I often hear that modern horror movies are terrible and lack the originality and scare-factor of the films from the “Golden Age” of horror. Every decade produces terrible horror movies and great horror movies, and this decade is no different. So I present here what are, to me, the very best horror movies since the year 2000.
An underrated werewolf movie which brings to mind the classic Carrie, Ginger Snaps is a coming-of-age story with a difference. This movie doesn’t deliver many scares, but has a very good story line and is highly original in a genre starving for new ideas. Ginger Snaps isn’t for everyone but it is well worth a look.
An original, fun, slasher-type movie, Final Destination delivers high on the gore, scares and plot twists and it all makes for a very entertaining way to spend and hour and a half of your afternoon.
Love it or hate it, Saw was original and brought horror back to today’s audiences. The horror industry today would not be the same without this film, and for that I place it at unlucky 13 of my list.
I first noticed Bill Paxton in the vampire film Near Dark. He was by far the stand-out actor of that film. Little did I know how multi-talented he was. Here he directs a great little mystery thriller/horror with a fantastic script. He also does a brilliant job acting in it and we can expect great things from him in the future. Frailty had little box office success, but is a fantastic film. Do not pass it up.
The Descent is a film to watch with friends. The horror is a slow build up, and then suddenly you are immersed in it. It delivers high on the scares and has a great atmosphere. If you ever wanted to go cave diving, see this film… It might just change your mind.
In today’s anything-goes society it is hard to be controversial, extreme or shocking. Hard Candy is all three. It is the story of a 14 year old girl who meets Jeff, a 30 year old pedophile, at a cafe where she is invited to his home. Oh Jeff… What have you gotten yourself into. A superb performance from Ellen Page who would later become the fiery Juno, very well paced, full of plot twists and loaded with worthwhile social commentary. If you haven’t already seen this one, see it soon.
The Pang Brothers deliver a beautiful and chilling ghost story that would later be butchered by an American remake. The original is fantastic and I highly recommend it to fans of such films as The Sixth Sense and The Others, and any fan of J-Horror.
A chilling haunted house type story that is highly underrated. Brad Anderson, director of the amazing ‘The Machinist’, delivers a film to be watched alone and in the dark for maximum effect. It is one of the more unsettling films I have ever seen.
28 Days Later is one of the better ‘rapid-infection’ films out there. It has many scares, original ideas and is a feast for the eyes. Some of the scenes are simply breathtaking. I am assuming most people have seen this film, but if you haven’t, don’t put it off any longer.
In my mind, this is the scariest ghost film ever made. The sound the ghosts make unsettles me every time I think about it and it is a stand out in Asian horror. If you like long lasting, non-gory scares then this is the film for you.
I did not have very high hopes for this when I walked into the theater, but it is one of the most beautiful, touching and downright disturbing horror films I have ever seen. It is a future classic and I hope the Americans, with their upcoming remake, don’t butcher it. By the way, the current DVD release has dreadful subtitles. My advice is to put off buying it until they release the original theatrical subtitles for the film.
This existential horror film is not for the faint of heart. It has lots of gore, many torture scenes and is absolutely relentless. It is also a deep and powerful film that keeps you glued to the screen and, at the same time, begging it to stop. There is about a plot twist every 5 minutes and if the first two sequences don’t get your heart racing, I don’t know what will.
Was anyone expecting this film to be good? I mean, how good can a film be when it’s about monsters, with tentacle and claws galore, that live in a mysterious fog? The answer is very good and this is one of the standout films of this decade. The first 2/3rds of the film are fun, fast paced and tense, but it is the last third of this film that makes it one of the most horrible and horrifying horror movies ever made. The Mist gets a 10/10 from me and is a must-see for every horror fan.
[REC] is a zombie-type film that is actually scary. Indeed it is the only film of its kind that I find scary. The hand-held camcorder theme (ala The Blair With Project) is usually annoying, but it works really well in [REC]. It has a bizarre ending and is unforgiving and relentless. If you can get a copy, do so. Also, do not watch the terrible American remake ‘Quarantine’ first. [REC] is far superior and the American’s do not do justice to it.
Inside is the standout film of the last 10 years to me. It is the only film that has ever had me trembling in my seat, yelling out loud at the screen, feeling physically ill and at the same time thoroughly enjoying it. Call me obsessive but I have seen this film 5 times now and it never disappoints. It is pretty short (only 80 minutes) and has some classic horror movie moments. It is well written, fantastically directed and beautifully acted and is the single most scary horror film I have ever seen. In terms of stylishness and directing expertise it reminds me of The Shining. Every self-respecting horror fan owes it to themselves to see this movie.
woooh! saw and final destination for me!
i love horror films!
hahaha!
no you dont
Lol
ya ***** off saw and final destination are stupid movies. lick my balls u dont know movies
American viewers are saturated in their native land with films for theaters and TV that present a certain, if arguably better, quality of film or digital processing, editing, sound and overall depth of production (i.e. lots of money). When other countries film really good stories, despite all sound arguments that 'more is less', it is difficult for many of us to adjust our palates, and we long for both steak and sizzle. As the list writer states, we'll probably screw it up in just that fashion when it comes time for the inevitable US remake. But our screwed up version will eventually make 300-500 million US dollars (after 5 different disc releases), while the original is torrented relentlessly and lionized as "so much better than that crappy (but cool-looking!) American version.
