25 MODERN HORROR FILMS for stormy evenings

Hey!

I hope you’re ready to scroll through a list of terrifying modern horror movies that were released in the past two decades. I’ve included a few options from nearly all horror and movie sub-genres; there’s something for everyone!

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The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Directed by André Øvredal | 2016 | Supernatural Horror | 1h 39m 

Weird things happen during an emergency autopsy on a recently found Jane Doe’s body. However, her body is probably the most terrifying thing of all: how did she die? More importantly, is she dead at all?…

Honestly, I started watching this movie with no expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few jumpscares and eerie monsters, but it wasn’t the main focus of the movie. The focus was on who Jane Doe was when she was alive which I found quite interesting!

The Nun

Directed by Corin Hardy | 2018 | Gothic Supernatural Horror, Mystery | 1h 36m 

A priest and a novice nun travel to a remote monastery to investigate the strange occurances within its walls. However, they get more than they bargained for as the monastery has been taken over by an evil spirit, Valak, that threatens the lives of everyone who gets near it.

There are quite a few jumpscares and some funny moments, like the one with Frenchie in the graveyard; the whole theater laughed at that bit! I admit, this movie isn’t as scary or exciting as The Conjuring, but it could be fun to watch during a sleepover!

Sinister

Directed by Scott Derrickson | 2012 | Supernatural Horror, Mystery | 1h 50m 

The plot is somewhat similar to many other horror movies. A family moves to a new (haunted) house, the supernatural creature targets their kids, and there are problems within the parents relationship. However, the being is not a mere ghost: it’s a demon that has come to collect children’s souls. But before he can collect them, the kids have to kill their family members in gruesome ways.

A decent film for an adult-ish slumber party; just make sure you are all ready for a few gore and torture scenes. And make sure there are no little kids around, you don’t want to give them ideas…

Hide and Seek

Directed by John Polson | 2005 | Psychological Horror, Thriller, Mystery | 1h 41m 

After his wife’s apparent suicide, David is devastated, but has to stay strong for his daughter. Soon after the tragedy, the little girl tells him about her imaginary friend, “Charlie”. David isn’t too keen of this friend, especially after his daughter claims that “Charlie” killed their cat and left the body in the bathtub. However, like in most psychological horror films, reality looks much different from what our protagonist sees. Who is “Charlie”, and did he kill David’s wife?

The Conjuring

Directed by James Wan | 2013 | Supernatural Horror, Mystery | 1h 52m 

The film follows a large family who moves in a haunted house. Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous ghost hunters of the last century, arrive to help them. Unfortunately, the apparition attacks the family, and the only way to ban the spirit from their house is through exorcism.

Honestly, I would consider this one of the best modern horror movies. This film also started a new horror Universe, which includes both “Annabelle” movies and “The Nun”!

Insidious

Directed by James Wan | 2010 | Supernatural Horror, Mystery | 1h 43m 

After a boy falls into a coma, his parents and grandma contact a psychic who tells them that the boy’s soul is trapped in the spirit realm. In addition to that, a strong demon is trying to insert itself in the boy’s body.

If you like suspense and the paranormal, as well as a few jumpscares, check it out. (Perfect movie for a teen slumber party!)

A Quiet Place

Directed by John Krasinski | 2018 | Post-Apocalyptic Horror, Drama | 1h 31m 

A horror movie about a family in a monster-infested world. Where’s the twist? All monsters have outstanding hearing capabilities, so the movie is almost silent. Our heroes have to keep all sounds to a minimum unless they want to be eaten by Slenderman-like monsters.

I believe this movie makes a great step towards better media representation for disabled people – one of the main characters, Regan, is deaf, just like the actress Millicent Simmonds who plays her!

Black Sheep

Directed by Jonathan King | 2006 | Black Comedy, Sci-Fi, Horror | 1h 35m

After some weird science experiments, a flock of sheep go mental and begin attacking and consuming humans. The special effects are hilariously gory, and while the plot was quite predictable, I still recommend watching this movie at least once. It’s strangely entertaining and would be a great choice for sleepovers or days when you feel upset!

