25 Best Horror Movies Since 2000

Horror has long been a genre that has captivated humankind.  We like to be scared, there's no way around it.  The rush, the jump, the hands over your eyes, the edge of your seat; all are sought after feelings which keep many people coming back for more.  If you're one of those people who doesn't like horror movies because they scare you then you are missing the point entirely.  That is what they are supposed to do! You wouldn't say, I don't like comedies because they make me laugh right?  At the end of the day, a horror movie that doesn't scare you or at least leave you feeling a little uneasy is a BAD HORROR MOVIE.  That being said, there have been quite a few INCREDIBLE horror films over the course of the last 15 years since we left the slasher flicks of the 80's and 90's behind in favor of more subtle, nuanced fright fests.  AV Club has compiled their picks for the 25 best horror films since the year 2000 and I have to say, the list is pretty great.  Many are foreign, because in case you didn't know, they are almost always better than American made horror as they rarely conform to the intense capitalist agenda that holds sway over everything in this country.  My point is their focus isn't as entirely set on making the next breakout hit.  From zombie sleeper hits like 28 Days Later and it's sequel to period pieces like The Others (Nicole Kidman's best film in my opinion) to monster movies like The Host the list is a comprehensive overview of the best of the best.  Yes, hits like Saw, Insidious, and Paranormal Activity are left off but that is purposeful.  The point is that while those films are great, there is gold out there beyond what Hollywood spends millions on to market.  So check out some of these sleeper hits and obscurities.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Best Horror Films Since 2000

Modern Horror Trends

As is the case with anything, movies are about making money.  As such, after the commercial success of one or two films that adhere to a certain genre, there is inevitably a trend which develops as Hollywood tries to cash in on whatever is popular.  As we approach Halloween this weekend it seemed only appropriate to have a couple horror themed posts the first of which is an article which I've linked to below from AV Club which details the extent to which horror trends are representative of not just the current generation, but of society as a whole.  The essay uses The Babadook and It Follows as examples of a current trend of horror in the 2010's.  One of hopelessness and a never ending sense of doom and dread.  It's an interesting read and gets you thinking about all the scary flicks from past and present that you'll no doubt be gorging on in the coming days.

New Age of Horror

The Innkeepers Was a Breath of Fresh Air in the Horror Genre

Every once and awhile you watch a horror film that stands out as being more akin to the classics.  There are so many low budget “indie” horror flicks that after awhile you start to loose hope that classic horror is no longer a reality.  Films like It Follows and The Babadook remind us that there are still those who have an appreciation for the cinematic side of horror; directors that understand less is often more when it comes to fright films.  This is the way I felt when watching The Innkeepers a 2011 horror film by Ti West, an up and coming horror director.  The film stars two relatively unknown actors as Claire and Luke, the last two employees of a once palatial hotel which is now set to close.  Luke runs an amateur ghost hunting website which chronicles the varied paranormal experiences many quests have had at the hotel which is supposedly haunted by a variety of apparitions including the suicidal Madeline O’Malley whose ghostly figure is said to appear in the old stately building.  Recruiting Claire to assist him with his ghost hunting, Luke comes to realize that the paranormal happenings inside the Yankee Pedlar Inn are more real than he ever truly believed.  The arrival of several eccentric guests and a series of rapid fire paranormal experiences catapult Luke and Claire into the middle of terror and certain doom as the inn’s final weekend winds down.  While I felt the film was a little slow on the upstart, lighthearted jokes and the occasional startling moment keep you entertained as you await the scary parts later on.  In addition, the waiting adds to the sense of unease and emptiness which reflects the nearly vacant status of the hotel.  The films filter creates an eerie glow to each scene which when coupled with an incredible original soundtrack gives the movie and almost Hitchcock like vibe which contributes to the overall “classic” feeling of the entire film.  Receiving mostly positive reviews, The Innkeepers was a breath of fresh air in an overly saturated genre.  PLUS the hotel is still open in real life, so you can visit and get your paranormal investigator on by seeing if you can find your own evidence of life after death.

