Ahhh, so it seems - the timeline of horror is ticking ever closer to the present day,
as we traverse our way across the horror-fueled cosmos - time is slowly catching up to us.
We’ve flicked through the 70’s - 80s and 90s - and finally we’re here, the 00s.
Do you say the noughties?
Or do you say - the zeros?
The ooze?
The two thousands?
No one really knows, but whatever.
It was an interesting decade to say the least - a tumultuous time, where post-9/11 - the
tragedy of the decade was underpinned in every facet of life, and the zeitgeist of the time
had a terrifying impact on horror.
The two-thousands were the year of global horror - pandemics, the zombie apocalypse
- the plague, mass hysteria, but it was also the year that torture porn became a thing.
Which, yeah - wasn’t great.
Despite that though - there were some truly groundbreaking horror movies.
Let’s take a look.
Hello horror fans - what’s going on, and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube
- Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Horror Movies From the Noughties.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was - of course - from 2004’s Saw - because
there’s no denying the impact that it had on horror following its release and subsequent
endless franchise.
In my opinion though, there are much better movies that the decade had to offer.
Of course - this list is only 5 points, so honorable mentions go to Funny Games, Martyrs,
28 Days Later, The Strangers, House of the Devil, Cherry Falls, Silent Hill, My Bloody
Valentine - you get the picture.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Pontypool, 2008
I love this film - and perhaps you should too.
Because the decade of the 2000’s was about doing things different, and the fact of the
matter is - there hasn’t been a film quite like Pontypool since it’s release back in
2008.
In many ways for horror, the 2000’s were about capturing an entirely new sense of dread
- mass media, and the effect that it has on us all, as both a society and an individual.
Pontypool checks all of those boxes - and it still manages to do that with essentially
nothing at all.
Directed by Bruce McDonald with a screenplay by Tony Burgess, adapted from his novel Pontypool
Changes Everything - it tells the tale of Grant Mazzy, a local shock-jockey radio host
in the small town of Pontypool, Ontario - who bares witness to a horrifying global event
whilst live on the air.
From the off, we’re given a simple formula - as we frantically try and figure out exactly
how Pontypool is set about to deliver the horror, but the whole film is underpinned
by an earth-shattering performance from Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy - reminiscent of Orson
Welles infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast, and he effortlessly carries the film through
an onslaught of linguistic zombificiation.
In an era of hashed out apocalyptic events, Pontypool somehow still managed to be frightfully
original - and if you haven’t already seen it, it’s a worthy horror experience for
any true horror fan, and marks itself as one of the best of the decade.
Next up at Number 4 - The Devil’s Backbone, 2001
And for me - although Guillermo del Toro delivered many fantastic films throughout the decade
- perhaps the truest depiction of horror was in his 2001 release, The Devil’s Backbone
- a film that stood amongst the likes of The Others, What Lies Beneath - and the remake
of The Ring - but in my opinion, blew all of those ghost stories out of the water.
In fact, it’s perhaps del Toro’s truest horror film to date - and instead of relying
on his usual terrifying creations of fantasy, the film manages to find a starkly human ghost
story in the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.
Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Pedro Almodovar - The Devil’s
Backbone tells the tale of an orphanage in Spain in 1939, whilst the the final years
of Franco’s military dictatorship ravages its way across the countryside.
The thing is though, much like with Pan’s Labyrinth - and despite such a heavy and hard
hitting theme for a horror movie - we experience it all through the eyes of a young boy, Carlos
- an orphan whose father died fighting the fascists - and it’s at this level that del
Toro thematically layers an unrivaled sense of dread and uncertainty, because through
his innocence, we don’t know the implications of the adults in this movie, or their role
in the war, exactly how a child would fail to understand it.
Then, add on top of that a terrifying ghost-boy - and the whole movie quickly becomes a childhood
nightmare - and a strangely humanist ghost story, that somehow manages to hit the mark
on a multitude of levels.
It’s also just a fantastic movie, that delivers some genuinely skin-crawling moments.
It’s a must see.
Swinging in at Number 3 - Session 9, 2001
When we look through the decade of the 2000’s with the lens of horror movies that did things
differently, this film somehow managed to find originality in one of the most tried
and tested tropes of horror going - the mental asylum.
An abandoned mental asylum, as per usual.
That’s also plagued with deadly asbestos.
