The 21 Best Horror Movies of the Past 20 Years

POSTED BY | THURSDAY AUGUST 14 AT 8:23 PDT 

We're sick of seeing the same 50 movies on every best horror list. We all know that The Exorcist is an incredible movie, I don't need anymore magazines or websites to tell us about it. There is a lot of good stuff that has come out of the past two decades that doesn't get the kind of recognition it deserves. So, open up your Netflix queue, put on your Freddy Krueger sweater and feel free to post your own list in the comments. Or just tear ours apart like you're the Cloverfield monster and we're the island of Manhattan.

21. The Devil's Rejects


This might actually have been a little higher on the list if we weren't still a little ticked off with Rob for what he did to Halloween. This is one of the most stylish horror movies ever made and you have to appreciate how mad it made some people by making the bad guys into the heroes and rewarding them for all of their torture and murder. It's just a movie, people. And a pretty good one at that.

20. Hatchet


They advertise it as "old school American horror" and that seems pretty accurate. It upholds the grand tradition of attractive young people being hacked to bits and impaled with garden tools while running through the woods in the dark. The day we stop appreciating art like that is the day the terrorists have won.

19. Cloverfield


If the shaky camera didn't make you heave into your huge tub of popcorn, then you probably walked away from this flick feeling pretty satisfied. They didn't obscure the monster too much, like we all feared they would and the crappy footage really does add to the scare-factor. The NYC subways system can be a shady enough place as it is without a bunch of gnarly monsters chasing you through it.

18. Land of the Dead


We would love to be able include Romero's latest, Diary of the Dead on this list, but, unfortunately, it totally sucked, especially when Cloverfield took a similar concept and executed it much better. Land of the Deadh, however, captured the true zombie movie spirit. The effects were cheesy and the acting wasn't great, but it's just good to see real zombies up on the big screen.

17. The Signal


This indie flick got some attention at Sundance because of the interesting way in which it was shot, but it appeals to horror fans for its sheer brutality. The story revolves a broadcast signal that's turning people completely insane. It's kind of like if The Happening had been about a thousand times more interesting and had nothing to do with SPOILER ALERT killer plants.

16. The Host


One thing to love about this movie is that the first time the monster shows up, it does so in the middle of the day in plain sight. There's no screwing around with ultra-dark scenery and tricky shadows. The monster just comes out of the water and starts raising hell. That's the way it should be. You can probably look for an American remake in the next couple of years. That's the way it works, right?

15.Cabin Fever


Eli Roth didn't do anything terribly innovative with this movie, but that doesn't mean it isn't really fun to watch. Nothing spruces up a camping trip like a little flesh eating virus. Plus, it poses the ultimate questions of "would you have sex with a really hot chick, even if her skin was falling off?"

14. Army of Darkness


Evil Dead 2 missed the cut-off by just one year, but Army of Darkness is a damn fine way to make up for it. It's a horror comedy that's definitley more comedy than horror, but any list like this needs to include Bruce Campbell. It's part of a contract you sign when you become a list-writer. Oh, and you should know that there's a fourth Evil Dead movie in the works. We're not quite sure whether we should be excited about that or not. We'll let you know when we decide.

13. Cube


Some peopele love it and some people hate it, but this low-budget production is enough to drive you completely insane. I get freaked out if I don't recognize the aisle I'm in at the super market, so I can't imagine what it's like to be trapped inside of a huge maze-like cube filled with traps waiting to cut my head off. And, like with The Descent, you might want to skip this one if you're at all claustrophobic.

12. Funny Games

This one walks the line between psychological thriller and horror movie, but any movie that leaves you as mentally exhausted as this one deserves a little credit. In fact, it's so good that they decided to remake it just 11 years after the original was released. Be warned, though. There's nothing actually funny about this movie, unless you get a kick out of murder. Actually, since you're reading this list, you probably do. Carry on, then.

