Marcus (Logan Lerman) – a young, working class, Jewish atheist student who leaves his New Jersey hometown to attend a prestigious Midwest college where he comes up against both anti-Semitism and the institution’s conservative Christian culture.

It’s a fascinating, character driven drama whose power is clear in a standout scene in which Marcus comes to blows with the college’s dean Hawes D. Caudwell (Tracy Letts). At almost 20 minutes and 13 pages of script long, it’s not the kind of scene moviegoers are used these days but its gripping nature is testament to both Schamus’ strength as a screenwriter and director and the actorly talents of Lerman and Letts.

17. A Bigger Splash

Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s latest film is a simmering, sexy psychological dramedy set on an idyllic Sicilian island and based on Jacques Deray’s 1969 French thriller La Piscine.

Tilda Swinton stars as androgynous rock star Marianne Lane recovering from vocal surgery while on vacation with her suicidal filmmaker boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) whose peaceful convalescence is disturbed when her old flame and Paul’s former friend Harry (Ralph Fiennes) arrives on the island along with his newly discovered daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson) and an uneasy ménage à quatre develops between them.

Fans of Fiennes will be pleased to find the movie features a lot more than most have seen of the talented actor, by which we mean a rather candid full-frontal shot. The Sicilian scenery isn’t half bad either.

16. Swiss Army Man

It might be known as ‘the movie where Harry Potter plays a farting corpse’, but don’t let that simplistic synopsis put you off Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s directorial debut.

Paul Dano stars as a man marooned on an island and on the verge of suicide who is unusually saved by the arrival of Daniel Radcliffe’s flatulent corpse, Swiss Army Man tells the tale of the unlikely bromance that develops between the pair as they both gradually bring each other back to life.

Granted, it might have its fair share of more lowbrow humour. There’s the aforementioned posthumous farting, plus projectile vomiting and a few post-mortem erections too but beneath all that is a heartfelt meditation on life, death and what it means to be human. Honestly.

15. Creative Control

Director, screenwriter and actor Benjamin Dickinson’s second feature film might revolve around a group of self-indulgent Brooklyn hipsters, but don’t let that put you off: it’s a wryly funny sci-fi satire that never fails to poke fun at its subject matter.

Set in a not-too-distant future the film follows Williamsburg ad exec David (also played by Dickinson) as he lands a dream account coming up with a marketing campaign, spearheaded by actor-comedian Reggie Watts playing an exaggerated version of himself, for a pair of augmented reality glasses. Dissatisfied in his relationship with his yogi girlfriend, David starts to use the glasses to conduct a virtual affair with an avatar of his crush, out of work fashion designer Sophie, who just so happens to be the girlfriend of his philandering photographer best friend Wim.

Beautifully shot in black and white, apart from some strategic uses of colour when David indulges in his augmented reality, it’s a stylish movie with some thought-provoking stuff to say about out increasingly intimate relationship with technology.

14. Little Men

Ira Sachs last film, the critically acclaimed Love Is Strange, dealt with the impact on a same-sex couple torn apart by Manhattan’s ever-increasingly expensive property market. For his latest film Little Men, Sachs stays on familiar ground but switches the action to Brooklyn and the emerging friendship between two teenaged boys as their parents come to blows over rising rent, gentrification and entitlement.

Greg Kinnear stars as a down on his luck actor who inherits an attractive Brooklyn brownstone from his later father and moves in with his breadwinner wife and introverted, arty son Jake (Theo Taplitz).

An unlikely camaraderie is struck up between Jake and Tony (Michael Barbieri) – the outgoing, aspiring actor son of the seamstress that rents the first-floor shop of the property – but is threatened when Kinnear’s character demands she start paying higher rates that his father was seemingly too sympathetic to enforce himself.

It’s a simple yet moving coming-of-age story exploring the complexities of modern urban living told through the eyes of its two teenage protagonists that’s firmly placed Barbieri and Taplitz as two young talents to watch.

