Special Report

The Best Horror Movies So Far This Century

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Cinematic trends may come and go, but horror is the genre that just keeps on giving. Even when Hollywood is in a slump, a low or mid-budget horror movie comes out of nowhere to make an unexpected killing at the box office. The 21st century offers no shortage of examples, including everything from “A Quiet Place” to “The Purge” to “The Invisible Man” and more.

Then we have the 21st-century horror classics that don’t necessarily rake in huge box office numbers but go on to become the stuff of legend. Even the genre’s most casual fans are surely acquainted with titles such as “It Follows” or “The VVItch,” to name just two examples. Along similar lines are micro-budget thrillers like 2013’s “Coherence” or 2009’s “Triangle,” two movies that have become stalwart recommendations of the streaming era. (If you like your horror on the small screen, you might also consider the most popular horror shows on TV right now.)

To determine the best horror movies of the 21st century, 24/7 Tempo developed an index of horror movies released after 2000 using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of February 2023, weighting all ratings equally. Directorial credits are from IMDb. (For a look back at this popular genre, see this list of the best horror movies of all time.)

Click here to read about the best horror movies of the 21st century

Courtesy of RADiUS-TWC

25. It Follows (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (221,977 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (45,448 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (263 reviews)
> Directed by: David Robert Mitchell

This indie horror film debuted at Cannes and went on to become a cult classic with enduring cultural cachet. Haunted by a sexually transmitted curse, a young woman (Maika Monroe) must outwit deadly invisible stalkers. Director David Robert Mitchell has cited filmmakers such as John Carpenter and George Romero as key influences on the movie’s style and tone.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

24. Split (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (455,348 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (53,774 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (309 reviews)
> Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Director M. Night Shyamalan was in the midst of an epic career comeback when he released this blockbuster thriller. It stars James McAvoy as a man with multiple personalities, who kidnaps and terrorizes three teenage girls. The 2019 superhero movie “Glass” would follow, thereby completing the Shyamalan trilogy that began with 2000’s “Unbreakable.”

Courtesy of A24

23. Hereditary (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (268,517 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (13,610 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (382 reviews)
> Directed by: Ari Aster

Ari Aster’s directorial feature debut explores themes of family trauma within a supernatural framework. What starts with the death of a mysterious matriarch becomes something far more sinister as the story unfolds. Actress Toni Collette delivers a knockout performance as a mother-.

Courtesy of Netflix

22. Hush (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (115,593 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (6,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Flanagan

Actress Kate Siegel co-wrote and stars in this gripping entry into the popular stalker subgenre. A deaf and mute writer (Siegel) heads to a cabin in the woods for some much-needed solitude, only to end up in the crosshairs of a crazed killer. Director Mike Flanagan approached the project as a personal challenge to make a film that was largely absent of dialogue.

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Courtesy of The Orchard

21. Creep 2 (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (22,511 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (1,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
> Directed by: Patrick Brice

This found-footage sequel to a modern cult classic reteams director Patrick Brice with co-screenwriter and star Mark Duplass. Grappling with a mid-life crisis, a serial killer (Duplass) lures an unwitting videographer (Desiree Akhavan) into his twisted trap. A third and final installment has reportedly been in development for years.

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

20. Ready or Not (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (127,170 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (5,344 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (310 reviews)
> Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

This black horror comedy channels themes of elitist psychopathy into a blood-soaked battle of wits. On the day of her wedding, a bride (Samara Weaving) is forced to participate in a deadly game of hide and seek with her in-laws. Can she make it until dawn?

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19. Terrifier 2 (2022)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (29,336 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (70 reviews)
> Directed by: Damien Leone

Sadistic killer Art the Clown returns from the grave and terrorizes a fresh batch of victims in this splatterfest sequel. It clocks in at a whopping 138 minutes and delivers incalculable amounts of blood and gore. Shot on a reported budget of just $250,000 – much of which was raised through Indiegogo – it made over $14.5 million at the worldwide box office.

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

18. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (274,798 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (54,926 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (255 reviews)
> Directed by: James Wan

The second entry in “The Conjuring” film series sends paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to North London circa 1977. Attempting to rid a home of a supernatural entity, the couple ends up confronting a much darker force. The film was followed by the 2018 spin-off prequel “The Nun” and then a 2021 sequel.

Courtesy of A24

17. Green Room (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (114,286 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (21,923 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (244 reviews)
> Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier

A touring punk rock band squares off against neo-Nazis in this gripping thriller from director Jeremy Saulnier. The story alternates between tense stand-offs and stark moments of shocking violence. Patrick Stewart plays the ruthless leader of a criminal enterprise and injects the role with genuine dramatic heft.

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16. Let Me in (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (116,390 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (66,958 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (237 reviews)
> Directed by: Matt Reeves

This acclaimed horror fantasy – a remake of a 2008 Swedish classic – centers on the relationship between a bullied boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and a young female vampire (Chloë Grace Moretz). The film stays relatively faithful to the cold tone of its predecessor. Director Matt Reeves went on to helm two “Planet of the Apes” movies and 2022’s “The Batman.”

Courtesy of Lionsgate

15. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (392,780 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (207,614 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (288 reviews)
> Directed by: Drew Goddard

This beloved horror comedy turns familiar subgenre tropes into the stuff of gruesome satire. Follow a group of archetypes to a cabin in the woods, where they unleash a deadly force. Little do they realize that it’s all part of a much bigger – and funnier – conspiracy.

