I love horror movies. And even so, there are a lot of horror movies that I have not watched yet. This list is not meant to be objective. It is simply my favorite horror movies from this decade that I have seen.
5.
Evil Dead Rise
The first two Evil Dead movies are classics. The low-budget practical nightmare is a marvel from Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Evil Dead Rise is another great addition to the series. The actors are wonderful, the practical effects are magnificent, and the horror is delightful. Just a fun watch for fans of this series and of horror. And also, it has the best and most awesome title card of any movie I have ever seen.
4.
Thanksgiving
It might be surprising to see this movie on this list, especially considering that most have never heard of it. This director is most well known for his movies featuring disgusting amounts of torture, and this movie is different (sort of). While this movie still has violent torture and murder, it has more of a point than movies like Hostel. It plays into consumerism and greed. Heck, the very first scene of the movie is of a Black Friday opening on Thanksgiving that results in deaths and injuries. The next year, the store owner refuses to close the store to avoid a repeat of the event, until multiple people have already been murdered.
This movie is ridiculously violent, so those who don’t like gore should steer clear. It is a lot of fun for horror fans.
3.
Nope
Jordan Peele has cemented himself as a legendary horror director. All three of his movies so far have been great in their own way. I think Nope is his best work yet. The cinematography is beautiful, the acting and script are hilarious and heartfelt, and the alien, Jean-Jacket, is truly terrifying. I love this movie every time I watch it.
This is probably the most misunderstood movie on this list. Its themes and their relevance to the plot are often missed by the audience. The prime example of this is with the monkey, Gordy. Gordy was a monkey actor who snapped one day and killed/ maimed his costars, except for one. The survivor spent his life thinking he was special and exploited animals, which led to his death, trying to exploit the alien. People thought the scenes with Gordy had nothing to do with the rest of the movie, but they had everything to do with it. The main theme of the movie is animal exploitation, from the monkey to the horses to the alien. Trying to tame a wild animal won’t end well.
2.
Weapons
I have already written a review for Weapons, and this will be a condensed version of that. This is probably the most scared that I have been while watching a horror movie. The scares are wonderfully crafted, and the humor is woven into this movie in such a way that doesn’t detract from the horror, but adds to it. There are multiple “what the f—” moments that left me shocked and delighted. Director Zach Cregger takes his great style from Barbarian and all but perfects it.
1.
Sinners
What can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said by everyone (except my contrarian friend who will remain nameless but did not like this movie?. This movie has it all: incredible cinematography, amazing acting, and breathtaking music. I did not expect music to play such a big role in this movie when I went into it, and I was pleasantly surprised and amazed by the “I Lied to You” scene, which everyone was raving about when the movie came out. One of the best parts of this movie is that it is a completely original story made by a big director with only 90 million dollars, and it made almost 370 million dollars worldwide. This gives me faith in the movie industry. A perfectly self-contained story that can exist on its own (hopefully) without becoming a franchise.