Future cult classics? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the scariest and most thought-provoking horror films of the past ten years!
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00:00 [Screaming]
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the scariest and most thought-provoking horror films of the past ten years.
00:11 This will not include any movies that can primarily be classified as thrillers or comedies.
00:16 A podcast takes a lot of work, okay? You have to organize the guests, you have to do a Google calendar.
00:22 Number 20, Talk To Me.
00:25 Pure pressure can be a killer, a fact Mia comes to know all too well.
00:29 In Talk To Me, the protagonist and her best friend Jade learn about a strange new trend amongst their friend group.
00:35 Although it initially seems like it may just be a fun party trick, it is soon revealed to be a terrifyingly real gateway to the undead,
00:41 as Mia grabs hold of a hand and comes face to face with a corpse.
00:45 Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!
00:52 Despite the horrifying implications, Mia becomes addicted to the thrill of possession,
00:56 hoping that she can find her recently deceased mother amongst the crowd.
00:59 Sophie Wilde is giving her all in the film's lead role, pivoting from spine-chilling horror to devastating displays of grief with ease.
01:06 "I don't think that was your mom, Mia." "No, it was at first.
01:10 She used to call me Mia all the time, I mean, how would the spirits know that?"
01:14 Number 19, Halloween.
01:16 Rebooting a beloved franchise is a tricky task.
01:19 When Rob Zombie tried his hand at rebooting Halloween in 2007, it became a box office success, but a critical failure.
01:25 Thankfully, David Gordon Green's 2018 "requel" fared better on both fronts.
01:30 Although the director's sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, have been met with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike,
01:36 Green's initial Halloween was a smash hit.
01:39 It kept the spirit of the original film alive, while adding a modern sense of humor that helped connect the 1978 story with a new generation.
01:53 It also brought back Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers,
01:58 resurrecting an iconic acting match-up that hadn't been seen in 40 years.
02:03 "Do you know that I pray every night that he would escape?"
02:09 "What the hell do you do that for?"
02:11 "So I can kill him."
02:13 Number 18, Prey.
02:15 The prequel we didn't know we needed.
02:17 As the seventh film to be released in the Predator franchise, it's understandable that some fans approached Prey with a healthy amount of skepticism.
02:24 But the film's dedication to melding franchise lore with historical authenticity led to it being one of the film series' most beloved entries.
02:31 "What do you think left those tracks?"
02:33 "And skinned that snake, and before I fell, I saw lightning in the trees."
02:37 "There's something else out there."
02:38 Even the toothbrushes were meticulously crafted to be era-accurate.
02:42 At a time when CG reigned supreme, Prey also opted to use practical effects for its iconic antagonist.
02:48 And it paid off in a big way.
02:50 The film has one of the franchise's most fearsome depictions of the Predator,
02:53 and the suit's real-world physicality adds a layer of authenticity to the acting that can be lost in CGI-heavy productions.
03:00 Number 17, Suspiria.
03:09 As an American remake of an Italian cult horror film by one of the best directors in the business, Dario Argento,
03:15 Suspiria had the odds stacked against it.
03:17 That it ended up being one of the most interesting horror films to come out of 2018 is nothing short of a miracle.
03:23 "Every arrow that flies feels the pull of the earth. But we must aim upwards."
03:30 While it's true the film was divisive, it's hard not to appreciate its bold narrative departure from its predecessor.
03:35 It is not a remake interested in simply redoing what came before.
03:38 It evolves the material and twists it into something new.
03:41 If nothing else, its transformation of Tilda Swinton into the unrecognizable Dr. Joseph Klemperer is something to be admired.
03:48 Suspiria's lack of a Best Makeup nomination at the Oscars was criminal.
03:52 "I don't know. But I do know you are living with dangerous people."
03:58 Number 16, The Black Phone.
04:00 "You don't have to be scared. Because nothing bad is going to happen here."
04:07 Beginning with its immaculately edited opening credits sequence,
04:10 The Black Phone completely immerses audiences in its late 70s setting and builds on the real-world fear of child abduction.
04:17 The late 2010s popularity of Stranger Things led to a boom in modern horror period pieces starring foul-mouthed teenage characters.
04:24 And The Black Phone is one of the better stories to emerge from the trend.
04:28 Based on a short story of the same name, the film portrays the capture and survival of a young boy named Finney,
04:33 who finds a phone that connects him to the unnamed grabbers past victims.
04:37 It's difficult not to become invested as each call adds another piece of the complex puzzle of information necessary for his escape.
