10 of the Best Horror Movies from 2020

10. Come to Daddy

Elijah Wood with a strange mustache. It worked for me. It doesn’t hurt that the movie was also a surreal, weird tale of strained relations and uncomfortable reunions between a father and son.

9. The Hunt

Though, not a technically great movie, I had a real fun time watching it. The real star of the show, however, is Betty Gilpin as Crystal. Her character is so perfectly played you find yourself rooting for her as soon as you meet her.

8. Freaky

Like a nice snack right when you need a snack. I was ready to see some Vince Vaughn and this delivered (though, I could’ve used more, tbh). I was a fan of Happy Death Day 1 & 2 and I’m happy to add this to the list of “wins.”

7. Terrifier

Honestly, it was gory and fun and the clown was creepy. It was an easy, fun horror movie that hit all the right notes. Felt like movies I watched in high school.

6. Antrum

Give me a weird 70’s-style horror flick that supposedly has a death-curse tied to it and I’ll give you a spot on my top 10.

5. Gretel & Hansel

This movie was just so awesomely cool to look at. I loved its fresh take on an old tale. Plus it was maybe the last movie I saw in a theater last year? Can that be true?

4. The Dark and the Wicked

No lie, made me feel more scared than any other movie I saw this year. The movie’s real strengths were found in the scenes with the two siblings - each of those scenes felt almost uncomfortably realistic and helped to build tension.

3. The Vast of Night

You almost always have me at “aliens,” but this movie was such a refreshing, nostalgic take on aliens in film, and real-life reports of sightings. I immediately loved the main characters and thought both actors did a great job. The director’s style and the lighting choices created a beautiful atmosphere and made me feel like I was there.

2. Possessor

Possessor was such a great way to round out the year. Brandon Cronenberg has really created a unique, unsettling film and it’s clear that he’s been influenced by his father’s films. That being said, this movie was very much his own, with his own stamp on it. A wonderfully acted, written, and directed movie - one of the few “must watch” movies of 2020.

1. Host

Quite literally the perfect movie for 2020. It managed to come out and feel like an instantly relatable and timely indie horror flick. Like, I cant imagine how to better capitalize on the 2020 pandemic situation in a more perfect way.

10 of the Best Horror Movies of the Decade

10. Mandy

Mandy was such a wild ride - it’s near impossible not to get sucked into it’s trippy, epic story of love, revenge, and LSD. Nic Cage was made for the main role, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score couldn’t be more perfect, and the visuals from director Panos Cosmatos won’t soon be forgotten.

9. The Ritual

If you find yourself feeling as if there are just no quality movie monsters anymore, I’d like for you to meet The Ritual. In addition to having, what I like to consider, the best movie monster of the decade, The Ritual also brings some serious scares and tense moments. It’s based on a book, which is also fun if you’re into books.

8. You’re Next

You’re Next has to be one of my top, go-to horror movies to recommend to folks. A solid home invasion thriller, with a satisfying story and catchy af song, You’re Next will hold a special place in my heart for many years to come.

7. The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods was an instant classic. A meta look at horror movies and their many tropes, this movie has a perfect balance of classic horror violence and humor (Brad Whitford and Richard Jenkins?!). The ending is so fun and intense that you’ll immediately want to rewatch, or pause multiple times throughout, to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

6. The Lighthouse

Having high expectations for an upcoming release is risky, and The Lighthouse was one of those movies I had high expectations for. Robert Eggers’ debut movie, The VVitch, was a huge success among horror fans and it may be forever cemented as one of my all-time faves. While The Lighthouse brings a much different type of story, you see Eggers’ hand in all of it. The result is a beautifully captivating and unsettling tale about two lighthouse keepers fighting the effects of isolation and promethean curses.

5. The Babadook

Jennifer Kent did everything right when she made The Babadook. It’s a heavy, terrifying look into the grieving process and the toll it can take on a single mom, trying to raise her child after the death of her husband. Kent creates a rich backstory for her characters, including the sinister Mr. Babadook. This is maybe not the book you would expect to see on a child’s bookshelf - but if you did, you’d likely be compelled to read it.

