10. Ringu (The Ring): This Japanese horror film and it's American remake are insanely terrifying, one critic describes as "(makes) Blair Witch Project seem like a stroll through the woods" (paraphrasing). Following the story of a cursed video tape haunted by the spirit of a deceased young girl, this series made J-horror a big thing in the Western world, and inspired countless other, equally scary films, such as The Grudge (Ju-On), Shutter, and The Eye.
9. Saw: Despite it being credited with creating the abysmal and sickening torture porn subgenre, the first film in this franchise (the only film helmed by hit director James Wan) is actually a really original, suspenseful, and well-crafted horror-thriller, and isn't as gruesome as it's sequels, although there's some really gut-wrenching scenes including a middle-aged man crawling through a barbed wire maze and the severing of a foot (although this isn't seen on screen, but is disturbing because you have to imagine it for yourself). The main cast, including Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Leigh Whannell (the film's writer), Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith due a great job, and although one scene with Elwes is a bit over-the-top, the performances are surprisingly convincing and the characters feel like real people, which makes the film rise above some other torture porn films. It's Wan's direction, Whannell's writing, the cast, the editing, the inventive death traps, scary villain, twist ending, and original score that make Saw worth several viewings, and perfect to watch around Halloween.
8. The Sixth Sense: One of M. Night Shyamalan's better films, this Oscar-nominated drama follows Bruce Willis as psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe, who must help a young boy named Cole (Hlaey Joel Osment), a troubled but kind young boy who claims to be able to communicate with the dead. Despite being more of a drama/thriller, this film still is creepy enough to be considered a horror film, and although the performances and scares are excellent, and the movie is well written, it's the infamous twist ending (something that would become a staple of M. Night's films) that makes this movie memorable.
7. Let the Right One In: This foreign vampire drama focuses on a young boy who wants revenge because he is constantly bullied and overlooked by others, and falls in love with a beautiful young girl next door, who is hiding a dark secret. This disturbing but beautifully shot and well-written horror-drama is one of the best vampire films of the past decade, and wad followed by a decent American remake in 2010 titled Let Me In.
6. The Devil's Rejects: This extremely violent, controversial and disturbing Rob Zombie film is a sequel to the well-intentioned but misguided and mediocre House of 1,000 Corpses, and this film goes for a more realistic tone and has even more brutal and excessive violence than the previous film. It follows the murderous Firefly clan (now only Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding are left), as they run from the police in the Southern US in the late 70's. The cast, featuring Rob Zombie regulars such as Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Ken Foree, Danny Trejo, Leslie Easterbrook, and William Forsythe, all do great jobs, portraying insane and over-the-top characters, but it works for the tone of the film. Forsythe plays the crazy antihero sheriff, who tries to catch the killers and avenge the death of his brother. You root for him most of the time, but towards the end, it's left to the viewers opinion on who to root for: the sheriff or the killers. The use of Southern rock is really interesting, and the use of "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd was very clever and awesome. The film is not for the faint of heart, it is gory, repulsive, and grim, but that's why it's also one of the best horror films of recent times.
5. Audition: Takashi Miike's unsettling J-horror film is probably one of the most intense and disturbing thrillers ever made. It follows an aging widower, who is urged by his film producer buddy and young son to find love again after the death of his wife. He and his film producer friend hold a fake audition to find the perfect woman. He is enticed by a young woman named Asami, who is sweet, innocent, and cheery. But she is not what she seems, and the widower does not realize he has just opened the door into a nightmare, and he won't be the same ever again. The film builds the tension and mystery up until the final sequence, which is a disturbing and graphic torture scene, and is one of the most stomach-churning scenes ever put to Celluloid.
4 1/2. Session 9: In this independent psychological horror film from Brad Anderson (The Machinist, The Call, Fringe), an asbestos removal crew works on an abandoned (and possibly haunted) asylum, and begin experiencing strange activity all throughout the building, possibly caused by the former residents of the infamous establishment. A sub-plot follows the story of a very troubled former patient whose dark past is slowly revealed and unraveled via nine recorded session tapes, a sub-plot which eventually proves to be more important to the main plot than one would think. The suspense, acting, clever writing, unsettling atmosphere and location, cinematography, ambient music, huge plot twist, and creepy and ambiguous final scene make this horror-thriller one I would definitely recommend.
4. The Cabin in the Woods: This horror-comedy from Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse) and Drew Goddard (writer of Cloverfield, World War Z, Alias, and Buffy) is a hilarious, gory, creepy, surreal, and incredibly well-written homage to horror films. The star-studded cast are excellent, the comedy is extremely well-executed, the horror bits are genuinely scary, and the final sequence is hands-down one of the greatest, if not the greatest, homage to the horror genre in all mediums, but especially film.
3. Insidious: James Wan's surreal and terrifying supernatural thriller film follows a family (Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, and others) who are shocked to find their son Dalton has slipped into a coma. After discovering Dalton's spirit can leave his body in his sleep and has attracted some undead attention, the family must try to get their son back while battling the evil forces surrounding their home. The imagery, music, creature designs, performances, and story are really awesome, and the designs of the ghosts are not only original, but they will stay in your head long after the credits roll.
2 (tie). Sinister: From the producers of Insidious and Paranormal Activity comes this extremely frightening and harrowing film starring Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Vincent D'Onofrio. Hawke gives a great performance as a conflicted true crime novelist who discovers a box of old home movies during his latest investigation, only to discover graphic snuff films depicting the murders of families, and must solve the mystery before he and his family are consumed by a supernatural force haunting the films. The use of the medium of film in Sinister is really interesting, especially since the film is written by a former film critic from Spill.com. Director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is able to bring the horrifying story of the film to life, and uses some cool cinematography and practical effects (something also employed in Insidious and Cabin in the Woods) to pull off the disturbing images and sequences in the movie. Sinister is a deeply upsetting horror-thriller that will haunt your dreams for a few nights to come.
Frailty: Bill Paxton's directorial debut stars himself and Matthew McConaughey, and focuses on a man's childhood and he and his younger brother's relationship with their religious father (Paxton), who believes God has commanded him to vanquish demons in disguise form the Earth. The man (McConaughey) recounts this story to the FBI, who are hunting the "God's Hand Killer", as the man believes that killer to be his brother, who always believed in their father's quest. A smartly constructed and taut thriller with an unexpected twist, it challenges religion and morals and is one of the better horror films on the 2000s.
1. The Blair Witch Project: The first hugely successful found footage film not only proved to be a box office and critical success, but was also a huge phenomenon when it was released, due to the clever Internet and television marketing campaign, and how some of the posters fro the film were missing persons posters for the characters in the film. Not only that, but the characters in the film are named after the actors portraying them. The shaky camera work, slow-building tension, creepy imagery, fantastic performances, and heart-stopping ending are just a few of the reasons that Blair Witch is still terrifying over a decade later.
Runner-ups: The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Cube, Hostel, Evil Dead, Haute Tension, The Orphanage, The Call of Cthulu (short film), Off Season (short film), Thirst, The Gift, Signs, The Host, Cloverfield, Slither, Dark Water, The Eye, Ju-On: The Grudge, House of 1000 Corpses, Trance, Twixt, Repo Men, Shutter, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Friday the 13th (2009), V/H/S, V/H/S/2, The Girl Next Door, Shrooms, Cronos, Dawn of the Dead (2004), Paranormal Activity, New Nightmare, Scream 4, Scream 2, 30 Days of Night, Grave Encounters, The Troll Hunter, Black Death, Them, They, Pan's Labyrinth.
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