Now that we're pretty well into the 2020s, it's time to take a look back at the films of the previous decade. Arguably, no other genre took bigger strides when it came to respectability and critical acclaim than horror, so we thought that would be a fun place to start.
The end of the 2000s thankfully meant an end of "torture porn" and easy cash grabs counting on shock value and jump scares as entertainment. Instead, the 2010s gave us incredible new voices for horror with original and creative visions. These new minds, including Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring), and Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) to name a few, used atmosphere, imagery, tension, and storytelling to create horror that felt real and earned instead of cheap and schlocky.
We also got to see some franchises' return (Halloween, Evil Dead), a director find redemption after several bombs (M. Night Shyamalan with Split), and re-imagining of a horror icon (IT). No matter your tastes in horror, whether you're looking for a fresh take on classic formulas or new and inventive creations, there was something for everybody, which made the 2010s one of the best decades in the last thirty years.;
This list was a group effort between four of us here at MRC. We all submitted individual lists that generated an initial list of 101 movies that was incredibly difficult to pare down to 50. Though we couldn't possibly watch every horror movie made in the decade, we are proud of this list and feel like it is a good representation of the decade. We split the list into three parts, 50-31, 31-16, and 15-1, so be on the lookout for all three parts. Let's jump right in with Part 1 below!
50) Terrifier (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes - 67% IMDB - 5.6/10 Metacritic - N/A
On Halloween night, Tara Heyes finds herself as the obsession of a sadistic murderer known as Art the Clown.
49) Overlord (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes - 81% IMDB - 6.6/10 Metacritic - 60/100
A small group of American soldiers find horror behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day.
48) It: Chapter Two (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes - 63% IMDB - 6.6/10 Metacritic - 58/100
Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.
47) The Crazies (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes - 71% IMDB - 6.5/10 Metacritic - 55/100
After a strange and insecure plane crash, an unusual toxic virus enters a quaint farming town. A young couple are quarantined, but they fight for survival along with help from a couple of people.
46) The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes - 80% IMDB - 7/10 Metacritic - 73/100
Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.
45) The Perfection (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes - 73% IMDB - 6.1/10 Metacritic - 60/100
When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) seeks out Elizabeth (Logan Browning), the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.
44) Grabbers (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes - 72% IMDB - 6.3/10 Metacritic - 62/100
When an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive.
43) Mom and Dad (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes - 75% IMDB - 5.5/10 Metacritic - 59/100
A teenage girl and her younger brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origin causes parents to turn violently on their own kids.
42) The Eyes of My Mother (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes - 78% IMDB - 6.2/10 Metacritic - 63/100
A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life.
41) Happy Death Day (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes - 71% IMDB - 6.5/10 Metacritic - 58/100
A college student must relive the day of her murder over and over again, in a loop that will end only when she discovers her killer's identity.
40) A Dark Song (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes - 92% IMDB - 6.1/10 Metacritic - 71/100
A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.
39) Let Me In (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes - 88% IMDB - 7.1/10 Metacritic - 79/100
A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
38) Creep (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes - 89% IMDB - 6.3/10 Metacritic - 74/100
A young videographer answers an online ad for a one-day job in a remote town to record the last messages of a dying man. When he notices the man's odd behavior, he starts to question his intentions.
37) The Invitation (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes - 88% IMDB - 6.6/10 Metacritic - 74/100
A man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, an unsettling affair that reopens old wounds and creates new tensions.
36) The Hole in the Ground (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes - 85% IMDB - 5.7/10 Metacritic - 63/100
A young mother living in the Irish countryside with her son suspects his increasingly disturbing behavior is linked to a mysterious sinkhole in the forest, and fears he may not be her son at all.
35) Evil Dead (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes - 62% IMDB - 6.5/10 Metacritic - 57/100
Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.
34) You’re Next (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes - 78% IMDB - 6.5/10 Metacritic - 66/100
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
33) The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes - 80% IMDB - 7.3/10 Metacritic - 65/100
Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising 4 children alone in a house plagued by a supernatural spirit.
32) Summer of 84 (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes - 70% IMDB - 6.7/10 Metacritic - 57/100
After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.
31) Krampus (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes - 67% IMDB - 6.1/10 Metacritic - 49/100
A boy who has a bad Christmas accidentally summons a festive demon to his family home.
That does it for Part 1! If some of your favorites aren't on this list, don't worry, there's still a chance they'll be on Part 2 or Part 3 so be on the lookout for those! How many of these have you seen and what did you think of them? Were you surprised that any of these made the list? Send us your thoughts!
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