But - please don’t go thinking this film is some kind of weird, chemical creature feature
- because despite ever receiving the critical acclaim it deserves, Session 9 is also perhaps
one of the greatest psychological thrillers of the decade.
Written and directed by Brad Anderson and Stephen Gevedon, Session 9 tells the tale
of Gordon - the owner of an asbestos removal company, played by the awesome Peter Mullan
- who desperately takes up a contract to clear the abandoned Danvers State Hospital.
Now, it’s important to note that this film pretty much had no budget whatsoever - but
still managed to hide it’s technical shortcomings through fantastic performances and a well
paced, genuinely intriguing narrative that drip-feeds us all the tension that comes with
spending your days in an abandoned mental asylum.
Now, I don’t want to spoil anything about this film - and it’s important to experience
it start to finish before making your own mind up.
What makes it a fantastic horror film though, is while the vast majority of the decades
horror movies were trying their damnedest to gross us out with blood and gore and torture
- Session 9 did so much more than that, by simply revealing the deep, dark caverns of
the human mind.
Coming in at Number 2 - The Descent, 2005
Now, this film has probably made more of my lists than any other film - but I just can’t
make a video on the best horror movies of the 2000s without rightly mentioning 2005’s
The Descent - because there’s no denying the fact it’s one of the most genuinely
terrifying horror experiences of the decade.
And the thing is, much like how many of the entries on this list are wholeheartedly original
- The Descent doesn’t exactly do anything new, but what it does do - it manages to execute
to near perfection.
In one of my previous lists, I made the comparison that The Descent is to Caves as Jaws is to
Sharks - and whilst that may sound like high praise, I think it’s actually pretty spot
on - and I still don’t plan on going spelunking any time soon.
Written and directed by Neil Marshall, the man responsible for 2002’s Dog Soldiers
- which also deserves an honorable mention - The Descent has a relatively straight-forward
plot.
A group of thrill-seeking friends go spelunking in an unexplored Appalachian cave system - and
then, of course, a horror onslaught ensues.
This film isn’t about narrative at all - it’s about execution.
It’s a demonstration of how horror doesn’t always need to rely on demonic possession
and ghostly hauntings to deliver the tension, because Marshall manages to do it with a set
of night-vision goggles and tight camera angles.
Honestly, I could go on and on about how good The Descent is - but just watch it, because
Neil Marshall can demonstrate that without saying a word.
And finally - coming in at our Number 1 spot - [REC], 2007
Now - I’m sure that everyone won’t agree with this films placement at the top spot
- but for me, in terms of genuinely original horror experiences, 2007’s REC is like no
other - and similar to many entries on this list, it managed to take an otherwise tried
and tested horror trope, the found footage genre - and still execute it to absolute horror
perfection.
And we have to point out exactly how and why that is - and it’s simple really.
We watch horror movies to be scared senseless - and few films of the decade managed to pull
that off quite as well as [REC].
Because although it’s not exactly fit for rewatching - on first viewing, there is absolutely
no denying that [REC] is an unforgettable horror experience.
Particularly the final act, because I still have that image burned into my brain.
Co-written and directed by Spanish horror duo Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza - [REC]
tells the tale of a Barcelona news reporter, Angela - and her trusty cameraman Pablo - who
are recording a late-night documentary supplement about a Spanish Fire Crew, but before they
know it - things quickly turn south - to say the least.
The thing is though, I think what made [REC] so successful is that it managed to strike
whilst the iron was hot - riding off of the back of the found-footage breakthrough of
The Blair Witch Project.
Perhaps it was because it’s a Spanish language horror - or perhaps because it was just genuinely
well-executed - but [REC] managed to do something that few films failed to do.
It seemed strange - and yet it seemed brand new - a horror fueled feast for the eyes like
no other.
This film is fantastic, and it perfectly encapsulated the horror of the decade.
Well - there we have it, our list for the Top 5 Scariest Horror Movies From The 00s.
What did you guys think?
I know they’ll be many other interpretations - so why don’t you let us know your Top
5 list down in the comment section below.
Before we depart from today’s video though - let’s take a quick look at some of your
more resounding remarks from over the past few days.
-- Kreyg Sempl says --
You dress like my grandad.
--- Well, in that case Kreyg Sempl - your grandad must be an incredibly stylish fellow.
Nice one.
On that note horror fans - unfortunately that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video
- cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video, or just Top 5 Scary Videos in general - then please, be
a dear and hit that thumbs up button - as well as that subscribe bell, and I’ll be
seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.