In the past ten years or so, we have had some excellent horror movies. In the previous decade, horror was littered with pointless gore and countless Saw films but there has been a genuine shift in the quality of horror movies produced. There has also been a marked return to the idea that horror can address difficult topics or social issues in clever ways that most other genres cannot. In picking these movies, I have not been able to include everything I wanted (hello Midsommar) and there have been some very popular films that I have not had the room to include (hello It and all of The Conjuring movies). Yet the ten that I have landed on are what I believe to be the best of the best recent horror films.

10. Kill List (2011)

This movie is at the tail-end of this list for the simple reason that it is hard to categorise. What initially starts off as a typical British crime thriller where an ex soldier (Neil Maskell) is coaxed out of retirement to assassinate a group of various people, soon morphs into something much more disturbing. It is in the last act that this movie establishes itself as one of the best and most disturbing examples of folk-horror in recent years. Be warned though: this is a movie that will get inside your head and ruin your week.

9. Under the Shadow (2016)

This is a film that has received massive critical acclaim upon release. Set in 1980s Iran, it depicts a mother (Narges Rashidi) who is forced to stay at home to mind her daughter (Avin Manshadi) while the country is at war. In the meantime, an evil spirit haunts their apartment while a literal and metaphorical bomb lands ready to explode at any time in their building. This is a movie which I did not think much of at the time but has since stayed with me. Watch it for the social subtext and distinctive setting.

8. A Quiet Place (2018)

A Quiet Place is one of the best examples of suspense cinema in recent years in that keeps viewers on the edge of their seat long enough to make Alfred Hitchcock proud. Written, starring and directed by John Krasinsky, the movie charts a family trying to quietly survive in a world taken over by creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing. This film is a short, sharp blast to the gut. The only reason that this is not higher for me is that it feels more like a suspense thriller than an all-out horror movie.

7. Train to Busan (2016)

This South Korean film is the best zombie movie in recent years. Fact. What made this so surprising for me is that not only does it have the zombie action I was expecting, it also has heart and genuine emotion. The main thrust of the plot revolves around a man (Gong Yoo) trying to protect his daughter (Kim Su-an) during a long train journey when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. This makes the prospect of taking the tube in London even more terrifying.

6. Get Out (2017)

Some may find it surprising that Get Out is not higher up on my list. Massively acclaimed upon release, this has been recognised as much for its commentary on race as it has for its horror set pieces. The plot sees a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) who has to face more trouble than usual when he goes to stay with the white family of his girlfriend (Alison Williams). While I agree that Jordan Peele’s film is an excellent example of how to mix horror and comedy with social subtext, I didn’t find it as scary as others on this list. That doesn’t stop it from being a modern classic however.

5. The Witch (2015)

I have been recommending The Witch to people for years. Half of them have agreed with me on how brilliant it is and the other half have hated it with a passion. Set in 1600s New England, it revolves around a teenage girl (Anya Taylor-Joy) being singled out by her Puritan family when it becomes apparent that a witch is haunting their livestock. This is a film that will stay in your head long after seeing it (whether you like it or not) and in my opinion, has one of the best plot twists in recent years. Also, the goat who plays Black Phillip may be the greatest goat actor of all time.

4. Us (2019)

Like Jordan Peele’s previous film Get Out, Us has been massively acclaimed upon release. The general consensus however seems to be that Get Out is a better film which is where I disagree. This is because the story of a woman (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family being attacked by doppelgängers starts off as one thing and turns into something entirely unexpected by the end. All of this while balancing horror, comedy and cutting social commentary about the class system in America at the moment. Brilliant.

3. It Follows (2014)

There are many movies out there that feel like John Carpenter films despite the legendary director having no involvement. Such is his influence. This for me however is the best of the lot. Everything from its sharp concept, lean run-time to the synth soundtrack feels like it was ripped from a Carpenter classic. This makes the story of a young woman (Maika Monroe) who has become haunted by a sexually transmitted, shape-shifting spectre even more effective. Another high-point is the film’s layered plot which reveals more clues to what is going on after each re-watch.

2. The Babadook (2014)

The second last entry on this list is an Australian psychological horror from director Jennifer Kent. The Babadook is about a mother (Essie Davis) and her son (Noah Wiseman) who become haunted by a storybook monster years after suffering a tragic bereavement. What makes this movie so disturbing is how it unflinchingly portrays the dark side of motherhood as the main character’s grip on reality begins to lessen dramatically. While it is an effective horror in its own right, it also works as a brutal study on the effects of living with grief and the death of a loved one.

1. Hereditary (2018)

This is where some are likely to disagree but Hereditary for me is a deeply unsettling, slow-burn modern masterpiece. It is similar to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining in the way that director Ari Aster frames the action and takes his time to wrong-foot you at every turn. The story centres around a woman (Toni Collette) whose family find themselves at the mercy of supernatural events after a recent bereavement. To literally say anything else from here would be to give spoilers as Hereditary carefully builds the tension until its shocking climax which is cleverly foreshadowed throughout. Whatever your opinion, the craft on display here cannot be argued with.

Image credit: Get Out Review – Welcome to the Family, BagoGames, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0), some rights reserved.

Disclaimer Notice: Any thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely my own. Any images (copyrighted or otherwise) have been used according to Creative Commons and if needed, have been referenced to the best of my knowledge.

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