the best horror movies of the 2020s is The Host, which is premised on the kind of social isolation that the world was forced into during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The development of the discourse on body politics over the past years prompted director Coralie Fargeat to make The Substance, high Rotten Tomatoes ratings on its debut. The best horror movies of the past 10 years present a mix of feminist sensibilities, other political ideas, reclaiming monsters, and a return of traditional genre approaches, which reflects the collective nostalgia of the era, whereby remakes and reboots recontextualize classic tales for modern audiences.

10 It Follows (2014)

Directed By David Robert Mitchell

It Follows was Maika Monroe's breakout role as a bona fide scream queen that made her the staple for horror movies that she's become now. It was released a few months after The Guest established her as an actress with potential. While her performance and the moody soundtrack, particularly the atmospheric score, make the film immersive, it's nonetheless flawed in its ideology and has a few thematic inconsistencies which keep it from being a masterpiece.

The setting of It Follows and its jump scares, which there's no dearth of, create the perfect spooky atmosphere necessary to tell the story of a monster that's a metaphor for STDs or simply a cinematic tool to demonize sex itself. Either way, the message being sent is questionable because of the way the curse works. Apart from featuring an unnecessary sexual assault scene, It Follows disrupts immersion by breaking its rules far too often. However, the final scene of It Follows is genuinely scary despite simultaneously feeling convenient and contrived. Moreover, it sets up a sequel that could be better.

9 A Quiet Place (2018)

Directed By John Krasinski

While Krasinski's directorial debut predates A Quiet Place by nearly a decade, he came into his own as a filmmaker with the highly successful horror film that has grown into one of the few modern horror franchises that wasn't conceived in the previous century. With a simple but terrifying premise, the film sets up a world that functions as the audiovisual equivalent of anxiety. The performances, particularly Emily Blunt's, elevate the film to scary heights where viewers will hold their breath with her not to make a noise. The horror crosses the threshold of the screen through her.

However, as brilliant as the premise is, the execution doesn't always meet the standards necessary to become a timeless work of art. The noise-driven jumpscares are effective horror devices, but they seem overused after a point of time, and A Quiet Place relies on typical genre conventions more than its hype, as an innovative film would suggest. The writing is perhaps the greatest point of contention because, with very little time, it manages to flesh out the characters as real people, but features questionable decision-making which dials up the horror, but makes no sense in the film's world.

8 Pearl (2022)

Directed By Ti West

Feminist politics over the past few years, especially after the #MeToo movement, has scrutinized how the film industry mistreats women and ruins their lives and careers. So, a horror movie that uses the industry's neglect of talented women as a source of horror isn't unexpected, but Pearl isn't concerned with politics as much. Instead, it gets stuck in a tug-of-war between trying to gather sympathy for a homicidal protagonist whose motivation for murder is questionable at best and creating memorable gory murder set pieces. As a feminist gender-switched twist on the American Psycho archetype, it's, however, a masterclass in writing.

The trilogy of Pearl, X, and Maxxine was completed with the third film in 2024, but it's the most underwhelming offering in the franchise, with a measly 75% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Mia Goth's performance in Pearl deserves a spot on the list of all-time best horror performances, especially after the six-minute uncut monologue which she delivers with such gusto that viewers will feel enthralled, entertained, and empathetic towards her. As a prequel to the grindhouse horror X, however, Pearl seems to struggle in carving out its own territory. The balance between social commentary and entertaining gore is very delicate and while the film walks the line well, one can't help but feel that it could've been done better.

7 Train to Busan (2016)

Directed By Yeon Sang-ho

Zombies have arguably been the most common subject of reinvention and reintroduction for horror filmmaking in cinema history. But few films have come close to reviving the genre to the heights that Sam Raimi took it to with his Evil Dead movies like Train to Busan. With a necessary class consciousness and a beautifully composed short first act that fleshes out and introduces all the key players with minimum detailing, it takes no time in diving into the horror and generically lies somewhere between horror and action thriller with its fight choreography.

Train to Busan remains one of the best zombie movies ever.

The emotional thread, while thin, is compelling enough to tug at viewers' heartstrings as Train to Busan speeds its way to a climax which is sadder than the second act would suggest. The elaborate fight sequences, once a staple of the genre, set up viewers for an entertaining time, but Train to Busan also features one of the saddest tearjerking scenes in horror movie history. However, the third act also relies on typical action genre tactics, like putting characters into archetypes and introducing a villain. Despite that, Train to Busan remains one of the best zombie movies ever.

6 Hereditary (2018)

Directed By Ari Aster

In just five years, Ari Aster established himself as a new master of the horror genre with a roster of disturbing and weird films which all tell elaborate stories of grief, steeped in gore, shock, and trauma. However, his debut feature Hereditary remains his best work, as one of the scariest supernatural horror movies. It features one of the most shocking death scenes of all times, and then ramps the horror up from there with deft patience as viewers are forced to sit in anxiety through a slow burn buildup to a fiery Hellish climax, literally and metaphorically.

Toni Collette's monologue has already become part of horror movie history because of her fierce performance and the scary atmosphere created by the framing and blocking choices that make her face terrifying as she enunciates with anger. Beyond that, exploring grief as a motivating factor for questionable decisions that seem understandable through the lens of sympathy makes Hereditary particularly effective as a horror movie. The foreshadowing reveals the ending to viewers who are paying attention, and the slow burn just feels like a test of endurance as the inevitable approaches.

