TOP-15 Best Horror Movies of Recent Years

There is an opinion that horror films are no longer able to scare the modern viewer. In fact, a lot depends on the individual, his personal fears and childhood memories. Some cannot look at mutilated human bodies, others start shaking from the mere sight of the xenomorph from the Alien film series. On the eve of Halloween, we have collected fifteen interesting horror films that were able to impress us for various reasons.

This film should appeal to those who miss the classic slashers of the 80s. Today, the new parts of «A Nightmare on Elm Street», «Friday, The 13th» and «Halloween» are no longer impressive. They turned out to be not as creepy and spectacular as the first films of their series.

In «Terrifying» they do not hesitate to show truly brutal murders. The main villain is the clown Art, who has features of the Joker from DC comics. He ends the lives of random people in very extravagant ways that can shock unprepared viewers.

We included the third film in this selection as the most high-budget and shocking. During the premiere, people ran out of the theater because they couldn't hold back their nausea. But if you like the approach of director Damien Leone, you can also appreciate the previous films about Art.

«V/H/S» is a series of films, each of which is an anthology of pseudo-documentary stories. The latest collection, which we included in this selection, turned out to be the best. You will find six short stories that are devoted to different topics — aliens, robotic demons, and man-made monsters. The film balances on the edge of comedy and horror. You will smile at the comic nature of what is happening, and then look at the modified human bodies, as in a full-fledged body horror. The closest analogue is Tales from the Crypt.

There haven't been any quality Alien movies since 1986. We've seen dubious experiments in the spirit of the third and fourth films, crossovers with the Predator and ridiculous attempts to give the events a deeper meaning in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Experience has shown that even the director of the first Alien, Ridley Scott, cannot make interesting films about the xenomorph.

However, Federico Alvarez, known for the excellent thriller Don't Breathe, took on the new film. He showed what happened after the events of the first film, but before the beginning of James Cameron's «Aliens». We see how local adventurers arrive at the abandoned station, who want to take the cryocapsules. So the guys plan to make a long flight. But as a result, they bring the sleeping xenomorphs out of suspended animation.

«Romulus» skillfully combines elements of horror and action. The film is well-made, it has a thick atmosphere, and the retro-futuristic setting with pot-bellied monitors and bulky interfaces from the Apple 2 era give it a special charm. And the xenomorphs themselves are shown here as truly dangerous predators.

The closest analogue of «Alien: Romulus» is the game Alien: Isolation, which recently turned 10 years old. It is also perceived as a tribute to the classics, but at the same time has its own artistic value. We talked about it in more detail in a separate article.

The film is dedicated to an aging television actress who has gone out of print. She wanted to become beautiful again and used experimental drugs. This led to completely unpredictable consequences. In a nutshell, the woman's appearance began to change too radically.

By genre, the film belongs to body horror, that is, it shocks due to the disfigured image of the human face and body. The effect of the uncanny valley occurs when we see a combination of a pleasant appearance and something unnatural. «Substance» really makes an impression due to modern computer technology. Thanks to them, the demonstration of ugliness looks surprisingly authentic. We warn you: you can only watch the film on an empty stomach. And the faint of heart should stay away altogether.

An old-school slasher. Its plot is reminiscent of the horror film «I Know What You Did Last Summer». On another Black Friday, which fell on Thanksgiving, a tragedy with human casualties occurred. However, the perpetrators escaped justice. After some time, an unknown man wearing a mask of the former mayor decided to punish them. Using a fire axe, he carried out a real massacre.

Such films are made every year. However, «Thanksgiving» stands out from them due to its good budget of 15 million dollars and Eli Roth as the director. He was the one who shot the first two «Hostel» and «Green Inferno». You shouldn't expect a deep plot from «Thanksgiving», but it will certainly appeal to fans of quality slashers.

After the disastrous ninth «Saw» («Spiral: From The Book of Saw»), it seemed that the series could be put to rest. However, the copyright holders decided to give the Constructor another chance and tell a new story from his life. The tenth film is dedicated to the main villain's attempts to find a cure for cancer and revenge on the scammers who posed as doctors.

If the beginning of the film is boring, then the second half is a classic «Saw» in the spirit of the first three parts. We see cruel trials on the brink of life and death, and if a person fails, he dies in terrible agony. There are also unexpected plot twists that dramatically change the rules of the «game». If you liked the philosophy of the Constructor at one time, you can check out the new film. The concept of the original «Saw» works great even in 2024.