04:44 "See the wall separated from the floor?"
04:46 "Yeah."
04:48 "I tore a long cable loose from down there. I kept it hidden."
04:51 Number 15, Terrifier 2.
04:54 Horror is one of the few genres where audience members walking out can be seen as a badge of honor.
04:59 This movie didn't just have people walking out.
05:01 It apparently had some moviegoers leaving in ambulances.
05:04 "Do you have any idea how insensitive that is? Not to mention sick?"
05:08 Made on a crowdfunded budget of $250,000, Terrifier 2 was something of a passion project for Damian Leone,
05:15 who had been developing its antagonist, Art the Clown, for close to two decades prior to its release.
05:20 Clearly, the director's dedication paid off, as the film became a surprise hit despite its polarizing gore and violence,
05:26 earning over $15 million in profits.
05:29 Actress Lauren LeVera played no small part in this mainstream success,
05:33 providing the Terrifier franchise with its first fully fleshed-out final girl, Sienna Shaw.
05:38 "You're right about everything."
05:41 "What's right about you, too?"
05:44 "I'm not one."
05:46 "They used me to get you here. They need you in this place for a reason."
05:49 Number 14, The Wailing.
05:52 As a South Korean horror film with a runtime approaching three hours,
05:55 The Wailing may appear to be an intimidating watch to more casual moviegoers.
05:59 Fortunately, this supernatural horror is so intense and tightly written that you won't want to peel your eyes away.
06:05 "It's so scary."
06:08 It focuses on the spread of an infection that causes people to harm those around them indiscriminately.
06:13 Thought to be brought into Cook Sung by a demon taking the form of a Japanese man,
06:17 the disease leads to mistrust among the community as a series of motiveless murders pile up.
06:22 At one point, an intense exorcism is even attempted to rid the protagonist's daughter of the supposed infection,
06:28 but it cannot stop the unrelenting horror brought by the red-eyed demon.
06:32 Number 13, Barbarian.
06:45 There's no denying Barbarian's dark sense of humor,
06:47 but its well-crafted scares still place it firmly in the horror category.
06:51 An Airbnb mix-up begins this sordid tale of decades-old secrets,
06:54 and to say that travelers Tess and Keith are unprepared for what awaits them
06:57 in their unexpectedly shared living arrangement is an understatement.
07:01 "Someone else is down here."
07:03 "What?"
07:04 "Someone bit me."
07:06 A series of narrative twists and turns keeps the characters, and viewers, on their toes,
07:11 as the film slowly unravels the barbaric truth behind the Brightmoor home,
07:15 that the true monster is not the disfigured woman keeping people captive,
07:18 but her relatively normal-looking father is just one of many brilliant subversions by this clever modern horror.
07:24 Number 12, The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
07:35 It opens with a mystery.
07:36 Father-son coroners Tommy and Austin have been tasked with finding out
07:40 what happened to create the horrific crime scene in the film's opening.
07:43 "Judging by the progress it made through his bloodstream,
07:45 he was already dead by the time somebody blew his face off."
07:48 Their first autopsy is more graphic than one you'd see on a primetime crime show,
07:52 but otherwise, fairly run-of-the-mill.
07:54 But when they start examining the Jane Doe, they begin to find anomalies.
07:58 Dread begins to set in as more and more interior injuries
08:01 fail to match up with the condition of the "corpse's" body.
08:05 By the time Tommy and Austin realize something supernatural is afoot, it's already too late.
08:10 The film's horror concept is uniquely terrifying,
08:12 and its open-ended final scene is sure to leave viewers on edge long after the credits roll.
08:17 Number 11, Pearl.
08:27 In 2022, Ty West gave us two original horror films, X and Pearl.
08:32 Part of a film series also titled X, the movies had unique, well-rounded characters
08:37 and aesthetics inspired by films of the past.
08:40 While there is some debate as to which entry comes out on top,
08:43 we tend to prefer the technicolor terror that is Pearl.
08:46 Taking cues from the classic Hollywood era, particularly The Wizard of Oz,
08:50 Pearl is a spine-chilling subversion of a visual style
08:53 typically associated with screwball comedy and exaggerated melodrama.
08:56 And of course, the translation of Pearl from the murderous granny in X
09:06 to a bright-eyed German immigrant with big dreams
09:08 could not have been achieved without the trilogy's star, Mia Goth.
09:11 She absolutely kills it.
09:14 Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman are among Universal's more recognizable classic monsters.
