Fear. One of our most basic and primordial emotions, fear is something that everybody has felt and can relate to. And perhaps that is the main reason why horror films will always be relevant in cinema. For some moviegoers, myself included, the sensation of adrenaline and fear coursing through their body and mind while watching horror films is something so sublime and even intoxicating that they end up wanting more. Only twenty-one years old, I grew up in a generation that missed many of the influential horror films that came before my time. But what experience I do have is a decent knowledge of recent horror films. In no particular order, here are seven great horror films from the last five years.
1. I Saw the Devil (2010)
A young detective takes it upon himself to catch one responsible for his fiance's brutal murder, and to make them suffer tenfold.
I Saw The Devil is nothing short of absolutely terrifying. The creators take the simple idea of 'Cat and Mouse' and push it relentlessly in the direction of pure madness. A tragic story of revenge, one might guess a central theme of this story simply by looking at the movie's promotional poster.
2. Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2011)
One misunderstanding after another, a group of not-so-smart college students mistake well-mannered hillbillies for psychotic killers.
A horror-comedy film, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil is a very conscious and clever film. By deconstructing the horror genre and its tropes, it creates comedy by poking fun of said tropes— but it also creates a very real horror as the story pulls off an interesting twist.
3. Insidious (2010)
A couple fights for their son's life when it becomes clear to them that an evil spirit is trying to take control of his comatose body.
Riding on the wave of haunted house films in the 2010's, Insidious breaks away from the herd with a simple catchphrase: "It's not the house that's haunted." With convincing performances from its leads and perhaps the most unnerving soundtrack ever created, audiences are sure to be left shocked.
4. The Conjuring (2013)
A distraught family reaches out for help when increasingly disturbing occurrences happen in their new house in Rhode Island.
From the same director of Insidious, The Conjuring approaches the haunted house sub-genre of horror again but keeps it fresh with a solid story. Expertly paced and punctuated with chilling twists, it is also accompanied with an excellent and relevant B story.
5. Oculus (2014)
Two siblings set out to prove that the deaths of their parents was not a double homicide, but the doing of an ancient haunted mirror.
The first commercially and critically successful feature length film to be created by an alumni of Towson University, Oculus is an eerie and tragic story about fate. Told in two timelines, both the younger and older versions of the story's protagonists give excellent performances which are accentuated with impeccable and fluid editing.
6. The Babadook (2014)
Upon reading a mysterious book with a sinister message, a single mother and her young son are soon tormented by an evil entity.
The strongest strength in The Babadook is its defiant refusal of relying on jump-scares. Instead, it relies on unique and unnerving concept art and scenes that are crafted together with excellent cinematography and writing.
7. It Follows (2014)
After a sexual encounter, a young woman is told by her partner that she is now being pursued by a relentless supernatural being.
Taking the cliche horror movie trope that sex equals death, It Follows builds upon it to create an original lore that is truly frightening. Along with a chilling soundtrack and framing of certain shots that leaves audiences on the edge of their seats as they frantically search the background for traces of movement, It Follows is as smart as it is harrowing.
While the quality of horror films in general have gotten somewhat worse due to filmmakers realizing that a lackluster film will still be successful at the box office, there are still great films out there. And as time goes on, the cost for making films continues to become more affordable, allowing more and more aspiring story-tellers the opportunity to create the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Poltergeist. Whatever the future holds, horror films will always have a place in the theaters, for we will always be afraid of something.
