It seems like it’s been a long road writing these and ranking these movies. We started in the 1930s and now here we are, nearing the end of the decade rankings. Yes, I plan to get back to the 1940s and do the 2020s (so far). It’s weird, there are so many horror films from 2020 and beyond it’ll be hard to rank them and see what comes out on top. If you’ve missed any of the lists, there are plenty of them, I did Top 10s for each year in the 1980s and then an overall Top 50 of the 1980s. Should I do a Top 100 of all-time, my personal list…yes, yes I should. But, maybe only for me.
In looking back at the 2010s, I am reminded of how many great horror films were released. It feels like there was a downward slope from the 1990s and in late 2000s we started going back to toward the top. Now…Here we are, horror is in a terrific place. There is something for everyone on nearly all topics, slashers, ghost stories, paranoia, Satanic panic and so much more! I do believe with past and present, now, more than ever, it is a great time to be a horror fan. Please enjoy the list.
25. Would You Rather (2012)
I was not expecting this going in. The poster shows a razor blade held to an eye ball and it has Jeffery Combs as the sinister millionaire host. He invites seven strangers offers them a large sum of money if they play his sadistic game of “would you rather” It’s messed up and currently on Hulu or Tubi.
24. Late Phases (2014)
Just a badass Werewolf movie staring Nick Damici. While I’m not a huge Werewolf movie fan, this is a top five Werewolf movie for sure. Check it out, streaming on Peacock or Tubi.
23. Stake Land (2010)
Speaking of Nick Damici, how about a world overrun by a vampire apocalypse where Damici is a badass vampire hunter? Yeah that is what Stake Land is. It is the best vampire flick of the decade.
22. Creep (2014)
Perfect title for this film. Mark Duplass is perfection in this film. It is a found footage film, and well it’s so strange. Duplass is a regular looking dude who just gets more and more strange as the movie goes on. It is an absolute must and its on Netflix as of the publishing of this list.
21. Ready or Not (2019)
First of all…Samara Weaving is as enchanting as she is badass. This movie does not play as a horror film, but rest assured, it does work as a horror film. It’s fun and super entertaining and not what you expect, so we have Ready or Not and Would You Rather, anymore games?
20. The Babadook (2014)
This is probably the most divisive film on this list, but I enjoy the Babadook. People get annoyed with the kid, but don’t get the meaning of this movie and how it deals with grief. I’ve lost my wife and I guess I can relate in some ways. I do enjoy other aspects, like the approach with the book and appearance of the Babadook.
19. The Void (2016)
In many ways this film represents everything I loved about the early 1980s horror. The Void felt like a mixture of John Carpenter, Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft all in one movie with a monumental ending. I love the Void!
18. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The first Conjuring film was damn good and it’s follow up had to be worse, right? Well, it’s pretty much on par with the first film. There are some aspects of this one that don’t work and did feel like a set up for a future movie. But there are some incredibly creepy moments. Whether or not you believe the events of the Enfield Haunting, this is a fun depiction of the events that took place.
17. A Quiet Place (2018)
What John Krasinski did with this movie was pretty amazing. There is very little said or explained. But we get a movie that is both terrifying and nerve-wrackingly tense. It’s good and the sequel is nearly as good. The creatures in a Quiet Place look fantastic.
16. IT (2017)
You cannot deny the power of the 2017 version of Stephen King’s IT. This is the highest grossing horror film of all-time. While many of us grew up on the 1990 mini series, there is no doubt the 2017 film, which is half the story, is 10 times more terrifying. Much of that has to do with the performance of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise.
15. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
This is kind of an outlier and it doesn’t seem like many have either seen or recognized how cool of a film this is. It has some truly terrifying moments is absolutely worth your time. Check it out!
14. Cabin in the Woods (2012)
While I do believe this is a very cool movie and the concept was very surprising, it’s one of those that works best the first time you watch it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and I really like it, but I have to put a year or two between viewings because of the twist. But if you’ve ever never seen Cabin in the Woods, you’re in for a treat.
13. Doctor Sleep (2019)
To be honest, I didn’t expect much from a “sequel” to The Shining. Mike Flanagan wasn’t as known to me as he is now and this, along with some of his other projects have really propelled Flanagan as a current master of horror. Doctor Sleep was so damn good with great performances from Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and Kyleigh Curran. This is an absolute must for fans of Kubrik’s the Shining and King based films.
12. Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan is the best Zombie movie since 2004. Yes, Dawn of the Dead is one best Zombie movies ever made and so is Train to Busan. It’s more than just Zombies tearing through people, the story is heartbreaking and the ending will gut you, if you’re human.
11. Get Out (2017)
Kind of a Frankenstein type story in some ways, placing the brain of an older white person into the body of a young black person is such an odd concept. But the body theft and the lead up to getting Chris into the chairs is very upsetting. I know there are those who don’t like Get Out and I’m not sure why.
10. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
It’s rare to find a movie that makes me look out the corner of my eyes. The Autopsy of Jane Doe didn’t scare me, but it had me looking in the dark spaces in the room. I put my phone down turned the lights off and let this one sink in and do it’s job. It’s good, it makes your skin crawl and it makes you question, why? I love this movie
9. Us (2019)
Oh my God! Another Jordan Peele movie! I must be woke, right? No, I like an interesting concept for a film, with great actors and filmed by a person who knows what their doing. Us is a movie that I had no clue what to expect, it kept me on the edge of my seat and it was a wild ride. Again, I’m not sure why people don’t like this movie.