4. Raw

Raw was an early 2017 release that legit blew me away. Julia Ducourna’s first film brought us a unique story, told in a way that was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It was confident and skillful story-telling that you’d expect to see from a director well into their career. Raw was an instant, rewatch-worthy hit with me and I was introduced to so many great songs from it’s fantastic soundtrack.

3. Midsommar

Released not long after his 2018 success, Hereditary, Ari Aster gave us a megadose of soul-crushing realness with his second film, Midsommar. The visuals in this movie were stunning - not to mention, one of the first scenes you see is absolutely one of the decade’s most terrifying horror movie scenes. Florence Pugh also gives an amazing performance as the protagonist, Dani. I’m definitely ready for whatever Ari Aster does next.

2. What We Do in the Shadows

Do you like comedies where you pick up a new, funny line each time you rewatch it? Then you need to check out What We Do in the Shadows - that is, if you haven’t already. Now that it’s got its own spin-off TV show, it’s growing in popularity - rightly so! Also, if you don’t already love Taika Waititi and the great movies that he’s been involved with, I recommend starting here and then revisiting as often as possible. Lolz for dayz.

1. The VVitch

To me, The VVitch is so close to horror movie perfection that there was no hesitation putting it in my #1 spot. I love period movies and I was instantly on board with a witch-themed horror movie set in early puritan America. Robert Eggers’ attention to detail and his dedication to authenticity pay off in such a terrifying way.

Very honorable mentions: Green Room, Evil Dead, The Voices, Black Swan

10 Mexican Horror Movies for Cinco de Mayo

Cronos (1993) Rated R

Director: Guillermo del Toro | Writer: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook

Horror movies often feature some mysterious device that either grants its owner some superhero ability or curses them forever. Cronos is a movie about the latter. Some strange device, designed to grant its owner eternal life, is discovered after hundreds of years, and it doesn’t bring anything good with it. This is the first of two Guillermo del Toro entries on this list (no surprise there) - though, technically, he’s only responsible for the screenplay in the second one. Still, if you like del Toro’s work at all, you should add these to your “to watch” list.

Santa Sangre (1989) Rated NC-17

Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Writers: Alejandro Jodorowsky (story & screenplay), Roberto Leoni (adaptation & screenplay), Claudio Argento (screenplay) | Stars: Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell

Remember when I said there would be a couple stretches, in terms of "Mexican Horror", this is one of them. It's only connection is that it's filmed in Mexico. Still this movie is, to say the very least, something else. It is a weird, unsettling collection of disturbing and violent imagery. A young man is confined in a mental hospital due to the years of violent physical and psychological trauma he was exposed to as a child, at the hands of his own father (who happens to be a crazy, religious fanatic). The movie’s first half is essentially a flashback about the trauma, followed by the man’s escape and reunion with his mother (who was also tortured by the father). This is no Nicholas Sparks-esque reunion, this is horrible and violent and upsetting. Do yourself a favor and give it a watch.

Patient 27 (2014) No Rating

Director: Alejandro G. Alegre | Writer: Alejandro G. Alegre | Stars: Marcos Duarte, Isaac Perez Calzada, Itzel Enciso

This is a lesser-known, hard-to-find movie. You may have to do some searching to actually find a place to watch it but, if you do, consider yourself lucky, I guess. I’m basing that assumption entirely on the two people I’ve talked to, who have both seen this movie and have positive things to say about it (and whose judgement I usually trust). The movie is about a man who starts to notice strange things about a patient receiving treatment at the lab where he works. Patient number 27...dun dun dun! These strange things really start to take their collective tolls on this guy, even to the extent of causing severe insomnia and hallucinations. If you’re like me, this little description is enough to make you want to find this movie and watch it. If you do find it, let me know where, please!