13. Love & Friendship

Given director Whit Stillman’s fondness for cinematic comedy of manners it makes sense that he’s one day turn his attention to the grand dame of literary social parody, Jane Austen.

Adapted from her epistolary novel Lady Susan, written when Austen was in her late teens but not published until fifty years after her death, Love & Friendship stars Kate Beckinsale as a wry, calculating and upwardly mobile widow attempting to marry herself and her timid daughter off to suitably wealthy husbands.

Co-starring a host of talents from both sides of the pond including Chloë Sevigny as Beckinsale’s conniving American confidante Alicia Johnson and Stephen Fry as her disapproving husband, the movie went on to earn critical acclaim worldwide and made $19.6 million at the box office. Not too bad for a period comedy made on a relatively small budget of just $3 million.

12. Weiner

From Lord Profumo’s affair in the Swinging Sixties with a teenaged go-go girl to Bill Clinton’s seminal artwork on Monica Lewinsky’s dress, politicians and sex scandals seem to go hand in hand.

Nowadays of course, politicians have smartphones and social media at their disposal which hails a whole new means of conducting scandalous affairs but also many more ways to get caught. See Exhibit A: disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner who has been at the centre of several sexting scandals since 2011.

It’s unfortunate enough that his surname sounds like a penis synonym, but doubly unfortunate that the politician was so un-savvy with social media that he accidentally posted an explicit photo of himself on his Twitter account and sexted under the pseudonym ‘Carlos Danger’. Perfect tabloid fodder, if there ever was.

His former chief of staff Josh Kriegman teams with filmmaker Elyse Steinberg to chronicle the politician’s downfall, attempted comeback as a New York City mayoral candidate and subsequent second undoing when further sexting scandals emerged in their documentary Weiner – a riveting, fly on the wall look at a man on the road to ruination.

11. Captain Fantastic

Matt Ross might be better known as an actor, appearing in the likes of American Psycho and HBO’s hit TV show Silicon Valley, but judging by the quality of his second feature length film Captain Fantastic it’s time he got more attention as a director.

The indie dramedy stars Viggo Mortensen as an idealistic father living off the grid with his large brood of children in the wilds of America’s Pacific Northwest who must re-enter society after the suicide of the family’s matriarch and scooped Ross the Un Certain Regard award for Best Director after its screening at Cannes last year.

Mortensen is brilliant as the grieving father forced to reconsider whether his alternative lifestyle is right for his family, at once both arrogant in his principles but also self-doubting and concerned with creating a better life for his kids. He already lost out on a Golden Globe to Casey Affleck this year but with the results of his BAFTA nomination for Best Actor still pending, Mortensen could still see awards success yet.

10. The Lobster

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ first English language feature is a dark dystopian comedy set in a near future in which all single adults are transported to a mysterious hotel where they are legally required to find a partner within a set period or else they are turned into an animal by the powers that be and set loose in the woods.

It’s an animal of their choosing, mind – this isn’t a total dystopia.

Colin Firth, in probably his best performance since In Bruges, stars as a man made newly single after his wife leaves him whose animal of choice is the titular lobster and whose pet dog is actually his former brother in canine form after failing to find a suitable partner himself. It’s a bizarre little story, but beneath the quirky concept is actually a biting satire of societal pressure to find The One™ and settle down.

9. Everybody Wants Some!!

Dubbed the spiritual sequel to his 1993 cult comedy classic Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater’s latest offering switches from a 1970s high school setting to the start of a freshman’s first year at university in the early 1980s but like its predecessor focuses on a group of young ‘uns on the cusp of adulthood and is every bit as charming and nostalgic too.

Like Dazed, Slacker and Boyhood before it not much goes on plot-wise in Everybody Wants Some!!, at least on the surface. His films in this vein are more like snapshots of ordinary and relatable people at ordinary and relatable, yet nevertheless significant, turning points in their lives.

Part of the movie’s charm and success is no doubt owed to its cast of relatively unknown young actors who bring a likeable naturalism to their roles. And of course, for the 80s throwbacks out there, the retro soundtrack and fashion are a nostalgic treat for the senses.

