As the decade comes to a close, we’re beginning to close another chapter of cinema history as well. People are starting to recollect on the films that have left a lasting impact on them since their first viewing, and no better has that been demonstrated than with the horror genre. This decade has had quite the mix of iconic horror films, from the supernatural haunted paranormals, to the gruesome slasher genre revisited, and some that are in a genre that somehow resignates more with audiences than expected. Sometimes it can spark word of mouth because of the marketing, a controversial moment, a gripping metaphor, or even awards buzz.
That’s what we’re focusing on today: we’re looking over what I consider to be the most frightening horror films of the decade, taking into account how they were directed, written, and how they left an impact as a whole. I’m not picking remakes, or any follow-up films in the series, because that’d be a whole other list onto itself.
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#10: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010) - The common stereotype of rednecks in horror films has mostly portrayed them as crazed swamp land owners that aren’t quite right in the head, but this film takes that stereotype into something truly twisted and new. Tucker and Dale (Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine) are two brothers taking a vacation out into their cabin in the woods. Along the way, they scare off a group of teenagers on Spring Break, where one of them secretly has a past about hillbillies in his family. The film gets crazier with each minute, and as you would probably expect, the main humor comes from these teens exaggerating their demise and making it worse themselves. Tudyk and Labine have excellent chemistry with one another, playing off the dimwitted, but not too lost, personas nicely; but the one who steals the show is Chad (Jesse Moss). This guy chews the scenery with every passing line he has, and it is delightful; the lengths he goes just get his kill on against these guys both cartoonish and, at times, pretty intimidating. 2010 was a bit of a dormant year for original horror films, with a few gems here and there, but this one managed to play more to my kind of humor, and I can’t ignore it for that.
#9: Trollhunter (2011) - As much as I dismiss the found-footage genre, mostly because almost all of them are in the horror genre, but it’s always nice to find one exception every so often, and this film is one of them. And considering the kind of secrecy they’ve been putting on the project while filming and during the Sundance promotion, it keeps the sense of surprise in tact. In this Norwegian mockumentary, we follow a couple of college students documenting the life of a bear poacher, who turns out has actually been hunting trolls that have been roaming about out the lands. The found-footage style works excellent to its advantage, giving us the perspective from their view as to how they deal with these trolls throughout, and seeing the size comparison is frightening. And with set in Norway where the legend of trolls originates, it manages to capture the unsettling and realistic atmosphere that films like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project failed to emulate. While the found footage genre still has its ups and downs, this would at least be the one I’d feel good about recommending.
#8: It Follows (2015) - You ever asked why slasher villains are mostly known for being slow walkers or only attacking people that have sex? Well, then David Robert Mitchell will bring up those question in this movie, about a girl who after sex with her new boyfriend, contracts a demon that follows her to kill her, unless she passes it on to the next person. Being shot in Detroit, the film looks hauntingly beautiful, and the expansive framework in each scene adds a lot of open space, meaning you had to keep your eyes peeled for any figure that could be following our protagonists any second. John Carpenter was definitely a big influence on this movie, especially with the chiptune soundtrack by Disasterpiece. And while some of the acting can get hokey, it still fits the tone of the dilemma at hand. I mean, how WOULD you think or communicate, knowing you’re being hunted by something you can’t explain. The biggest problem I have is that they never really do address what the creature actually is or why it acts like this. I know the whole point of is to keep it in mystery as much as possible, but even details like that, some hint of an answer would have helped, as opposed to just leaving everyone scratching their heads at the ending. Mitchell has expressed interest in a sequel, and I may sound crazy for saying this, but it might be for the better. Sometimes it’s fine to have a movie that does leave speculation up to the audience, because that intrigue does make them yearn for more and possibly inspire them to create stories of their own that have universe rules set themselves. Whatever your interpretation is, this is one campfire story that won’t bore you.