IT

Directed by Andy Muschietti | 2017 | Supernatural Horror, Drama | 2h 15m 

The remake of the 90s film about an evil demon clown is one of the best horror movies that came out of 2010s! After a bunch of people go missing in the small town called Derry during late 80s, some school kids decide to get to the bottom of the mysterious disappearances. Will the kids stand up to their worst fears and save the town, or will they also get consumed by It?

Crimson Peak

Directed by Guillermo del Toro | 2015 | Gothic Romance, Mystery | 1h 59m 

Edith, a young writer, marries Sir Sharpe and moves to his beautiful gothic house to live with him and his sister. There she’s haunted by the spirits that inhabit the mansion and his emotionally cold sister, who seems to hate Edith from the depths of her soul. What family secrets are the two siblings hiding from Edith? Why are there so many ghosts in the mansion?

The Boy

Directed by William Brent Bell | 2016 | Thriller, Mystery | 1h 38m 

A young woman goes to a remote mansion to babysit a young “boy” who turns out to be nothing more than a child-sized puppet. Her only connection with the world is an outdated house phone and a guy who visits the house once a week or so, delivering food and other necessities. As she settles in to spend the summer completely alone, she begins to think the house might be haunted; weird noises are coming from different rooms of the house, and the puppet moves around by itself. Who is at fault behind the haunting?

The Eye

Directed by David Moreau & Xavier Palud | 2008 | Supernatural Horror, Mystery | 1h 38m 

An American remake of a Japanese horror movie about a blind girl who gets eye transplants to regain vision. Unfortunately, the girl soon realizes that the previous owner of the eyes could see things beyond our world, and now the undead have decided to haunt her, too.

It was one of my favourite horror movies when I was a kid, and there are quite a few scary scenes that will make your heart rate go way up!

Visions

Directed by Kevin Greutert | 2015 | Supernatural Horror, Mystery | 1h 42m 

Eveleigh moves to the countryside of California with her husband. She’s pregnant, so she needs peace and tranquillity, but after a while, she starts to get visions (or premonitions) of horrible things happening around her. Soon enough, she learns the truth about the paranormal stuff that’s been happening around her.

As Above, So Below

Directed by John Erick Dowdle | 2014 | Mystery, Thriller | 1h 40m 

A group of young people explore the Catacombs of Paris. Rumour has it that the famous Flamel’s Philosopher’s Stone is hidden somewhere in there; everybody wants eternal life and riches, right?… The expedition goes south when they realize that time warps in the Catacombs and that hell is closer to us than we thought.

I think it’s the perfect found-footage style horror film for those who fear tight, small spaces and the entities that lurk in the dark!

The Woman in Black

Directed by James Watkins | 2012 | Supernatural Horror, Drama | 1h 35m 

Harry Potter travels back in time, becomes a lawyer, has a family and loses his wife. (I’m just kidding, though it has taken me a while to see Daniel Radcliffe as someone other than Harry Potter.) Anyways, the dude goes to a small village to “put a deceased eccentric’s affairs in order.” Soon after arrival, he notices the villager’s strange behaviour, especially their fear of the dead man’s house. Being a rational guy, he explains the weird happenings as mere coincidences, wind or wild hallucinations. Unfortunately, the Woman in Black is not a fruit of everyone’s imagination but a real ghost.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Directed by Tim Burton | 2007 | Musical Period Horror, Mystery | 1h 57m 

This Sondheim’s musical tells a tale about a homicidal barber and a cannibalistic bakeshop owner. It stars such talents as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sasha Baron Cohen, and a whole lotta other talented people. You could almost say that this film has most of the Harry Potter cast! The costumes and set decorations are wonderfully gothic, and the songs aren’t too difficult – you can sing along with most of them.

I only have one criticism: I wish they would’ve left more song verses, but then again, who would sit through a three-hour movie?…

Mama

Directed by Andy Muschietti | 2013 | Supernatural Horror | 1h 40m 

A mother’s love never dies, and a mother who has lost her child can become so desperate that she’ll try to find her kids even after her death. Unfortunately for Victoria and Lilly, Mama will haunt them until she gets what she wants.