8. The Conjuring (2013)
When I think of the Conjurkng, I can’t help but to think of the Megadeth song. But after that it is the film based on the Warren’s at the Peron house. Whether you believe in this story or not, the film makes for a great Haunting and Possession story with some great acting, set design and direction. For me, I have to put aside what I know and suspend disbelief, because it’s so different from what actually happened. That doesn’t mean the Conjuring didn’t give me the chills you want in a film like this.
7. Insidious (2010)
While the Conjuring has spawned an entire shared universe of horror films based off the supernatural and its very successful, Insidious is so much better and terrifying. I watched Insidious in the middle of the day while my 1 year son was napping and it messed with my brain. Especially the scene with the baby, yes it had me checking on my son, nervous I’d see a figure standing over his bed. There are other things that are explored like the idea of a place called the “further”. The second film is an extension of this one and I wish there were an ultimate cut where these are seamlessly combiner. Insidious is one of the best for scares of the decade. Third time Patrick Wilson has shown up on this list.
6. Sinister (2012)
It may have been at this point, I knew the 2010s were going to be a special decade in horror. Sinister is something special. It is wicked and scary and there are scenes that make you jump out of your skin. But there are times you get wrapped up in the investigation of Bughuul. I do think the most successful scenes are where nothing happens. When Ellison is sitting in his dark office surrounded by blackness, we stare at the negative space around him expecting something to happen, he tension rises and the nothing. The snuff films are brilliant as well. Sinister put Scott Derrickson on the map and he is a name to remember in horror.
5. Midsommar (2019)
Beginning here and moving on, I’m sure there will be a lot of eye rolling. I’m sorry you don’t like Midsommar. When I saw the trailer, I felt like it was made for me to see and I was right. It’s slow pacing can turn some off and I get that, but Florence Pugh gives a performance for the ages. It’s creepy, its culty and it’s nothing like the Wicker Man which everyone compares it to. Midsommar is so unsettling with a terrific ending.
4. It Follows (2014)
It’s rare a movie sticks with me. It Follows is an odd one in a few ways. It feels like a period piece, that takes place in the early 1990s, but they had devices that are from this current generation. The idea of someone walking towards you to sexual destroy you is interesting. The following morning after seeing this, I saw and old lady walking down the street at 4:30 AM, I leave for work at 4:30 every day and never had I seen another person out for a walk and she locked eyes with me and seemed to quicken her pace, as she got closer, I thought of It Follows, she passed me and said good morning and I was like damn…It Follows is effective. Also, worst STD ever.
3. You’re Next (2011)
Kick-Ass! This movie took me by surprise and it’s absolutely one of my all-time favorites. Home Invasion horror isn’t really a sub-genre that works for me. It Follows is so thoughtfully made and there are traps and little things here and there that leave you thinking…”damn”. But the thing that I didn’t expect, Sharni Vinson ad Erin. She was so damn awesome, I love a strong woman and she is one of the strongest in horror history. She is a badass.
Oh and side note Larry Fessenden has become a favorite since this and he is in the film early and we hear a song that has been on my playlist since. I’ll leave it at the bottom of the article. “Looking For the Magic” from Dwight Twilley Band. It’s awesome! Oh and You’re Next was directed by Adam Wingard who has moved on to directing Godzilla films.
2. Hereditary (2018)
Hereditary is a wild ride and it is one of the scariest movies of the decade. The trailer was said to be scary itself. But the journey we see unfold within the runtime is very unsettling. I think that is the best word to describe this decade of horror. But the thing that drops this at number 2 on my list is the ending. It gave me this creepy unnerving feeling and really called back to one of my all-time favorite horror fans ever made, Rosemary’s Baby. This is another film most horror fans raise their nose at and call “elevated horror” or art house or garbage…Cool. I enjoy it very much. When I do a Top 50 since 2000 list, yes it’s coming, Hereditary will be a top 5.
1. Evil Dead (2013)
Holy shit! Now I know this may surprise many, there are some who just don’t accept this movie. 2013’s Evil Dead is the most horror, horror movie in the past 25 years. It has everything you could ever want in a horror film. The opening is superb and you don’t expect what happens. Mia, played by Jane Levy has become one of my favorite horror performances of all-time, I’m not joking. this movie has gore for gore hounds, it has a compelling story, it’s gross, jump scares, a psychic Demonic possessed person in the cellar and a twist. Not to mention it fucking rains blood while Mia shoves a chainsaw into the Abominations face. Evil Dead 2013 is so badass. I get confused when people don’t like it. It is my $1 of the 2010s and my favorite Evil Dead movie, followed by The Evil Dead (1981) and Fede Alvarez has got to come back and so another Evil Dead. Because, this film, is not a remake and I see a clear path between The Evil Dead, Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise.
The Evil Dead Franchise is alive and well and well and in my opinion, there isn’t a weake spot in the franchise.
Well, that’s the list. I hope you enjoyed my list or it at least angered you so badly you’ll tell me how wrong I am and you rage quit the Horror Syndicate. No, I just hope you let us know kw your favorites of the 2010s.
Remember we have a show every Wednesday called Horror Movie Massacre. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel and it really helps the pages if you like us on Facebook for all of our interactive content. Thanks again and I leave you with the Dwight Twilley Band.
