The absolute best horror of the 2000s
Lists that contain the usual cliched titles like Cabin In The Woods, Insidious, and Saw are a dime a dozen. And while this list may contain some of the wider known films, it mainly focuses on indie, lesser known horror films that you may not have seen.
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- DirectorMike FlanaganStarsKatie ParkerCourtney BellDave LevineA woman and her sister begin to link a mysterious tunnel to a series of disappearances, including that of her own husband.I credit this movie for reigniting my love of horror. I had become somewhat cynical of the genre, but holy crap, this is an incredible film. It's an extremely low budget film, and what the director Mike Flanagan manages to do with so little is astounding.
- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsDavid CarusoStephen GevedonPaul GuilfoyleTensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.The creepiest film about asbestos removal you will ever see. Simply dripping with atmospheric dread, it builds up to the point you almost want to scream. Love love love it.
- DirectorSimon RumleyStarsAmanda FullerMarc SenterJon Michael DavisA woman attracts the attention of a psychopathic former Army interrogator and an emotionally fragile young man caring for his depressed mother.This is really 2 horror films in one. It contains some of the most disturbing scenes I've seen in horror. Especially the last 20 minutes or so.
- DirectorNathan HynesChris PowerStarsAnthony AlvianoAl BernsteinJean-Marc FontaineA documentary by two desperate young filmmakers who stumble upon the ultimate subject, a 33 year old cannibalistic serial killer named Anthony McAllister, who has agreed to let them document every aspect of his horrifically violent life-style. Initially terrified, the filmmakers get to know Anthony as a person. They even begin to identify with his ecological and philosophical justifications for his cannibalistic lifestyle. It's only when they investigate further that the filmmakers begin to doubt Anthony's accounts of his past. Tensions noticeably rise as the filmmakers continue to confront Anthony on his conflicting stories and ever-changing philosophies. During an awkward interview, the filmmakers interview Merle, the father of a young girl who was abducted and never found. This abduction was Anthony's first child victim. Merle welcomes them into his home and gives them a heart-felt experience that even Anthony is touched by. As the documentary reaches its conclusion Anthony begins to become uncomfortably aware of the how much of his life he has revealed to these filmmakers. In a final interview with Anthony a deadly confrontation erupts and all that remains is a broken camera and this footage. This film will challenge the audience to view a horrific side of humanity and will deliver a social commentary that leaves the audience thinking about the world they live in and the power and effect of all media.Really disturbing despite being billed as a dark comedy. One of the most unsettling scenes doesn't even involve cannibalism.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsMelissa GeorgeJoshua McIvorJack TaylorFive friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.A complete and bloody mind trip. DeJa Vu in the extreme.
- DirectorDom RotheroeStarsBradley ColeBrittany AshworthAngela ForrestThe timely story of a normal family disintegrating under financial pressure, eventually driven to the unimaginable. We witness the terrifying events unfold through daughter Judith's video camera, which subsequently becomes Exhibit A.An astoundingly well done found footage film that doesn't involve the usual horror tropes of monsters, ghosts etc. The deterioration of a family due to financial constraints is just devastating. The last 15 minutes I couldn't breathe.
- DirectorAdam WingardStarsAJ BowenAmy SeimetzJoe SwanbergAn escaped murderer is in pursuit of his ex-girlfriend, who has fled to start a new life in a small town.Some may be put off by the shaky cam, but this one stuck with me for days. Almost a mumblecore horror.
- DirectorH.P. MendozaStarsAnna IshidaJeannie BarrogaRick BurkhardtEmily, a troubled spirit, haunts her own house every day, wondering why she can't leave. With the help of Sylvia, a clairvoyant hired to rid the house of spirits, Emily is forced into a 'patient/therapist' relationship, uncovering disturbing mysteries about her past that may help her move on to 'the next place'.Highly original and portrays what must be an excruciating existence ghosts must live.
- DirectorAnthony DiBlasiStarsJackson RathboneHanne SteenLaura DonnellyThree college students set out to document what other people dread the most. However, one of the three turns out to secretly be a sadistic psychopath who uses this knowledge to gruesomely torture the subjects.Really great overlooked film. It has a surprisingly lasting impact.
- DirectorScott DerricksonStarsEthan HawkeJuliet RylanceJames RansoneA controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.One of the more mainstream films on the list but it's a damn fine film with absolutely crazy death scenes.
- DirectorAlexandre BustilloJulien MauryStarsAlysson ParadisJean-Baptiste TabourinClaude LuléFour months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.Almost relentless violence and gore. French horror at it's finest. My leg muscles were actually sore the next day after watching this. Intense in the extreme
- DirectorTom ShanklandStarsEva BirthistleStephen Campbell MooreJeremy SheffieldA relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.Children in horror can be pretty over done, but this is one incredibly unsettling film.
- DirectorSrdjan SpasojevicStarsSrdjan 'Zika' TodorovicSergej TrifunovicJelena GavrilovicAn aging porn star agrees to participate in an "art film" in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film.Bear with me on this one. This is the one movie I wish I had never seen. It caused me to stop watching horror period. That being said, I have to give a movie props for still compelling the viewer to keep watching even after experiencing the most vile acts ever seen on film. Technically it's a very well made film with great character development, And any movie that can evoke a range of emotion from disgust, rage, guilt etc even days after viewing deserves a place on the list.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsRyo IshibashiMasatoshi NagaseMai HoshoA detective is trying to find the cause of a string of suicides.I admit to not grasping some of the films' meaning, but it doesn't distract from overall disturbing imagery and death scenes. And it spawned one if the best original songs for a horror film ever.
