So far, the 2020s have been a wacky, wild, grab-bag sort of decade for horror cinema. From critical darlings to indie experiments, from gruesome gore to atmospheric chills, I've been floored by the creativity and sheer fun filmmakers seem to be having with the genre. The movies you'll find on this list are, in my opinion, the best horror movies released between 2020 and 2024 - the first half of the decade. With Halloween right around the corner, I encourage you to flip off the lights, microwave some popcorn, and invite one of these monsters into your home. All of them are well worth your time. Thanks, and happy Halloween!
Honorable Mentions: Halloween Kills, MaXXXine, No One Will Save You, The Pale Blue Eye, Woman of the Hour
15.) Titane: Man oh man, this is a wild way to start our list. Titane is one of those movies where the less I say, the better. If you're a dyed-in-the-wool horror hound, then I say pop this on without even watching a trailer for it. All I can say is that it's stylish, surreal, and one of the most psychotic films of the 2020s. The French are known for producing some truly wild horror movies, and as far as French horror goes, this one is pretty much par for the course. Consider yourself warned.
14.) Saw X: In the mighty pantheon of Saw movies (of which I've seen every entry and refuse to feel guilty about it), 2023's Saw X - the 10 installment - is perhaps the best of the bunch. For the first time in the series, serial killer Jigsaw is himself the protagonist. Although pretty lean on plot, the movie comes across as a geezer-teaser revenge thriller, sharing some of its DNA with Taken, The Equalizer, and even John Wick. This ain't high art, but it's a gory fireworks display that genre fans won't help but love. If you're a fan of the series, this is mandatory viewing.
13.) A Quiet Place Part II: Speaking of sequels, A Quiet Place Part II is the perfect follow-up to the 2018 original. Once again written and directed by John Krasinski, we see the surviving members of the Abbott family embark on a spine-tingling journey beyond the limits of their home and into the wider world. Just like the first film, this one is less about scares and more about tension. With effective direction and powerful performances, this is a zippy little thrill ride - popcorn horror at its finest.
12.) Prey: After absolutely crushing it with 2016's 10 Cloverfield Lane, director Dan Trachtenberg has given us yet another excellent horror sequel with Prey, which is essentially a remake of Predator. This time around, the action takes place in 1719 America, which means it's simultaneously a Predator prequel, sequel, and remake. With stunning cinematography and some amazing action set pieces, this one is as fun as it is frightening. Although it's a far cry from the scariest movie on this list, it's a straightforward sci-fi slasher flick that's definitely worth your time.
11.) The Substance: Mix together a dash of Kubrick, a pinch of Raimi, and a heaping pile of Cronenberg, and voila! You now have The Substance, a stylishly gruesome body horror epic. If you can accept the surreal premise (which often breeds more questions than answers), then you'll love the rest. Demi Moore gives a career-best performance in the lead role, and she definitely should've won a damn Oscar. Regardless, this is a great gross-out horror flick. The special effects are gorgeously grotesque, and somehow don't overshadow the rest of the movie. That being said, I only recommend this one for those with a steel-bucket stomach.
10.) Talk To Me: Sometimes horror is scary, sometimes it's silly, but every so often, horror can be mean - to its characters and to its audience. That being said, Talk To Me is undeniably a mean one. There's a casual cruelty threaded through the whole thing, but miraculously, it doesn't bog down the momentum. Even while exploring death, anguish, and misery, the story unfolds neatly and efficiently. If The Substance requires a stomach of steel, then this one requires nerves of steel. I saw it once and I'm perfectly content to never watch it again - which says a lot.
9.) Barbarian: Another the-less-you-know-the-better movie, Barbarian is a frightening and funny thriller set against the rusted ruins of modern Detroit. I think of this as the final installment in a loose Detroit horror trilogy, with the other two entries being Don't Breathe and It Follows. While not quite as good as either of those, Barbarian doesn't disappoint. It's a real nailbiter, with some standout scares and wicked gallows humor. All of the performances are great, but Justin Long steals the show as a seedy Hollywood executive. This is a fun one, and as the plot begins to tighten and backstories are revealed, it's also a memorable one.
8.) X: I've been a massive fan of writer/director Ti West for years, and I think he's made some of the best horror flicks of the 21st century: The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, The Sacrament, etc. With 2022's X, West revels in the horror stylings of yesteryear to give us a formulaic slasher romp, one that utilizes archetypes to ease viewers into a new trilogy of movies based around a character named Pearl. Again, I'll spare you the details to avoid spoilers, but this movie positively rips. It's a classic in every sense of the word, with a real sense of style, engaging characters, and some inventive cinematography. There's also an alligator scene in the middle of it - and any movie with that is automatically a winner in my book. Just sayin.
