Horror movies have experienced a renaissance in the 21st century, particularly during the 2010s, and this trend has continued halfway into the 2020s. Many new and original movies have scared up plenty of fans worldwide, even while theaters struggled during the pandemic. The genre’s continued achievements, both critically and commercially, have shown that the movie industry has the potential to create smart, scary, and successful films. Now that 2025 is here, it’s time to review the seven best horror movies of the decade so far.
7. Evil Dead Rise (2023)
This reboot from director Lee Cronin brought new life to the iconic Evil Dead franchise, moving away from the traditional cabin-in-the-woods to an old Los Angeles apartment. There, a pregnant woman tries to protect her sister’s children after the latter is turned into a Deadite, invoking the anxieties of pregnancy and motherhood.
At the end of the day, Evil Dead Rise added a new layer of fear to this classic horror saga while still delivering plenty of blood, gore, and humor to satisfy fans of Sam Raimi’s films and achieve massive profits.
6. X (2022)
Veteran horror director Ti West and A24 delivered an incredible love letter to slasher films with this hit horror movie. While X pays homage to classic slasher movies like Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it distinguishes itself in the genre by deconstructing and defying established tropes.
As the film delivers plenty of clever and bloody scares traditionally seen in slasher movies, it also presents a terrifying tale about voyeurism, sexual repression, and the loss of youth, best embodied by the villain Pearl in actor Mia Goth’s breakout dual performance.
5. A Quiet Place: Part II (2020)
Though the pandemic pushed back its release, this highly anticipated sequel made quite a lot of noise in theaters with its record-breaking run. A Quiet Place: Part II made for an incredible follow-up to the acclaimed original film, expanding its post-apocalyptic story as the Abbott family leaves their farm to search for help in their alien-infested world.
The story also adds new themes as it explores how people have lost hope with both vicious aliens and desperate humans fighting for survival. Even after the events of A Quiet Place, the franchise is as scary and suspenseful as ever, ensuring audiences will hold their breath throughout this sequel.
4. Nope (2022)
Director Jordan Peele’s third film takes Spielberg movies like Jaws and Close Encounters and blends them with classic Westerns, Black history, and corny TV sitcoms to create an alien blockbuster unlike any other. While it may try to juggle too many subplots, Nope says a lot about the media’s exploitation of animals and trauma in the pursuit of profit without undermining its message.
Nope also presents a suspenseful and beautifully shot horror film chock-full of comedic and terrifying surprises that keep its viewers guessing up to the story’s epic finale. All in all, Nope presents a thrilling and insightful movie that honors Hollywood’s past while showing the proper way forward as a one-of-a-kind cinematic adventure.
3. Talk to Me (2022)
This Australian horror film put a unique spin on the possession subgenre by showing a group of teenagers using a cursed, embalmed hand to get likes and highs off of ghosts taking over their bodies. It’s a creative and haunting tale about the dangers of addiction in the modern age, as well as trauma and depression, and its message grabs viewers by the throat with its shocking and gruesome depictions of possession.
Even after so many films tried to duplicate The Exorcist‘s success, Talk to Me sets itself apart with its extreme scares, inventive premise, and deep, emotional narrative.
2. The Substance (2024)
Writer/director Carolie Fargeat delivered a disturbing tale of a desperate woman trying to reclaim her youth. Injected with intense performances, social satire, and grotesque body horror, The Substance goes to the extreme as it presents a terrifying and visceral commentary about how women and their bodies are seen and valued in the modern world.
This movie wasn’t just a surprising box-office success. The Substance also reasserted horror cinema’s prestige as a major awards darling, specifically winning Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and actor Demi Moore winning a Golden Globe for her lead performance in the movie.
1. Nosferatu (2024)
Director Robert Eggers reinvigorated the vampire genre by bringing it back to its terrifying roots with his remake of 1922’s Nosferatu. This dark fairy tale shows the evil Count Orlok unleashing a deadly plague on the town of Wisborg in his obsessive pursuit of protagonist Ellen Hutter.
Nosferatu is both a technical and creative achievement, boasting captivating visuals, incredible costumes, and extraordinary performances, particularly from actors Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård. It also gets under the viewers’ skin with the abject horror invoked by its vampiric scares and sexual undertones, making for the ultimate cinematic marriage of romance and horror.