- DirectorMichael GoiStarsAmber PerkinsRachel QuinnDean WaiteTwo teenage girls encounter an Internet child predator.A lot of the critics of this film complain of the lack of action in the first 2/3rds of the movie, but it is absolutely necessary for the impact of the last 15 minutes. And yes, this is the way teen girls talk. Adults criticizing the dialogue have no leg to stand on. This film simply floored me. Every parent should watch this.
- DirectorJ.T. PettyStarsEdmond MercierSarah IngersonAndrew HewittA man wanders into the woods in search of his cat and witnesses a murder.An extremely low/micro budget film that will get under your skin. Virtually no dialogue, but it doesn't really need it.
- DirectorJames WongStarsDevon SawaAli LarterKerr SmithAfter getting a premonition about a plane crash on his school trip, Alex, a student saves a few of his classmates. However, their situation gets complicated when death starts chasing them.A cult classic with some of the most inventive Rube Goldbergesque deaths scenes ever put on film. No other film has managed to outdo the original.
- DirectorChris KentisStarsBlanchard RyanDaniel TravisSaul SteinBased on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left.Minimalist horror that leaves a mark
- DirectorDavid NerlichAndrew TrauckiStarsDiana GlennMaeve DermodyAndy RodoredaA boat tour of a mangrove swamp turns into a fight for survival when a group of people are attacked by a ferocious saltwater crocodile.A brilliant tension filed creature flick in the vein of Open Water but with more action. Filled with dread.
- DirectorSean ByrneStarsXavier SamuelRobin McLeavyJohn BrumptonWhen Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.Never turn down an invitation to the prom. Wonderfully inventive with one of the best psycho villains in horror. I was tempted to go as Lola for halloween.
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsScoot McNairyWhitney AbleMario Zuniga BenavidesSix years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border.Deceptively understated, it's billed as a creature feature but the real heart of the film is the love story. Think Lost In Translation meets War of The Worlds
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAntonio BanderasElena AnayaJan CornetA brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.The less you know going in the better. Jaw dropper for sure.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróStarsLuis TosarMarta EturaAlberto San JuanCesar, a miserable man who works as an apartment concierge, takes a special interest in an attractive woman who lives there. He goes to great lengths to trouble her.I audibly gasped at several points during this movie. Lot's of "he did NOT just do that" moments.
- DirectorMarkus SchleinzerStarsMichael FuithDavid RauchenbergerChristine KainFive months in the life of a pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.It may not be a horror in the traditional sense, but the utter banality of evil here will not leave you for a while after you've watched it.
- DirectorAdam GreenJoel David MooreStarsJoel David MooreAmber TamblynZachary LeviA recluse telemarkets at an office, where his boss is his only friend. As he befriends a new, social colleague and sketches/paints her, his dark mind surfaces.This one will creep up on you before you know it.
- DirectorEvan GlodellStarsEvan GlodellTyler DawsonJessie WisemanTwo friends spend all their free time building flame-throwers and weapons of mass destruction in hopes that a global apocalypse will occur and clear the runway for their imaginary gang "Mother Medusa".Starts off as kind of a buddy film, then takes a hard dark turn when one of characters finds a girlfriend. It's visually original and definitely sticks with you.
- DirectorChris SivertsonStarsMarc SenterShay AstarAlex Frost19-year-old Ray Pye murders two young women. Four years later, detective Charlie Schilling knows that Ray did it. He just needs to prove it. Meanwhile, Ray has met his match in a new girl in town, Katherine Wallace.Marc Senter gives an award worthy performance as a psycho with delusions of his own coolness. It starts off with a bang and ends up seriously deranged
- DirectorLucky McKeeStarsPollyanna McIntoshBrandon Gerald FullerLauren Ashley CarterWhen a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.The most unsettling part of this movie is actually the dysfunctional family dynamic and that's really saying something given that the guy keeps a feral woman chained in a cellar. It even trumps the bloody, insane finale which is a gut punch in itself.
- DirectorTi WestStarsSara PaxtonPat HealyKelly McGillisDuring the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel's haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.This is a slow burn movie that takes its' time developing rich characters. A lot of people hated it because of this, but your time is well rewarded by the end.
- DirectorHiguchinskyStarsEriko HatsuneFhi FanHinako SaekiThe inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.Seriously creepy j-horror about a town's obsession with spirals. Classic Japanese inventiveness with really great visuals
- DirectorGô ShibataStarsAriko AritaToshihisa FukunagaNaozô HottaA wheelchair bound man goes on a killing spree to ease his hurt when a local college coed rebuffs his amorous advances.It doesn't get much stranger than a serial killer with cerebral palsy confined to a wheel chair and 24/7 care. Definitely art house horror that I couldn't shake for days
- DirectorPascal LaugierStarsMorjana AlaouiMylène JampanoïCatherine BéginA young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.This needs no explanation. The high point of New French Extremity movement of the mid 2000s. Brutal bloody muscle clencher of a movie