The Best Horror Films of the 21st Century, As Decided by The Internet

[TristanBelmont]

Pan's Labyrinth (2nd best movie ever made after Lego Movie) is a dark fantasy. I'm don't think 28 Days later even qualifies....

I am gonna say Horror is a really subjective thing...

But I would certainly say Pan's Labyrinth is horror. There's a lot of freaky stuff in that movie 0-0

28 Days is a lot more about the horrors humanity is capable of (which is sadly a pretty tired premise for zombie media by this point but I feel the movie was dark enough to beat most others) but I guess I can see people saying it's more of a thriller.

 

[Remus]

The Descent isn't on the list so it obviously fails.

 

[Atmos Duality]

What, no Dagon? The film that arguably inspired Resident Evil 4?

I've seen that movie. I wouldn't call RE 4 Lovecraftian, exactly. True, there is monstrous mutation and cultism, but the origin point is not the ancient and mysterious servant of Cthulhu. It's the fairly-modern and engineered Plagus.

You're correct that RE 4 isn't lovecraftian, but the setting, directorial look and several elements of the plot (film version, not the books it was based on) are shockingly similar.

(Plagas are divergent, because it's Biohazard, and it needs its dern zombies!).
The timing is right too.

I'm not saying it's a ripoff, just an inspiration; Capcom could have done far worse.

IIRC, I don't think Dagon was the servant of Cthulhu; just part of the trinity the Deep Ones revere.

OT: I think Cabin in the Wood fits fine. You see, it's comedic, but any of it at all is DARK comedy. The world of man manipulates the lives of the young and innocent in order to please the ancient gods through their lesser servants? Anything funny in that is only because we laugh at something that is mentioned funny - like the mermaid running gag - even though the whole thing is horrible. They have every monster, EVERY SINGLE ONE. They are using ALL the horror genres, killing dozens of people messily, and Sigourney Weaver is the villain. It wins. It so wins.

I rather enjoyed that movie. Though the big thing I remember taking away from that was a sort of "pretentious" interpretation. That the whole movie was a black comedy, allegorical of the relationship between Hollywood and modern audiences.

The ancients that must be appeased by sacrifices to keep the system going?
THAT'S US. THE PAYING AUDIENCE. We are the reason Hollywood keeps forcing its creators to endlessly create and recreate the same old shit to remain relevant. (which is why the characters act like idiots until they discover they're being played; everything is designed to appease the ancients via MOVIE LOGIC and using MOVIE MONSTERS. It's a bit blunt, but I loved it.)

...Which come to think of it, actually is kind of horrifying.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

Actually, according to my sourcebook, Call of Cthulhu Sixth Edition, Dagon and Hydra are in the service of Cthulhu and his spawn as the leaders of their religion among the Deep Ones. They're active all the time, as opposed to Cthulhu's waking periods, possibly working alongside Star Spawn and sometimes having the employ of Shoggoths.

As for Cabin in the Woods, I ignored underlying messages and just enjoyed the movie.

 

[MercurySteam]

This is a pretty terrible list, no Insidious or Sinister? Did someone tell these guys that Cabin in the Woods wasn't a real horror movie?

 

[Sol_HSA]

That two of the movies in the top ten were released just earlier this year (Babadook and It Follows) suggests that horror may even be experiencing a much-needed and long-awaited renaissance

Or, you know, like the audience of this site, nobody cares (or remembers, or is too young to know) about anything that's more than a couple years old, regardless of how good it is.

 

[Frezzato]

The Descent isn't on the list so it obviously fails.

Pssst. It's at number 4. Should at least be at #3 or higher though. So the list == fail.

 

[Kyrian007]

I really loved about 6 of those movies on the list, but I have to be honest. Are those really the best? It's a good thing there's plenty of 21st century left for horror films to get it together because so far that list can't hold a candle to the 20th century. That list can't really compete with a couple of individual decades in the 20th century.

 

[Mad World]

Pan's Labyrinth is definitely not a horror movie. Shaun of the Dead was a comedy, no? Cabin in the Woods and Drag Me to Hell are arguable, I suppose. I really liked Cabin in the Woods (really cool twist). I've seen Drag me to Hell years ago; it bugs me that critics continue to praise this movie. I remember it as having a generic plot, and it wasn't very funny. Nothing special about it. Can someone explain the appeal? I got Cabin in the Woods, but Drag Me to Hell? Nah.

The reason that Cabin in the Woods was so cool was because it was being meta about horror movies. It started off as generic, but shifted gears in a really cool way.

