'Get Out,' 'Paranormal Activity,' 'Sinners' and more: The 25 best horror films (so far) of the 21st century

Not long ago, horror movies were fairly predictable: Your unstoppable psycho, your half-naked women, several buckets of blood and an ending that promised a sequel.

But today? That’s so 20th century.

The horror resurgence of recent years shows few signs of slowing. The genre is consistently responsible for some of the most artful, innovative, even provocative films that make it into the multiplex. The different cinematic styles, from the historical realism of 2015’s "The Witch" to the Gothic-baroque aesthetic of 2024’s "Nosferatu," are as varied as the subject matter, which might tackle the female body ("The Substance"), racism ("Get Out") or even justice in a capitalist society ("The Purge").

What’s more, as the genre achieves that magic combination of critical praise and big box-office, it is attracting major talents: Vera Farmiga, Michael B. Jordan and John Krasinski are a few examples. Horror also got rare Oscar moments in 2018 when Jordan Peele’s "Get Out" earned a nod for best picture and in 2025 when Demi Moore's "The Substance" did likewise.

In short, horror is achieving a credibility it hasn’t had since the days of "Rosemary’s Baby" and "The Exorcist," though we have yet to see a recent title win the Oscar for Best Picture (the last and only horror film to do that was 1991’s "The Silence of the Lambs"). Those movies still rank high on any all-time greats list, but it’s time to take stock of the newer releases. Here are the 25 best horror films — so far — of the 21st century.

25. THE CONJURING (2013) Horror went classy with this Warner Bros. production starring Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga ("Up in the Air") and Patrick Wilson as paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren. Low on bloodshed, but long on ambience. The quality has remained fairly high over the long-running franchise, which came to an (ostensible) end in 2025.

24. DEVIL (2010) Five people stuck in a high-rise elevator begin dying in horrible ways. John Erick Dowdle’s economical horror-thriller is claustrophobic, wickedly funny and quite effective. Fine cinematography from the great Tak Fujimoto, of Terrence Malick’s "Badlands."

23. UNFRIENDED (2014) The ghost of a suicidal teenager preys on her classmates during a group Skype call. It’s a clever update of the found-footage genre, with everything unfolding on a computer screen. It also raises a very 21st-century question: Would this movie feel even scarier if you watched it on a laptop?

22. WEAPONS (2025) One night in a small town, 17 children walked out their doors and were never seen again. So begins Zach Cregger’s horror-mystery story, which despite some odd detours is always totally riveting and never, ever predictable. Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich and an unrecognizable Amy Madigan lead an uncommonly good cast.

21. MIDSOMMAR (2019) Another Ari Aster death-punch, this one starring Florence Pugh as a young woman who visits a groovy-looking Swedish commune that turns out to be an isolated and violent cult. It’s the rare horror film shot almost entirely in broad daylight, but its chills run deep. With Jack Reynor, Will Poulter and William Jackson Harper.

20. THE SUBSTANCE (2024)

An aging actress (Demi Moore) ingests something that creates a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley), but the two soon decide that Tinseltown isn’t big enough for both of them. It’s a gory, freaky, funny treat that also has something to say about an industry that turns its back on aging women. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat.

19. THE LAST EXORCISM (2010) A fraudulent preacher (Patrick Fabian) encounters what might be a genuinely possessed girl (Ashley Bell) in the backwoods of Louisiana. Director Daniel Stamm puts an intelligent twist on an old theme with this scrappy-feeling shocker. He also takes inspiration from another fairly unsettling film, the 1972 documentary "Marjoe."

18. M3GAN (2022)

A Seattle tech wiz (Allison Williams) invents a tweenage AI companion (Amie Donald) for her orphaned niece (Violet McGraw), only to find the thing becomes a little too protective. It’s a fable for the moment, beautifully executed by screenwriter Akela Cooper and director Gerard Johnstone, that went viral thanks to M3GAN’s TikTok-ready dance scene. It also became a $181 million hit.

17. DRAG ME TO HELL (2009) A loan officer (Alison Lohman) turns down an elderly woman who blasts her with a curse. Sam Raimi’s last horror film (at least to date) is a darkly funny fable about greed and selfishness, with an uproariously good finale. Profitable if not a smash (it made $90 million, thrice its reported budget), the movie has since built a following, often appearing on best-of lists like this one.

16. SAW (2004)

Gratuitously gross, morally bankrupt, aesthetically anemic — say what you will, this gory tale of a sadistic serial killer gave us the term "torture porn" and dominated horror the way "Halloween" did 40 years ago. Ten films on ("Saw X" came out in 2023), we’re still getting splattered.

