The 20 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century, and the Best of 2026

UPDATE: Halloween is on Saturday, and horror movies keep thriving at the box office. Beyond commercial success, arthouse horror remains at the forefront of American cinema, with filmmakers like Robert Eggers, Zach Cregger and Jordan Peele leading the charge.

In fact, things are going so well for the genre, which has had titles topping the box office on a near-monthly basis, that you could probably put together a top 10 horror list from 2026 alone. Mine would include “Resident Evil,” "Obsession," "The Bone Temple," "Send Help," "Faces of Death," "Hokum," "Leviticus," "Exit 8," "Onslaught" and ""Backrooms."

I noticed that Slant Magazine recently published its list of the best horror films of the 21st century. Lists like this will be popping up everywhere in the coming days, so some recommendations are certainly in order.

Let's up the ante and name our own best horror films of the 21st century. There's so much to choose from—horror is a genre that constantly reinvents itself and refuses to age. These are the 20 films I keep returning to, released between 2000 and 2026, listed chronologically:

Let's up the ante and name our own best horror films of the 21st century. There's so much to choose from—horror is a genre that constantly reinvents itself and refuses to age. These are the 18 films I keep returning to, released between 2000 and 2026, listed chronologically:

• Pulse (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

• The Others (Alejandro Amenábar)

• 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle)

• Frailty (Bill Paxton)

• The Descent (Neil Marshall)

• The Mist (Frank Darabont)

• Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky)

• The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodóvar)

• The Wailing (Na Hong-jin)

• The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard)

• It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)

• The Witch (Robert Eggers)

• Get Out (Jordan Peele)

• Martyrs (Pascal Laugier)

• A Quiet Place (John Krasinski)

• Climax (Gaspar Noé)

• Hereditary (Ari Aster)

• The Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell)

• The Substance (Coralie Fargeat)

• Weapons (Zach Cregger)

Six of these films are from the 2000s, and nine are from the 2010s. Bill Paxton's "Frailty" is one of the most underrated movies of the century. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor. It challenges our understanding of religion, family and society, and it's a deeply disturbing piece of cinema.

The first time I saw "Hereditary" was at its unforgettable Sundance premiere. I immediately went back to my room and wrote a rave review. A24 picked it up and even quoted me in the film's trailer and on its poster. It was one of the most thrilling discoveries of a new talent I've ever experienced. To this day, I don't think Aster has topped it—the film is one of the best debuts of the last 10 years.

A year earlier, a similar discovery occurred with Jordan Peele's "Get Out," which premiered as a surprise screening at Sundance. Peele emerged as a bright new talent who knew exactly how to turn the screws on his audience. Seeing the film again a few months later in a packed theater only reaffirmed what a thrilling experience it is to watch great horror on the big screen.

Then there's David Robert Mitchell's minimalist, sexually questioning "It Follows." The film rejects the conventions of 21st-century horror, delivering a stunningly authoritative work that blends the surreal with the deeply real. Every scene is filled with unbearable dread, evoking early John Carpenter, with a soundtrack that subtly nods to the master. Scene after scene, viewers are engulfed in an inescapable nightmare.

There are so many more films I could mention. I love this genre, and these are some of the century's other major highlights for me:

High Tension, Pearl, The Invitation, Lights Out, Don't Breathe, Hush, Sinister, It, Talk to Me, Crimson Peak, Goodnight Mommy, The House That Jack Built, Let the Right One In, I Spit on Your Grave, Mandy, Raw, You're Next, Attack the Block, Midsommar, US, Cam, Possessor, The Guest, Drag Me to Hell, Paranormal Activity, Antichrist, Cabin Fever, Joy Ride, Piranha 3D, The Devil's Rejects