11. Event Horizon


Part horror and part sci-fi, this is the story of the little spaceship that could...go to hell. The story does get kind of over the top at times, and the special effects are a little spotty, there is something undeniably creepy about being stuck in outer space with demons from hell. I remember, when I was younger, having this on tape and replaying that part where the crew pull all of their guts our over and over again. Maybe I should've done more after shool activities.

10. Feast

See? Something decent did come out of HBO's reality contest, Project Greenlight. Feast proves that there's nothing like a straight-up monster movie with plenty of gore to satisfy the sick urges we've been having since we were kids. (You guys have those, too. Right?) Plus, the monsters vomit goo, which is something that demands respect.

9. Slither


Every horror list needs a good ol' gross out flick and that's exactly what Slither is. This movie managed to capture the feel of a B movie, without having to, you know, suck. In other words, it did something like what Grindhouse wanted to do, only it didn't fail miserably. And if you do watch it, try to do so without comparing it to Night of the Creeps. We all know it's similar. Just enjoy it for what it is.

8. Shaun of the Dead


Horor comedies are still horror movies, and as far as we're concerned, this film is the best the genre has to offer. Sure, it gets a little British at times, but its hilarious dialog and loads of allusions to classic horror flicks make it worth watching a bunch of times. And if you can't get at least a little joy out of watching a zombie get beaten with pool sticks to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," then I don't think we can be friends anymore.

7. Ringu


We almost hesitate to put this one on the list, only because it opened the floodgates for crappy American remakes of good Japanese horror, but we shouldn't hold that against Ringu. While the American version is kind of silly, the Japanese version is ultra-creepy. Even the killer video is creepier in the original, probably because the American version just looked like a Nine Inch Nails video.

6. Audition


Takashi Miike's twisted brain has churned out a lot of material that might fit this list, but in the interest of fairness, we're picking one. Audition is moody and actually kind of slow at times, but if you can get through the subtitles, the payoff is incredible. Just don't watch it before going out on a blind date. Those are tough enough without the fear that you'll end up living in a sack with no feet, eating only your captor's puke.

5. High Tension


I'm still not convinced that the ending makes total sense, but the rest of the movie is killer. Things go from quiet and creepy to absolute panic at the drop of a beret. It also doesn't hurt that Cécile De France is super hot, especially when she's all covered in blood and running through a field weilding a chainsaw. And don't get me started on the masturbation scene...

4. Session 9


One of two things is going to happen when you're hanging out at an abandoned mental hospital. You'll either find a lot of cool looking stuff to take pictures of for your Facebook page, or you'll become part of some horrifying ordeal that results in your messy and violent death. This flick wasn't a big commercial success, but thanks to its creepiness and a refreshingly unpredictable ending, it's definitely worth adding to your collection.

3. Saw


Say what you will about the sequals (and since this is the Internet, feel free to do it with a lot of curse words and in caps lock), but the first movie in this series is awesome. It brought torture back into the hearts of movie goers a full year before Eli Roth dropped Hostel on us, and did it with more style. Plus, the fact that it was made on such a shoestring budget only adds to its appeal. Danny Glover's acting, however, does not.

2. The Descent


Some people think the scariest monsters are the ones you can't see, and those people must have pissed themselves during this thing. From the moment the girls enter the cave it starts feeling incredibly claustrophobic. It's like being stuffed in a Volkswagen full of clowns, only it's really dark and all of the clowns have razer sharp teeth. There are talks of a sequal, which we can only hope involves a special-ops team going in to kick some CHUD ass.

1. 28 Days Later


Since its release, people have been arguing about whether or not you can call this a zombie movie (it's not, FYI), but one thing most people can agree on is that it's just a really good flick. There's enough violence and suspence for Fangoria crowd, but its slick look and straight forward storyline give it tons of mass appeal. I have never been to England, but the shots of the cities empty and burning are still one of the coolest and most disturbing things ever shot.

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  1. Max Powers Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 10:04 am

    Woah Captain Extensive List Commander Private. But srsly, 28 days later is the best zombie film ever and I will stand on george romero's coffee table and yell it in his face. And event horizon still makes me wet the bed some nights.