Edit: 28 Days Later is also questionable. 28 Weeks Later (good or not) was more of a horror movie, while 28 Days Later was more of a thriller or drama or whatever.

 

[Spider RedNight]

Have to agree, El Labyrinto Del Fauno isn't a horror. Shaun of the Dead and Cabin in the Woods aren't either.

Insidious/The Conjuring/Sinister were actual horrors that should've been on the list - hell, I can see why people wouldn't like it but it's one of my top ten favourite movies of all time.

What, no Silent Hill? They aren't even trying-- HAHAHAHAHA I can't take myself seriously on this.

 

[srpilha]

And for that matter, what's Mulholland Drive doing on that list? Not that it's not a great movie, but close encounters with a corpse does not a horror movie make.

It seems no one else has seen Mulholland Drive here, because to me that was the first title that screamed itself out of that list. I can't remember anything at all terror-like in that movie.

Edit: ok, on the site there is a fair point in favor of its inclusion. Still, I think one scene/moment in the whole movie is not enough to put it in a specific genre.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

And for that matter, what's Mulholland Drive doing on that list? Not that it's not a great movie, but close encounters with a corpse does not a horror movie make.

It seems no one else has seen Mulholland Drive here, because to me that was the first title that screamed itself out of that list. I can't remember anything at all terror-like in that movie.

Edit: ok, on the site there is a fair point in favor of its inclusion. Still, I think one scene/moment in the whole movie is not enough to put it in a specific genre.

No, that title was the proverbial sausage roll in the soufflé to me too. It's a crime noir film, a thriller if you're really stretching it. Also, if Sean of the Dead can be on there then where the hell is Event Horizon?

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

I agree with some of the choices (The Descent, The Cabin in the Woods) and question others (Pan's Labyrinth as horror?).

Very surprised that the Spanish horror film [Rec] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REC_%28film%29] didn't make it on there; best use of shaky cam I can think of in horror, and wonderfully scary.

 

[Closet Superhero]

Comedy horror has been a staple sub-genre for a long time. Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Cabin in the Woods, Tucker and Wade Vs Evil are all legit choices.

My beef is with Mulholland Drive and The Babadook. I don't know what Mulholland Drive is exactly, but it's not horror, maybe its just Lynch.

The Babadook is just another haunting-type horror, really amazed at how so many people are drinking the kool-aid with this one. I thought The Orphanage, The Pact, Paranormal Activity, The Ring were all more interesting to me.

Also, Martyrs was a totally over-rated high-concept but secretly shallow turd.

 

[JaredJones]

Too bad Absentia wasn't on there. I thought it was great. Plus it's about as 21st century as you can get considering it was crowdfunded--for about $23,000--made on a budget of $70,000 and had a DVD release. I still recommend it to anyone looking for a horror movie but is tired of gorenograpy.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how effective that movie was. Another low budget horror flick I'd recommend is Pontypool, which puts an interesting twist on the zombie genre (and is based on an even more bizarre novel).

Has anyone here ever seen/heard of Rabies, the first Israeli horror film ever? It also mixes in comedic elements but is a pretty wild ride of a film.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Mulholland Drive is a horror movie? Sure it had that sorta jump scared and it went bizzare in the end but still.

 

[UmberHulk]

I don't know if this counts but I would definitely add The Gift to that list

 

[Makabriel]

No Event Horizon? This list fails..

Not a film made in the 21st century; if it was a 20th century list then it maybe there along with Alien.

Damnit, now I feel old...

 

[Casual Shinji]

I love me some Shaun of the Dead, but a horror movie...

Also, no Wolf Creek?

 

[UberGott]

I know to never expect much from lists like this, but seriously? Two parodies, a David Lynch mindfunk and a Del Toro fantasy? That'd be like voting Minecraft one of the top ten first person shooters of all time. (And that's before we even get into the back-and-fourth on whether or not Let The Right One In is "horror" or just a supernatural drama.)

The Descent made it, at least. Got a poster signed by Marshall, and I've loved him for years. I'd say he's wasted as the "battle guy" on Game of Thrones, but seeing what happens when you let him do whatever he likes... I mean, sure, I love John Carpenter, but that still doesn't fully excuse Doomsday just being his filmography on fast-forward.

Even ignoring films I didn't like (or haven't seen yet) - where the hell is You're Next? Berberian Sound Studio? Martyrs? House of the Devil? Human Centipede 2? Maniac? Children of Sorrow? Tokyo Gore Police? Grim Love? Even Beyond the Black Rainbow - while technically a Science Fiction film - is closer to being a horror movie than half of these titles listed!

I'm not expecting Gozu or A Serbian Film front and center, but come on.