Halloween fright night: The best and largely overlooked horror films of the past decade

We’ve handpicked our favourite - and mostly unseen - scary movies of nan past decade.

It's by nary intends an exhaustive database arsenic immoderate titles from this twelvemonth (Sinners and 28 Years Later) could make nan trim successful a caller 'best of' compilation but until past beloved scholar contend yourself pinch these chilling choices.

Which ones person you seen and do you work together pinch our picks?

2014: Ich Seh, Ich Seh (Goodnight Mommy)

(Dir. Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala)

An opulent location pinch ample solid windows glows wrong a secluded Austrian woodland. Inside, a mother (Susanne Wuest) is recovering from cosmetic surgery, her look bandaged for illustration a balaclava. She shutters nan blinds and bulk buys stiff pizza, intent connected keeping nan world out. Within this isolation, however, nan seed of thing sinister unfurls from an unresolved trauma: her copy sons Elias and Lukas (Elias and Lukas Schwarz) commencement to judge she is an imposter.

The directorial debut from filmmaking duoVeronika Franz and Severin Fiala, it developed a cult pursuing for its twist, and group nan reside for their early people horror-infused useful (The Lodge, The Devil's Bath) pinch gorgeous gothic cinematography that feels for illustration being dipped wrong a shadowy scenery painting. It besides marked 2 cardinal themes that would spell connected to specify overmuch of nan past decade’s horror: motherhood and trauma. The opposition betwixt aesthetics - a beautiful brightly-lit location group against nan unknowns of nan acheronian wood outside, reminds america that nan spaces we erstwhile thought should beryllium safest are often wherever life’s top horrors emerge. Warning: Cat lovers, this gets rough. AB

Other 2014 highlights: The Babadook; A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night; What We Do In The Shadows; The Falling.

2015: Évolution (Evolution)

(Dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović)

Over nan people of 3 films, from her 2004 debut Innocence to 2021’s Earwig – her English-language debut astir a woman whose teeth are made of crystal – Lucile Hadžihalilović has established herself arsenic 1 of nan astir singular voices successful French cinema. But it’s her sophomore feature, Evolution, that presently stands arsenic her strongest calling card.

Part creepy arthouse movie, portion disquieting exploration of teen sexuality, Hadžihalilović’s 2nd characteristic follows a young boy, Nicolas (Max Brebant), who lives connected an land pinch different boys and their mothers. No men are coming and nan children are regularly hospitalised to beryllium subjected to experiments by their anaemic-looking carers. Nicolas starts to situation his passive beingness and mobility his intent connected nan land erstwhile he discovers a dormant boy pinch a reddish starfish connected his tummy adjacent to nan shore... A transfixing nightmare ensues. Evolution mightiness beryllium excessively overmuch of a speechless genre workout for those who for illustration their scary little enigmatic; however, for anyone funny to spot what an intoxicatingly eerie quality documentary spliced pinch immoderate aesthetically gripping assemblage scary would look like, hunt nary further. DM

Other 2015 highlights: The VVItch; It Follows; Green Room; The Invitation.

2016: Grave (Raw)

(Dir. Julia Ducournau)

2016 was 1 hellhole of a twelvemonth for horror, but there’s 1 that stands out: Julia Ducournau’s debut movie Raw.

Five years anterior to becoming nan first female to triumph nan Palme d’Or solo for her face-melting accomplishment Titane, nan French writer-director gave america an unflinching and astatine times nauseatingly tactile connection of intent. Following Justine (Garance Marillier), a young vegetarian who embarks connected her first twelvemonth astatine veterinary schoolhouse – nan aforesaid 1 her older sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) attends - Raw is an immersive coming-of-age movie astir primal urges. Always 1 to support her assemblage connected their toes, Ducournau makes it germinate into a modern metamorphosis communicative which deals pinch sisterhood, sexuality and inherited familial trauma, each executed pinch measured excess. She employs cannibalism to remark connected nonconformity and acceptance done unconditional love, and uncommon are films that buttress their allegorical strata pinch specified ocular verve and wicked humour. As for that venomous small sting astatine nan extremity of nan film, it is axenic perfection, reminding everyone that France had pushed nan scary genre by antecedently kickstarting nan New Extremity movement. And ever since 2016, it has had 1 of nan astir assured and fiercest voices successful cinema. Her caller movie Alpha is rumoured to travel retired adjacent year... Bring. It. On. DM

Other 2016 highlights: The Untamed; The Wailing; The Love Witch; The Autopsy of Jane Doe; Prevenge; Train to Busan; Under The Shadow; The Eyes of My Mother; Hounds of Love; Personal Shopper... There's nary disputing it: 2016 was a banner twelvemonth for horror.

2017: Aterrados (Terrified)

(Dir. Demián Rugna)

Home is wherever nan tall, naked slenderman crawls retired from nether your furniture to watch you slumber successful this profoundly unnerving paranormal scary debut from Argentine head Demián Rugna. Set successful a rundown neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, nan homes of immoderate section residents are creaking, cracking and leaking pinch nan beingness of thing sinister. Gurgles echo from room sinks and cutlery clings to cupboards; nan haunted location is nary longer a mansion atop a crooked hill, but alternatively nan seemingly innocuous 4 walls group inhabit daily.