  2. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 10:07 am 28 days later isn't a zombie film moron.
  3. Max Powers Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am

    From Wikipedia: "On the DVD commentary, Boyle and Garland frequently call it a post apocalyptic, horror and zombie film." Hmm, I dont mean to be a dick or nuthin, but if Danny Boyle calls his film a zombie movie, I'll go with that.

  4. Stan Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am

    I'll punch Danny Boyle right in his face.

  5. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 11:00 am 28 Days Later is a good movie until they get to the military compound. Then it's just dumb.
  6. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 11:11 am good for him, but the fact is that 28 days later is not a zombie movie. they are infected, as in, 'infected by the rage virus'
  7. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 11:45 am great list. not so sure about cabin fever and cloverfield though ...
  8. Max Powers Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Dude. They die for like a second and then come back to life. Thats what the rage virus does. That makes them zombies.

  9. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 01:58 pm This list is fucking garbage.
  10. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 05:41 pm While I'd have to really think about what movie I'd put at number one, I probably wouldn't have put '28 Days Later' at the top. Great movie...deserves to be in the list, but I just wouldn't have put it at number 1. But of course with all lists you'll get people who disagree. I remember watching Audition for the first time by myself and squirming like a little baby. That was a great movie. I'm glad you put just the first Saw on here. While I thought it was pretty poorly written, it still deserves to be on the list. The sequels... not so much. 'Funny Games' and 'Hatchet' are ones that I'll have to check out! Interesting list!
  11. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 06:54 pm Saw? Seriously? Had it not been for the very end, that movie would have been just an enormous turd, and even with the end it was a movie I only did not dislike.
  12. Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm i shat in danny boyles bathtub once
  13. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 03:32 am so glad someone else is showing some love to "Session 9"...loved that movie.
  14. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 06:29 am Shaun of the Dead and Army of Darkness are not true horror flicks. The first is a dark-comedy zombie flick (a classic) and the second is almost true comedy (also a classic). I mean, who was ever frightened watching AoD? And speaking of horror-comedies, I would say Slither fits in that category as well. The rest of these pretty much just sucked.
  15. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 09:04 am For one. Saw created the Splatter movie. Splatter movies are not horror movies. The gore is the emphasis and not the horror elements. I would 86 Cabin Fever and Saw from that list. Army of Darkness, Feast and Shaun of the Dead, Slither - not horror movies but comedies. The comedy is the emphasis and not the horror. I would take the Dawn of the Dead Remake over Land of the Dead. I would take Blair Witch project - before you knew it was fake, over Cloverfield. Cloverfield, The Host - they are monster movies, not horror movies. People think anything can be a horror movie. True horror is not about Gore and Comedy or Giant Monsters. It is the stuff we can not see, the stuff that comes out of the dark. The stuff that is not funny or gorey. Within the past 20 years the Horror Comedy, and Splatter films were created. Now we as viewers get confused and think anything that comes out is a horror movie. Screen Night of the Living Dead in front of a 20 year old and tell him that it is a horror film. They'll say, that movie sucks, and Saw is better. That is where horror went within the past 20 years, down the shitter. Audition - horror Decent - horror Event Horizon - horror The Signal - have not seen it. Hatchet - Horror, but a take from all the slasher films. I would call it Slasher horror. The Cube - horror, but I could come up with a better horror film within the past 20 years over this one. I would take "Candyman" over the Cube Funny Games - Awesome horror High Tension - Awesome horror Ringu - horror Session 9 - ehh.. 28 days later - to me that is horror because it is not the gore, but what is out in the dark that is scary. The thought of someone with the rage virus lurking on the other side of that door is horror, not the zombies getting blown up by landmines. Devils Rejects - is sort of horror, it is the thought of these rapists, murders that are lurking the country side that is scary. That there are real people out there that do this kind of shit. The gore is just an added feature to the shear brutality of what these fuck jobs do. The horror in Devils Rejects is the pain the Rejects inflict on people over the gore. Saw - A splatter film. I don't give a shit about anyone who dies in that movie. Who gives a shit about a talking puppet. What is fuckin scary about someones head blowing up. It is gory not scary. I don't think torture is horror when you know what is going to happen. Torture is horror when you don't know what will happen. Is that girl tied up going to get raped, beheaded or will she get out of it alive. Where is the person that tied her up. Is he in the shadows. Why is she tied up. Take the gore out of the torture, then you have horror. I could go on and on about horror within the past 20 years. I think it sucks, with the exception of a few movies that are true horror. High Tension, Audition, Funny Games. Ringu, otherwise it is Splatter and Comedy over the true horror.
  16. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pm No Ravenous? Dog Soldiers? Frailty? Ginger Snaps Back? And what is the real ending to The Descent?[good one] We rented it and the ending was awesome, then saw it on Showtime and it had some retarded ass ghost ending. Ruined it.
  17. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 04:43 pm What about 'Inside' and 'REC', those two movies kill! Jeepers Creepers is another great movie that I don't see here. 'The Host' stunk, and 'The Signal' was pretty mediocre. 'Land of the Dead' is forgettable, George hasn't made a decent movie since 'Day of the Dead'. 'Ringu' is over-hyped, I've seen much better horror. Cloverfield is awesome, but I don't feel that it fits in to this particular list. 'The Descent' should be lower on the list.
  18. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 05:03 pm where is Alex Aja's The Hills Have Eyes?!?!?!
  19. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 05:48 pm 28 days later??? man i was ok with the list for the most part till i read that. I would probably call 28 days later the worst horror movie if not the worst movie i saw period in threaters in the last 20 years. i remember being excited about it when it came out. going to the show and just wanting to leave about half way through. The story was just sloppy and thrown together. The way it goes from defending themselves agianst the Infected. to running away from horny military school boys towards the end. i just felt let down. If i didn't go see the movie with a car load of people i probably would have left early. I think only one of us actually liked the movie afterwards too.
  20. Max Powers Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 06:28 pm

