30. Sinister (2012)
Before everyone and their mother fell for James Ransone as Eddie in It: Chapter Two, he was stealing scenes in Scott Derrickson’s supernatural horror gem Sinister. The film stars Ethan Hawke as a true-crime author who gets a taste of his own bestsellers when he moves his family into a house that was previously the site of a horrific murder. Turns out there’s still some demonic energy in the air and, spoiler alert, this malicious entity still has some plans for the living. Ransone is a well-meaning deputy whose moments of comedic relief are especially welcome in this film that packs some genuinely scary as fuck scenes. With frights that go toe-to-toe with any good James Wan spookfest, Sinister never got the respect it truly deserves for being as terrifying as it is. (Anna Swanson)
29. Drive Angry (2011)
Essentially a Race with the Devil redux, but with a decent budget and Nic Cage front and center, no one understood the gift that was waiting for them in theaters when Drive Angry graced screens back in 2011. Really, this movie bombing must go down as one of the decade’s biggest fuck-ups on the part of moviegoers. Drive Angry is a terrific action-horror movie that provides nonstop fun and plenty of Cage-tastic moments (his character shooting cultists while simultaneously boinking a lucky lady in his motel room, for example). Throw in William Fichtner playing a demon out to bring Cage’s character back to Hell, Tom Atkins as a veteran cop, and Amber Heard beating the ever-loving shit out of her boyfriend (satisfying for… reasons), and you have pure Grindhouse cinema with serious production values. Director Patrick Lussier and writer Todd Farmer deserve to make more movies on this scale. (Kieran Fisher)
28. The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015, Canada)
Osgood Perkins’ debut is as good as any you’ll find in horror, and it’s arguably the best debut of the decade. This methodical tale of winter dread involving three young girls and an eerily empty Catholic school has more moody atmosphere than Minnesota. At the school two girls (Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton) wait for their parents to show up for winter break, while at the same time Emma Roberts catches a ride with a couple on a road trip to visit the grave of their dead daughter. Like a winter storm creeping in, the suspense slowly engulfs the viewer as these two stories march towards one chilling conclusion. Rumor has it that those that fail to watch and love this film will be haunted by the not-so-friendly ghost of FSR’s own Matthew Monagle. (Chris Coffel)
27. Insidious (2010)
The supernatural boom of the 2010s gave us some stinkers, and this fantastic chiller from James Wan and Leigh Whannell is partly to blame for that helping that craze becoming so popular. At the same time, there’s no denying that this is one hell of a haunted house movie that understands what makes the genre work. The film is a spooky thrill ride that’s packed with suspense and eerie thrills. There’s even some well-placed humor throughout which gives the movie more personality than movies of a similar ilk. Insidious didn’t break new ground for haunted house movies, but it didn’t need to either. Some of the best frights are familiar for a reason. (Kieran Fisher)
Bonus! Hereditary (2018)
Is the exclusion of one of the most-talked-about and genre-defining horror films of the decade from our countdown unforgivable? Yeah, probably. Should you write strongly worded letters to all of my co-authors who stood by and let this happen? Yes, definitely. Once those are postmarked, come back and talk to me about Hereditary — if you’re able to. Ari Aster’s debut is a symphony of terror that’s at times so disturbing that it evades simple verbal description. We should all be in awe of a movie like this one, an endeavor so balls-to-the-wall batshit that my fight-or-flight instinct told me to run out of the theater a third of the way through and never look back. Toni Collette received well-deserved praise for her role as Annie, a grieving matriarch who makes unnerving dioramas for a living, but we’re kidding ourselves if we think the screen belongs to anyone besides Alex Wolff. The glossy-eyed teen conveys all shades of primal, unbearable emotions in a role that’s raw and thankless, and as the conspiratorial hum that’s lingered at the surface of Hereditary from the beginning comes to a head, he’s the one whose face we’ll remember. Behind the scenes, Aster proves himself a singularly strong directorial voice; every shot here feels crisp and purposeful, and every frame is set-up for maximum discomfort. A beautiful, manic throwback of a film, Hereditary effortlessly translated the mood and stature of classics like Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist into the 21st century, igniting a new generation of horror fans in the process. (Val Ettenhofer)
26. Spring (2014)
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have stood out from the pack since their genre-bending debut Resolution, but Spring is the movie that will define their output from this decade. It’s a story about two outsiders who meet by chance and fall in love, only in this case one of them just so happens to occasionally turn into a monster. That said, Spring is a movie that’s laden with pathos and emotion; equal parts warm and heart-wrenching. If you stripped away the horror elements, Spring would likely be viewed as one of the most captivating and romantic movies of the decade. At its core, it’s a story about two lost souls who find their purpose with each other. Even if one of them does eat raw flesh. (Kieran Fisher)
