Unveiling the Best 2010s Horror Movies. A decade that gave us new horror masters, lots of genre hybrids, and even elevated horror which opened up the horror genre to much larger audiences, who discovered they loved horror movies. Let’s look at the 2010s horror movies – A Decade of Nightmares
The 2010s really was a golden age for horror movies. It excelled in blending classic scares with innovative storytelling, often including both jump scares and social commentary. This era saw the resurgence of the horror genre.
Not least thanks to new filmmakers pushing boundaries and redefining what it means to terrify an audience with a well-crafted horror movie.
From spine-chilling supernatural encounters to psychological thrillers that haunt your every waking moment long after the credits roll, the period between 2010-2019 really delivered. It offered several unforgettable horror masterpieces which have already gone on to become new classics.
With our list of the best 2010s horror movies, we’re looking into what captivated audiences and critics alike, showcasing the decade’s finest in fear and fright.
Whether you’re a die-hard horror aficionado or a casual viewer seeking a thrilling experience, our list promises to highlight the essential genre films that defined horror in the 2010s.
Some of the Best Horror Movie Directors of the 2010s
To get great horror movies, we also need amazing new filmmakers – writers and directors. The 2010s turned out to be a transformative decade for horror filmmaking. We saw visionary directors redefining the genre and pushing the boundaries of fear.
Often mixing horror with other genres to create hybrid genres, and even making horror accessible to win major awards. Again, I should say, as horror movies have won plenty of awards before. They simply haven’t been “fancy enough” these past few decades.
That changed with the best 2010s horror movies.
Among the standout figures are Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Alex Garland, David F. Sandberg, and Mike Flanagan, each bringing a unique style and fresh perspective to horror filmmaking.
The Masters of Modern Fear
Jordan Peele burst onto the scene with his socially conscious thrillers. Ari Aster captivated viewers with his unsettling and emotionally charged narratives – something Alex Garland also did but with a sci-fi twist. Especially the two first have been accredited with creating “elevated horror” which I’ll get to soon.
David F. Sandberg became a viral hit on YouTube with a horror short, he made with his wife back home in Sweden, and Hollywood took notice. Finally, Mike Flanagan became renowned for his masterful blend of horror and heart. Something he also managed to fully explore in several series!
WOMEN IN HORROR IN THE 2010s
It also proved a good time for female genre directors like Jennifer Kent, Ana Lily Amirpour, Julia Ducournau, Karyn Kusama, and Coralie Fargeat. All of whom have gone on to direct more masterpieces!
Also, 2015 was when we saw M. Night Shyamalan find his way back to good filmmaking with The Visit. After a few less-than-stellar (to put it mildly) movies, M. Night Shyamalan went back to intrigue audiences with intelligent storytelling and his signature plot twists.
The 2010s Best Horror Movies introduced Elevated Horror
Several of the filmmakers mentioned are also accredited with having made “elevated horror”. To put it very bluntly, this is a term coined to make horror movies more palatable to the “horror is trash”-believing audience.
And, let’s be real, it also made it okay for film critics to give a good review to a horror movie.
Hey, I love “elevated horror” as much as the next movie lover. However, to me, they’re just good horror movies. Sure, they’re usually psychological horror movies or ones with social commentary, but they’ve always existed.
Whenever I hear someone saying they like “elevated horror movies” and not “regular horror movies”, I can hear Amy Poehler in Mean Girls going “I’m not a regular mom. I’m a cool mom”.
Good for you, my little closeted horror fiend. You like horror movies but want to slap a fancy label on it?! Be my guest. It still means we’ll get more horror movies, so we all win in the end.
The Best 2010s Horror Movies
Okay, having covered some of the stand-out directors of the Best 2010s Horror Movies and gone over the whole “elevated horror movie”-label, which is real and good, but also just a new name for something we’ve had all along, let’s get to it.
In the list below, you’ll notice the above names as these acclaimed directors all made movies that belong on a list of “The best horror movies of the 2010s”.
Join us as we celebrate the best horror movie directors of the 2010s and their unforgettable contributions to modern horror.
Here’s our list of the best horror movies of the 2010s
The chronological list below includes the director’s name.