09:34 Typically, The Invisible Man doesn't get nearly as much love from the studio,
09:38 so it was interesting to see his story updated for a more contemporary crowd.
09:42 Unlike the 1933 film, 2020's The Invisible Man does not cast its titular character as the protagonist,
09:48 opting instead to follow the deteriorating mental state of a woman who is terrorized by him.
09:53 This radical perspective change allows for the movie to act as a metaphor
09:57 for the horrifying reality of abuse and its traumatizing effects.
10:01 It's a whole new layer of depth to a once simplistic story of a man corrupted by power.
10:06 College can be an important time of transition and self-discovery.
10:16 Unfortunately for Justine, her first week at veterinary school
10:20 leads her to discover a taste for human flesh.
10:28 As the main character of Raw, Justine initially struggles against her newfound craving,
10:32 before finally giving in to her desires in increasingly daring ways.
10:36 The movie depicts this descent in gory, grotesque detail
10:39 that is certain to make even the most seasoned horror fans squirm in their seats.
10:43 The fact that Raw is the feature debut of its director, Giulio DiCorno,
10:47 only makes its skin-crawling horror all the more impressive.
10:50 Following in the footsteps of David Cronenberg,
10:52 DiCorno has brought back the body horror better than ever.
10:55 [speaking in French]
10:58 If you've ever wondered how long you can hold your breath,
11:03 try this 90-minute horror on for size.
11:06 While we don't advise doing this literally,
11:08 it may be hard to stop yourself as the palpable tension builds in A Quiet Place.
11:12 In lieu of much spoken dialogue, this film relies on a thrilling score
11:16 and expert sound design to build its apocalyptic world.
11:19 This is because the film's nameless alien antagonists
11:22 use super-hearing as their primary means of finding prey.
11:25 [thunder rumbling]
11:28 While some films of this nature may have relied on the written word
11:33 for communication between characters,
11:35 A Quiet Place is notable for casting a deaf actress in a leading role
11:39 and teaching its hearing cast to appear fluent in American Sign Language.
11:50 Number 7 - It Follows
11:52 Having sex in a horror film is a recipe for disaster.
11:55 In Scream, Randy even lists it as the first of three rules to surviving a horror movie.
12:00 Number one, you can never have sex.
12:03 [crowd gasping]
12:05 Big no-no!
12:06 It Follows takes the trope up a notch,
12:08 giving its characters the ability to pass their nightmarish stalkers on like STDs.
12:13 Understandably opposed to transferring her fate over to an unsuspecting victim,
12:17 Jay does everything in her power to try and kill off her ever-changing followers
12:21 without hurting anyone else.
12:23 See? Everything's okay.
12:25 [screaming]
12:28 Her quest plays out like a bad dream that's impossible to wake up from,
12:32 complete with an unclear sense of time and space.
12:35 We'd hate to be a part of it, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't want one of those shell phones.
12:39 Number 6 - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
12:42 For her first feature-length film,
12:44 Anna Lily Amarpour invites audiences into an enchanting black-and-white world
12:48 that plays with societal ideas about vampires and womanhood.
12:51 Its small crowdfunded budget forced Amarpour to be creative in the film's construction,
12:55 but didn't hinder its stylish visuals or its strong feminist themes.
12:59 [speaking in foreign language]
13:04 She even shot the Iranian-set film in California to avoid any censorship of its content,
13:10 which includes controversial subjects like sex work, drug use, and generational trauma.
13:15 An eerie atmosphere haunts every moment of this slow-paced horror,
13:19 adding a healthy dose of fear to its significant social messaging.
13:22 [speaking in foreign language]
13:37 Number 5 - It
13:40 Hiya, Georgie.
13:43 Unless you've been living in the sewers this past decade,
13:46 you're likely aware of this 2017 Stephen King adaptation.
13:49 Upon release, the film held the record for the R-rated film with the biggest theatrical opening,
13:54 boasting over $200 million in profits.
13:57 While some of the success can be attributed to the movie's extensive marketing campaign,
14:01 it also must be said that it's just that good.
14:04 [speaking in foreign language]
14:10 Bill Skarsgård brilliantly brought to life Pennywise,
14:13 striking fear into a new generation with updated scares and a whole new look,
14:17 while the teen actors helped carry the film's necessary emotional weight.
14:20 Along with Skarsgård, Sofia Lillis received the brunt of the film's praise,
14:24 including several individual award nominations.
14:26 This is what it wants. It wants to divide us.
