5 Scariest Movies of the Decade
25 May 2021
With so many to choose from, it's easy to feel like you’re in a nightmare when it comes to picking the right one. The last decade has produced some greats, which have both terrified and surprised in more ways than one. We figure that the five best ones are here.
If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping, it is a horror. In the words of one famous big-screen villain, what’s your favourite scary movie?
With so many to choose from, it's easy to feel like you’re in a nightmare when it comes to picking the right one. The last decade has produced some greats, which have both terrified and surprised in more ways than one. We figure that the five best ones (plus a few more) are below.
Midsommar
This broke the mould in horror when it was released just a couple of years ago. Starring Florence Pugh, soon to be seen kicking butt in Marvel’s Black Widow, it featured a group of students joining a new age colony in Scandinavia for a festival that soon turns sour.
Normally the worst thing about any festival is the state of the loos but after seeing this, you will face such small problems at Glastonbury with ease. An unforgettable scene featuring a bear suit is truly grizzly beyond words, and the finale of the movie features the most disturbing collection of moaning women bought to celluloid.
The most frightening aspect of this movie? The fact that the whole thing is pretty much set in the daytime. Can you think of any other horrors that are NOT set at night? Us neither.
If you loved this, then you may also want to indulge in the director’s other horror masterpiece Hereditary, featuring a standout debut performance from Milly Shapiro. One of the scariest scenes in the movie involves just a post and a car, and it will leave viewers shocked and horrified in equal measure.
Aster has been noted as saying he has written 10 screenplays he intends to direct, and these are only the first couple. He may possibly turn out to be the greatest horror director of all time at this rate and is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Get Out
From freaky festivals to freaky prospective in-laws! Jordan Peele’s sleeper hit, Get Out, was a breakout hit in 2017, which taught us all, above everything else, never trust a future in-law who can’t stop stirring their tea!
Delivering a subtle social commentary, tied up with a disturbing concept, this movie propelled Daniel Kaluuya to stardom overnight. The movie is full of twists and turns, with everyone not quite as they seem. If you fancy a “freaky friday” night chiller, that is “big” on scares, and …err … “little” in disappointment, then you can’t go wrong with this!
If you can’t get enough Peele, following up with the equally mind-bending Us will also make for a heart-pounding experience.
Peele is set to release another horror flick in 2022, which will undoubtedly keep us all guessing until the end, and is sure to feature some more of his trademark dark humour and killer scares.
Lovers of Daniel Kaluuya’s work in Get Out who fancy something a little more serious will enjoy his new movie, Judas and the Black Messiah. Peele fans can also rejoice as we are showing Toy Story 4 as well, featuring a great (non-scary) performance from the director himself!
It Follows
As if dealing with the in-laws wasn’t scary enough, what about being plagued by the regret of a one-night stand for the rest of your life? The clever horror It Follows will make anyone think twice about who they hook up with.
The film may feature one of the slowest threats ever seen (yes even slower than Zombies) but this does not make it any less terrifying or disturbing. An allegory for the horror of STD’s, the mysterious threat takes on the form of a multitude of random people throughout the movie. None of them looks threatening at all, but they are all still absolutely lethal, underlining the theme that terror doesn’t have to look scary to be deadly.
Maika Monroe plays the unfortunate victim of the unnamed stalking entity. She seals her reputation as a scream queen with this horror, that is sure to become a cult classic as the years go on.
Boasting a retro 80’s aesthetic, with a new retro wave soundtrack, the movie feels like a nostalgic blast from the past you may have rented from the video store decades ago but only came out in 2014.
If you loved Maika Monroe in this, and dig your horror to have an old school 80’s feel to it, then it is also worth checking out The Guest…see what we did there? Best described as The Terminator meets Halloween, watching both as a double bill will make for a great ’80s themed horror evening!
Ghost Stories
From the 80’s styled American Hollywood horror to a rather more twee British affair, Ghost Stories features not just one, but three separate stories to deliver a truly spooky anthology movie.
A sceptic professor sets about debunking the supernatural with each story tapping into primal fears. Being alone in the dark, late-night driving through a wood (never a good idea) and the scariness of parenthood all terrify in equal measure.
Based on the long-running play that has shocked audiences in the West End since 2010, the movie is a faithful adaptation, with a pretty shocking ending, to say the least.
If British horror is where you get your kicks, it might also be worth viewing His House, which came out earlier this year.
This new take on the age-old haunted house genre features a refugee couple who move into some new council accommodation, and soon find themselves terrorised by an evil spirit.
As much as it is a scare-fest regarding its supernatural elements, it will also leave viewers thinking afterwards at just how terrifying it might be to experience life fleeing from terror as a refugee.
If all these haunted hijinks leave you too terrified to sleep after, then maybe head down to the Drive In, courtesy of your own mystery machine. You can revel in the not quite so scary, but very humorous spooky spectacle featured in Scoob.
The Conjuring Series
Saving the best until last, and based on the exploits of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (who did not, unfortunately, happen to have a sweet Great Dane sidekick to help them out), The Conjuring launched its own blockbuster horror franchise, back when it was released in 2013.
This supernatural blockbuster mega-hit series of films has led many viewers to have sleepless nights and makes The Exorcist look like Peter Rabbit, it's that horrifying.
This series boasts an impressive seven entries in total (so far) including three spin-off Annabelle movies, and The Nun. There are also two direct sequels, including the upcoming Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, showing this Summer at the Drive In.
Another movie in development right now, titled The Crooked Man, along with another Nun movie too.
It is basically, the horror equivalent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only with less spandex, more dolls, and a combined threat that would make even Thanos armed with an Infinity Gauntlet quake in his boots.
Want to watch a scary movie during lockdown? Then come and join us at the drive through cinema in London. Book your tickets today!