Best Horror Movies of Each Year:

Hi, Everybody! Today I did a list of every horror movie from each year. From 2000 all the way to 2020. These movies are based on my personal opinion, so please don't be mad at me that your favorite movie wasn't on here.

Ok, here's the list.

2000: Final Destination

The new millennium started off with a bang with Final Destination, a movie about a teen who has a premonition of a plane explosion and Alex and his classmates survive. When the figurative grim reaper comes knocking on their door however, Alex has to fight to escape his fate. While it was hated by critics for its mediocrity, horror buffs have praised it for its memorable death scenes and was the launching point for actor Sean William Scott.

2001: The Devil's Backbone

2001 was a great year for horror. Anthony Hopkins came back as Hannibal Lector in Hannibal, Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty, there was the cult classic, Jeepers Creepers, the Japanese Horror classic, Pulse and not to mention The Others starring Nicole Kidman which gave us on the best plot twists in modern film history. But... if there's one horror film that stood out that year it would be Guillermo del Toro's The Devil Backbone. Set during the final year of the Spanish Civil War, a 10-year-old boy is sent to a christian school for orphans after his father dies unexpectedly. Carlos gets taken in by a professor and its headmistress but encounters a violent caretaker played by renowned Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega. Gory, unsettling and scary supernatural elements. It's everything that you'd want from a del Toro picture. Seriously, the filmmakers made a child ghost look very scary. 

2002: 28 Days Later

While 2002 was the year of The Ring and Ju-On: The Grudge, Danny Boyle's post-apocalypse horror film, 28 Days Later is what stood out that year. In it, Cillian Murphy plays Jim, a man who wakes up from a coma and finds that London has become a ghost town after a group of animal activists released a diseased chimp from a medical research lab. He then encounters a group of survivors and go on a perilous journey to safety. Danny's unique direction, tension and performances is what makes 28 Days Later one of the best movies that have defined the last 20 years.

2003: House of 1,000 Corpses

Heavy Metal icon, Rob Zombie made his directorial debut with this exploitative horror flick. Heavily influenced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, the film follows a group of teenagers who are kidnapped and tortured by a psychotic family on Halloween. Like, Final Destination, the movie was hated by critics but it gained a cult following due its gore, Sid Haig's role as Captain Spaulding and Rob Zombie unique style to grindhouse horror. It even launched the career of Dwight Schrute himself, Rainn Wilson.

2004: Saw

2004 was THE year of Saw! It follows two men who are trapped in a disgusting bathroom by a serial killer known as Jigsaw, a man who takes pleasure in torturing his victims. A horror movie that was also hated by critics, horror enthusiasts have praised it for its torture scenes and one of the best plot twists of the 2000s. The movie has since launched 7 sequels, a prequel and another Saw movie, Spiral is set to come out on May 14th.

2005: The Descent

Both Wolf Creek and Red Eye were both great horror films, but The Descent stands out. Directed by Neil Marshall, it follows six women who go spelunking in a cave and they encounter humanoid creatures and struggle to survive. The movie was praised for its scares, atmosphere and Sarah MacDonald's performance.

2006: Slither

Before James Gunn made the Guardians of the Galaxy MCU favorites and household names, he made his directorial debut with Slither, a dark horror comedy that takes place in the fictional small town of Wheelsy,  mutitalted livestock has kidnapped a woman and Sheriff Nathan Fillion has discovered an alien organism that threatens to devour all life. Paying homage to Big Trouble in Little China, the movie has the Gunn-like signature humor that we know and love. I mean the mayor is named after two characters played by Kurt Russell! 

2007: Paranormal Activity

In 1999, The Blair Witch Project kickstarted the found-footage subgenre and Paranormal Activity is a classic of that genre. It revolves around a couple who experience a strange poltergeist in their house and the boyfriend does every stupid thing imaginable to get rid of it. Paranormal Activity became an unexpected box office success and has since since launched 5 sequels.

2008: The Strangers

Based on the murder of Sharon Tate, the movie was about a couple who have the worst night of their life when they become terrorized by a group of crazy people. It was a realistic version of a home invasion ever put on film, which adds to creep factor and uncomfortable tension. While Eden Lake was equally terrifying, The Strangers' tense atmosphere and effectiveness is what stand out.

2009: Orphan

Before Jaume Collet-Sera broke out with The Shallows, he directed a psychological horror film in the form of Orphan, a movie about a married couple who after the loss of their child, take in a girl from the orphanage who is actually a "Dennis the Menace" but psychotic. Isabelle Fuhrman's portrayal of Esther is regarded as one of the creepiest kids in movie history and is set to reprise her role in Orphan: First Kill.