The final half of the 2010s (2015-2019)
Midsommar (2019) – Ari Aster
Saint Maud (2019) – Rose Glass
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) – André Øvredal
Haunt (2019) – Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
The Hole in the Ground (2019) – Lee Cronin
Doctor Sleep (2019) – Mike Flanagan
Ready or Not (2019) – Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Escape Room (2019) – Adam Robitel
Brightburn (2019) – David Yarovesky
The Platform (2019) – Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Us (2019) – Jordan Peele
The Prodigy (2019) – Nicholas McCarthy
A Quiet Place (2018) – John Krasinski
Bird Box (2018) – Susanne Bier
What Keeps You Alive (2018) – Colin Minihan
Insidious: The Last Key (2018) – Adam Robitel
Hereditary (2018) – Ari Aster
The Perfection (2018) – Richard Shepard
Overlord (2018) – Julius Avery
Annihilation (2018) – Alex Garland
Thelma (2017) – Joachim Trier
Revenge (2017) – Coralie Fargeat
One Cut of the Dead (2017) – Shin’ichirô Ueda
Satan’s Slaves (2017) – Joko Anwar
The Babysitter (2017) – McG
Mother! (2017) – Darren Aronofsky
Creep 2 (2017) – Patrick Brice
Get Out (2017) – Jordan Peele
Veronica (2017) – Paco Plaza, Spanien
Happy Death Day (2017) – Christopher Landon
It (2017) – Andy Muschietti
Annabelle: Creation (2017) – David F. Sandberg
The Ritual (2017) – David Bruckner
The Endless (2017) – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
It Comes at Night (2017) – Trey Edward Shults
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – André Øvredal
The Conjuring 2 (2016) – James Wan
The Void (2016) – Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanski
Prevenge (2016) – Alice Lowe
Better Watch Out (2016) – Chris Peckover
Lights Out (2016) – David F. Sandberg
The Purge: Election Year (2016) – James DeMonaco
Hush (2016) – Mike Flanagan
The Shallows (2016) – Jaume Collet-Serra
Train to Busan (2016) – Yeon Sang-ho
Split (2016) – M. Night Shyamalan
Raw (2016) – Julia Ducournau
The Wailing (2016) – Na Hong-jin
Under the Shadow (2016) – Babak Anvari
Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) – Mike Flanagan
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – Dan Trachtenberg
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) – Colm McCarthy
The Witch (2015) – Robert Eggers
Bone Tomahawk (2015) – S. Craig Zahler
The Visit (2015) – M. Night Shyamalan
The Invitation (2015) – Karyn Kusama
The first half of the 2010s (2010-2014)
What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi
Housebound (2014) – Gerard Johnstone
Tusk (2014) – Kevin Smith
The Purge: Anarchy (2014) – James DeMonaco
Spring (2014) – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Starry Eyes (2014) – Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmyer
Creep (2014) – Patrick Brice
The Voices (2014) – Marjane Satrapi
It Follows (2014) – David Robert Mitchell
The Babadook (2014) – Jennifer Kent
Goodnight Mommy (2014) – Severin Fiala & Veronika Franz
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) – Ana Lily Amirpour
Mama (2013) – Andy Muschietti
The Sacrament (2013) – Ti West
World War Z (2013) – Marc Foster
The Conjuring (2013) – James Wan
Evil Dead (2013) – Fede Alvarez
Warm Bodies (2013) – Jonathan Levine
Sinister (2012) – Scott Derrickson
Kill List (2012) – Ben Wheatley
Cabin in the Woods (2011) – Drew Goddard
Red State (2011) – Kevin Smith
Final Destination 5 (2011) – Steven Quale
Grave Encounters (2011) – The Vicious Brothers (Colin Minihan & Stuart Ortiz)
You’re Next (2011) – Adam Wingard
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) – Lynne Ramsay
The Skin I Live In (2011) – Pedro Almodovar
Insidious (2010) – James Wan
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) – Eli Craig
Black Swan (2010) – Darren Aronofsky
The Crazies (2010) – Breck Eisner
Let Me In (2010) – Matt Reeves
Julia’s Eyes (2010) – Guillem Morales
The Loved Ones (2010) – Sean Byrne
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) – Jalmari Helander
Trollhunter (2010) – André Øvredal
Piranha (2010) – Alexandre Aja
I Saw the Devil (2010) – Kim Jee-woon
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