15. IT (2017) This big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel — about a clown who preys on children — was a critical and commercial smash. Like "Stand By Me," the movie has an emotional core (thanks in no small part to a young Sophia Lillis) that resonates even more than the scares.

14. WHAT LIES BENEATH (2000) Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer are a married couple whose lakeside house is haunted by a drowned woman’s ghost. Some 25 years on, this Robert Zemeckis film might feel a little old-fashioned, but it’s a terrific supernatural chiller with an A-list cast, an omigod twist and a nail biter of a finish.

13. SPLIT (2016) A young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy) is kidnapped by a mentally ill man (James McAvoy) who has 23 personalities. M. Night Shyamalan’s surprise comeback (a secret sequel to his hit "Unbreakable") is a smart and resourceful piece of work that stretches its wild premise almost — almost! — to the snapping point.

12. CRIMSON PEAK (2015) An aspiring author (Mia Wasikowska) marries a doomed aristocrat (Tom Hiddleston) and moves into his decrepit mansion. Despite the marquee name of director Guillermo del Toro, the movie sank like the House of Usher at the box office. That’s a shame, because it’s an exceptionally vivid Gothic romance — part Poe, part Bronte — with style and ambiance to burn.

11. SINNERS (2025)

Writer-director Ryan Coogler and leading man Michael B. Jordan, of "Black Panther" and "Creed," reteam for a true genre-mashup about bootlegging twins (Jordan plays both) whose Deep South juke-joint draws some unwanted customers: vampires. This type sucks not only blood but musical culture — and that’s where things get interesting. With Delroy Lindo, bluesman Buddy Guy, Hailee Steinfeld (as a light-skinned Black woman; look her up) and Jack O’Connell.

10. THE WITCH (2015) Anya-Taylor Joy’s breakout role came in this artisanally crafted period-piece about an American Colonialist girl whose family begins blaming her for their misfortunes. Exceptionally spooky, with a strange, hypnotic ending.

9. THE BABADOOK (2014) An exhausted mother (Essie Davis) and her seizure-prone son (an unsettling Noah Wiseman), are haunted by a storybook creature. Jennifer Kent’s directorial debut takes a classic horror-subtext — in which a parent’s weakness manifests as a physical monster — and brings it powerfully to the surface.

8. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012) Drew Goddard’s Russian nesting-doll of a movie, about two guys in a control room who manipulate humanity, is a mischievous mindblower without a single predictable moment. A modest hit, but it should have been a blockbuster.

7. LET ME IN (2010) John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel about a 12-year-old boy and the vampire girl next door has been adapted twice. The American version, starring Chloe Grace Moretz, is also the bloodier version, but it's also uncommonly pensive, bleak and beautiful.

6. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008) The original Swedish version of the Lindqvist story is a standout: a ghastly and mournful allegory of childhood. Heart-tugging performances come from Kare Hedebrant as mortal Oskar and Lina Leandersson as his vampire beloved. You could say the two movies are, uh, neck and neck.

5. BLACK SWAN (2010) Natalie Portman won an Oscar for portraying a mentally unraveling ballerina in Darren Aronofsky’s deliriously weird masterpiece. For such a freaky film, "Black Swan" became a $329 million hit and earned four other Oscar nods, including best picture.

4. A QUIET PLACE (2018) John Krasinski stars in his own directorial debut as a man trying to protect his family from alien creatures who hunt by sound. This is 90 solid minutes of hold-your-breath-and-try-not-to-scream moments, with barely a word of spoken dialogue — a tremendous feat.

3. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2009) Not since "The Blair Witch Project" has a horror movie done so much with so little. Set in a haunted McMansion, "Paranormal Activity" uses flickering lights, self-slamming doors and other un-special effects to build hair-raising tension. Shot for $15,000, Oren Peli’s film earned $193 million, spurred five sequels and helped turn the Blumhouse horror studio into the powerhouse behind "Split," "The Purge," "Get Out" and many others.

2. GET OUT (2017)

Jordan Peele’s debut film about a young Black man (Daniel Kaluuya) who meets his white girlfriend’s parents became not just a major hit but the Movie of the Moment. Poking fun at white hypocrisy and Black paranoia at a time of heightened racial rancor, the movie found an entertaining way — part horror, part satire — to address a difficult and discomfiting issue. It also opened doors for a new wave of Black-led horror films, some of which are on this list.

1. HEREDITARY (2018)

After her mother’s death, an obsessive artist (Toni Collette) suspects that her misfortunes may stem from her recently deceased mother. If that sounds like familiar territory, be warned: Ari Aster’s riveting debut feature goes where most movies wouldn’t think to go. Combining inventive camerawork, unspeakable tragedies and an excellent cast (including Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff and then-newcomer Millie Shapiro), "Hereditary" is horror’s new high water mark.