    Dude, people need to learn that 28 Days Later was a good film. 28 Weeks Later, on the other hand, was a decent movie.

  21. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 08:44 pm You got two of them right, but who wrote this list ? A 12 year old ? Slither ? Cloverfield ? Land of the Dead ? Huh ? No Shining ? Halloween ? The Thing ? Carrie ? The List is not good.
  22. Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 11:18 pm Which part of "The 21 Best Horror Movies of the Past 20 Years", do you not understand? The Shining 1980 (28 years ago) Halloween 1978 (30 years ago) The Thing 1982 (26 years ago) Carrie 1976 (32 years ago) I know math and the concept of time are hard to understand, but please try.
  23. Says:
    August 16th, 2008 at 02:51 pm It is one thing to criticize a list and quite another to criticize it well. First off, "Saw" did NOT invent the splatter movie. Try "Wizard of Gore", "Blood Feast" or any of the other splatter movies from the early sixties through now. Secondly, we can go back to some Roger Corman films for horror comedy, films like "A Bucket of Blood" or "Little Shop of Horrors". In fact, there has been no genre of films "invented" in the last 20 or so years. As for what constitutes horror films, "Frankenstein" was a "monster" movie as much as "The Host" or "Cloverfield", but it was a horror movie to the sensibilities of the 30's audiences who saw it. Sub-genres exist in all the separates classes of films, and unfortunately, they are not listed per the opinions of individuals. "Army of Darkness" is a comedy that bases it's premise in horror tradition. It is therefore both a horror and a comedy, and its merits can be based on either. In this case the author chose it for BOTH aspects. The preface to this list seemed to qualify it as being an addition to the numerous lists that have the same entries over and over. As such, it is inclusive to titles that may not make the "BEST EVER EVER HORROR MOVIES". There is nothing on this list that doesn't belong, though there are entries that could be replaced by other flims. "Dog Soldiers" is one that I would insert instead of say, "High Tension", which I found to be manipulative, derivative and with an ending that was non-nonsensical. But I didn't write the list so I'm not complaining. By the way, writing, "This list is fucking garbage" is the same thing as writing, "I eat my toe nail clippings". There's no reason to go on the internet and brag about how retarded you are.
  24. Max Powers Says:
    August 16th, 2008 at 06:14 pm

