It's been a banner year for horror, especially with the success of Jordan Peele's Get Out.
But for every movie that gets its time in the spotlight, there are many that fly right
under the radar.
These are some of the most underrated horror movies of the last 15 years.
The Descent
This all-female flick is a favorite among horror buffs, but for some reason it rarely
gets mentioned in most roundups.
The 2005 film follows Sarah on her way to a much-needed girl's trip to go exploring
in a cave after the tragic loss of both her daughter and husband.
Sounds like a great idea, right?
Unfortunately, the girls aren't alone in this endless cave.
Add in the extra drama of the frenemy relationships between the women, and you get a masterpiece
of tension, claustrophobia, and gross-out horror.
The House of the Devil
It's a classic story: it's the 1980s, and college student Samantha accepts a babysitting
job where things just get stranger and stranger.
A 2009 horror release from director Ti West, The House of the Devil pays homage to many
classic horror tropes: demonic possession, the nervous babysitter, and a major twist
that happens surprisingly early in the film.
Despite its limited release, horror fans found their way to The House of the Devil, and critics
praised its cultural awareness.
Unfortunately, it never found a widespread audience.
A Tale of Two Sisters
A dark version of an old Korean folktale that bears a strong resemblance to Cinderella,
2003's A Tale of Two Sisters combines fairy tales with all the wonderfully horrific elements
of K-horror, and stands above a slew of other fantastic Korean films from the last decade.
Of course, an American remake was released in 2009 under the title The Uninvited.
Do yourself a favor and go straight to the original.
Thirst
Another fantastic Korean horror film takes the form of 2009's Thirst, from Oldboy director
Park Chan-wook.
With this story of a priest turned blood-sucking vampire, Park turns the undead fable into
a delirious romance while still offering up plenty of scares.
Though the film won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2009 and debuted at No. 1 at the Korean
box office, for American audiences, the movie was easy to miss.
If you haven't seen Thirst—or Park Chan-wook's other work—give it a shot.
You might be grossed out, but you won't be disappointed.
Pontypool
After a short theatrical run in New York, this Canadian horror movie went straight to
DVD in 2010.
Based on the novel Pontypool Changes Everything, Pontypool tells the story of a radio DJ who's
determined to broadcast in the midst of increasing reports of strange behavior and violent incidents
in a small town.
A fascinating psychological thriller about the nature of violence inspired by Orson Welles'
radio broadcast War of the Worlds, Pontypool is definitely a forgotten horror gem.
The Loved Ones
Usually it's a male psycho or stalker who creates all the problems in your typical abduction-type
horror movie.
But in this 2009 Australian horror movie, it's a girl named Lola, and all she wants
is a date to the prom.
With help from her dear old dad, Lola abducts the object of her affection and proceeds to
torture the living daylights out of him at their kitchen table.
Once it gets going, The Loved Ones never lets up.
High Tension
This excellent French slasher film turns the genre on its head.
Fans of blood spatter will get more than they could have dreamed of, and everyone who watches
horror movies for their cultural commentary will have plenty to discuss after the movie.
As part of cinema's New French Extremity movement—basically the French version of body horror—High Tension
is as shockingly scary as it is psychologically disturbing, making it a horror film for the
ages.
Green Room
The horrifying tale of a punk band that finds itself trapped backstage at their concert
venue, Green Room was the toast of nearly every critic's list in 2016.
But outside of horror circles, the movie seemed destined to remain in obscurity.
Luckily, film distributor A24 stepped in, allowing the film to get a slightly wider
release.
With a fantastic cast that includes Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin, Green Room is a
modern classic worth checking out.
We Are What We Are
This 2013 American remake of a 2010 Mexican film takes on a profoundly disturbing topic:
cannibalism.
And with this story, it's all in the family.
With a subject as tough as this one, both critics and audience members alike were perplexed,
with The New York Times calling it "a dreamy commentary on the ravages of extreme religious
observance."
Despite its lukewarm reception, We Are What We Are is a well-executed, stylized addition
to the modern horror canon.
V/H/S
Perhaps because V/H/S is an anthology of short films rather than one narrative film, it never
got much credit as a horror movie.
Most of the stories are unnerving, and several are downright terrifying.
Critics called the collection "uneven," and the two sequels weren't quite as good as the
original, but V/H/S is definitely a unique modern twist on horror lore.
Inside
Critics praised this French horror movie on its 2007 release, but mainstream audiences
outside of its native France never quite caught the hype train.
Due to its popularity among dedicated horror fans, an English-language version was made
by Spanish director Miguel Vivas and will be widely released in Spain in 2017.
But why bother with a tepid remake?
The original version is perfectly terrifying as it is.
Evil Dead
This soft reboot of horror classic The Evil Dead is beloved by die-hard horror fans who
know a great thing when they see it.
It's both a natural evolution of the series and a completely standalone film...with plenty
of nods to the original, of course.
Possibly even gorier and more horrifying than the original, Evil Dead can't quite claim
mainstream appreciation.
But that's just fine with critics and horror fans, who have been singing its praises for
years.
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