Horror is a very fascinating genre. In this genre, writers can explore a lot of things that cannot explore through other genres. That is the best thing about horror. Here are the 15 best modern horror films that you should watch. These all films came after the year 2010. Films that were released before 2010 are not included. As always it isn’t a ranking 15 is just for numbering convention and there are definitely going to be some leftovers. So, let’s get into the list of “Best Horror Movies of 21st Century“.
15. The Night House
2020 | Horror/Thriller
Director: David Bruckner
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall , Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin
IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
One of the best horror films in recent times and the best horror film of 2021. It is surprising a very very good. It deserves some attention from people. It is really awesome and the jump scares really work in this film. Rebecca Hall is very good in her role. She has some layers in her character and she perfectly depicted all the shades perfectly. The story/screenplay of this film is original. It feels like a breath of watching this kind of original, really effective, heartfelt horror film. Overall this is a great watch.
14. Doctor Sleep
2019 | Thriller/Psychological horror
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
For some reason, people often complain about this film. Yeah, it is a sequel to the classic horror film ‘The Shining’ and it is definitely not as good as ‘The Shining’. Guys are expecting that this film is going to beat ‘The Shining’? Do you have that many expectations for this film? So because of not reaching your high standard expectations makes this film bad. NO. This is a very good film. Director Mike Flanagan whom I think is one of the best filmmakers working right now on the horror genre made a very good sequel to the classic ‘The Shining’.
One of the pieces of criticism I always hear about this film is that this film does a lot of fan service to ‘The Shining’ fans. I do some but not a lot it tries to be original and different from ‘The Shining’ and it is different and original. Overall if you are a ‘The Shining’ fanboy who is expecting to watch a film which as great as it is preceded then you may disappoint a little bit but if you watch it with an open mind then you will enjoy this film even though it got some problems.
13. Antichrist
2009 ‧ Horror/Drama
I think I have never really been frightened this much while a film. I literally shivering throughout the last 30mins of the film and for the first time ever in my life, I haven’t slept after watching a film. That is the biggest compliment that I can give to this film. Anti-Christ is definitely my favorite horror film of the last decade. This film soo brutal, raw, and also wild erotic.
Lars Von Trier always makes weird films and I think this is the best of his filmography. The acting is so good the direction is perfect and the screenplay is freaking brutal. Overall I if you are faint-hearted or a person who is easily affected by movies then don’t even try to watch it. Just ignore it. It is an exaggeration it is just a piece of advice.
12. The Cabin in the woods
2011 | Horror/Mystery
Director: Drew Goddard
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz
IMDb Ratings: 7/10
This is a breath of fresh air in horror in the genre. This is not only a horror film but it is also a hilarious entertainer. Horror comedies are the genre that no one tries to touch because horror and comedy are completely contrasting genres and blending those two into one film is a very very difficult task and this film masterfully did that blend.
Writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard did a wonderful job of writing a horror-comedy. The direction is great and the performances are good. Overall watch this hilarious and horror entertainer if you haven’t watched it yet
11. Malignant
2021 | Horror/Thriller
Director: James Wan
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Mckenna Grace, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White
IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
This film has a lot of flaws. The writing feels soo mundane at the 1hr of the film. Also, it has a lot of illogical scenes, dialogues at 1st hour seem soo cheesy, characters don’t have any kind of depth and emotions seem soo abrupt and also pretty bad CGI even with the budget of $40M but still, this film is good. Director James Wan tried to make something new not another ‘The Conjuring’ or ‘Incidous’ type of films which he is famously known for.
I can’t say that he perfectly did this film but still the concept of this film has originality. That’s the 1st thing that I love about this film. Also, the film surprisingly picks up the momentum after the 1st 1hr and last 40mins is amazing and also had a great twist. Overall if you excepting to see another Conjuring you will disappoint but if you wanna see a film that has some originality from the director like James Wan then it will be a good watch
10. The Witch
2015 | Horror/Drama
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger
IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
Another great and promising debut from the last decade. This is another great horror film. I just loved it. The best aspect about this film is also what I loved about Hereditary. This isn’t a horror film this is more like a disturbing family drama. That is what it is. Robert Eggers and Ari Aster understood that horror films mean more than some scares. This film introduced exciting and interesting talents like Robert Eggers and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Technically this film is marvelous. The cinematography is amazing the production design and costume design are pitch-perfect. The atmosphere of this film is so great. The performances are unforgettable. Overall this is a great physiological horror film that you should watch if you haven’t. This movie is always in the list of “Best Horror Movies of all time“
9. IT
2017 | Horror/Thriller
Director: Andrés Muschietti
Cast: Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgård, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
This is one of the most surprising films for me. I thought that this is another conventional bleak horror film before watching it but it isn’t. This is a very well-acted, emotional, and really scary horror film. Bill Skarsgård is freaking outstanding as Pennywise. The kid’s ensemble is just amazing.
All actors did a wonderful job. The script is really amazing. Didn’t expect that good and scary script. The direction is awesome. The scares totally worked. The technical department’s work is just amazing. Overall I am disappointed with part 2 but this one is just amazing.