  25. Says:
    August 16th, 2008 at 11:16 pm WHERE THE FUCK IS "SCREAM" and "BLADE"?!?!?!?!?!? (Yes, Blade is a horror movie as well, if Shaun of the Dead can make it, so can Blade). Scream should be in the Top 5. And, FREDDY VS. JASON was better than SAW (that movie sucked balls Cary Ewles acting is FAR WORSE than Danny Glover's). Loved that SLITHER, AUDITION, THE HOST and EVENT HORIZON made it. But yea, the list sucks massive donkey balls.
  26. Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 02:01 pm I eat my toe nail clippings
  27. Stan Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 08:02 pm

    I put Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer in the same category of movies I don't really like. They're kind of like Clue, only a little more violent. "I think it was Vince with the lame mask in the garage with the candlestick."

  28. delete Says:
    August 21st, 2008 at 11:21 am I was an extra in Scream 3.
  29. Says:
    August 31st, 2008 at 10:37 pm Honestly, I agree with most of this list, but one movie I think should be on there is Dead Silence. Say what you will, but Dead Silence revived the small town ghost story movie. I also really like the Saw sequals, but that's just me. Really happy to see Event Horizon on here!!! LOVED it. And The Decent is incredible. I love Session 9 mostly because I love the mental hospital movies, and I think Cloverfield was a really good choice, but the Blair Witch Project should have also been on here. Overall, good list guys :D
  30. Says:
    September 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am I liked "In The Mouth of Madness"...
  31. Says:
    October 24th, 2008 at 11:52 pm I actually liked the more recent 28 Weeks Later because it was constant tension and action. I also enjoyed House of 1000 Corpses much more than The Devil's Rejects and would have that on the list instead. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning was brilliant and had enough gore-humor to please any horror buff. The Hills Have Eyes remake was extremely intense and quite disturbing (as much as House of 1000 Corpses) and would be in my top 10 as well. Cloverfield was too hyped and disappointing to be on my list and Army of Darkness is too corny to be scary (reminded me too much of the ending of Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks); Evil Dead 2 would be a better choice. The last one I would have considered was Wolf Creek.
  32. Says:
    March 12th, 2009 at 06:31 am "Hatchet - Horror, but a take from all the slasher films. I would call it Slasher horror." That has every element that you claimed make a movie "not horror." It's a gory comedy with a monster.
  33. Says:
    May 24th, 2009 at 04:05 pm i would say that nightmare on elm street is realy good...
  34. Says:
    October 26th, 2009 at 07:41 pm Why doesnt anyone put on Frailty. I mean, yeah it was matthew mcconaughey, but that movie was actually a horror film and pretty fuckin creepy.
  35. Says:
    December 20th, 2009 at 06:33 pm 28 Days Later has absolutely no dead people being revived. In order to be a zombie, you must be undead so no 28 Days Later is NOT a zombie flick it is a movie about an infectious disease. When someone gets the ebola virus, does that make them a zombie? If a dog gets rabies, is that dog a zombie? no. PS. George Romero's Dead films are far superior than 28 Days, because they span five decades. 28 Weeks Later was crap, and I don't see them making anymore. Oh and also, without George Romero we wouldn't HAVE 28 Days Later, not because of the Dead series, but because of his movie The Crazies, which 28 Days Later is basically a remake of. Dumbass.
  36. Says:
    January 10th, 2010 at 02:50 pm i think some people are taking this list just a wee bit too serious....i think 28 days later should be counted as a zombie movie...i mean the "infected" act like stereotypical zombies or do they not? Also although army of darkness and shaun of the dead are comedies but they are also in the horror genre and who really cares? they're awesome films!!!
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