#7: The Cabin in the Woods (2012) - Ever since Joss Whedon made news of directing and writing the first Avengers movie, other projects he had his name linked to were starting to finally get off the shelves of studios and out into the public. Directed and co-written by Drew Goddard, it’s about a group of teens who go out to a spooky cabin in the woods...but it’s actually an annual government experiment to satisfy the depths of hell (wait, what?!). What made this film such a thrill was that it was one of the first films I didn’t see a trailer for before seeing, so every twist it had, every plot point, and the characters all had me on the edge of my toes or laughing uncomfortably. The idea of a government handling horror movie scenarios and essentially deadpooling what kills who, feels very twisted like if the SyFy Channel produced The Truman Show for horror fans. And with the way this movie ends, it leaves you agasp at just what you’re witnessing; but at the same time, the ending might also be something that will divide people, depending on which way you look at it. Either way, it’s chaotic, but we love it for it.
#6: The Conjuring (2013) - Out of all the horror movie franchises that we’ve had this decade, this one has definitely left an impact that’s made its mark worth remembering; and at the same time, goes further into the backstory and cases from a previous horror franchise. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play Ed and Lorraine Warren, the real life investigators of The Amityville Horror events, as they investigate the hauntings of the Perron family in 1971, where the mother is latched onto by an entity. What James Wan was able to bring with Insidious, he manages to find a perfect balance with this film and its sequel. In an era where jumpscare packed remakes or the same old zombie film recycled from Redbox, this movie takes you back to a time where the suspense and atmosphere were what truly scared you. The pacing takes its time to truly get settled in with this family and house, and to let you figure out how bad things truly are, by living here. It also helps that you’ve got a great cast of actors who really bring it to life, but the biggest standout was Joey King. Coming off of films like Oz: The Great and Powerful and Crazy Stupid Love, she finally gets a chance to prove what she could do as a young new actress. And thanks to Marvel Cinematic Universe, it helped pave the way for The Conjuring to build itself as this new horror anthology series; although, that could be for better or worse, depending on how you feel about the film outside the main series. Needless to say, the 2010’s wouldn’t be the same, without recounting some 60’s to 70’s ghost stories.
#5: Get Out (2017) - This is one of those movies that I feel like a complete idiot for not giving the full appreciation it deserved, but considering my first time watching was when I was sick, I told myself this needed another chance. Chris Washington is a New York photographer, who goes with his girlfriend to visit her parents, down in the suburbs where everyone seems a bit too friendly with Chris. This was written and directed by Jordan Peele, who much like John Krasinski and Joel Edgerton, have mostly been known as either comedic actors or known for smaller roles in comedy, and able to dissect both the humorous and horrible in almost any situation. The best aspect of this is the script and all the present themes of inclusion and oppressed racism in jealousy are constantly noted, even right down to the little details of the story, such as who knows where Chris is and why. Analyzing through points like those, it’s no wonder Peele’s script won an Oscar and went on to produce his own Twilight Zone. However, if there was a problem I had with the movie, still present from my first viewing, it's that Peele's directing wasn't as strong as the script. His themes and writing are disturbing as hell, and while I like him as a director, it wasn’t exactly as scary as it could have been, which is interesting, because his follow-up film, Us, had slightly better direction, but the tightness in the script wasn’t as met exactly. Regardless, it’s clear that Get Out has set a bar for how much of a mind-well horror can get.
