10 Scariest Movies of the Past 10 Years, Ranked
In the 1990s and 2000s, horror went through some pretty dark times. After seeing so many classics come out in the ’70s and ’80s, the genre fell apart as the slasher boom ended, only to reignite with Scream, then come apart again. Horror was seen as subpar — the type of movies that got dumped in theaters in January and dismissed. Today, however, horror is celebrated, not just by strong box office receipts, but with critical acclaim. There is a wealth of great modern-day horror, but these are the 10 most terrifying of the last 10 years.
10
‘IT: Chapter 1’ (2017)
No killer clown is more famous than Pennywise. Created by Stephen King for his novel IT, the first interpretation of him came in the form of Tim Curry in the 1990s miniseries. It was long thought that no one could top what Curry put on the screen, but then along came Bill Skarsgård in 2017 for It: Chapter 1, who put his own spin on the child-killing alien.
If Curry played his Pennywise as more human, Skarsgård approached the character like a monster pretending to be human. From his squeaky voice to his lazy eye and the way he drools over his dropped bottom lip, this Pennywise is absolutely terrifying. Director Andy Muschietti did a masterful job of crafting compelling characters so likable that we were scared for them as they found impossible nightmares around every dark corner.
9
‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
You’d be forgiven for not expecting much from A Quiet Place when you first heard about it. Wait, John Krasinski, the guy from The Office, is making a horror movie? But then the film dropped, and if you saw it in theaters, A Quiet Place was an unforgettable experience, as everyone put their popcorn aside and sat silently, afraid to move, in case the monsters could come through the screen.
Starring Krasinski and his wife, Emily Blunt, the movie had a brilliant concept revolving around aliens who came to Earth and could hunt by sound. The CGI was so good that the monsters looked real, but nothing could prepare us for the gut-punch death in the first act, where a little boy is killed. If a child could lose his life in this horrifying world, anything was possible.
8
‘Terrified’ (2017)
Terrified wasn’t a huge box office American movie, but rather an Argentine offering from director Demián Rugna that many casual fans may have missed. If you haven’t seen it, check out Terrified, because it lives up to its name and then some. On paper, the plot isn’t anything all that new, with paranormal investigators seeking out answers for some supernatural events occurring in a Buenos Aires home, but Rugna turns the well-worn into a fresh fightfest with his visuals.
Terrified has a chilling monster and plenty of gore, but the best scene is one where little happens. In one of the scariest moments in modern horror, the camera focuses on the impossible: the corpse of a buried boy who somehow returns home to sit at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk. The lack of movement for minutes on end will send chills down your spine.
7
‘Oddity’ (2024)
Damian McCarthy (Caveat) wrote and directed this Irish horror film, a low-budget affair that uses atmosphere to great effect. Gwilym Lee puts on a phenomenal dual performance as two twin sisters, with one who is quite eccentric seeking to find out how her sibling died. McCarthy creates a mystery, which unfolds into a furious third act of shock and terror.
The old house at the center of the film is chilling on its own, so when someone knocks on the door late at night, it’s unbearable. Then there’s the life-sized wooden man who, like the boy in Terrified, will make you uncomfortable simply by its lack of movement. What is it up to?! The non-stop nightmare comes to a shocking conclusion that’s at once satisfying but also guaranteed to make you jump out of your skin.
6
‘Us’ (2019)
Jordan Peele has been perfect so far in the three horror films he’s directed. Get Out was so great that it received Academy Award nominations, and Nope was a fun Jaws-like thrill ride that gave us an alien film like we’d never seen before. But for pure terror, you can’t beat his second film, Us.
Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and Elizabeth Moss, Us first pulls us in with a complex mystery when a family’s home is invaded by their doppelgängers. How could this be?! With scary visuals and a stunning performance from Nyong’o, our questions are answered in unexpected ways, as Peele tells a story that not only gives a deeper message but also aims to chill us with its scope of hopelessness. It all leads to an unforgettable final shot.
5
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
While some might argue that Ari Aster has lost his way recently with Beau Is Afraid and Eddington, his first two films are horror perfection. You can take your pick as to which is the scariest, but because 2017’s Midsommar is more about creeping dread, we’ll go with his debut feature, Hereditary, which he also wrote. Just like with Midsommar, grief is the overwhelming theme, as a mother tries to come to terms with her mother’s death as she uncovers her dark secret life.
It’s an absolute travesty that Toni Collette wasn’t nominated for an Oscar in a performance that is both sympathetic and shockingly visceral. And in one of the most jaw-dropping scenes ever put to film, Milly Shapiro’s character will break your heart (and give you a sudden headache). The ending is as intense as it gets, but the terror builds throughout the entire runtime.
4
‘Weapons’ (2025)
Zach Cregger began in comedy, but horror is now where he excels. He started strong out of the gate with Barbarian, which took our expectations and turned them against us to create something scary we didn’t know was coming. As good as that film was, though, Weapons is even better, making for the scariest movie of 2025.
Just like with Barbarian, the less you know, the better. The initial concept of an entire elementary school class disappearing in the middle of the night is creepy enough, but then Cregger lets his story unfold. Josh Brolin and Julia Garner both knock it out of the park as always, but it’s Amy Madigan who will terrify you every single time she’s on-screen. There are some laughs to be found in Weapons, but you’ll be screaming even more.
3
‘Talk to Me’ (2022)
Australian brothers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou also came from the world of online comedy before turning to horror. They’re two-for-two so far, and although their second film, Bring Her Back, is arguably their best, it works more by being incredibly unsettling rather than scary. It’s their feature debut, Talk to Me, that will terrify you the most.
The film’s premise is about a mysterious hand that will show you the horrific when you grab onto it and say, “Talk to me.” Sophia Wilde leads a tremendous cast in a meditation about grief and trauma. There are plenty of scary scenes throughout, but the most brutal and unnerving happens to young Riley (Joe Bird). You’ll be begging for this one to end for the best of reasons.
2
‘The Night House’ (2020)
David Bruckner has been making horror movies for 20 years, including Signal, The Ritual, and the 2022 Hellraiser, but his best and most chilling is 2020’s The Night House. Starring Rebecca Hall (who should also have been nominated for an Oscar), The Night House is another film that uses grief and trauma as its focus as a widow tries to get through the recent passing of her husband, who took his own life.
The Night House uses the familiar by putting a lone woman in a big house by herself at night as the supernatural begins to occur around her. However, rather than being a traditional ghost story, the plot pulls the rug out from under us with a twist so perfect that it will give you goosebumps.
1
‘When Evil Lurks’ (2023)
Demián Rugna has already appeared on this list with Terrified, but we have to put him on here again with his latest film, 2023’s When Evil Lurks. The plot centers on two men who encounter a grotesque man in a home who has been possessed by a demon. When they decide to get rid of his body, all hell breaks loose as the infection spreads.
When Evil Lurks is not only filled with the darkest of horror, but also with shockingly graphic gore and practical effects. A few scenes in particular, including one with a small child, will leave you shaken to the core. Evil doesn’t just lurk in this movie — it’s in your face, forcing you to watch the horror with such artistic flair that you can’t look away. It’s the scariest movie of the last 10 years.
