Thehorrorgenre has seen a lot of evolution over the decades, especially in cinema. It seems like horror ebbs and flows consistently with what’s considered trendy. Sometimes, the direction is to havecopious amounts of jumpscares, while in recent years, A24 has popularized the “minimalist” horror story.
The 2000s of horror motion pictures were full of variety, both good and not-so-good. It was the period where the genre wasn’t quite viewed as fondly as it has become, but there were still a few gems in the rough, which showcased the genre’s immense potential for both quality filmmaking and terror.
Before helmingDC’s disastrous first attempt at creating a cinematic universe, Zack Snyder was known for visually impressive but ultimately mediocre films like 300 and Watchmen. Yet even middling directors like Snyder will always have one genuinely great film under their belt.
2004’s Dawn of the Dead was a remake of the beloved George Romero classic that nailed everything a zombie movie should be. With James Gunn writing the screenplay and a superb cast of characters, Dawn of the Dead is a remake done right.
9Slither
It’s easy to forget that James Gunn was known for low-budget, grisly films prior to being incharge of the DC film divisionand even before directing the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. While his early work may lack the gravitas of his superhero features, many are worth watching.
Slither is a film that knows what it is and fully embraces it. Centered around a parasitic alien taking over a small town, Slither is dripping in B-movie charm, awesome practical effects, and a band of likable characters.
8The Host
After making 2019’s Parasite, the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture Oscar, Bong Joon-ho became a globally known name. Yet the South Korean director’s career spans back years and features many excellent movies. One of his earliest hits was 2006’s The Host.
The Host tells the story of a man who must rescue his daughter after a monster kidnaps her. The Host boasts fantastic performances, outstanding direction from Joon-Ho, and an emotionally powerful narrative that’ll keep you hooked from beginning to end.
7The Ring
Gore Verbinski is one of the most unorthodox and striking filmmakers around. While he will always primarily be known for directing the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Verbiniski has dappled in several distinct genres throughout his career, such as animation, science fiction, and horror.
The Ring was a remake of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 Ring. Usually, Western remakes of acclaimed foreign films rarely succeed; The Ring is the scarce exception to this norm. Verbisnski’s direction is as extremely vivid as the story is frightening.
6The Descent
Bottle movies are films that mostly take place in a single location. Stories of isolation, loneliness, and an inability to escape are fundamental to many bottle narratives, so horror is frequently a perfect backdrop for manygreat single-settingfilms.
Neil Marshall’s 2005 horror classic The Descent tells the story of six women trapped in a cave while being hunted by monstrous creatures. If that wasn’t enough to get you tense, the claustrophobic nature of the camerawork might be enough to have you biting your nails.
5REC
Found footage movies are both a fountain of tremendous creativity and a shortcut for studios to release films as inexpensively as possible. While Paranormal Activity’s success spawned an onslaught of cheaply made found footage movies, thankfully, some talented filmmakers saw the format’s potential and realized it.
REC tells the simple plot of a news crew trapped in a zombie-infested apartment. But by embracing the found footage style and coupled with phenomenal performances, especially from lead Manuela Velasco, REC became something really extraordinary.
428 Days Later
Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has one of the most varied filmographies around. What’s even more remarkable is that most of Boyle’s assorted features have earned monumental recognition. From 127 Hours to Sunshine and Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle has few blemishes in his library.
28 Days Later stars Cillian Murphy and occurs amid a virus apocalypse, which turns people into raging zombies. Not only is 28 Days Later a spine-chilling first-rate horror film from start to finish, but it would also influence many similar stories for years.
3Lake Mungo
Of all the horror tropes, there’s none cheaper than jump scares. While they work on occasion, for the most part, it’s a lazy approach. As such, it’s irregular for a modern feature todearth jump scares entirely. Enter 2008’s Lake Mungo.
Directed and written by Joel Anderson, Lake Mungo utilizes found footage and mock documentary techniques to tell a haunting yet straightforward story. Without a single loud horror sting or cliché beat, Lake Mungo manages to be one of the most nightmare-inducing movies ever assembled.
2Shaun of the Dead
Like most genres, horror is full of many subgenres underneath. You got the ones that generally gel well together, like science fiction horror or thriller horror. But one combo that seems more unusual is comedy horror. Although bizarre on paper, there have been excellent comedy horror films.
Arguably, the king of the comically scary mountain is 2004’s Shaun of the Dead. Director Edgar Wright’s breakout feature, Shaun of the Dead is a bitingly brilliant zombie parody carried by Simon Pegg’s and Nick Frost’s outstanding performances.
1Pan’s Labyrinth
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is one of the greatest creative minds operating in the film industry. Mainly focusing on science fiction, horror, and fantasy stories, del Toro has an eclectic array of quality movies, from the Oscar-winning Shape of Water to the adrenaline-pumping Pacific Rim.
The 2006 dark fantasy movie Pan’s Labyrinth is del Toro’s imagination at its most dynamic. Using numerous special effect styles such as make-up, animatronics, and CGI, del Toro brings his nightmarish, fantastical world to chilling fruition and bloodcurdling masterful results.