If you want to see the short horror that inspired the feature-length movie, click here! (It’s only 2:43 minutes long, but it still sent shivers down my spine.)

Dead Silence

Directed by James Wan | 2007 | Supernatural Horror, Thriller, Cult Film | 1h 32m 

If you don’t like puppets, ventriloquists and possessed dolls, keep away from this film. Lisa dies soon after receiving Billy the puppet from an anonymous gifter. Her husband Jamie makes a horrific discovery – his wife’s tongue is missing. One thing leads to another, and he goes back to his father’s place in his hometown. After learning more about the puppet’s creator, Jamie realizes his family is cursed, and he cannot scream no matter how afraid he is.

Grave Encounters

Directed by The Vicious Brothers | 2011 | Supernatural Horror | 1h 35m 

Paranormal investigators from the TV show “Grave Encounters” visit an abandoned asylum. Like it usually happens in such films, they don’t genuinely believe that ghosts are real. Soon they begin questioning their beliefs as the abandoned asylum has a mind of its own.

Honestly, I was terrified when I first watched it, but then again, I was alone in my room at 2 AM, and the house I lived in was seriously haunted. 😀

Dream House

Directed by Jim Sheridan | 2011 | Psychological Thriller, Drama | 1h 32m 

A successful guy returns home to his family but his wife seems uneasy. Above other strange happenings, the scariest one of all is how their daughters have seen a strange man lurking outside their home. He goes to the police but they’re unwilling to help, so he does his own research and discovers that all is not what it seems. (It’s not a traditional horror film, but its premise is truly terrifying.)

Before I Wake

Directed by Mike Flanagan | 2016 | Dark Fantasy Horror, Drama | 1h 37m 

Everytime little Cody falls asleep, his dreams mesh with reality. His parents have to find a way to fix this, otherwise they might not survive the next time he has a nightmare.

Happy Death Day

Directed by Christopher B. Landon | 2017 | Mystery, Slasher | 1h 36m 

A college student wakes up on the day of her birthday and receives an invitation to a party to celebrate her birthday. Unfortunately, she gets murdered on her way there, but she wakes up again on the same day and the same things happen over and over again. The loop continues until she’s able to find her murderer, or until her body breaks down and is no longer able to withstand the constant deaths.

Orphan

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra | 2009 | Psychological Horror, Thriller, Drama | 2h 3m 

A lovely family adopts an equally lovely girl. She’s incredibly well-mannered and somewhat odd, but she soon earns everybody’s sympathies regardless of her shortcomings. That being said, the little girl has a dark secret that threatens to put the family in harm’s way.

This is one of my favourite films and I highly recommend watching it at least once in your life!

The Human Centipede

Directed by Tom Six | 2009 | Slasher, Horror, Thriller | 1h 32m 

Personally, I’m not a fan of gore, torture and crazy doctors, however, this was a perfect, truly terrifying movie for Halloween. Basically, three girls get lost in a foreign country and an older man “helps” them. As it turns out, he’s an excellent surgeon with a twisted mind: he wants to create a human centipede by joining people together in a sinister way.

If you like movies like “Saw”, “Wrong Turn”, “Evil Dead”, etc, you will probably like this one too. However, if the idea of twisted experiments on humans makes your stomach turn upside down (same, though): avoid the “Human Centipede” films.

Final Destination

Directed by James Wong | 2000 | Supernatural Horror, Slasher, Thriller | 1h 38m 

A group of people survive a plane crash and they’re happy about escaping death. However, Death isn’t too happy about being cheated on, so it’s coming for them whether they want it or not.

As much as I enjoy watching these series, the plot makes no sense. These people “cheated” Death by surviving a plane crash, sure. But what if they were meant to survive? What if they weren’t on Death’s immediate kill list, and those other people were?

Honorable mentions: It Follows (2014), The Babadook (2014), Saw (2004), The Strangers (2008).

#QOTD: Do you know some interesting modern horror movies I left out of this list? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Until later,

xoCaligo

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This is not a sponsored post; all opinions are my own. I am not being paid to promote anything.