The Babadook - Unsettling, Demented.....Scary

I have been anxiously waiting to see the Australian indie horror film The Babadook for months.  The film received widespread critical acclaim after it premiered at Sundance last year.  Since then it has flown under the radar and recently I finally had the opportunity to sit down and watch it.  For the first time in years, I felt incredibly unsettled while watching the film.  The dark, ominous house in which most of the film takes place contributes to a heavy sense of dread which is ever present throughout the movie.  The depression and subsequent psychological issues felt by the two main characters is a constant force which weighs heavily on the viewer and contributes to the overall sense of doom which permeates each and every scene.  The films protagonists, Amelia and her son Sam have been trying to maintain a normal life after the death of Amelia’s husband on the way to the hospital the night Sam was born.  Since then, Amelia has never been the same.  Deeply depressed and wallowing in regret and resentment, Amelia’s demeanor has no doubt rubbed off on Sam his entire life.  Sam has trouble sleeping and has psychological issues, undoubtedly from living with a mother who subconsciously blames him for the death of her husband.  After Sam asks Amelia to read him a strange pop-up book from his bookshelf entitled “Mister Babadook” things begin to take a turn for the worse.  Slowly, Amelia and Sam fall prey to a dark entity that is constantly following the two, day and night.  Despite Amelia’s attempts to destroy the book, the evil tomes message remains true… “You can’t get rid of the Babadook”.  The concept of the pop-up book I found to be wonderfully demented.  Such an innocent child’s toy is used to represent unimaginable horrors as the book changes to reflect the Babadook’s increasing influence over Amelia.  While instances of “shock” are few and far between, the films strength is in its ability to convey a sense of dread.  The viewer is sucked into the sleep deprived paranoia that begins to fuel Amelia’s descent into madness.  Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide who and or what the Babadook is.  Left open to interpretation, the meaning behind to monster’s sudden appearance is something which adds to the unsettling feeling throughout the course of the film.  While this often doesn’t work (at least in my opinion) here it is absolutely necessary.  This isn’t a demon.  It isn’t a ghost or a poltergeist.  It’s not a physical being.  It’s all of those things and none of them at the same time.  It manifests in situations where it can thrive and thus becomes a direct product of the hatred and resentment which exudes from Amelia herself.  In a way, she is the Babadook.  Or at least that was this viewer’s humble interpretation.  You’ll have to sit through the uneasy fright fest yourself to form your own opinion. 

As Above So Below Has Surprisingly Original Story

I’ve been on a total horror movie kick lately but as is the case with your average 90 minute fright flick, they are typically easily forgettable.  That being said, I was actually excited to see John Erick Dowdle’s As Above So Below strictly on the basis that its concept was unique.  The movie focuses on amateur alchemist Scarlett Marlowe as she continues the work of her deceased father scouring the globe for clues to the location of the mythical Philosophers Stone.  After obtaining a key whilst searching in Iran, she is led to the catacombs beneath Paris.  Along with a cameraman named Benji and her former lover George, the three ask around and find a guide who will take them beneath the city into the maze of tunnels that make up Paris’ underground.  I didn’t know what to expect when watching in that I wasn’t sure what exactly the “horror” element would be.  I wasn’t sure if the danger would be the tunnels themselves or some sort of supernatural/creature type threat.  In the end, it was kind of a combination which was both good and bad.  I enjoyed it because it kept you guessing.  You weren’t ever quite sure why you were freaked out, you just knew that you were inching closer to the edge of your seat (something any decent horror movie should induce).  The converse is that it can be confusing at times as you struggle to find out what exactly it is you should be afraid of.  After becoming trapped underground, the team is eventually confronted with the choice to either wait for rescue or go through a tunnel which their guide Papillon says is the gate to hell.  Which do you think they choose?  I enjoyed the story of the search for the alchemist’s stone and thought it was a unique way to approach the idea of doing a horror movie centered on the Paris catacombs.  The location is so iconic that the obvious route to go is either A: a group of students get lost and die of B: a group of students get lost and uncover an ancient group of subterranean creatures hungry for human flesh.  As such it was nice to see the film go a different route.  The acting, while subpar is fresh in that the actors are relatively unknown adding to the “found footage” style immensely.  Found footage films almost never work with mainstream actors because duh, you know who you’re watching!  In the end, of the 15+ horror films I’ve watching in the last month, As Above So Below stands out for its original storytelling and surprising ending but I won’t go in to that, you’ll have to watch for yourself.