8. Wiener-Dog

Director Todd Solondz is definitely an acquired taste, but if his particular brand of suburbia-set black comedy boils your kettle (or if you just really love sausage dogs) then Wiener-Dog, the sort of sequel-spinoff to his breakout debut Welcome to the Dollhouse, will likely be right up your street.

Split into four vignettes, the storyline is connected by the eponymous dachshund as she is passed between four different oddball owners – firstly, a young boy; secondly a veterinary nurse named Dawn Wiener, who Solondz fans will remember as Welcome to the Dollhouse’s protagonist; next a failed filmmaker turned film school professor played by Danny DeVito and lastly, Ellen Burstyn’s crotchety old grandmother.

It’s a typically offbeat Solondz affair and features a two-minute long intermission during which the canine protagonist strolls past various American landscapes to the tune of her very own theme song, The Ballad of Wiener-Dog. But what’s not to love about a film starring both a cute pup and Danny DeVito?

7. Krisha

Adapted from his short film of the same name and made on a tiny crowdfunded budget, Trey Edward Shults’ powerful feature length debut Krisha has firmly placed him as an indie filmmaker to keep our eyes on.

The eponymous character (played by Shults’ own real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild) is a 60-something recovering addict who returns home the prodigal daughter after a lengthy absence to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family.

As is so often the case with family gatherings, old tensions and mistrust rear their ugly head and what starts out as a family reunion soon descends into a hellish family psychodrama. The winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at South by Southwest in 2015, it’s a distressing portrayal of the devastating impact addiction can have on a family unit.

6. Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Following on from his critically acclaimed 2014 vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, Kiwi director Taika Waititi treated film fans to another delightfully quirky indie this year with Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Based on a book by fellow New Zealander Barry Crump, the charming adventure comedy-drama stars young newcomer Julian Dennison as a foul-mouthed, hip-hop obsessed delinquent and Sam Neill as his begrudging guardian and focuses on the manhunt that follows after the pair purposefully go missing in the New Zealand bush. Not only did it open to rave reviews at its Sundance premiere, it also took its homeland by storm where it currently ranks as New Zealand’s highest grossing homegrown movie.

Next up in Waititi’s career he’ll be making the leap from indie flicks to big budget blockbusters with Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, but hopefully won’t lose any of his quirky charm in the process.

5. Sing Street

With the critically acclaimed Once and Begin Again already under his belt, Irish director John Carney is fast proving himself the maestro of modern-day musicals and cemented that reputation this year with the release of his latest film Sing Street.

Set in 1980s Dublin, it’s a cross between feel-good musical, boy meets girl and coming-of-age story that focuses on teenage misfit Connor as he forms a band with his ragtag group of mates to impress the girl of his dreams, and along the way discovers a true passion for music.

Whether you’re a nostalgic 80s pop music fan or not, the movie is an uplifting delight with a brilliant soundtrack that features a mix of original songs and classics from the likes of Duran Duran and The Cure.

4. The Fits

Anna Rose Holmer’s stunning debut feature starts out as a seemingly simple enough inner city set coming-of-age story before dreamily drifting into surrealist territory – a genre not often mastered but here executed beautifully and eerily.

The film follows young tomboy Toni, played by talented newcomer Royalty Hightower in her acting debut, who boxes at her local recreation centre but finds herself increasingly drawn to the dance team that practices there. After joining the dance team, she discovers its members are falling victim one by one to mysterious seizure-like episodes – the ‘fits’ of the title.

Inspired by real-life cases of communal female hysteria, it’s a powerful and poetic portrait of female adolescence, conformity and social acceptance that has deservedly earned both its maker and breakout star a tonne of Best Director and Best Actress nods on the indie film festival circuit.

3. The Witch

Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch was a dazzlingly unnerving one indeed. Set in 17th New England, the period horror tells the tale of a Puritan family living out in the sticks whose peaceful, pious existence is torn apart by black magic and satanic forces.