7.) Nosferatu: You already know the story, don't you? This is Dracula after all, just with a different name (plus a truly terrifying character design). If you're into vampires and you enjoy any of the other movies titled Nosferatu, then you'll appreciate this one too. Bill Skarsgard - Pennywise himself! - is unrecognizable in the title role, crowning him as heir apparent to chameleon actors like Gary Oldman and Meryl Streep. The rest of the cast is equally fantastic, particularly Nicholas Hoult (who will appear further up this list) and Lily-Rose Depp as our young married protagonists, hunted and haunted by the befanged evil. This is the epitome of gothic horror in modern cinema. Definitely mandatory viewing for fans of the genre.
6.) The Menu: As someone who still engages in a bit of recreational pretension now and then, someone with artistic vision and dreams of fulfillment therefrom, The Menu is simultaneously the funniest and scariest movie I've seen in years. Yet again, I can't say too much without ruining the fun (or should I say, spoiling your appetite), but just know that the expectations I had going into this thing were completely gone by the end of the first act. For the rest, I was simply along for the ride. The cast is stellar - including Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, and John Leguizamo. Their performances are harrowing, heartbreaking and, at times, hilarious. The script is top-notch, with enough twists and surprises to ferry you from a simple start to its lethal finale.
5.) The Invisible Man: Back in 2020, this was the last movie I saw in theaters before the lockdowns hit, and boy howdy, did I leave off on a high note. Brought to life by Saw's own Leigh Whannell, this modern retelling of a black-and-white classic might just be the most taut film on this list. I can understand if you're sitting there right now, scratching your head and wondering How the heck can an "invisible man" actually be scary? Going into the theater that day over five years ago, I felt exactly the same way. But the action kicks off immediately, and within minutes, you'll be glued to the screen, hopelessly hostage to the horror. And yes, there's plenty of horror to go around. This is Gaslight meets Hollow Man, and that's an oddly winning combination.
4.) Longlegs: Part of me was reluctant to rank Longlegs as high on this list as it is, since the plot requires a fair share of disbelief-suspension that honestly rubbed me the wrong way (the same thing happened to me with The Substance, by the way). Nonetheless, this chilling crime thriller is so intriguing and so damn original that I can't drop it any lower than #4. No, I won't say too much about this one either - like most of the movies on this list, it's better to go in blind - but be careful. There's an ominous air to this one, evoking shades of The Silence of the Lambs. Much of the movie is either baptized in unholy shadow or the blinding, unflinching light of day; an unnerving juxtaposition that made me squirm. Of all the movies on this list, Longlegs made me the most uneasy. I was never quite sure when and where the sickle would fall, but when it did? I couldn't look away, even with my hands covering my eyes.
3.) Heretic: I love a good cat-and-mouse style horror-thriller, one in which a predatory antagonist methodically hunts down our main characters at any cost. While slashers focus on a high body count and crazy kills, cat-and-mouser's emphasize the slow build-up of tension, topsy-turvy plots, and slick dialogue. Movies like The Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear come to mind. So too does Heretic. Here, we follow a pair of young Mormon women whose door-to-door evangelizing slowly devolves into utter chaos. Hugh Grant is perfectly cast as the embodiment of smarmy, self-righteous, sinister evil. He reminds me of Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate - someone who can see right through you and make your skin crawl. All in all, this one is a seamless blend of grad school philosophizing, razor-wire writing, and outright terror.
2.) Late Night with the Devil: This is the kind of movie I wish I'd written - it's so clever, so crafty, and so undeniably cool. It feels like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and that is indeed high praise. Starring veteran character actor David Dastmalchian as a late night talk show host, the movie takes place over the course of a single taping of his show. The movie itself features moments from both "on air" and "off air," and as a fan of Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson, it's interesting to watch a supernatural storyline unfold in such a unique setting. This movie also takes place in 1977, so the costumes and production design are perfectly on-point. This is fun, freaky fare. If you can handle the tension, I definitely think you should give it a go.
1.) Pearl: A sequel/prequel to X (which is #8 on this list), Pearl sees writer/director Ti West really spread his wings, taking flight from the formulaic trappings of the movie's predecessor to pioneer fresh, bold territory. Mia Goth is positively electric in the title role, and although I never expect the Academy to nominate horror movies, her monumental performance should have earned her an Oscar nomination (or win!) for Best Actress. There's a bit of Annie Wilkes in her portrayal, but also touches of Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard and Baby Jane Hudson to boot. The camera work is again flawless, proving that Ti West should make as many movies as studios will allow. And that lingering final shot? Incredible. This is a staggeringly good movie, one with solid scares, weighty themes, and considerable artistic panache. I find it unlikely that any other horror flick of the modern era will ever be as good as this one. (But watch X first - trust me.)
