The 10 Scariest Horror Movies of the Last 20 Years, Ranked
Horror has consistently maintained itself as one of the most prolific and effective genres of filmmaking, with its inherent ability to frighten and keep audiences on the edge of their seats being second to none. There have been a wide array of deeply influential films that have made their mark not just on the filmmaking landscape, but wider pop culture as a whole through frightening audiences worldwide. Films like The Exorcist, Jaws, and The Shining will forever live in legend thanks to how they shook and scared audiences to their very core.
However, audiences have largely evolved past the now simple scares of earlier decades, forcing modern horror films to constantly evolve and break new ground in terms of fear factor. This has laid the way for many modern horror movies to reach previously untold levels of tension and fear, being some of the scariest movies ever put to film in the constant arms race to cater to desensitized audience demands. One can only assume that many will look back on the horror icons of the past 20 years in the same way that people look back on films like The Exorcist.
10
‘The Babadook’ (2014)
Directed by Jennifer Kent
One of the leading forces when it comes to the modern trend of “elevated horror”, The Babadook‘s biggest scares come less from brutal kills or unexpected jump scares, but instead a sense of unceasing dread and demise that looms over its characters. The film follows a single mother dealing with the grief and pain of her husband’s violent death, having her life further upended when her son begins fearing that a monster is within their house. However, it soon becomes apparent to the mother that she is being surrounded and engulfed by a sinister force and presence.
The Babadook manages to have the best of both worlds when it comes to telling a compelling and thematically resonating tale while also playing into nail-biting tension and fear for its scares. The film is a prominent example of just how effective terror in the form of a metaphor can be for horror films, creating massive rewatchability and cementing it as a deeply intelligent time on top of being scary.
- Release Date
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November 28, 2014
- Runtime
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94 Minutes
- Director
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Jennifer Kent
- Writers
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Jennifer Kent
9
‘It Follows’ (2014)
Directed by David Robert Mitchell
Image via RADiUS-TWC
While many other horror movies will play up the personality and screen presence of their main source of fear and terror, It Follows finds a way to exude maximum terror while keeping its monster hidden and looming in the background. The film follows a fatal curse that finds itself being passed from victim to victim through sexual intercourse, with teenage girl Jay (Maika Monroe) being the latest victim of the curse, begging her friends for help from the looming phantom.
More than simply the fear of a looming monster that will eventually end one’s life, It Follows finds that its greatest feats in fear and horror come from the disbelief and alienation of friends during times of high distress. It’s a simple yet deeply impactful element of the film that transforms it into an all-time classic for modern horror. It certainly also helps that its filmmaking style of keeping the monster just out of sight creates a great sense of tension and dread, never knowing when the phantom will appear next.
8
‘The Witch’ (2016)
Directed by Robert Eggers
Robert Eggers has quickly cemented himself as a modern visionary in the world of horror and period pieces, with each of his four films having a prominent impact and making the most of their respective time periods. However, the director’s scariest film is still easily his debut feature, The Witch, which provides a shocking and unpredictable look at tensions and dread during the 17th century and fears of witches.
The film follows a family relocating away from their village and into a deep and mysterious forest, where confusion and strange occurrences soon have the entire family turning against one another. With accusations of witchcraft and demonic beings at play, the stakes and fear only continue to rise as the family’s faith and loyalty to one another begin to evaporate by the second. The film’s success helped place A24 on the map as a premier distributor when it came to experimental and genre-defining independent horror, leading the way to many more horror masterpieces in the years since its release.
7
‘Longlegs’ (2024)
Directed by Osgood Perkins
Horror-focused crime procedurals have been a prominent and effective subgenre of horror for decades, with films like The Silence of the Lambs finding massive success in blending a crime mystery with the scares of horror. When it comes to horror crime procedurals of the modern era, easily the most defining and prominent release has been Longlegs, which blends in its own prominent themes of familial trauma. Between its committed performances and angle of serial murder committed by demonic forces, the film quickly gained prominence as one of the scariest horror movies of the 2020s.
The film follows FBI agent Lee Harker tasked with uncovering the source and identity of the vicious serial killer, Longlegs, who has been tied to a wide array of familial murder suicides across the country. Lee soon finds herself racing against the clock as she attempts to solve the killer’s cryptic, game-like clues before he has a chance to strike again, in the process learning that Longlegs is treating her investigation like a childlike game.
6
‘The Descent’ (2005)
Directed by Neil Marshall
Pitch black darkness and enclosed, claustrophobic spaces are two of the most prominent and destructive fears that are shared with large portions of humanity at large. When it comes to translating and amplifying these inherent fears into the medium of film, few films accomplish it nearly as effectively as The Descent. The backwoods horror film follows a group of friends reuniting for a caving expedition, before an accident has them trapped in the deep depths of the cave as they are hunted down by an array of bloodthirsty creatures.