One social flaw of Capitalism that it is honest to a fault; consumers vote with their dollars (francs, yen…) and the majority appear to want crap.
The majority of the time the American verision is way better anyway for example “Let the Right One In” sucked compared to “Let Me In”
Weird. Take an extraordinary film and then make it again but in an ordinary way? American remakes ALWAYS suck – and I say that as Abrams fan.
Sir, You’re a moron.
Original – Ju-on
Remake – The Grudge
Trust me, when you compare the two, you’ll throw every remake you have out the window. American remakes SUCK, especially when they remake Japanese movies.
Most American films and TV shows suck, They’re badly directed, Have terrible scripts and have such terrible fake lighting it gives everybody this shiny horrible look to them.
If people didn’t eat up the ***** America serves the world would be a better place.
nice list. like no. two
No drag me to hell? i thought that was one of the scariest film i’ve ever seen
hahahaa…. everyone who says that "Drag me to hell" was scary- scares me…. it was just silly and fun a few times and that's it….. u funny people:]
are you kidding? Drag me to hell? Really? LMAO
Sweeet, my sorta list
@2 conor -drag me to hell?
i thought that was the funniest movie i ever saw!
talking goat, lol!
Great list but wrong Inside movie, your looking for the french one with the pregnant lady.
Im pretty keen to see drag me to hell as i have heard the reviews are good.
Inside was the first movie to make me turn the other way and REC is just one of the scariest films ever made.
Havent seen Martys but ill be looking for it now.
Good list, good movies, the ring should be one there though that scared the hell out of me.
This is the Trailer for the right Inside film.
thats the exact same trailer
I’m so glad you didn’t include a whole heap of trashy (yet enjoyable) films like Dawn of the Dead. It was a surprisingly good film in itself, yet brought nothing new to the genre. Rec is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen (although admittedly, I watched it in Spanish with French subtitles, so it was a little confusing) but the Mist is still my favourite horror movie.
Great list!
@carpe_noctem (9):
Dawn of the Dead was a great film!!!!
@Geng1s (6): I saw Drag me to Hell at the local cinema and it is good but very corny.
The best horror film I have seen in the last few years was called Dog Soldiers (2002). I’m surprised its not on this list! The trailer is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0Ej5N-hFQ
I think horror films have had their hayday – it’s definitly a genre that has gone downhill over the last few years.
Fixed video for inside – thanks for pointing that out
@Geng1s (10):
Shaun of the dead was better in my opinion
@ conor
I agree, drag me to hell(especially when watched on the big screen) was really scary.
I might be in the minority but I think silent hill was an excellent chilling movie.
Silent Hill was amazing! It wasn’t scary, but the creepy atmosphere and disturbing creatures made up for that!!
@tripsyman (13):
Thats like Comparing Rotten Apples with another variety of slightly morbid funnier Apples.
Shaun of the Dead is easily one of the best Zomedies ever made. Dance of the Dead is also very good, very low budget but a bit of a giggle.
Ive seen most of Dog soldiers and it wasnt to shabby.
@The Duke Capone (14):
Silent hill was majorly under rated, some of creepiest freakin monsters i think ive seen in a film and to be honest while agree with most of this list i think there a few films missing, Silent hill being one of them.
Most of them i do not know …which is great
I’m really interested in how people rate Horror movies. Do you rate it like any other film, or in terms of gore, action, plot (Not much) ?
I rather liked 28 days later, it probably gave me nightmares for a week with those fast zombies and the thought of having such a thing in your city
i personally think gin gwai (the eye) isnt that good.
i’m cantonese (the movie is basically cantonese) and i think its more of a human scare drama than a true scary movie. it wasnt really the type to make you scare alot, just maybe a few scenes were quite terrifying
No probs Jamie, i was kinda baffled for a bit thought it was a different inside but then i realised the Driectors were the same.
@MikeB (16):
I consider myself Blessed and Cursed living in N.Z because while its difficult to get a lot of these movies and i do end up downloading quite a few it makes it a lot easier to actually hear about them because we do manage to avoid a lot of the American straight to DVD crap.
The one thing i have noticed the past few years is that Original films are getting harder to come by and the market seems to be flooded with remakes and sequels.
