10 Horror Films in 10 Years: The Best Scary Flicks of the Decade
People complain that there isn't enough good horror being produced these days. Others say scary movies haven't been great since the '90s. Not true, I say - though jump scare-ridden carnival rides often carry the loudest advertising, great horror has been out there year after year, and the 2010s was a special decade for the genre. Listed below are my 10 favorite horror films to round out the last ten years.
Honorable mentions: Let Me In (2010), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Sinister (2012), Creep (2016), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), The Invitation (2016), Get Out (2017), A Quiet Place (2018), The Lighthouse (2019)
Honorable mentions: Let Me In (2010), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Sinister (2012), Creep (2016), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), The Invitation (2016), Get Out (2017), A Quiet Place (2018), The Lighthouse (2019)
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- DirectorAri AsterStarsToni ColletteMilly ShapiroGabriel ByrneA grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.Hereditary may well be the scariest movie I've ever seen. What lends itself to the film's terror is the fact that it's extremely well-directed, paced, and fleshed out with phenomenal, believable performances. This film is a hallmark of good storytelling and is so unpredictable and raw that it may stick with you for days (or weeks) afterwards. It also features the biggest Oscar snub of 2018: Toni Colette as Annie.
- DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsMaika MonroeKeir GilchristOlivia LuccardiA young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.Forget the analogy this film supposedly stands for - It Follows stands alone as an eerie, surprisingly nostalgic trip plagued by an unseeable dread. The premise itself is chilling, yet it does not fail to deliver on its execution. Follow the unsettling camerawork, follow the figure(s) you may glimpse in the background, and let this one follow you into your dreams.
- DirectorJennifer KentStarsEssie DavisNoah WisemanDaniel HenshallA single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.A small film about grief and loneliness that proves once again Australia is capable of producing some of the strongest horror entries (see Wolf Creek or Lake Mungo). This is another flick that is carried in no small part by staggering performances by the two primary characters. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Child acting can make or break a film.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsAnya Taylor-JoyRalph InesonKate DickieA family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.Another movie produced by A24... Are we on to something here? Something about its setting in an unexplored forest during colonial America elevates this film to a different level of fear. Like an old fable told by candlelight, this movie gets under the skin and squirms.
- DirectorYeon Sang-hoStarsGong YooJung Yu-miMa Dong-seokWhile a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.I love the zombie genre, and this was perhaps the very best of this decade featuring the undead. It's no secret that Korean filmmakers are veterans at scaring (check out The Wailing, Phone or Loner), and Sang-ho Yeon's take on the fast-moving zombies popularized by 28 Days Later was a home run. There's also a surprisingly touching story woven within the chaos.
- DirectorJames WatkinsStarsDaniel RadcliffeJanet McTeerCiarán HindsA young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. I'll watch most anything that Harry Potter will star in because he's talented and isn't afraid to take risks, and this film is one of my favorites. It's dreadfully scary, and takes me back to sitting in a dimly lit room reading The Haunting of Hill House, wondering how horrifying an old mansion can truly be. Daniel Radcliffe will tell you - VERY horrifying.
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonVera FarmigaRon LivingstonParanormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.Maybe the most popular horror movie of the last ten years is popular for a reason. Say what you will about its many spinoffs, but the first one holds up as an incredibly stout and well-made film. It has a memorable cast, a carefully crafted environment, and just the right amount of jump scares, a couple of which will still be talked about for decades to come.
- DirectorFede AlvarezStarsJane LevyShiloh FernandezJessica LucasFive friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.This is one of the only remakes mentioned here because generally, I'm not crazy about them. Sometimes, though, the passion and respect filmmakers have for their original material bring to fruition truly great horror. Evil Dead is crazy, violent, and loud, but it's also awesome.
- DirectorFede AlvarezStarsStephen LangJane LevyDylan MinnetteHoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn't as helpless as he seems.If any entry on this list pushes suspense to its absolute breaking point, it's Don't Breathe. A war veteran has never been more terrifying than the old blind man in this film that will help you keep the edge of your seat warm.
- DirectorColin MinihanStuart OrtizThe Vicious BrothersStarsBenjamin WilkinsonSean RogersonAshleigh GryzkoFor their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that's supposedly haunted - and it might prove to be all too true.While Jordan Peele's Get Out and Jim Halpert's A Quiet Place may be objectively better films, I'm including this one because the found-footage genre is one of my personal favorites. This one is among the scariest of them all. The premise is simple, but it doesn't mess around when it comes to making you scream and shiver. If you want to start with arguably the best found-footage horror flicks ever, try the Blair Witch Project or the Spanish film REC.