The Quiet Ones Has Some "Hold Your Breath" Moments

                Since we’re fast approaching Halloween, I figured it was time I reviewed a horror film.  I chose The Quiet Ones, a British supernatural horror movie directed by John Pogue.  The film stars Jared Harris as Joseph Coupland, a university professor from Oxford who conducts an experiment to try and prove that demonic possession isn’t real and can in fact be cured as if it were any other affliction.  He recruits a student named Brian (played by Sam Clafin, Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as a cameraman to document the process and along with his two assistants, the four retreat to a secluded house in the country where they can perform the experiment uninterrupted.  The subject is a girl named Jane Harper who was abandoned as a child and has long been passed from home to home.  She continues to go along with the experiment believing Professor Coupland can cure her.  However, it becomes clear that the forces involved in Jane’s life are far more complex and evil than the Professor and his students imagined.  Still, in an attempt to prove his hypothesis, Coupland goes to extreme and inhuman lengths to get results.

                The film received largely negative reviews and for the most part felt repetitive and unoriginal.  That being said, I still found it entertaining for several reasons.  For one, there are many “stomach clenching” moments which leave you waiting anxiously for something horrific to happen.  This to me is the mark of a truly great horror film.  It’s one of the things that made The Blair Witch Project so successful.  Sometimes, the thought of something frightening happening is more horrifying than something actually happening and in this way the movie uses your own mind against you.  In addition, the film is “loosely based on true events” in that it mimics the Philip Experiment in which a group of researchers attempted to prove that ghosts and possession are merely manifestations of our own subconscious.  I found this very intriguing and the The Quiet Ones adapts this story lightly enough to allow for elaboration while still maintaining the core concept. 

                All in all, the film was creepy and worth the 92 minute run time just like most horror movies.  Horror is one of those genres where you almost always go in to it knowing that from a film standpoint it will probably be less than spectacular.  But that isn’t the point.  With the exception of the few horror films which transcend the genre and become classics, most scary movies are intended to do just that, scare you.  This film did that on some level and so I would recommend it for that reason.  But don’t expect to be wowed, just expect to be startled.

Exciting Summer Shows

I can't believe it but the Game of Thrones finale is this Sunday and that means that we will have to wait another year until more episodes.  But that doesn't mean there's nothing to watch.  This Summer promises to have some great new television series starting up about everything from angels, to vampires, to Victorian mysteries.  Some notable ones to check out include: Leftovers, an HBO show in which a huge section of the worlds population suddenly disappears and the rest of the planet is left to pick up the pieces and decide what happens next.  Penny Dreadful, a Showtime drama about Victorian England using fictional characters from the era such as Dorian Gray and Victor Frankenstein.  The Strain which premiers on FX, is based on the book series by Guillermo Del Toro about vampires and promises to be just as gory and realistic as the Walking Dead.  Other cable network shows include Dominion on SyFy which is based on the movie Legion and involves the disappearance of God and the subsequent battle between the angels Gabriel and Michael.  Finally, for those who are looking for less substance and more action and explosions, check out Last Ship on TNT.  Directed by action filmmaker Michael Bay, the show is about a battleship out at sea which receives information that 80% of the worlds population has died of a mysterious disease and it is up to the crew of the ship to find a cure.  All seem interesting and with such a wide variety, there's a little something for everyone.  Read the full Rolling Stone hot summer series list below.

New Summer Series

Evil Dead is Better than Expected

Fans of cult horror classics rejoice!  The new Evil Dead movie does not disappoint.  Having grown up watching the original Evil Dead trilogy and loving every quirky, gory, funny, horrific moment of it, I went into the new movie with extreme reservations.  Like any 90 minute horror gore-fest don’t expect to see any academy award winning acting; but if you want a decent story line and some truly gut wrenching, QUICK LOOK AWAY moments then you should definitely check out this flick.  At times it seems over the top but in a way that just harkens back to the originals.  There’s no blood spewing from the walls, but the ways in which certain characters meet their untimely demise is quite creative and definitely reminiscent of the Bruce Campbell classics.  Little details like a portable chainsaw and the loss of someone’s hand help to transport the true Evil Dead fan back across that disappearing bridge and into the grasp of the Necronomicon.  Even if you’ve never seen the originals (which you should) Evil Dead is still a great horror movie and one that definitely continues in the vein of the classic franchise.