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Courtesy of A24

14. The Lighthouse (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (221,259 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (1,935 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (381 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Eggers

An unfinished short story by Edgar Allan Poe provided early inspiration for this psychological horror film. Set off the coast of New England in the late 19th century, it follows two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) as they descend into madness. Director Robert Eggers drew upon a host of additional resources during development, including sea-based mythology and Freudian theory.

Courtesy of Screen Gems

13. Don’t Breathe (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (250,247 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (40,940 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (239 reviews)
> Directed by: Fede Alvarez

How hard can it be to rob a wealthy blind man of his fortune? A trio of burglars ask themselves that in this blockbuster horror thriller, only to discover that their target is far more capable and deadly than he first appears. It yielded a moderately successful sequel in 2021.

Courtesy of Miramax

12. The Others (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (350,811 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (344,533 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (165 reviews)
> Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar

Presented as a haunted house story, this gothic tale of terror builds toward one of the best twist endings in modern movie history. Sparse effects and eccentric characters help impart a perennial sense of unease. “It’s a clammy, ingenious film, one of the best studio movies of the year,” wrote critic Tom Charity for Time Out.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

11. Doctor Sleep (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (164,835 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (7,887 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (331 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Flanagan

A sequel to Stephen King’s novel “The Shining,” this fantasy horror also draws upon Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of the aforementioned work. A grown Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is still grappling with his dark past when he meets a young girl (Kyliegh Curran) with the power to shine. Their mission to take down a supernatural cult brings Danny back to the Overlook Hotel, which isn’t quite done with him yet.

Courtesy of Kino Lorber

10. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (33,369 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (14,196 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (134 reviews)
> Directed by: Ana Lily Amirpour

Director Ana Lily Amirpour’s Persian-language horror film takes place in the Iranian town of Bad City, where a young female vampire targets local men. Filmed in black and white, the movie’s offbeat tone and hip soundtrack make it unlike anything else in the vampire subgenre.

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Courtesy of 101 Films

9. Coherence (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (117,703 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (7,939 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (89 reviews)
> Directed by: James Ward Byrkit

An astronomical event has time-bending consequences for a group of friends in this sci-fi thriller, shot over the course of five nights on a reported micro-budget of just $50,000, with the actors improvising most of their lines. Overlooked upon release, it has gained a steady following through streaming.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

8. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (305,179 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (61,125 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (315 reviews)
> Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg

The second entry in the “Cloverfield” franchise occurs around the same time as its found-footage predecessor, but employs a more traditional style. A woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up from a car accident to find herself being held captive by a man (John Goodman) who may or may not be insane. Does danger really lurk outside his door or is it all part of an elaborate lie?

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

7. It (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (488,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (67,821 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (386 reviews)
> Directed by: Andy Muschietti

A shapeshifting evil entity is set loose upon a small town in the late 1980s in this adaptation of a Stephen King bestseller. Most often taking the form of a clown (played by Bill Skarsgård), the entity terrorizes a group of friends. Unadjusted for inflation, this is the highest-grossing horror movie ever made.

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Courtesy of New Line Cinema

6. The Conjuring (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (513,796 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (159,849 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (223 reviews)
> Directed by: James Wan

In the tradition of horror classics like “The Exorcist” and “The Amityville Horror” comes this franchise-starting blockbuster. Loosely inspired by true events, it follows Ed and Lorraine Warren to a Rhode Island farmhouse in 1971 to investigate a potential haunting. Actors Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reportedly spent time with the real-life Lorraine Warren when preparing for their roles.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

5. Take Shelter (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (97,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (25,822 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (166 reviews)
> Directed by: Jeff Nichols

A man (Michael Shannon) takes his apocalyptic visions to real-life extremes in this independent psychological thriller. As he prepares his family for impending doom, the audience wonders if he’s acting on prophecy or delusion. The only way to find out is to watch until the very end.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

4. The Invisible Man (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (192,195 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (11,955 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (410 reviews)
> Directed by: Leigh Whannell

From “Saw” co-creator Leigh Whannell comes this modern-day adaptation of an H.G. Wells horror novel. When an optics engineer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) develops the power of invisibility, he uses it to brutally torment his ex-partner (Elisabeth Moss). The film made over $144 million at the worldwide box office on a reported budget of just $7 million.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

3. A Quiet Place (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (480,270 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (24,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (387 reviews)
> Directed by: John Krasinski

Aliens with supersonic hearing have invaded the planet in this horror thriller and surprise box office smash. Confined to a remote farm, a loving family must remain absolutely quiet if they want to survive. It was followed by a similarly popular sequel.

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

2. The Wailing (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (59,362 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (7,116 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Hong-jin Na

A mysterious stranger unleashes a bizarre sickness upon a small village in this South Korean horror classic. When a policeman investigates, he ends up bringing the sickness to his own doorstep. NME film critic Howard Gorman called it the “ultimate supernatural whodunnit.”

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

1. Get Out (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (530,461 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (76,158 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (397 reviews)
> Directed by: Jordan Peele

Director Jordan Peele’s seminal feature debut layers brilliant satire and social commentary beneath a horror veneer. Follow Black photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) to the starch-white suburbs, where he uncovers a grave conspiracy with racial implications. “It’s a game-changer,” wrote critic Paul Byrnes for the Sydney Morning Herald.

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