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Heads up — we’re about to get modern in here. Over the past week, Decider has been arguing back and forth over which decade was the best for horror. My colleagues have made some excellent arguments, but much like Kanye, I’m going to have to stop them. The 2010s were the best decade for horror of all time, period.
I know what you’re thinking as you clutch your blood-splattered pearls. What about the genre-defining themes of the 1960s? The zombies of the ‘70s? The slashers of the ‘80s? The camp of the ‘90s? The Ring and J-horror rip offs of the 2000s? Yes, all of those films and decades were incredible in their own right, but only one decade has managed to take the best scares, plots points, and tropes from all of these classics and repurpose them into something that’s simultaneously familiar yet innovative, winking but confidently its own thing. Welcome to horror in the 2010s.
There have been so many incredible movies released in the past few years, it feels like an embarrassment of riches. This is by no means a complete list of the excellent horror the 2010s has produced. For example, The Babdook, Lights Out, and It (only because it’s still in theaters) sadly didn’t make the cut.
However, here’s your streamable guide to some of the plethora of frights the modern era has produced:
SCARIEST
Hush
This one comes with Stephen King’s seal of approval, so you already know it’s going to give you nightmares. The 2016 thriller directed by Mike Flanagan follows a deaf author (Kate Siegel) who is stalked by a dedicated murderer. If you just read the plot of Hush, it wouldn’t seem that scary, but the film’s use of sound makes it horrifying. Several scenes where the killer creeps up behind Maddie are filmed from her perspective, meaning we don’t hear a noise. It’s a terrifying movie the pushes the limits of what it means to be trapped when commenting on horror’s relationship with sound.
The Witch
Part of what makes Robert Eggers’ film so terrifying is how deceitfully innocent it seems. Set in 1630s New England, the movie follows a family that has cut all ties from the rest of their community in an attempt to stay safe and pure from some unknown evil. However, when the family’s youngest child goes missing after Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) jokes about being a witch, all eyes turn to her. It’s a film that questions the all-consuming nature of religion and has an ending you’ll never forget.
(NEW) CLASSICS THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
Get Out
I’m saying this as an entertainment critic, a fan of horror, and a human who wants other humans to live their best lives possible — if you haven’t already seen Get Out, go see Get Out. Directed and written by Jordan Peele, the film follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a man who knows going to meet his white girlfriend’s parents is a bad idea. He’s absolutely right, but he doesn’t know how right he is. Packed with brilliant symbolism and smart nods to horror tropes, this is a must watch that’s not too scary for gore-adverse viewers.
Cabin in the Woods
We really don’t give Joss Whedon’s love letter to horror enough credit. Cabin in the Woods juggles a lot, and it gets better with every viewing. It’s a genuinely terrifying movie with an innovative plot that’s also able to poke fun at the most convoluted genre tropes while also paying homage to horror classics. Even if you’ve watched this movie a dozen times, I promise you’ve missed something. And who doesn’t love a horror movie version of Chris Hemsworth?
Where to stream Cabin in the Woods
WORTH DISCOVERING
It Follows
Some of the best horror movies of all time aren’t really about their on-screen deaths. Croenberg’s The Fly is about perceptions around the AIDs epidemic. Kubrick’s The Shining is about the draining nature of alcoholism. And David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows is a brilliant take on STDs. There’s no big bad in It Follows. Rather there are just many, many dedicated people willing to do anything possible to track our heroes down. It’s a film that plays into one of our basest and most paranoid fears — we’re always being followed.
BEST AVAILABLE TO STREAM FREE
Creep and Creep 2
For a fairly straightforward and low budget serial killer flick, Mark Duplass’ Creep series truly is something special. He found footage horror flick follows Aaron (Patrick Brice), a Craigslist filmographer who agrees to make a documentary about the mysterious Josef (Duplass). Predictably, things go from unsettling to horrifying in a franchise masterpiece that capitalizes on being wary of creepy people.
Previously
Why The 1960s Were the Best Decade For Horror Movies
Why The 1970s Were the Best Decade For Horror Movies
Why The 1980s Were the Best Decade For Horror Movies
Why The 1990s Were the Best Decade For Horror Movies
Why The 2000s Were the Best Decade For Horror Movies