After nan corpse of a precocious deceased small boy turns up successful his mother’s kitchen, a squad of constabulary and paranormal researchers determine to walk nan nighttime successful respective of nan houses - a doomed benignant of slumber party! The scares travel heavy and fast, eschewing nan accustomed supernatural tropes of gradual build-up and subtle entities. These demonic creatures are revealed to transverse dimensions done water, a horrifying conception that’s contaminated pinch themes of societal worry and lodging insecurity. Don’t look successful nan wardrobe. AB

Other 2017 highlights: Get Out; Happy Death Day; Thelma; Revenge.

2018: Suspiria

(Dir. Luca Guadagnino)

Dance is simply a fascinating constituent of horror. Rooted successful obsession that flails pinch affectional erraticism to nan observer, it feels symbolic of an full genre built upon unpicking our innermost anxieties - successful particular, nan panic of losing power of ourselves. Nowhere is this captured amended than successful Luca Guadagnino’s reboot of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Instead of attempting to recreate nan technicolour panic of nan original, it’s a uncommon illustration of a remake that feels truthful caller and unsocial successful its vision, layering humanities texture and focusing connected nan creation elements successful peculiar to elevate meaning.

Contextualised wrong nan governmental turmoil of 1970s West Berlin, it follows Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), a young female that wins a spot astatine nan prestigious (witch-coven run) Markos Academy aft impressing lead choreographer Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton, who impressively plays 3 different roles). A slow and intense gait gives measurement to stunningly sadistic symbolism arsenic dancer’s minds and bodies commencement to unravel, contorting grotesquely. Thom Yorke’s haunting people only adds to nan balletic brutality of a movie that will proceed to spellbind nan minds of those that person seen it forever. AB

Other 2018 highlights: Annihilation; Climax; The House That Jack Built.

2019: Saint Maud

(Dir. Rose Glass)

As you tin show from our database truthful far, immoderate of nan astir memorable scary films of nan past decade travel courtesy of female voices. And it’s a shape that continues. Nay, thrives. Whether its nan aforementioned Lucile Hadžihalilović and Julia Ducournau, Coralie Fargeat (Revenge, The Substance) and Hanna Bergholm (Hatching) aliases Nathalie Erika James and Prano Bailey-Bond (more connected these 2 filmmakers successful a bit), location is an breathtaking caller activity of female board who person been bending nan rules and broadening nan scope of nan genre.

An underseen and stunning illustration of this came successful 2019 pinch Welsh writer-director Ross Glass’ debut movie Saint Maud, a blase psychodrama that captivatingly doubles up arsenic a nerve-jangling portrayal of nan boundaries betwixt piety and belief fanaticism. And much, overmuch more. It follows a young, precocious converted Christian (Morfydd Clark) who has put speech a very different manner successful bid to activity arsenic a live-in palliative-care nurse. Her diligent is cancer-stricken ex-dancer Amanda (Jannifer Ehle), who Maud seeks to person earlier she dies from her illness. The unsettling movie could beryllium sold arsenic a 21st period Carrie, but this superbly acted psychological scary is affecting connected a full different level. Its ending successful peculiar is laced pinch a disturbing and impressionistic poesy that shows not only Glass’ complete tonal power but besides a mastery of storytelling and editing. And it wasn’t a fluke, arsenic her follow-up, Love Lies Bleeding, knocked our socks disconnected this year. Praise Maud. Praise Glass. DM

Other 2019 highlights: Swallow; Us; Ready Or Not; The Hole successful nan Ground; After Midnight.

2020: Relic

(Dir. Natalie Erika James)

Japanese-Australian filmmaker Natalie Erika James’ 2020 debut is an emotionally bruising chiller of nan highest order, 1 which understands that nan scariest things are not ever ghosts aliases supernatural entities but often portion of mundane life. In this case, nan inevitable march of clip and nan fearfulness of succumbing to dementia. There are respective films that person tackled this taxable – Iris, The Notebook, Amour, Still Alice, The Father – but what James does is singular successful nan consciousness she strikes nan correct equilibrium betwixt telling a heartbreaking story, while embracing scary genre coda.

Relic stars Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote arsenic mother and girl Kay and Sam, who spell to hunt for grandma Edna (Robyn Nevin) erstwhile she goes missing. When she mysteriously reappears, Edna has nary representation of wherever she’s been... What starts disconnected arsenic a quality communicative dealing pinch nan beloved scary taxable of intergenerational trauma ramps up to thing unexpected, wherever haunted location tropes are utilized to physically manifest dementia. Word of warning: Relic is profoundly affecting, and it whitethorn deed excessively adjacent to location for comfort. However, nan affectional ending is thing to wealth and will ringing existent for anyone who has witnessed a loved 1 gradually vanish. DM

Other 2020 highlights: The Invisible Man; His House; La Llorona; Possessor.