Night of a Thousand Cats (1972) Rated R

Director: Rene Cardona Jr. | Writers: Rene Cardona Jr., Mario A. Zacarias | Stars: Anjanette Comer, Hugo Stiglitz, Zulma Faiad

If that title alone doesn’t pull you in, maybe the idea of a thousand blood-thirsty cats, feasting on the chopped-up body parts of a killer’s victims will. I mean, just let that sink in. It's a pretty crazy concept and, I won’t lie, this movie isn’t really that great. Meaning, it's never going to go down in history as a "classic", but it’s definitely an amusing watch.

We Are What We Are (2010) Not Rated

Director: Jorge Michel Grau | Writer: Jorge Michel Grau | Stars: Francisco Barreiro, Adrian Aguirre, Miriam Balderas

Not to be confused with the other We Are What We Are (2013) that has been streaming on Netflix for the past year or so. That is the remake and, while it isn’t bad and is worth checking out, this one is the original and the original foreign versions of movies are almost always better. This movie tells the story of a strange family who are involved in some weird rituals, and how their weird rituals tie into the fact that they like to eat people. Cannibals ftw!

Poison for the Fairies (1984) No Rating

Director: Carlos Enrique Taboada | Writer: Carlos Enrique Taboada (story & screenplay) | Stars: Ana Patricia Rojo, Elsa Maria Gutierrez, Leonor Llausas

Little-kid killers (not to be confused with little kid-killers, which are much different) are always fun to see in horror movies. So when one of the killer kids convinces her close pal that she’s a witch and that she must now serve her, you know great things are about to happen. I doubt many people would call this an actual “horror” movie, but it could easily be one of those movies that was fun but also scared you when you were a kid. That being said, I know there are plenty horror-loving adults out there who would also appreciate this little treat.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) Rated R

Director: Troy Nixey | Writers: Guillermo del Toro (screenplay), Matthew Robbins (screenplay) | Stars: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison

Those who have seen del Toro’s Crimson Peak (2015), won’t be surprised to know that it wasn’t his first foray into writing a Gothic-style horror movie. He seems to enjoy, and be quite good at, creating a dark, haunting atmosphere in his horror movies. While del Toro is really the only thing that ties Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark to this list of Mexican horror flicks, I’ll take it. Plus, the story is about a little girl who moves to a new house, where she believes she’s responsible for releasing some creatures from the sealed ash pit that served as their prison. How can that not be at least a little bit interesting??

El Vampiro (1957) No Rating

Director: Fernando Mendez | Writers: Ramon Obon (story & adaptation), Ramon Rodriguez (screenplay) | Stars: Abel Salazar, Ariadna Welter, Carmen Montejo

We’ve all been there, you come home to make funeral arrangements for a beloved family member, and you end up having to deal with the fact that your hometown is being overrun with vampires. Pretty common story, really. El Vampiro is one of the more enjoyable vampire movies I’ve seen - there’s something about black & white vampire movies that’s just better than the ones in color, ya know?

Here Comes the Devil (2012) Not Rated

Director: Adrian Garcia Bogliano | Writer: Adrian Garcia Bogliano | Stars: Laura Caro, Francisco Barreiro, Michele Garcia

It’s every parent's worst nightmare (maybe almost every parent’s worst nightmare), while enjoying a family vacation in Tijuano, a couple’s two children go missing. The kids are eventually reunited with their parents, but it’s clear that something is not right. The mystery of what happened to these kids may have something to do with the strange caves in the area...

The Blue Eyes (2012) No Rating

Director: Eva Aridjis | Writer: Eva Aridjis | Stars: Zachary Booth, Allison Case, Rafael Cortes

Written and directed by Eva Aridjis, the only lady-director/writer on this list (le sigh), The Blue Eyes was a Kickstarter-backed movie. This movie can prove a little difficult to track down - I was lucky enough to find it on YouTube, but I did see it’s available to rent on Vimeo. Ms. Aridjis is up to come cool stuff. She’s currently working on a full-length documentary, called Chuy, the Wolf Man, about a Mexican family diagnosed with congenital hypertrichosis (aka “werewolf syndrome"). This movie, however, centers around an American couple who have a life-changing experience on their trip to Chiapas, Mexico. This isn’t your average “life-changing” trip, mind you. This is “life-changing” because of the horrible, shape-shifting witch they meet.