In the film «Bram Stoker's Dracula» by Francis Ford Coppola, the sea voyage of the Count from Transylvania to England remained behind the scenes. This is the theme of the film «The Last Voyage of Demeter». In its concept, it resembles a cross between «Pirates of the Caribbean» and «Alien» — sailors find themselves in the open sea with a terrible monster on board. At first, they do not know about its existence, but later they realize that they are being hunted.

Recently, Dracula appears either in comedies or in cheap horror films that you don't want to waste your time on. «The Last Voyage of Demeter» is well-made, darkly atmospheric, and terrifying. Of course, it can't be put on the same level as Coppola's masterpiece, but if you're interested in the story of a Transylvanian count or vampire themes in general, don't pass it by.

The film is dedicated to a young girl Pearl with obvious mental disorders, who lives in the Texas outback and dreams of becoming a corps de ballet dancer. However, her despotic mother does not approve of her desires and demands that she do housework. Unsuccessful auditions finally drive the girl crazy, she breaks down and begins to kill people around her.

This is a prequel to the horror films «X» and «MaXXXine», which were filmed by the same director. «Pearl» is interesting because it tells the story of the development of a future villain. If you like it, you can also check out the sequels.

Basements with secret passages and hidden dungeons are an interesting theme that has been played out in cinema many times. A striking example is the South Korean film «Parasite», which won an Oscar for best film in 2020. Of course, «Barbarian» is not a black comedy, but a dark horror. The events of the film revolve around a crazy woman who lives in the basement of a large house. Those who try to rent this mansion become her victims. It is not only the cruelty of people that is frightening here, but also the demonstration of mental disorders, which sometimes takes a shocking form.

This film plays on contrasts. It begins as a light melodrama about a modern dreamy girl who adores retro. In her dreams, she, as a gorgeous blonde, goes to the 60s, meets charismatic men and enjoys the nightlife of the big city. But soon the pleasures give way to a nightmare. In addition, it turns out that in front of her are not just dreams, but reflections of real events of the past.

The film turned out to be not too scary, especially if you are not afraid of jump scares. However, the change of atmosphere and a good plot can hold your attention until the very end. In our opinion, this is a good option to watch with your favorite girl on Halloween.

The psychological horror film «The Lighthouse» is based on an unfinished story by Edgar Poe. However, in terms of atmosphere, it is closer to the books of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Moreover, the plot is partly inspired by real stories of caretakers who went crazy alone or disappeared without a trace.

The main focus is on gradually building up the atmosphere. Throughout the film, we see how the personalities of two characters are revealed and a conflict is brewing between them, which leads to an unexpected ending. The effect is enhanced by the black-and-white film, which creates the feeling that we are looking at a classic horror film from the first half of the last century. Willem Dafoe's acting deserves special compliments.

Midsommar plays on the meeting of representatives of modern society with neo-pagans from the Scandinavian hinterland. A similar concept is found in many horror films. But Ari Aster's thriller is distinguished by a reliable demonstration of executions and sacrifices, as well as an analysis of the psychological problems of the characters. It is worth noting that most of the scenes take place not at night, but under the scorching sun. But that makes them even more terrifying.

With the right approach, ghost movies can still scare you today. «Hereditary» skillfully builds tension, intertwines dreams and reality, and does not shy away from showing violent scenes in the spirit of decapitated bodies. In the plot, as in the books of Stephen King, the otherworldly is intertwined with the cruelty of others. And in this case, we are not talking about the punks from the next street, but about the closest relatives. In addition, the script allows for several interpretations of what is happening. Perhaps, after the final credits and getting acquainted with fan theories, you will want to watch the film again.

A domestic horror that demonstrates the incredible cruelty of some people towards others. The plot centers on Red Miller. His beloved woman is burned alive by local biker cultists. The man begins to take cruel revenge on them, but with each new murder he gradually loses his mind and becomes crazy.

A similar plot could be found in the film series «I Spit on Your Grave». The merits of «Mandy» include the acting of Nicolas Cage, who perfectly portrayed a man driven to despair.

It is considered one of Stephen King's scariest novels. In 1990, a TV movie was made based on it with Timothy Curry in the lead role. However, it can hardly be called scary — it is more of a comedy horror. The 2017 film is a completely different matter. It is frightening due to screamers, elements of body horror and the cruelty of local hooligans. And Pennywise himself turned out to be creepy, even despite the strange dances that quickly became a meme.

Formally, this film cannot be separated from the sequel, which was released two years later. Before us are two chapters of a single story. However, It Chapter Two turned out to be drawn out, boring and not so atmospheric. Ideally, it is also worth watching to understand how it all ended. But if you limit yourself to the first film and then find out the summary of the second, then you will lose almost nothing.

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And what horror film of recent years did you like? Share your opinions in the comments!