Horror, much like comedy, is something of a subjective genre. What scares one person might bore the next, and what disturbs someone might simply annoy others. Similarly, the very definition of a horror film isn’t always clear either. Jump scares, blood n gore, and monster effects have their place, but oftentimes the most effective horror comes from an unsettling atmosphere, personal terrors, and the possibility that it could happen to you.
Narrowing down fifteen years worth of such films to just a handful of top picks isn’t easy, but Matthew Monagle and I shuffled through the hundreds of titles and settled on the fifteen we think make up the best of the best. Our picks include ghosts, creatures, zombies, vampires, killer kids, and perhaps most frightening of all, some very human monsters too.
One last note, in regard to viewing the millennium as having started in 2000 or 2001, we’re deferring to the renowned educational series, Seinfeld, in which a much-respected philosopher stated: “Since there was no year zero, the millennium doesn’t begin until the year two-thousand and one.”
So here are the 15 best horror films from 2001-2015.
Session 9 (2001)
The 2004 film The Machinist featured an incredible physical transformation by Christian Bale, one that made it impossible for director Brad Anderson – without a writing credit for the first time in his career – to wrest authorship away from his leading man. Those who remember the film think of it as a Bale performance first and a compelling thriller second; so the task is left to the rest of us to shout the praises of Session 9 to the heavens. Despite the memorable casting of David Caruso, the film is a haunting examination of the ways the human mind can break under the burden of overwhelming guilt. Furthermore, in shooting his film at the defunct Danvers State Hospital, Anderson gave us a movie location rivaling that of Kubrick’s Overlook Hotel. – Matthew Monagle
The Ring (2002)
No one really expected much from a horror remake by the director of Mousehunt, but even if our expectations had been high they probably would have been exceeded. Gore Verbinski actually improves upon the already creepy Japanese original in part by grounding the tale more fully before unleashing its tragically vengeful ghost into our world, and it’s all brought to life with Hollywood-level effects and visuals that seamlessly merge the real and the nightmarish. VHS tapes may be dated now, but the film captures the power of media — the power we give it — in a way that feels timeless. Regardless of the medium, our addiction is unwavering, and we can not look away. – Rob Hunter
The Descent (2005)
The best horror films – the films that earn their place alongside the pantheon of greats – are the ones that play off our fear of the unknown in a world where everything is mapped and categorized. The Descent presents us with a group of strong female characters; it then proceeds to bury these characters half a mile under earth and rock. Director Neil Marshall makes sure we feel every inch. This means that the subterranean creatures are almost an unnecessary addition. By the time the amateur spelunkers admit that they’re lost and start turning on each other, the fear of never being able to find your way back to the surface is considerably more frightening than the simple prospect of being eaten alive. – MM
Ils (2006)
As scary as ghosts and zombies can be at times, they’re escapist creations that we know aren’t going to follow us home from the theater. By contrast, human monsters with a desire to terrorize and murder us may already be waiting up in the attic. Writers/directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud capture the very real fear of an unknown someone intruding into the false safety of our home with the intent of doing harm. The already terrifying nightmare is made even more frightening by the casualness behind the motivation and the realization that your life could be worth so little to someone else. Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers isn’t a remake despite some incredible similarities, and while a couple issues hold it back from Ils‘ (aka Them‘s) absolute greatness it’s still a terrifically scary experience well worth a watch. – RH
The Orphanage (2007)
Haunted house tales are some of the most common in the genre as unseen presences are cheap to film, but visible ghosts — when done right — can be far scarier. J.A. Bayona‘s The Orphanage is brilliantly-crafted proof of this as it uses conventional elements (big house, a ghost-hunting psychic) to tell a story featuring a tangible but immensely creepy phantom and a grief-filled mystery spanning decades. It succeeds as a fantastic haunted house film, but it elevates itself with attractive visuals, invested performances, and a tragic tale at its core. We’re left shaken and sad for both the living and the dead with moments that truly chill our hearts and an ending that just might leave some viewers teary-eyed. – RH
Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Horror anthologies are making something of a comeback this year, but when Michael Dougherty’s quartet of horrifically humorous terror tales arrived in 2007 it was the end of a long, uninspired dry spell. Easily the best of its kind since Creepshow, this EC Comics-like collection of grisly comeuppances and gory demises captures the holiday spirit with a clear reverence for Halloween and a wide variety of monstrous threats. It’s more fun than scary — although it has more than a few creepy moments — but its smart structure and affection for the genre work with a stellar cast and memorable character design to make Dougherty’s film a Halloween fixture. The ultimate trick was that we never got a sequel, but at least we have the treat of Dougherty’s long-awaited follow-up (Krampus) hitting theaters in December. – RH
[Rec] (2007)
There’s a reason only one found footage film made the cut for this list, and that’s because the vast majority of films employing the format do so without narrative necessity and competent execution. Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza‘s franchise-starter understands that and sets up reasons for everything to come as well as likable protagonists. Once the terror starts it’s relentlessly aggressive and only pauses to build more tension or reveal the twisted story behind the nightmare. That story offers a compelling narrative that’s clearly no mere afterthought, and we never question why the camera is still rolling. The immediate sequel is great even if the next two are a series of diminishing returns, but this is a classic that legitimized the format and continues to deliver the scary goods on repeat viewings. – RH
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