8. The Empty Man
2020 | Horror/Thriller
Director: David Prior
Cast: James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Ron Canada, Robert Aramayo
IMDb Ratings: 6.1/10
Watching this film is a blast for me. I didn’t expect that this film is going to be this good. This is just great. I appreciate the concept and the unconventional methods they choose to tell that concept is just amazing. It is not definitely for everyone. Some people think that it is too long and yeah it is true. The film has a 20mins prologue that contains no main character and one character in that prologue has just 2mins screen time. It is important for the film but doing that thing for 20mins is just mind-blowing. I really like that kind of unconventional approach to filmmaking.
There are very few answers in this film it is more for audience interpretations. That thing annoys so many but not me. The technical aspects work is just amazing. The direction is amazing, the performances are good, the score for this film is weird and great, the cinematography is too good editing is brilliant. Overall if you like the kind of films which have very few answers and more questions then you may like it.
7. Tumbbad
2018 | Horror/Fantasy
Director: Anand Gandhi, Rahi Anil Barve
Cast: Sohum Shah, Jyoti Malshe, Dhundiraj Prabhakar Jogalekar, Rudra Soni, Madhav Hari Joshi
IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
One of the best films if not the best film produced in India in the last decade. This is an awesome film with great technical departments work. The film got a surprisingly very small budget and within that tiny budget, the output of this film is nothing less than a very high-budget film. Not only brilliant technical departments work and also the screenplay is awesome.
This film is a mythological horror film. The blend of treasure hunt and horror is just perfect. The atmosphere in this film is goddamn amazing and it is creepy and visually appealing. The direction is great and the performances are very good. There are some tiny flaws but who cares it is a great film. Overall if you wanna see a mythological horror film with great technical department work then it is a go-to film.
6. Oculus
2013 | Thriller, Horror
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Karen Gillan, Annalise Basso, Brenton Thwaites, Garrett Ryan Ewald, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, James Lafferty
IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
Another great film that is completely bullied by everyone. I don’t understand why. This is a very film with an excellent nonlinear screenplay. Mick Flanagan’s direction is amazing. As I already said he is one of the best talents working right now in the horror genre. The performances are very great.
Everyone is good in their roles. The editing is good. The cinematography is good. The screenplay is brilliant but it has some flaws. Overall this is a very great slow-burning horror film that you show to watch if you haven’t watched it yet.
5. Babadook
2014 | Horror/Thriller
Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall, Barbara West
IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
A very mature and deep horror film. I don’t know why but for some reason this film is completely bullied by IMDB. This film is not another creature feature. This is a very deep, creepy, and philosophical film. This film has a very great atmosphere. It is creepy and disturbing.
The performances are very very great. The script is very compelling. The direction of this film is perfect. This film is a kind of film that scares me after watching the film more than while watching it. Overall This is a very wonderful film that you should watch if you are fan of horror films.
4. The Ritual
2017 | Horror, Mystery
Director: David Bruckner
Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton, Paul Reid
IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
By far it is one of the most overlooked horror films in the last decade. Another film which is completely bashed by the critics. Is it really bad? No. It is an awesome film. It is a very captivating and interesting piece of work. I enjoyed watching this film a lot. It is creepy and great.
David Bruckner is just amazing. His direction is the best aspect of this film. The screenplay is amazing. Performances are good. The cinematography is awesome. The atmosphere created by the cinematography is amazing. Overall this is also a horror film that isn’t for everyone but if you like slow-burning horror films then you will like it.
3. Censor
2021 | Horror
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Cast: Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller
IMDb Ratings: 6/10
Censor is one of the biggest surprises that I had experienced this year. This is a very good horror film. This film has some ‘Video drome’ in it. It took somethings inspiration from that film and made a completely different film. The screenplay of this film is very thrilling up to the climax. It is very great. The technical department’s work is just amazing. The cinematography is freaking awesome.
This film looks so appealing. The lighting is just amazing. The production design is fantastic it transports us into that timeline where the film is happening. The editing is very crisp. The performances are good. The direction is awesome. Overall if you like the Video drome kind of films then you will like them for sure.
2. The Conjuring
2013 | Horror/Thriller
Director: James Wan
Cast: Vera Farmiga Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Can criticize about this film that it is another regular haunted house film. But I do have agreed with the fact that this film redefined the genre tropes. On the paper, it seems like a pretty regular haunted house film but James Wan did a wonderful work as a director. This film proves that even a regular film can be turned into a very great film if someone good is working behind the camera.
James Wan is freaking awesome as a director. Direction is the best aspect of this film. It is great. Mostly every scare is worked in this film. The performances are great the cinematography is amazing editing is crisp. Overall even though you don’t like regular haunted house films but this one is something that is undeniably a very great film that you should watch.
1. Hereditary
2018 | Horror/Drama
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
Hereditary is definitely one of the best and promising debuts from the last decade. This is really very physiologically disturbing. To describe Hereditary it is more like a broken, sad and disturbing family drama more than a horror film. This is the thing that separates Hereditary from a lot of horror films. It doesn’t try to use some cheap false scares to scare you. Even film turns into a horror film after like a 1hr. That thing literally shows that it is more than a horror film.
Even after watching this film, I remember the dining hall more than what happens in the climax. Director Ari Aster did a wonderful debut. As a writer, he is freaking awesome. The cast in this film is so good. Toni Collette is goddamn amazing. Oscar snubbed. Overall it is disturbing and one of the best horror films released in the last decade. This movie is not only the part of “Best Horror Movies of 21st Century” but also be in the top of “Best Horror Movies of all Time”
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