Anya Taylor-Joy shines in her breakout performance as eldest daughter Thomasin, accused by her family of witchcraft after her infant sibling is snatched while under her care, and the film scooped Eggers a Directing Award for Best US Dramatic film after its Sundance premiere in 2015.

It’s a different kind of movie than most horror fans are used to with a focus on a creeping sense of doom rather than a rapid-fire succession of guts and gore, which earned it a few naysayers. Nevertheless, its slow-burning plot builds to a satisfyingly shocking ending that’s both violent and chilling.

2. Hell Or High Water

Part gritty neo-Western, part compelling character study, Scottish director David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water was the crossover indie hit of 2016 and its highest grossing independent film too.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster star as brothers who commit a series of robberies at the bank chain about to foreclose on their family ranch while Jeff Bridges – in his most impressive performance since fellow Western, True Grit – and Gil Birmingham play the old-school Texas Rangers hot on their trail.

It’s a blistering, beautifully shot modern-day Robin Hood-esque fable, but most of all a fascinating portrayal of brotherly bonds both blood and fictive.

1. Moonlight

Based on award-winning playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, director Barry Jenkins second feature film Moonlight is a haunting and bittersweet portrayal of a young gay black man growing up in South Central Miami.

Its protagonist Chiron is expertly brought to life by three different actors during three distinct periods in his journey from boyhood to adulthood – first as a young kid under his drug addicted mother’s care, secondly as a bullied teen and lastly as a drug-dealing adult reuniting with his past.

It’s being hailed as the best indie film of last year and with a Golden Globe award for Best Drama Motion Picture already under its belt, it looks like Oscar success could be on the horizon for Moonlight too.

Which other 2016 indie movies belong on this list? Share your picks below in the comments thread.

Sherlock: Every Episode Ranked Worst To Best

Credit: BBC

The dust has finally started to settle on The Final Problem, which was one hell of a closer to Season 4 of Sherlock.

The episode was greeted with a wave of criticism both good and bad, and also kickstarts a long wait - perhaps even a permanent one - until Season 5. For now, fans are left to pick apart what has been the most controversial batch of episodes so far.

But the question is, how do they compare to previous episodes? With plenty of time to mull over all 13 episodes, especially the latest three that tie up a lot of loose ends and present even more, it's a good moment to rank every episode of Sherlock - deducing which ones were total failures, and which stand as absolute classics.

(Be warned that there are massive spoilers ahead for every episode of Sherlock.)

13. Christmas Special: The Abominable Bride

Everything about this episode feels unnecessary and overly confusing. What was advertised as a standalone, gothic adventure seeing everyone's favourite modern iterations of classic characters actually inhabit the Victorian era they came from was a tantalizing prospect. And on that front, The Abominable Bride succeeds: it's a well-directed tale, and a nice change from the familiar world of Sherlock.

But when we found out that the entire thing was a delusion in modern-day Sherlock's head, and became a confusing, dragged-out imitation of Inception that raises more questions than it answers, a lot of goodwill was lost.

This approach frustrated audiences and made the Victorian elements feel like a silly gimmick to appeal to fans, rather than something to entice newcomers and the general public.

The bait-and-switch between time periods is not deserved, after the audience has begun to enjoy a very distinctive piece of festive entertainment. The Abominable Bride is a very unsatisfying return after a long wait between episodes, and a complicated way to bridge the gap between seasons 3 and 4.

12. Season 2, Episode 2: The Hounds Of Baskerville

Out of the entire Conan Doyle Canon, The Hound of the Baskervilles is the most renowned, so anticipation was high for the modern-day take on it. Unfortunately The Hounds of Baskerville might be the most forgettable episode of the show, although the attempts to update it and make it more believable are admirable.