#4: The VVitch (2016) - When it comes to period pieces and folklore tales, this movie manages to truly bring back a classic sense of horror we haven’t seen in a long while. In 1630 times, a family is banished from Plymouth Colony due to their religious differences, where they try to start their lives over again; however, after the eldest daughter loses the newborn to a witch in the woods, the family slowly goes mad from the torment brought upon them. Robert Eggers shows his dedication for accuracy, and while that might be a turn off from some (due to the dialogue being a little hard to understand), the feeling of dread is universal. I like how in the beginning, you’re not quite sure what was really going on, and if what we saw truly was real or a trick. This was the film that also introduced us to Anya Taylor-Joy as the eldest daughter, Thomasin. You truly empathize with the struggles that she has to endure daily, especially with the guilt that she carries with losing her baby brother. That desperation to try and make things right, yet no one can seem to let go of that grudge, you definitely feel for her throughout the course of the film, that you don’t blame her for what choice she makes by the end. Being also released under A24, it was beginning to be the start of their rise within the film industry, especially since later that year they won the Best Picture Oscar for Moonlight. That sly come hither stare, must be VVitch-craft.
#3: The Babadook (2014) - The film to introduce Jennifer Kent as one of the next generation of horror uprisings, we get an experience about mental health that I have rarely felt. A widowed mother is struggling to cope with her wild son and the untimely death of her husband, as a storybook her son finds ends up becoming too real. What truly makes this haunting is how depression and mental exhaustion are handled in such a realistic manner. Essie Davis gives one of the best performances I have seen this decade, allowing the dread she's going through to truly sink in. If anyone has attempted to live with someone that acted that way, even for a day or two, you can empathize with her hard on this. The encounters that she has with the Babadook are all too memorable and frightening, but even the scenes where we don't see him, she manages to go from empathetic to downright terrifying. And while Samuel, the son, can get on some nerves, I think anyone can find a kid that age annoying somehow. As the creature itself, I absolutely love the design of it; like a mix of Freddy Krueger and Jack the Ripper. I also love the choice of not letting us see the creature as much, not only making on screen appearances scarier, but it adds onto another question as to if this is all a manifestation of the mom's depression, and I love that this film was bold enough to dive into that kind of territory, to THAT degree. Also, for some reason, this film has gained a massive fanbase within the LGBTQ community, and...I may not get it, but hey, if it helps promote good horror films, who am I to complain?
#2: Hereditary (2018) - In this film, Toni Collette plays a mother, who after her mother passes away, feels as though the grip she had on them nor the pressures and anxieties haven’t left. This leads to another death in the family, as well as some spiritual help from a family friend. In my list of the best films of 2018, I mentioned that this film was a contender for the scariest film I had ever seen, and I would have put it at #1, had it not been for another film. Regardless, this movie was able to make a definitive stance for A24, especially in the horror genre. Much like with Eggers and Kent, Ari Aster knew the scariest thing to truly tap into was empathy, and when it comes to this film and his follow up, Midsommar, you feel that empathy hard. I've already talked about this film plenty, so I'll keep this one short. The last thing I'll say is, how Toni Collette wasn't nominated for an Oscar, I will never understand.
#1: mother! (2017) - I have seen films that have made me jump. I have seen films that have made me scream. I have even seen films that made me squirm uncomfortably in my seat, sick to my stomach, and remember images that will never be scraped out of my brain; but no movie has made me shudder at the thought of even witnessing another frame of it, than Darren Aronofsky’s film, mother! The film centers on Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence as this couple in the countryside, who suddenly begin having frequent visitors, despite Lawrence’s protests. What it leads to is one of the most foreboding experiences you will ever witness brought to film. It’s as if Ingmar Bergman was asked to direct Suspiria. You get the simple, but somehow thought-provoking conversation, accompanied by a sea of imagery that is so unsettling, you’ll be trying desperately to keep your heart in your chest. Disobedient towards the host, disrespect of property, family fighting, purposeful antagonization, war beyond belief...and all of it to symbolize what an outsider’s view of a religion would be. What’s baffling is that there were people trying to trash this to the point where it was up for the Razzies; but you know what I think? If a film is that disturbing, yet respectably symbolic enough, to keep you from revisiting, as advertised and executed to do so, then the movie did it’s job right. mother! is downright horror to sit through; the visuals are disturbing, the themes are haunting, the performances are chilling, all that and more earn this film the spot as the #1 horror movie this decade!
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