Long before films like The Babadook and It Follows were finding success from the feelings and thematic power of unyielding dread and the inevitability of death, The Descent was masterfully utilizing the tools to tell its gruesome story. Even amidst all the carnage and destruction on display throughout the film, the scariest part of The Descent continues to be the way that the film exemplifies its feelings of hopelessness through claustrophobia and endless tension.
5
‘The Conjuring’ (2013)
Directed by James Wan
Easily one of the most prolific and legendary visionaries when it comes to modern horror is James Wan, with his work on films like Saw, Insidious, and Malignant being widely celebrated among horror audiences. However, easily the director’s scariest film continues to be the first film in The Conjuring franchise, elevating the classic concepts of paranormal horror into the modern era of filmmaking with flying colors.
While the film doesn’t stray too far from the conventions of paranormal horror, its inherent greatness comes from its deeply likable characters and precise execution that maximizes the impact of each scare. While the early 2010s were filled to the brim with this style of jumpscare-filled horror, The Conjuring expert maximizes the impact of its jumpscares without making them feel egregious or unwarranted. While the series would continue to find success and acclaim with its various sequels and spinoffs, none hold a candle to the original when it comes to the inherent fear factor.
4
‘Talk to Me’ (2023)
Directed by Michael and Danny Philippou
An infectiously sadistic thrill ride that equally entertained audiences as well as made them squirm in their seats, Talk to Me combines young adult party culture with a vicious curse of paranormal proportions. The film follows a group of friends who utilize a mysterious embalmed hand to communicate and become hosts for spirits beyond the grave. They soon find themselves hooked on the sensation, yet when things get out of control, one of them finds it difficult to get rid of a spirit that has attached itself to them.
More than any other horror movie in recent memory, Talk to Me is massively elevated by a wide array of masterful horror performances, embodying both fear and innocence in youth while also embodying the chaos of wandering spirits. While it presents itself with the tone and the alluring nature of fun party games, this proves to be only an entry point before it unleashes an array of sickening dread and top-notch scares.
3
‘Martyrs’ (2008)
Directed by Pascal Laugier
One of the quickest ways that many underground horror movies attempt to catapult themselves into the annals of the most disturbing and scariest films is through a non-stop barrage of gore and sadism. However, there is a deeply important balancing act that is required of these films to make them compelling enough so that the scares feel earned and are impactful, with many of these films simply failing in this regard. Martyrs proves to be one of the few examples that finds this perfect balance, managing to perfectly utilize its non-stop array of painful scares to amplify its story.
Often considered one of the bloodiest horror movies of all time, the French film follows a young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child. However, her quest for revenge sends her and her best friend on an equally painful journey of depravity and carnage, losing what little bit of humanity that was remaining within them. Martyrs makes for one of the most sickening and disturbing horror movie experiences out there, yet it utilizes all of these aspects to make for a wildly intelligent and competent experience.
- Release Date
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September 3, 2008
- Runtime
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99 Minutes
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Morjana Alaoui
Anna Assaoui
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Mylène Jampanoï
Lucie Jurin
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Catherine Bégin
Mademoiselle
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2
‘Sinister’ (2012)
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Often considered to be one of the scariest and most nerve-wracking horror movies of all time, Sinister never fails to keep its audiences on edge while supplying some of the most effective and shocking scares in modern horror history. The film follows a true-crime writer who finds himself uncovering a mysterious snuff film that shows the painful deaths of a family, setting out to solve the mystery of their death. After moving into the family’s old home, he finds an array of clues, including old footage, that hint at a deadly supernatural force that may see him as its next target.
There are a multitude of reasons that Sinister continues to be widely revered and regarded as one of the scariest cinematic experiences imaginable, yet the core of its fear comes down to the masterful pacing and direction by Scott Derrickson. Each of the scares feels perfectly timed to create the maximum impact on the audience, as well as being highly unpredictable in their scope and scale. While both the Sinister franchise and Derrickson himself would create various effective horror films in the years following its release, the original Sinister still stands as both the peak of the franchise and Derrickson’s career.
1
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
Directed by Ari Aster
While it certainly didn’t start the trend, Hereditary supercharged the prospects and capabilities of elevated horror to new heights, showing that a film could both be highly intelligent and terrifying at the same time. The film follows a family who, after the death of their grandmother, find themselves uncovering some disturbing secrets about their heritage and past, seeing their daily lives impacted and completely upended by these secrets. Now seemingly traveling head-first into an inescapable fate, they attempt to quarrel with the pain that has been sent their way as they are driven to madness.
The film blends painful and emotional themes of generational trauma and psychological implications with some of the most shocking and brutal deaths in horror history. Its brilliant pacing manages to make each shocking moment more terrifying than the last, equating to one of the most nerve-wracking and outright scary movie experiences out there. This is on top of featuring some of the greatest horror performances of all time, with the likes of Toni Collette still receiving widespread praise and acclaim for her exceptional work in the film.
