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

by Jordan
(TAS, Australia)

There were so many movies that I wanted to put on the first list but didn't have room for, so, to compensate, here are the (other) best horror flicks from a progressive decade; counting down from 20 to 11...

20. The Midnight Meat Train
Clive Barker's fiction has had a very temperamental relationship with the screen for some time, and before 2008, probably the only critically acclaimed cinematic contributions to come from his work had been Hellraiser (which he himself directed) and Candyman. Now, however, you can add another movie to that list. The Midnight Meat Train is energetic, imaginatively directed, superbly acted and surprisingly powerful. A cult-horror treasure.

19. The Woods
The Woods is, quite simply, a misunderstood masterpiece from one of the finest and most exciting young directors working today. Its not gory, there are no jump-scares, no A-league actors or any intricate plot twists. However, what this film does have, it has in spades: Mood, atmosphere, production value, quality and well placed references, unique style and a great script. I urge any self respecting horror fan to watch this if they haven't already, and if for some reason you don't like it, watch it again.

18. Outpost
The secret to Outpost's success as a great modern horror movie, is that it neatly fits into the siege genre template that was made famous by Romero's Night of the Living Dead way back in 1968, only this time the Suburban hero's of Romero's classic have been swapped for mercenaries, and the zombies for Nazi ghosts. As you can tell from the synopsis, Outpost is great fun, and not to mention very, very scary.

17. Wolf Creek
As an Australian, I am always excited when our film industry produces something that gains recognition abroad, especially when its a horror movie. So it comes as no surprise that Wolf Creek holds a special place in my heart. The acting is terrific, the suspense almost unbearable, and the ending - tragic. But above all, what elevates Wolf Creek to the status of Horror Classic, is its dreadful realism, which has only been matched by very few films.

16. Bubba Ho-Tep
Like many other horror fans, Bruce Campbell is my Favorite actor, which is why there's nothing I love seeing more than when he is cast in an off-beat role which he can adapt to and make iconic, and this is certainly what he did in Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep.

This movie isn't particularly scary, but it does boast a great monster and the location is personified to the extent that it feels like a villain in itself. Bubba Ho-Tep is low budget, highly imaginative film making at its best.

15. Survival of the Dead
The fact that Survival of the Dead made the list means that yes, I preferred it to Land and Diary... both of which I'm a fan of. But Romero's latest felt a lot more personal, and as a result, a lot more accomplished. I loved the Western feel to it, and the country setting, as well as the characters and the many ingenious ways of which the zombies were dispatched. Romero is back in top form, be excited.

14. Brotherhood of the Wolf
Brotherhood of the Wolf is possibly the strangest French film I've ever seen. It leaps from genre to genre at a frenetic pace and is jam packed with so many ideas it almost feels like its overflowing, luckily however, the majority of these ideas define the word 'awesome' and feature some great horror elements. The revealing of the monster is a bit underwhelming, but the chase and revenge sequences are astounding.

13. Surveillance
Before watching Surveillance I knew nothing about it, despite the fact that it was produced by one of my favorite directors, David Lynch, so to say that I was shocked after the viewing is an understatement. This movie had me entirely captivated as the story unfolded, and filled with absolute delight that I couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Surveillance is brutal and twisted stuff, and a movie to make a stir about.

12. Grindhouse (Planet Terror)

Unfortunately in Aussie, Grindhouse wasn't released theatrically as one film, instead, we got extended versions of each half; the better of which easily being Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror. A gory and wildly entertaining throwback to the likes of John Carpenter and Roger Corman in their heydays, Planet Terror melds science fiction with zombies and even a bit of politics and stands as one of my favorites of the great directors works. Also, Tom Savini is in it... which alone is worth buying it for.

11. Ginger Snaps
There has been a bit of competition (Dog Soldiers, Underworld, The Wolf Man remake) but Ginger Snaps has remained the best Werewolf movie of the decade, a mean feat considering it was released in 2000. The concept is brilliant, and the payoff, fantastic, resulting in a genre gem to be discovered. Even the two sequels were great, culminating in a trilogy to rival the best the genre has to offer.