25. The Devil’s Candy (2015)
Even with only two credits to his name, there’s a reason Sean Byrne snagged the No. 1 spot on our list of the best horror directors of 21st Century. He’s a goddamn genius thank you very much. See: The Devil’s Candy, a tension-drenched terror trip that toys with supernatural unease and real-world bogeymen in equal measure. Part Straw Dogs, part punk-rock pastoral, The Devil’s Candy is a guitar wail of a picture, with an unrelenting rhythm and one of the most METAL horror sensibilities of the decade. Bring me another cold open that fucking rad I dare you. Boasting a fantastically loveable central cast (including an against-type turn from Ethan Embry as the metal-head dad with a soft heart), a banger of a score, and a ridiculously intense finale, The Devil’s Candy easily earns its spot on this list. (Meg Shields)
24. It Follows (2014)
Sex is terrifying at the best of times, but David Robert Mitchell’s sophomore feature is enough to make anyone want to be celibate. The idea of a sexually transmitted curse is not only unique, but it makes for a terrific horror concept. In order to evade the titular entity, the contracted party must get jiggy with another person, pass the curse on to them, and hope they don’t get killed. In other words, there’s no real way to vanquish this demon. Mistakes will follow these poor horn-dogs around for the rest of their lives, should they survive. Death can appear at any time, in any form. That feeling of impending doom is tangible in every frame of this movie. This is horror at its most simplistic and effective, and the excellent soundtrack by Disasterpiece is a bonus. (Kieran Fisher)
23. Hounds of Love (2016, Australia)
Hounds of Love is not your mother’s Christmas movie. In Ben Young’s criminally underseen nightmarish thriller set over the holiday season, teenager Vicki (Ashleigh Cummings) is kidnapped by a married couple with some sinister plans on the brain and experience assaulting and killing young women. The brutality of the film’s narrative hits you full force, but it never exploits what Vicki endures, instead placing the focus on her whip-smart survival instincts. Frightening and affecting in equal measure, Hounds of Love packs an emotional punch that puts you on edge from the very beginning and never lets up. (Anna Swanson)
22. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
There are two things I never want to have happen to me: be possessed by some evil force, and be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Guess which one I’m afraid of more? Spoiler: it ain’t got nothing to do with spirits. The horror of Alzheimer’s though makes a surprisingly perfect metaphor for a possession story as Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan take familiar motifs – convulsions, strange voices, bodily transformations – and suspend our belief as to what’s causing them. Is Deborah just dying, or is something killing her? This story is given startling realism with its medical docu-drama angle. This may be “found footage”, but it doesn’t worry itself with the typical pitfalls of the style. Rather they focus purely on the story, without allowing the gimmick to become a crutch, giving the film a maturity that a lot of other found footage films are sorely lacking. Found footage is at its best when it feels real. And – snake-folk notwithstanding – for a possession story it’s shocking how real Deborah Logan actually does feel. (Jacob Trussell)
21. Piercing (2018)
Director Nicolas Pesce made a name for himself with the nightmarish The Eyes of My Mother, but Piercing shows that he’s also capable of telling a good, kinky love story. The film follows a man and a prostitute who are just as screwed up as each other. When they initially meet he wants to kill her so he can get over his desire to kill his baby daughter, but after he discovers her self-harming, things take a strange turn and suddenly their mutual desire for causing pain becomes quite sweet and sympathetic. In a fucked up way, of course. The film is also a hodgepodge of interesting influences, ranging from Wes Anderson to Dario Argento to David Cronenberg to Takashi Miike (the movie is based on a book by the author of Audition), but Pesce is able to bring these inspirations together in a way that’s unique. Piercing is stylish, demented, and very funny. Just don’t take my word on the latter part. (Kieran Fisher)
Bonus! The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if John Carpenter made a version of The Warriors with bad guys pulled straight from Death Wish III? Well, wonder no more my friends, because that very movie exists! James DeMonaco directed this movie in 2014, the second in his Purge series, and it kicks so much ass. In this entry, Purge Night takes to the streets as we follow different groups of people trying to survive New America’s one violent night, their stories crossing over with one another as their numbers dwindle. Frank Grillo acts as our tour guide, but unlike your average tour guide he’s a brooding dream boat with vengeance on his mind! The fact that this film failed to make our top 50 of the decade is an embarrassment and will lead to a bitter and angry fight at the next Boo Crew family reunion. (Chris Coffel)
Related Topics: 31 Days of Horror Lists, Decade Rewind, Horror