5 The Wailing (2016)

Directed By Na Hong-jin

One of the most terrifying Korean ghost horror movies, The Wailing, has the potential to redefine intellectual horror filmmaking, with its complex narrative that takes a close look at the impact of mistrust and crisis on a close-knit community. The intricacies of the plot add to the mysticism of the location, which is shot beautifully to complement the haunting and emotionally taxing story. While it is a ghost story with an intense amount of gore, there's nothing gimmicky about The Wailing. The scares are particularly effective because a sense of paranoia hangs over every frame.

A deleted ending scene for The Wailing later resurfaced, but since it clarifies the meaning of the last scene and kills the ambiguity, most viewers agree that cutting it from the theatrical cut was the best decision.

The complexity in the characterization of the Demon is another unique feature of The Wailing that sets it apart from contemporaries of the same genre. It invokes sympathy from viewers with inexplicable moments of benevolence that complicate the fear and hatred it otherwise elicits. The film is intentional with repetitive sequencing to sell how systemic the experience is for the characters. While that adds to the sensation of unease by overwhelming the audience and dials up the horror, it could feel a tad tedious for some viewers.

4 The Lighthouse (2019)

Directed By Robert Eggers

One of the most eminent voices in horror filmmaking to rise in recent years is Robert Eggers, who directed the 2024 remake of Nosferatu. His sophomore feature, The Lighthouse, is a terrifying exercise in world-building and atmospheric horror. The mythology Eggers created for the setting can truly horrify a viewer to the core as they try to figure out how the protagonists will survive in such dire circumstances. The characters gradually lose their minds throughout the film, and the calculated performances by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson make the situation impactful on viewers.

"The Smalls tragedy that The Lighthouse is based on can be considered an important, albeit incredibly dark, moment in maritime history" - Katy Rath & Tom Russell

The Lighthouse is one of the scariest black-and-white horror movies ever, and it uses the vintage texture to enhance the impact of the mythical presences in the film. Watching The Lighthouse feels like going through a rollercoaster of terrifying visuals, as the barrage of gore and scare never stops. It's particularly interesting because the characters start doing things of questionable morality, which creates a scary dichotomy between rooting for them and doubting their intentions.

3 One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Directed By Shinichirou Ueda

If they had been making the movie from Tropic Thunder on a very low budget in the world where Edgar Wright set Shaun of the Dead, people would experience what the characters of One Cut of the Dead do. A love letter to filmmaking that pays homage to the zombie comedy genre and revives it to the heights that Wright did with his film, One Cut of the Dead is the peak of low-budget horror comedy filmmaking. With an invigorating uncut opening sequence of 37 minutes that leaves viewers reeling, it offers almost everything a fan of cinema will appreciate.

The number of laughs and scares per minute is so high that anyone who loves filmmaking and zombies will be utterly entertained for the entire runtime.

The last few years have mostly observed a rise in good high or elevated horror filmmaking, so the sheer quality of this B-movie makes One Cut of the Dead particularly important. Not only does it subvert genre expectations with wacky editing, intelligent writing, and meta filmmaking, but the number of laughs and scares per minute is so high that anyone who loves filmmaking and zombies will be utterly entertained for the entire runtime. Even the music choices almost make no sense, but they add to the utter chaos that makes One Cut of the Dead such a perfect horror comedy!

2 The Wolf House (2018)

Directed By Cristóbal León & Joaquin Cociña

It might be hyperbolic to call The Wolf House the darkest animated film of all time, but it's right up there with the likes of Grave of the Fireflies. Based on a depressing real-life cult-like community from World War II Chile, it reimagines the classic fairy tale of the three little pigs and tells it through the heartwrenching perspective of a child trapped in the community. While there's archival footage which still doesn't spell out the name of La Colonia Dignidad, the setting isn't addressed in The Wolf House directly.

However, every frame drips with an overwhelming terror and melancholy that subtly alludes to the condition of those who live in the community. The endlessly creative animation allows the fable to morph into a terrifying of persecution that will leave viewers traumatized. While the visual horror is anxiety-inducing and imaginatively scary, the real horror is experienced by pondering on the lived experiences to whose stories The Wolf House refers. It is a one-of-a-kind mode of political horror filmmaking and one can only hope for more of its kind in the years to come.

1 Get Out (2017)

Directed By Jordan Peele

One of the only six horror movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, Get Out is one of the most important horror films released in recent times. Addressing the role of systemic racism in today's America, coupled with the anxieties surrounding slavery, it tackles the collective anxieties that inspired the BLM movement. Eternally relevant, Get Out effectively uses the elements of surprise and misdirection to misguide viewers into a false sense of security before revealing the horror.

The critical and commercial success of his debut film has made Jordan Peele an unmissable director for the horror genre, with fans counting the days to his next release every time he announces a new project. The cinematography in Get Out meticulously creates an atmosphere where the concept of racism turns into almost a supernatural horror being, dictating every framing choice. Daniel Kaluuya's performance makes the experience personable and allows Peele to impress the fear of living in a racist state on the audience's mind. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, another rare achievement for a horror movie.