@Derek (19):
Im Big on Horror films across the board (hence hald the comments on this list being mine
)
I dont think i look for anyone thing as an example i have seen 4 of the the top 5 on this list and they are all so different in content you would be crazy to compare them.
Rec: is pure shock value
Let the right one in: is a beautiful disturbing film with and underlying horror plot.
The Mist: is classic Stephen King so basically just a bit screwey with cruel twist at the end.
Inside: Is just Brutal and gorey and oh so awesome.
So yeah i guess some people will look for a particular type of horror film but i think the Genre allows the most imagination to be used and the largest variety of sub categories in film.
28 days later was awesome, let the right one in was beautifully made, not so horror though…
session 9 i will watch today, sounds great
Some of this films aren’t horror, but thrillers.
*these
@Anonymous Girl London (24):
Which ones?
Frailty i never really thought as of a horror but it does haver supernatural undertones and Hardcandy i have been avoiding as it didnt sound like to a horror to me.
The rest are all horror in my opinion.
So many awesome looking films! I don’t know where to start!
Number 5 is Swedish! Didn’t know swedish films were that known to the “outside”
I must see it soon.
The Descent is so overrated. It’s very chilling when the girls are stuck in the cave and you get this claustrophobic sense… and then it turns into a monster movie. It’s just laughable after that, and both endings are lame.
Also, I think this list should include The Orphange (l’Orfanato). Amazing horror/thriller.
Geng1s
Hard Candy is a really great movie, I urge you to watch. That being said, I don’t feel it was a horror either but maybe it is for guys… my husband squirmed around and was disturbed.
NO HOSTEL??? That was one of the best and goriest movies I have seen in a long time.
Finally, Fraility was horrible, The Mist was better as a written story, and I didn’t think any one else saw Session 9 besides myself.
I like these kinds of lists…
hey..bro
i am vijay from india. plz watch “arunduti”, its a south indian horror movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvOg43L-Xxs&feature=fvst you can download from torrents
I am not huge on horror, but I think 28 Days Later was the best that I have seen.
I’m agree with most of the list, but i don’t understand how someone can like the horrible bad [rec].
I went to see it with 3 friends and we sleep throughout all the movie.
I cant remember was Session 9 shot in Connecticut? I swore I read something about them shooting it at an old State mental hospital there but some people said otherwise.
I think in the intro it should be “I often HEAR” Not “I often HERE”
Now to read the list
@Geng1s (21): I agree (also as a kiwi) so invariably I have to source most of my movies offshore or download them.
I love horror movies, but unfortunately I watched but a few of those on the list.
Frailty is fantastic, and the Saw I is really great in terms of plot twist, and I will be looking forward of seeing all these films on the list, which by the way I love very much since I hate people bashing new films in general.
Martyrs is one sick film.
i didn’t watch this movie called “Shutter”, but just from my friends’ description of it, and seeing the last bits of the movie alone gives me the creeps. Should be somewhere in the list in my opinion
I’m not the biggest fan of horror movies. Nothing really scares me. I was entertained by Saw though. It is a very well crafted movie even though it is similar to Se7en.
Final Destination is rubbish. How can people say that movie is good? The acting is terrible and it is so teen oriented. That one car crash scene was cool though. The movie’s only redeeming feature in my opinion.
28 Days Later is amazing. Danny Boyle, Cillian Murphy and rage infected zombies that sprint. What more could you ask for?
I watched Session 9 recently on my own in a dark room with headphones and it did the trick. It is certainly an eerie movie. I would recommend it.
Was Ringu this decade? If so that should be up there.
A good list, with some excellent choices, but what about ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (2004), ’28 Weeks Later’ (2006), ‘Hostel’ (2005), ‘Dog Soldiers’ (2003), ‘The Orphanage’ (2008), Irreversible’ (2003)?
All of these are powerful but a warning to the last one on my list. It is foreign (French), and is highly disturbing with rape and violence so be warned!
Hostel and Dawn of the Dead weren’t scary, they were entertaining though.
Diamond_Dragon: I really realllly wanted to see that film (being a Briton) but couldn’t convince my rather uncultured friends to come with to see it! It really looks awesome.
I love this list. It’s amazing how most horror genre films are made in the USA but a large chunk of the list are from other countries.
I’ve thought of some borderline horror movies that could probably make the list (but probably are horror in a less obvious way?):
Battle Royale (very scary at moments but the movie isn’t really created to scare so I guess it wouldn’t be a horror)
Pan’s Labyrinth (same… probably more of a fantasy)
Sweeney Todd (should have made the list! probably a horror and a VERY good one at that!)
Heard very good reviews for Drag Me To Hell and Grindhouse which both should probably make the list?