2010: Insidious

It's pretty rare that a PG-13 horror movie is great, although Drag me to Hell easily does comes to mind, but if we're talking about the scariest PG13-rated movie ever, it's Insidious. Directed by James Wan, this supernatural horror is about a couple whose son inexplicably goes into a coma and becomes a vessel for entities from an unknown dimension. The film made Lin Share a certified Scream Queen.

2012: The Cabin in the Woods

Yes, I skipped a year. This is one of those horror movies about the same old story. A group of friends go on a trip to a cabin, then shit happens, right? Well, not exactly. The movie plays with the tropes of that specific genre, like the jock who gets killed. Seriously, this movie killed off Thor! Written and Directed by Drew Goddard, Cabin in the Woods is a great satirical take on horror.

2013: The Conjuring

James Wan made it to mega-superstardom with The Conjuring, the best haunted house movie of the decade! Starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as real-life paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, it follows their discovery of a witch demon haunting a house where a family is living. The direction, performances editing and screenplay were soo impressive, making it the best horror movie of 2013.

2014: Creep

Y'know comedy actor Mark Duplass? Best known as Pete Eckhart in The League? Chip in The Morning Show? And Ken in Safety Not Guaranteed? Well, he played against-type as Josef, a very odd and weird guy who invites a man into his home and later stalks him. Patrick Brice, who played Aaron in the movie, also directed the movie and its sequel. Creep is the epitome of being unsettling and cringe humor all wrapped up in one horror movie. Just watch this for yourself, I promise you won't regret it.

2015: The Witch

Robert Eggers' first feature is as captivating as it is scary. From the direction to its haunting cinematography, The Witch is pure nightmare fuel, anchored by a stellar performance from Anya Taylor-Joy. Eggers then followed it up with The Lighthouse starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. A true master-class of slow-burn horror.

2016: Don't Breathe

2016 was a decent year for horror. M. Night Shyamalan made a comeback with Split and Terrifier gave us a new icon in the form of Art the Clown. However, Don't Breathe stands out for its tense atmosphere, direction, Stephen Lang's performance and it's twist ending. Don't Breathe 2 will be released on August 13th!

2017: Get Out

If you asked me in 2015 that Jordan Peele, a sketch comedian/writer, is going to direct a horror film, I would've been soo shocked! Released very early that year on February, Get Out revolves around an interracial couple played by Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams who go visit her parents and things aren't exactly as they seem and Chris gets into an unimaginable real-life nightmare. Equal parts funny, thought-provoking and unsettling, Get Out was both a great directorial debut and a great film about the horrors of real-life racism. Even earning the film 4 Oscar nominations including Best Picture and one win for Best Original Screenplay for Jordan Peele, becoming the first African American to win that category.

2018: Hereditary

Speaking of Oscars, I have said this A LOT. HOW THE HELL DID TONI COLLETTE NOT GET NOMINATED FOR HER INCREDIBLE LEAD PERFORMANCE?! Ari Aster's first directorial feature revolves around the Graham family who loses their matriarch and experience a very terrible pagan curse. This is one of those horror movies that don't revolve around jump scares but relies on the little details that creep up on to your spine and refuse to let go. While A Quiet Place also made director John Krasinski a household name, Hereditary stands out for its unforgettable nightmare fuel of a climax and you'll ask yourself what the hell just happened long after the credits have rolled.

2019: Us

2019 was an unforgettable year of horror! The long-awaited sequel to The Devil Rejects, 3 from Hell came out, there was the Guillermo del Toro- produced film, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Lighthouse, Doctor Sleep and Ari Aster's second feature, Midsommar. One movie that stood out however was Jordan Peele's second feature, Us. I was soo excited to see what he was going to do next! The movie's about an African American family led by Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke as they survive their stay at Adelaide's old home where she grew up in after encountering strangers that look exactly like THEM. Like Get Out, the movie has timely themes of PTSD, Xenophobia and the American class system. Whether you thought that "Us" was too deep for you to understand, it was certainly an unforgettable and terrifying experience in the theaters. 

2020: The Invisible Man

The last theatrically-released horror film in recent memory, The Invisible Man was a great example on how to adapt a classic Universal's monster in the former of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man. writer Leigh Whannell who collaborated with James Wan with his previous work first directed Upgrade, a sci-fi revenge thriller and then knocked it out of the park with Invisible Man! Not only did Elisabeth Moss kill it in this movie, but it highlights the horrors of domestic abuse/violence and not being able to escape it. 

Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to comment below your thoughts!