It was a smart move to get horror writer extraordinaire Mark Gatiss to tackle this particular episode, and it isn't without merit. However, it rambles a lot rather than setting an atmosphere, which is surprising with Paul McGuigan as its director. The VFX for the titular hounds is terrible as well. By the end, the resolution seems like a cop-out. Admittedly, it is tricky to create a grounded version of a story that is about a massive dog, but it seems like everyone forgot to have some fun along the way and embrace this most ludicrous of plots.

Sherlock and John's relationship isn't developed or tested to any great degree, the mystery doesn't intrigue enough to sustain its running time, and we're not entertained enough to overlook those flaws. No fan ever seems to discuss this episode in any great detail, or with any great praise. It's not controversial, and it's not beloved.

11. Season 3, Episode 1: The Empty Hearse

"How did he survive?" was the question on the nation's lips in the months running up to Sherlock Holmes' return from the dead. It's hard to pull off a satisfying answer after that cliffhanger, but the main problem with this episode is that it was too occupied with both confusing us and drawing attention to it.

The Empty Hearse lacks any emotional gutpunch; the fact that John's world has been turned upside down by Sherlock's return, and every element of Sherlock's crass way of breaking the news to his best friend, is too lighthearted from the start. It seems out of character for their more mature relationship, and wastes the opportunity for a perfectly-timed use of humour to break the tension.

Amanda Abbington's Mary is the best thing in this episode. Yet focus is drawn away from her to tease Season 3's main villain, spend time with Anderson (who always worked best as the butt of the joke) as well as his fellow conspiracy theorists, and give us yet another scenario where John is kidnapped and Sherlock has to save him.

This episode crams too much into its running time, and yet feels slight at the same time, resulting in an awkward mixture of filler and setting up future episodes.

10. Season 4, Episode 1: The Six Thatchers

The observances that Sherlock has turned into a James Bond-style show are particularly valid in The Six Thatchers. Mary's murky past was always intriguing, but delved into too early so that everything about her was revealed and we had nothing to keep us engaged.

Mary was a brilliant character killed off too early to really make her death mean something to the audience. Whilst the impact on our other main characters was well-handled, the main mystery of the episode tied together in a rushed and unsatisfying way.

Her death came out of nowhere after a globe-trotting adventure with a mystery that wasn't gripping, and the circumstances under which Mary dies are more frustrating than heartbreaking. For a series with such tight plotting, this episode is surprisingly sloppy.

Playing for the most part like an old-fashioned adventure, introducing Rosamund - John and Mary's baby - and Toby the Bloodhound, the opportunity for some light-hearted domestic humour that Sherlock has always excelled at is missed here to make way for something more espionage-heavy.

After such a long absence, Mary's death might have been more devastating if we'd been reminded what a happy family has been formed from Sherlock and his friends, only to have it torn apart.

9. Season 1, Episode 2: The Blind Banker

Out of the earlier episodes that are more about individual capers where we get to watch Sherlock and John grow as friends and partners, The Blind Banker is the least impactful. There is nothing particularly special or memorable about it, especially now after 4 seasons of episodes where the fun adventures were more thrilling, funnier and more emotional.

Playing out like a ripping yarn, The Blind Banker is thoroughly enjoyable if rather light. It's a solid, tight little story but it pales in comparison to more ambitious or controversial episodes that would follow it. However, most importantly it never forgets to keep the viewer guessing and always entertains them.

This approach was key in these early episodes to introduce people to the tone of this modern-day Sherlock Holmes, and it is doubtful if it would have been as successful had it started out with episodes in the style of The Final Problem or The Six Thatchers.

Hopefully if season 5 ever happens, we will see a return to more episodes like The Blind Banker, only utilizing everything that the team behind Sherlock have learnt from later episodes that have raised the stakes and felt like proper movies.

8. Season 1, Episode 1: A Study In Pink

Despite introducing the audience to characters, stories and tropes everyone knows, A Study in Pink manages to be refreshing and create a very different Holmes-Watson dynamic. But most importantly, the villain and central mystery of the episode still holds up in its own right.