2021: Censor

(Dir. Prano Bailey-Bond)

The twelvemonth is 1985 and nan spot is England, UK, successful nan aftermath of its "video nasty" scare that saw a full of 72 scary films banned nether nan Video Recordings Act 1984. Enid Baines (Niamh Algar) is moving for nan BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) arsenic 1 of their censors, evaluating gratuitous gore and unit time successful and time out. She appears numb and detached to it all, her hairsbreadth tied backmost successful a tight bun and collar buttoned up to nan apical successful a superficial pretence of control. This veneer starts to ace erstwhile Enid thinks she sees her sister, who has been missing for years, successful 1 of nan movies she’s reviewing. So originates a hopeless hunt and a psychological unravelling, successful which nan lines betwixt reality and fictional unit blur. Censor, overmuch for illustration Pearl, Stopmotion, The Babadook, Midsommar and truthful galore much of nan past decade, is told done nan lens of a woman’s soul turmoil, arsenic scary becomes an look of losing grip connected societies’ insurmountable pressures and expectations.

Darkly lit pinch technicolor neon-hues, Prano Bailey-Bonds’ awesome directorial debut captures some nan fuzzy consciousness of a unique era, and nan inevitable descent into past trauma erstwhile we effort to support its repression excessively tightly wound. AB

Other 2021 highlights: Titane; Lamb; The Innocents; The Sadness; Last Night successful Soho.

2022: Gæsterne (Speak No Evil)

(Dir. Christian Tafdrup)

People pleasers, beware. On nan surface, this Danish psychological scary sounds for illustration it could beryllium a “fun” picnic movie: A family of 3 befriends different family of 3 connected vacation and are invited to enactment pinch them. What ensues, however, is not slapstick antics and Adam Sandler successful sliders, but alternatively a horrifying communicative of hidden quality evil and really we mightiness let it to hap done (dangerous) politeness. As subtle misunderstandings originate and simmer pinch sadism, an atrocious truth comes to ray astir nan big family.

An English-language type of Tafdrup’s movie was made this twelvemonth starring James McAvoy - and was amazingly bully - but nan original remains 1 of nan past decade’s stand-out horrors for truthful accurately capturing nan subtle nuances of quality communication, and nan ways successful which denying our gut feelings successful bid to beryllium liked aliases support a consciousness of civility tin destruct us. A punishingly sadistic - and astatine times incredibly frustrating watch, but 1 that provides an almighty bleak gut-punch of reflection. AB

Other 2022 highlights: Mad God; Nope.

2023: Cuando acecha la maldad (When Evil Lurks)

(Dir. Demián Rugna)

Something is rotten successful agrarian Argentina. A bed-ridden bulbous antheral body, to beryllium exact, swollen pinch tumorous tegument and oozing pus, astir to springiness commencement to thing awful. Two brothers observe him amidst a abrupt sinister dispersed of decease and decay successful nan section area - learning he is what is known arsenic a “rotten”, possessed by demonic evil. What should you do successful specified a circumstance? Probably enactment good away, but Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimi (Demian Salomón) determine to dispose of this man by driving him acold away. When he falls disconnected nan backmost of their truck, however, it’s excessively late. The rot is everywhere.

This is nan 2nd introduction successful this database by head Demián Rugna, whose films whitethorn beryllium lesser-known to mainstream audiences but person brought to nan scary genre an undeniably unsocial imagination of possession-based dread. Similar to Terrified, When Evil Lurks leaks pinch decease and disease, confronting our fears of it merging pinch and mangling life. It surely doesn’t clasp backmost connected gore, but it’s gore made each nan much impactful done beardown characterisation and a crippled that festers pinch nan communal paranoias caused by corruption. AB

Other 2023 highlights: Infinity Pool; Vincent Must Die; Talk To Me.

2024: Oddity

(Dir. Damien McCarthy)

It was a toss-up betwixt Irish writer-director Damien McCarthy’s Oddity and French writer-director Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, but considering we’ve already waxed lyrical connected nan second ever since its Cannes premiere this year, clip to shingle things up a little. (FYI: At nary constituent was nan bafflingly overhyped and shrug-worthy Longlegs successful consideration, a movie which done nan powerfulness of trading and societal media buzz had a full information of nan net losing their corporate crap for very little. More powerfulness to you if it was your scariest movie of nan year, but we dream you broaden your horizons and activity retired this Irish gem.)

For nan follow-up to his acclaimed Caveat, McCarthy delivers different slow paced chiller that sees a unsighted mean trying to uncover nan truth down her copy sister’s execution a twelvemonth prior. It’s a supernaturally-tinged location penetration movie that reveals itself to beryllium a canny retelling of nan Golem myth. The performances passim are fantabulous – particularly Carolyn Bracken, who wholly aces playing some sisters – and McCarthy makes nan astir of nan constricted locations. And of course, he knows really to grip that woody mannequin. Frequently unnerving, Oddity is simply a testament to ratcheting hostility and crafting intelligent jump scares – which are fewer but perfectly orchestrated and serving this communicative of of really nan tone world tin activity retribution against evil that is all-too-human. DM

Other highlights: The Substance; The Devil’s Bath; Late Night With The Devil; Stopmotion.

Happy spooky screenings!