14:33 We were all together when we heard it.
14:36 That's why we're still alive.
14:38 Number 4 - The Witch
14:40 What is thou like to live deliciously?
14:43 Robert Eggers' slow-burn horror might not be for everyone,
14:46 but for those in tune with his dark aesthetic and sinister sensibilities,
14:49 it's nothing short of a masterpiece.
14:51 Set in 1600s New England,
14:53 The Witch focuses on an exiled family who become the victims of a series of devastating misfortunes,
14:59 beginning with the death of their newborn child.
15:01 Though it's hard to believe given the plethora of top-notch performances she's delivered afterwards,
15:05 the film also starred Anya Taylor-Joy in her feature film debut as the family's daughter, Thomason.
15:10 You are a hypocrite!
15:12 Oh, thy tongue, daughter mine!
15:14 You sent Caleb to the wood and let me take the blame of that too?
15:17 Is that truth?
15:18 Eggers would later go on to highlight the talents of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson
15:22 in the tense psychological thriller, The Lighthouse.
15:24 This ain't funny.
15:25 No, it ain't.
15:26 And I ain't one to be stranded here with some damn lunatic.
15:30 Number 3. The Babadook
15:32 Whether or not you see The Babadook's titular antagonist as a metaphor for grief or depression, or both,
15:37 there's no denying its extraordinary take on the horror genre.
15:40 Notably, it is a film that is as sympathetic as it is scary,
15:44 a breath of fresh air in a sea of genre films eager to undermine their mentally unstable heroes.
15:49 This makes it stand out from the crowd of not only its predecessors,
15:52 but those who attempted to mirror its success with similarly analogous monsters.
15:56 You're not my mother!
15:58 I am your mother!
16:01 The delivery of the fearsome Babadook's background is equally inspired,
16:06 as the audience is introduced to his mythology through the unsettling illustrations in a children's story.
16:11 This is what he wears on top.
16:13 He's funny, don't you think?
16:15 See him in your room at night?
16:20 Number 2. Get Out
16:24 Get out!
16:25 Yo!
16:26 Get out!
16:27 Chill, man!
16:28 Chill!
16:29 Chill, man!
16:30 After establishing himself as an actor and comedian,
16:32 Jordan Peele made a surprising career turn with Get Out.
16:35 Beginning as a darkly comedic psychological thriller,
16:38 the film's biggest antagonist initially appears to be racism.
16:41 This is, of course, still the case by the film's end,
16:43 but its shocking last act twist really brings the terror to a whole new level.
16:47 With an instantly gripping script and stellar performances,
16:50 it should come as no surprise that Get Out became one of the few horror films
16:54 to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
16:56 Peele would follow this success up with the equally impressive Us and Nope,
17:00 becoming one of the decade's best and most consistent horror directors.
17:04 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
17:14 Green Room
17:15 A punk band realizes too late that something ain't right about their new venue.
17:19 I told you to follow.
17:25 Megan
17:26 This dolly's dance moves are deadly.
17:28 What are you doing?
17:29 Dr. Sleep
17:38 Mike Flanagan mixes King's words and Kubrick's vision for this unique, shining successor.
17:43 It was you.
17:44 She saw your eyes in me, and she'd have to look away.
17:51 T-10
17:52 A compelling argument for practicing abstinence with cars.
17:55 Host
18:04 COVID restrictions inspired this creative computer horror.
18:07 Bettina!
18:08 Bettina! Bettina! Bettina!
18:10 Stop it!
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18:26 Number 1. Hereditary
18:30 And I know it was an accident, and I know you're in pain,
18:33 and I wish I could take that away from you.
18:35 I wish I could shield you from the knowledge that you did what you did.
18:39 Annie is Not Okay
18:41 Following a sudden death in the family,
18:43 the grieving mother begins lashing out at her son Peter
18:46 and turning to supernatural means to communicate with the one she lost.
18:50 The already horrific situation ramps up in intensity,
18:53 culminating in a climax that still gives us nightmares.
18:56 The film's uniquely volatile portrayal of generational trauma
18:59 was a smash hit for indie studio A24
19:02 and even heralded by one critic as the scariest movie of 2018.
19:06 This was painted above the body, right? In blood!
19:09 Director Ari Aster's follow-up folk horror, Midsommar,
19:13 took things up a notch in the shock department,
19:15 but Hereditary remains his masterpiece
19:17 and the gold standard for all horror films that follow in the next decade.
19:21 Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
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19:36 [Music]