The episode could very easily have been dominated by the origin story of Sherlock and John, with the plot just being an excuse to push them together. Instead, Sherlock and John hit it off because of the mystery, not in spite of it.

Phil Davis' cabbie is a chilling and memorable addition to Sherlock's rogues gallery, and sadly often forgotten. But despite being a creepy guy that everyone else would overlook, he manages to catch Sherlock off-guard, and motivate John back into action. He may have been working for Moriarty, but he is arguably more crucial to this episode than LeStrade, Mycroft, Molly or Mrs. Hudson.

Serving as the perfect introduction to the world of Sherlock, and remaining highly rewatchable, the only shortfall of A Study in Pink is that everything and everyone is being established. Such an adventure with a fully developed Holmes and Watson would be every bit as good.

7. Season 2, Episode 1: A Scandal In Belgravia

A Scandal in Belgravia is a key entry in the Sherlock canon for two reasons: we are introduced to the fan-favourite Irene Adler, and Sherlock is finally pushed out of his comfort zone. This is a story that blends a more ambitious adventure where national security is at stake and the shadow of Moriarty looms large, with a very funny romance between Sherlock, John and Irene.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are in their element here, and Lara Pulver is having a ball as Irene Adler. We get to see Sherlock and John at their best, in equal parts amusing, affectionate and cheeky towards each other.

With all the hard work of establishing the contemporary detective and his partner out of the way, A Scandal in Belgravia is ludicrously enjoyable, and a welcome respite before we see everyone tested by Moriarty's dastardly schemes finally coming to fruition.

It is fascinating to watch Sherlock unaware of how to react to someone like Irene Adler, especially before he is softened by the likes of Mary and Molly. The episode works so well because Lara Pulver's performance makes the beloved character seem flawed and vulnerable, whilst genuinely feeling like someone who could outwit Sherlock Holmes.

6. Season 3, Episode 2: The Sign Of Three

Much like The Blind Banker, this episode is a humorous, light-hearted adventure that ranks particularly high because we get to see the lovable trio of Sherlock, John and Mary with all introductions out of the way. It helps that the multiple mysteries all tie together in a clever and satisfying way, an element that could easily have derailed the whole script.

The Sign of Three is the romantic comedy that Sherlock never knew it needed, as we see Sherlock begin to soften, and John having to become more open and sensitive. Mary clearly brings out the best in the boys and holds her own against them both - at times outwitting them - as Sherlock tries to save the day, tie the clues together and actually be a decent Best Man to his friend on the most important day of his life.

Coming relatively late in the show, it's clear that Sherlock was in desperate need of an episode that wasn't going to devastate the audience, or get wrapped up in a complex case with the fate of the country at stake. Instead it reminds us that Sherlock is human, and that the little things in life are important even to him when it matters.

5. Season 1, Episode 3: The Great Game

Our first proper introduction to Jim Moriarty is the first time we sense real danger for Sherlock and everyone he loves. Andrew Scott's portrayal has attracted criticism for being pantomimic and too similar to Heath Ledger's Joker, but he is one of the best and most original on-screen incarnations of Moriarty we've ever seen.

He dominates every frame, even when he isn't there. One of the reasons The Great Game is so good is that every random mystery that Sherlock and John solve makes the audience feel ill at ease, as though something is very wrong. Like a monster, you imagine Moriarty could be hiding just around the corner.

The plot of The Great Game is not the most original, but as this newly-established Sherlock plays the game of his arch-nemesis for the first time, it perfectly captures the tone of a Sherlock Holmes story where Moriarty is involved.

The success of each on-screen version of Sherlock Holmes rests on how well Moriarty is introduced. The Great Game does it in a masterful way, and wisely keeps the villain's screen time limited, holding their cards close to their chest until they were ready to unleash Moriarty at his peak in The Reichenbach Fall.

4. Season 4, Episode 3: The Final Problem

Without doubt the most shocking, extreme and divisive episode ever aired. The comparisons to Saw are apt, and this is an episode with some real problems. But there is a reason it has ranked so highly in the list: it is bold, daring, and incredibly emotional. Shock twist after shock twist is handled well, even if Sian Brooke's Eurus is so over-the-top that it can become an irritating rather than terrifying performance.

