10 Best Horror Movies of the Decade (2000-2010)

by Jordan
(TAS, Australia)

Throughout the last ten years, the world as seen a resurgence of the horror film. Events such as 9/11 and the War on Terror have sparked fear in the Western world, and as a result the horror genre has thrived. These are the ten best of this tumultuous time...

10. The Devil's Rejects (2005)

Coming in at number ten is Rob Zombie's sequel to his surprise hit: House of 1000 Corpses, and homage to the grungy, no-budget horror flicks of the '70's, The Devil's Rejects. People turn their backs on this film, claiming it to be too sick, disturbing and harmful to watch, but perhaps what shocks them most is just how well-made it is. Zombie knows his stuff as a director. He injects an artistic flare into this beast to raise it above what it could have been if handled by anyone else, and above all he takes time to develop his characters - characters that by all means we should hate, but we find ourselves empathizing with nonetheless. This is powerful, provocative film making, from a director on the rise.

9. High Tension (2003)

Alexandre Aja bears many similarities with Rob Zombie. Both of them found their feet in the early 21st century, both of them have an obvious affection for the great horror movies that have influenced their careers, and a respect for the directors that have paved the way for them. Aja's hit, High Tension, is perhaps the purest slasher film since the sub-genres hey-day back in the 70's and 80's. The protagonist is highly likable, the acting is perfect, the violence is intense and the tension is indeed very high. Perhaps slightly let down by its controversial ending, High Tension still stands as pillar in the modern horror world, and could very well be a future classic.

8. Resident Evil (2002)

Resident Evil is perhaps the tamest film on this list, although that’s not to say it’s without violence and carnage. Based on the hugely popular (and hugely terrifying) video game series of the same name, Resident Evil helped re-usher the zombie movie back into the mainstream, a feat that most horror fans should be eternally grateful for, especially since this resulted in the creation of other great 21st century zombie movies such as 28 Days Later (2002), Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Land of the Dead (2005). Resident Evil is admittedly not a great movie, but it is the very definition of a guilty pleasure, and we should all be thankful that Director Paul Anderson was intelligent enough to keep the zombies walking, and didn't resort to letting them run for cheap scares or to cater for a younger audience.

7. Mother of Tears (2007)

My first though after watching Mother of Tears was not disappointment like most fans of Argento's work, but rather delight - delight that although the times, fashion and society’s standards have changed, Argento has not. This is an insane piece of work. Flawed? Yes. Often incomprehensible? Yes. Bad? Not a chance. Argento has completed his ‘Three Mothers’ trilogy with a bang louder than the atomic bomb. Mother of Tears is a dizzying, entertaining and outrageous high, and those who have dismissed it so early need to remember one thing: how many of Argento's movies have been critically lauded upon release? And how many are considered classics now?

6. Pontypool (2009)

Pontypool doesn't offer much in the way of action, gore or violence but what it does offer is one of the most original takes on the zombie movie ever. Taking place in real time almost entirely in the confines of a radio booth tucked away in a church basement, this is a movie that more than utilizes its premise, it builds upon it. The plot is incredible (a zombie-like virus is infecting people in the small town of Pontypool through certain words in the English language, and a breakfast radio commentator strives to inform the public what’s happening, but is he himself the one spreading the virus? And how did this situation come about?) and the acting never faults. This is a movie with a lot more questions than answers, but I assure you, you will not mind one bit.

5. The Mist (2007)

Thanks to the immensely popular The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Frank Darabont has become one of America's favorite directors, only with one catch: 99% of the population probably doesn’tt even know who he is. People love The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile (1999), but are they aware that the director of these also penned A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), is a self proclaimed Stephen King fan and had a cameo appearance in John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)? I don't think so. And so it comes as no surprise that nearly no one expected him to direct the almost perfect adaption of Stephen King's The Mist. Of course, there was no one more perfectly suited to the job. The Mist is at once terrifying, moving, thought provoking, captivating, depressing and immensely intelligent; not only is it one of the best movies of the decade, but its also one of the best King adoptions of all time, and that really is saying something.

4. Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Being a massive fan of the Evil Dead movies, as well as just about every other Sam Raimi movie, Drag Me To Hell was my most anticipated film on the list, and it certainly didn't disappoint. This is a movie that was undeniably funny, but did what is almost unachievable these days, it didn't sacrifice its scares for laughs. As I was watching this in the cinema, I found myself sitting at the very edge of my seat, waiting in trepidation for the old lady to re-appear so I might joyously jump back out of it. I loved everything about this movie; the references to Raimi's earlier works, the cast, the directing, but above all I loved the enthusiasm under which it was obviously made. This is a movie by horror lovers, for horror lovers.

3. Let The Right One In (2008)

Words can't describe the joy I felt after watching this terrifically traditional and atmospheric vampire masterpiece. Joy that brilliant horror movies are being made by countries not normally known for their contributions to the genre, joy that a serious horror movie was taken seriously by the critics and public alike and joy that in the days of Twilight, people still have an obvious affection for what makes the vampire sub-genre so great, and that is, the rules. Vampires can't enter daylight or they burn (they don't sparkle Stephanie Meyer!), they can't enter someone’s house without being "let in" and they can't love, not really, they are cold and calculating creatures, and the ending of Let The Right One In in my opinion speaks of something horrible, not uplifting as most believe: is Eli fleeing with Oscar so that they might live together in love? Or is she fleeing with him for survivals sake alone? After all, who is going to do her bidding now that the mysterious man who used to do it is dead? This is a movie for the ages, a rare, beautify made horror masterpiece.

2. The Descent (2005)

Before The Descent, director Neil Marshall had already proven himself to the horror community with his highly entertaining werewolf flick, Dog Soldiers (2002). However, no one could anticipate that his next movie would be the groundbreaking, fear inducing spectacle that it is, in fact, no one could anticipate that a movie as scary as The Descent could be made at all anymore. It could, and Marshall used nearly every guaranteed trick in the book to make certain that his audience would be watching through their fingers:
1. Being stuck in small spaces in scary.
2. Being lost in the dark is scary.
3. Being intimidated by something unknown is scary.
4. Not being able to trust your friend is scary.
And 5. Women are scary.
So what it really boils down to is this; if this movie doesn't scare you, check your pulse...

1. Martyrs (2008)

The less I write about Pascal Laugier's Martyrs, the better. Writing extensively about such a film would be to the detriment of those who are yet to see it, and trust me, if you haven't, you need to. This is an incredibly violent and horrific film that does what very few before it have been able to do, and that is, transcend above its violence. There is a meaning here, a moral hiding behind a cloke of torture and mutilation. Rivaled only by Gasper Noe's Irreversible (2002) and David Lynch's Eraserhead (1976) for the unquestionable effect it has on its viewers, Martyrs is a brave and provocative film, one that you might only be able to watch once, but will never leave.