The 21st century has created many new classics of the horror genre.
Horror has come into its own in the 21st century.
Joe George
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Which is to say, it didnt completely change the course of cinema.
That said,Land of the Deadstill rules.
JG
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Not because the Japanese horror flick pushes any particular boundaries or shocks the audience.
One Cut of the Deadbegins like a standard zombie flick.
Theres a bunch of flesh eaters.
Theres a group of obnoxious victims.
Theres a bloody pentagram.
JG
45.
Final Destination (2000)
The pleasure of every slasher flick comes from the kill sequences.
Together, these elements makeFinal Destinationa slasher in the purest form, all killer and no filler kills.
JG
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And yet, the image perfectly captures the tone of Sion Sonos stomach-churning movie.
JG
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Even more impressive is the films embrace of genuine emotion, most notably in Rookers strangely vulnerable performance.
With such a unique combination, its no surprise thatSlithersent Gunn on a trajectory toward the big leagues.
JG
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After all,The Othersis a prestige studio ghost story with a twist ending.
Graces task becomes complicated by a series of strange events that appear to be hauntings.
JG
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David Crow
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The one from which all other entries were made?
No, this one doesnt end on a hopeful note.
This is Snyder after all, who, even then, loved to go to some pretty grim places.
John Saavedra
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DC
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Rosie Fletcher
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JG
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The Abbott family has been communicating nonverbally for 89 days.
Emily Blunts Evelyn Abbott is pregnant.
The silence is almost deafening in the 90-minute feature, which only has about five minutes of dialogue.
The first words are spoken 40 minutes in, forcing the audience to sharpen its focus.
This makes for pure motion picture storytelling.
Its enough to make you scream.Tony Sokol
35.
Make no mistake,Atlanticshas its frightening scenes.
The film spares no one in its depiction of supernatural revenge.
JG
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Drag Me to Hell (2009)
We thought we had lostSam Raimi.
And then demons condemn a child into eternal torment five minutes intoDrag Me to Hell.
JG
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Nope (2022)
Jordan Peeles third feature adds a heavy splash of sci-fi to his horror slate.
RF
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RF
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Kirsten Howard
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Don Kaye
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Weekly episodes ofThe Walking Deadturned ghouls into safe Sunday night viewing instead of grotesque images of lifeless humanity.
Train to Busanstars Gong Yoo as Seok-woo, a selfish company man separated from his wife and daughter.
But they hit those beats with such confidence thatTrain to Busanmakes the familiar feel fresh again.
JG
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When the Devil worshippers finally come for her at the end, its almost a relief.
DC
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I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
All horror works differently for different people.
JG
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Mike Cecchini
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The same may be true of werewolf pictures.
On the surface, they exist to explore the bestial nature that lurks within even the most docile human.
Neil Marshall addresses both of those problems with his debut feature,Dog Soldiers.
The film stars Sean Pertwee and Kevin McKidd as British soldiers undergoing training missions in the Scottish Highlands.
There they encounter a pack of werewolves, who make like the Predator and start tearing apart these toughs.
JG
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JS
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Indeed, the core story is close to the bone.
KH
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JG
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The Invisible Man (2020)
Leigh Whannells updateof the classic H.G.
Wells story makes some extremely shrewd choices.
But she knows better.
RF
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Its the best haunted house attraction in townandstrangely endearing.
DC
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The Ring
Typically, American remakes of foreign language films are inferior copycats undeserving of their titles.
Its the same song without the music.
But Gore Verbinskis westernized reimagining ofThe Ringis the exception to the rule.
Like several other classmates, the girl died seven days after watching a VHS tape marred by disturbing imagery.
Verbinski creates a dreamlike sense of inescapable doom as his film drifts somewhere between reality and a waking nightmare.
DC
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Not so inKairo, the techno-horror film from Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
His ghosts simply exist, going about their business and hardly regarding the humans.
The ghosts inKairocome through the internet, but Kurosawa isnt making a film about the fear of modernity.
JG
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RF
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DC
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And we do mean nihilist if you do the smart thing and watch the European cut.
DC
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With this picture, directorDarren Aronofskynot so subtly remakesRepulsion(1965) for a modern sensibility.
DC
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The movie shares traits withTwin Peaksbut comes with an enormous dose of pathos, too.
And its getting closer.
And when you see what Alice has seen, its unbearable.
RF
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DK
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RF
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JS
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DC
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TakeThe Cabin in the Woods,for example.
DC
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Let the Right One In (2007)
People cant leave this 2008 Swedish horror picture alone.
Tomas Alfredsons adaptation of John Ajvide Lindquists novel is uniquely atmospheric, with real beauty and unforgettable sequences.
(The swimming pool revenge scene in the trailer for Netflixs Wednesday Addams series is surely an homage.)
Poetic and dark, with captivating performances from its leads, the continuing obsession is no wonder.
Louisa Mellor
5.
After the credits roll, the film lingers in a place beyond the reach of comprehension.
KH
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DK
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For here is the inferno that nearly every member of the Graham clan thinks they deserve on some level.
The most pitifully damned is Toni Collettes Annie.
DC
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Its a remarkable debut that makes its point with wit and indelible imagery.
A hypnotically revolving teaspoon, a dead deer, the Sunken Place… As Chris discovers, with sickening tension, things are far from fine.
An award-winning, financial and critical success forBlumhouse Productions,Get Outdidnt just make bankit made history.