Really glad about 28 Days Later being in. Fantastic movie. As bad I feel saying this: it blows any work by Romero out of the water.
28 weeks later as pretty good. But what about Cloverfield! I personally LOVE the whole handheld genre (such as Blair Witch Project – which is one of the most chilling movies I have ever seen, and Quarantine). Although I had no idea Quarantine was a remake. Shall look for [REC], sounds like my kind of movie
And Silent Hill was also pretty good. And Dead Silent! They were different yes but the scares were worthwile.
Just me again, forgot about a few… ‘Wolf Creek’ (2005), ‘The Host’ (2006), ‘Cloverfield’ (2007).
Enjoy!
@Kaze(34)- It was shot in the Danvers State Mental Hospital in Massachusetts. It really added to the authenticity of the movie. I’d say the actors were genuinely freaked out while shooting! If I am ever near there I will definitely check it out.
Is ‘The Others’ a horror movie, wasn’t that scary but i like the twist at the end… very well written.
I’ve seen the mist and I have to say it was one of the few films that had me screaming at the tv at the end, it was brilliantly done and definitely not your typical horror movie-that bible basher *****ed me off sooooo much! However I think the most impressive thing about it is that the ending is different from the book, and I thouht the ending was amazing!
Pretty good list – I would have preferred a little more info on the actual plotlines of the movies.
To all of you who keep mentioning Hostel – get over it. That wasn’t a horror movie – it was a snuff film. Awful, exploitive, and just plain stupid.
Dog Soldiers on the other hand was entirely awesome. Kudos to those who’ve mentioned it.
Love the list!
Haven’t seen some of these films but I shall be soon as I love all the ones I have seen on here
especially 28 Days Later and Ginger Snaps. Saw 1 was great too, kind of went down hill though! Still watch the 6th one when it comes out though.
And Dog Soldiers was also fantastic
DOG SOLDIERS?? right… you gotta be kidding me
not too big into horror movies but saw and 28 days later were great.. im gonna have to check out some of these others for sure
too many saws though they suck now theyre not the same as the original but 28 weeks later is also great just as good as the first
I agree with The Orphange (l’Orfanato) too. I haven’t thought about this movie in a while but thinking about it just now gave me goosebumps. The use of color and shadows in this film is just brilliant. I love this list and especially the comments! I have seen about half the movies but now I have a list of more to watch! Yea!
Oh and does anyone else LOVE to watch freaky movies but regret it when you are afraid a few nights… then start the cycle over again? There MUST be a psychological term for that kind of self inflicted torture!
The original [REC]! It warms my heart to see it on the list. It really is one of the most original zombie movies to date. Ironically, Quarantine is just utter *****e, despite being a more or less complete replica.
Also, Session 9 is downright eerie. Good choice.
I don’t get what was so scary about [REC]….
Sure it was an extremely good movie, but I didn’t get scared once, and I HATE horror movies(because I get scared easily). I’m still terrified of the Groke, and the Ice Princess from Moomin, but the thing at the end of [REC] only startled me for a few seconds.
Other than that, nice list. But it would’ve been better if you had written a short plot summary for all of them…
Martyrs is probably one of the most shocking films I’ve ever seen… but I haven’t seen Inside yet.
I personally don’t enjoy gross out, horror movies. I like more of the suspense and quiet movies. But my interest is piqued with Session 9, simply because it was directed by Brad Anderson. (The machinist is one of the best movies I have ever seen)
Must point out thaat in the opening description of the list “here” is used when it should be the “hear”.
Great List!!!
I am not a true horror fan. I prefer psychological horror over gore anyday. I don’t want a puke fest, just scare me.
I just watched The Unborn. It had potential, but died at the end like it was too rushed or that the director couldn’t bother to come up with a better ending.
@The Duke Capone (14): I thought it was a scary movie as well.
I never really though of hard candy as a horror either lol. I saw it a couple years ago, and i was really impressed by it, despite being about 11 lol! But yeh, it wasn’t scary.
And Silent Hill I also saw a while back, after playing the game once or twice, and it didn’t really scare me that much, but it is a brilliant film, it deserves a place on the list I think.
The Mist shouldn’t even be on the list, because it was a terrible movie. It wasn’t scary and nothing really happened.
“helloh lhistvherse, ihh wahnnahh play a ghame…”
ive only seen 4 movies on the list, and SAW is the best! just saw “angels and demons” last night and was thinking of its similarity with Saw, story/plot/style[i dunno which to use]-wise.
i think japanese horror movies were “in” during the early ’00s. then hollywood purchased them, but since the asian originals were much scarier, hollywood horror lost its shine.
still Saw’s kicks ass!!
anyone seen Wrong Turn 2? seeing those two mutants doing it was just eff’d up and hilariously diturbing.