What a decade for horror it was. Anyone who is a fan of the genre is in universal agreement that the past five years has been the best period of time for horror movies in over 30 years. Personally I think the past five years has been the second best run for horror movies ever, only the run from 1978-1984 that gave us the The Shining, the Exorcist, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing, Friday the 13th, An American Werewolf in London, Alien, and many many more gems can compare to what we are seeing right now. The reason for this is not hard to see. With such an incredible crop to choose from I had my work cut out for me, but here it is, my top 25 horror movies from a loaded decade.
25. We Are Still Here
24. The Endless-Mind bending Sci-fi not usually up my alley but this movie kicked ass and nailed the ending which movies like this don't usually do.
23. Blair Witch-Many hate this remake that technically a sequel, but I found it to be a pretty good follow-up to one of the most well known horror movies in my lifetime.
22. 10 Cloverfield Lane-One of many suspenseful, tense, thrillers on this list. Top notch suspense, a great cast, and a batshit bonkers ending to bring it all home.
21. Super Dark Times-Stranger things made "kids on bikes in the 80s" movies a staple of the decade and this was one of the few bleak ones within that subgrenre.
20. The Invitation-Even though I thought the way this movie was going to play out was very predictable, the journey to that point was still well done and tense.
19. I am Not a Serial Killer-Would have been up a few more spots higher if it didn't lose me at the end. Still a great character study of how a teenager has to find his way in the world knowing that he is a psychopath but wanting to do the right thing.
18. Hush-Another tense thriller mixed with some slasher goodness and a unique twist in that the person being stalked is deaf.
17. Halloween-So this reboot/Sequel didn't quite live up to my high expectations, it was still great to get a new Michael Myers movie and it certainly wasn't bad, as per its deserved place on this list.
16. Tales of Halloween-Anthologies are very hit or miss but I found this one to have more hits, helped by its Halloween atmosphere.
15. Scream 4-The best 4th entry in a horror franchise, which isn't saying a lot but it is refreshing to see a long running horror franchise continue to find ways to stay fresh and new and suprise you when most are stale and repetitive by this point.
14. Creep-Definitely the most simple premise you will see on this list as the entire movie has just two characters. Another tense thriller that keeps you guessing what the hell is actually going on right until the end.
13. What we do in the Shadows-It is a horror? Well there's blood, gore, and vampires so I'll say yes. But damn is it hilarious as well.
12. Piranha-A remake of a 70s cult classic, this movie earns its place on this list for the hilariously over the top gore effects. Sometimes you just need a schlocky gore fest and this movie nailed that.
11. Summer of '84-Another Stranger Things inspired "kids on bikes in the 80s" type movie. One of the few movies in which the ending legitimately made my skin crawl.
10. Don't Breathe-Yet another tense thriller, and probably the most tense of all. This movie went to some dark and crazy places I wasn't expecting going in and left me feeling floored by the end.
9. Evil Dead-Probably the only true modern horror remake ever to get rave reviews. Gory, scary, and just downright a damn good movie, remake or not.
8. Us-Jordan Peele's sophomore effort does not quite live up to the near impossible standards his first movie set, mostly because the plot is a little more convoluted, but it proved that Peele was not a one hit wonder. In 2020, Peele goes for this third horror hit with a remake of "Candyman."
7. Hereditary-Dark, bleak, yet scary all the same. That this movie makes the same list as "What we do in the Shadows" proves how diverse horror was this decade."
6. It Follows-Maybe no movie since the original Halloween has been propped up so much by its music.
5. Sinister-In 2012 mainstream big studio horror was mostly dead, but Sinister became the first big hit in a number of years, and with good reason. A disturbing premise that maintains a creepy atmosphere throughout its whole run time.
4. Get Out-Jordan Peele's second showing in the top ten, and the first true horror movie since 1991 to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars. That alone tells you all you need to know about this masterpiece.
3. Cabin in the Woods-Meta perfection.
2. Doctor Sleep-I actually had low expectations for this one but was blown away. I enjoy The Shining but it is not one of my favorite horror movies ever, but this one was captivating from start to finish.
1. It Chapter One-Endlessly rewatchable. I have watched it about 20 times in the two years since this movie came out. Is it perfect? Not at all. It has its flaws but it is such an endearing story told so well. My favorite horror movie of the decade and it is not even close.
Notable Omissions: These are movies that are on many peoples best of the 2010s list that did not make mine:
The Babadook: I've tried to watch this movie three times now and simply can't find much enjoyment in it. Many hail this as a modern classic, not me.
Ex machina: I have seen this on many lists of the best horror movies of the decade. I love this movie but have a hard time putting it in the horror category, so I left it out.
Midsommar: A movie that just came out this year, so maybe I need to have more time to let it sink in and in a few years will find more to like about it. It was fine, but too drawn out and would maybe make my top 30, but not top 25.
Green Room: I have actually not watched this yet, but it is on my list.
The Witch: Similar to the Babadook, I just can't get into it the way others can. Unlike the Babadook, I don't despise this movie, but do find it overrated.
A Quiet Place: The more I think about this movie, the more I consider it maybe one of the most overrated horror movies I've ever seen. This movie takes suspension of disbelief too far, which says a lot for a horror movie. For people who are supposed to be silent it actually feels like they make a lot of noise throughout the movie with no consequences. Just way too much logical inconsistencies for me to sift through.