It can be all too much to take in for a first viewing, but The Final Problem holds up well after rewatching, because its extremities are earned. The audience holds so much affection for each character that is tested by Eurus so well, that when they are pushed to their very limits- or might very feasibly be killed in a brutal way- it has us on the edge of our seats.

Our main characters, and the audience, are led down a rabbit hole we're afraid we'll never get out of. There's no comfort here and no safety. Sherlock has never been this dark, or this intense. There are so many heartbreaking moments, but by the end Sherlock has become the man we always knew he could be - a good man who really does care.

3. Season 3, Episode 3: His Last Vow

After relying so heavily on Moriarty, Lars Mikkelsen's turn as the vile Charles Augustus Magnusson feels like a breath of fresh air, and crucially felt like something very new in a series that by this point had got a little too comfortable.

Magnusson is a villain that brought the show to darker, more disturbing places, allowing for the introduction of Culverton Smith and Eurus. Magnusson also forces Sherlock and John to face off against an adversary different to what they are used to.

Mary's true identity also adds an emotional element to His Last Vow that previous series finales had lacked. There is more at stake here than just Sherlock and John surviving and outwitting Moriarty, and this episode wisely balanced its despicable villain and serious tone with some domestic comedy that introduced Sherlock and Mycroft's parents for the first time.

Season three of Sherlock was key to Sherlock growing as a person, and having people to care for and fight for. His Last Vow is a perfect conclusion to an arc where Sherlock has gone from being a better man because of John, to a decent man ready to sacrifice himself, and finally to an actual flawed human we are able to relate to on some level.

2. Season 4, Episode 2: The Lying Detective

Moriarty is Sherlock's most popular villain, Magnusson pushed Sherlock to his limits, and Eurus was insane. But the most evil villain of them all is Toby Jones' electrifying turn as Culverton Smith.

The comparisons to Jimmy Savile and Harold Shipman were obvious, and because such a monster as Culverton Smith is more realistic than Moriarty or Eurus, it makes your skin crawl that Sherlock would go to hell and back for John and face off against someone so repulsive who is actually based on real people.

Whilst The Lying Detective is a rather delicate and well-done examination of John processing his grief over Mary's loss, his guilt and his bitterness at Sherlock, the episode is absolutely Jones'. After the mess of The Abominable Bride, this episode does a better job or portraying Sherlock's drug-addled viewpoint, but this episode would not be as high in the list if not for Culverton Smith.

The cliffhanger reveal of Sherlock and Mycroft's secret sister manipulating the duo behind the scenes feels tacked on and loses its impact because of the exhausting experience we've been through experiencing Smith, our hearts breaking for John, and our heads hurting from Sherlock's mindbending drugs trip that seems to last most of the episode.

1. Season 2, Episode 3: The Reichenbach Fall

The Reichenbach Fall takes everything that worked about The Great Game and dials it up to 11.

Moriarty's masterplan is almost too much for Sherlock to get his head around and keep up with. But by turning Sherlock's new-found fame against him, Jim Moriarty proves he knows more than anyone how to tease and torture Sherlock. Every revelation of the trap that's been set for Sherlock reminds us why no one will ever match the great detective's arch nemesis.

For the first time in the show's history, the stakes are high and you get a real sense not everyone might make it out alive. When Sherlock is trapped on that roof and Moriarty has committed suicide in front of him, you truly believe there is no way out for Sherlock, and that he has no plan. It's doubtful that any future episode will ever top that first moment when Sherlock isn't able to rely on his smarts to save him.

The Reichenbach Fall is epic yet devastating and intimate in its scope, and is the most iconic battle between Cumberbatch's Sherlock and a villain. For those reasons, it is the best episode of Sherlock to date.

What's your favourite episode of Sherlock? What's the worst? Share your opinions in the comments below!