Scary stories have been around forever, both as entertainment and cautionary tales. Humans have passed stories around through a myriad of mediums: From spoken word parables, to witch hunts around the world, to written fiction and, most recently, film and television. Every medium has it's pros and cons for horror stories, but where the genre seems to generally struggle most is on the big screen-- or the small one in the living room.

If you've ever watched a "scary" movie, you've probably realized that not all of them live up to their genre. Many horror movies tend to provide the audience with more laughs than screams, due to ridiculous acting, bad special effects, or even an awful storyline. But, in the big steaming pile of mediocrity, there are terrifying diamonds that keep the horror genre alive.

These are my five suggested recent horror films that are worth watching.

5) The Babadook (2014):

I honestly have mixed feelings about this movie. While it's a fantastically original idea with more-than decent acting, it seems to almost hold the audience's collective hand, especially near the ending. I won't spoil anything because the movie is worth seeing, but the ending will either make the movie for you, or break it.

The pros:

The movie does have an original plot that doesn't try to be too fancy or complicated, the horror is relatable and makes for a genuinely spooky time and everything in the movie seems to work with each other without overlapping (the picture book is terrifying in and of itself).

The cons:

As I mentioned before, as the story draws to a close, it almost guides the viewer too much and doesn't leave them to figure anything out on their own. The movie explains itself so blatantly that it doesn't leave any room for interpretation or conversation afterwards.

All in all, it's a good horror movie to watch once or twice.

4) The Conjuring (2013):

Starring the dad from the Insidious series, The Conjuring is as cliche a horror movie as they come in terms of the scares, but holds up well against the others released around the same time. The story follows a husband and wife team of paranormal investigators as they try to help a family figure out what may be causing trouble in their new house.

The pros:

The plot is straightforward and simple without need for over-complication which is always a big positive in horror movies for me. While the set up and setting seem a bit cliche, the movie plays off them well and keeps the chills and thrills coming at a nice pace. The acting is better than most horror movies and there is plenty of subtle scares that make the movie creepier than most.

The cons:

The fact that Patrick Wilson (The dad from both this movie and the Insidious movies) plays major roles in both distracted me for some of the movie. Not enough to really detract from the movie as a whole, mind you, but just enough at specific times. It does rely on special effects a bit too much, but not too much.

It's honestly a pretty solid, if not generic horror movie that's worth a watch.

3) It Follows (2014):

This movie is a simple plot-wise as it comes. A girl is passed a demon, or spirit, or something (the titular "It") like a common STD, through sex with a hot stud. The movie then follows her as she tries to escape this entity as it, well, follows her around. The concept may seem pretty underwhelming, but when the thing can look like anyone calmly strolling toward the main character, every extra in the background grows suspicious and terrifying.

The pros:

The strongest part of this movie is it's easy-to-describe "monster" and rules, both of which seem like a story high schoolers would make up to scare each other. In many cases, saying something sounds like a group of teens invented wouldn't be a good thing, but the way the movie conveys the creature, it really seems like an urban legend. The movie is unique and original, but feels familiar, like a "a friend heard it from a friend" type of story.

The cons:

There are long periods in the movie where not much happens; you have to be ready to sit back and get comfortable during the lulls. Although, for every lull, there are equally surprising and creepy moments, so it's hard to tell just how long the "boring" parts will last.

2) The Witch (2015):

The Witch is about, if you can believe it, a witch. The plot follows a family as they're kicked from their puritan town for religious differences and forced to set up a new home in the wilderness. Most of the turmoil comes from within the family as they accuse each other of being, somehow, a part of the possible witch's evil plan, which adds a nice layer of tension to the already creepy movie.

The pros:

The movie really takes the horror genre back to basics: No astral projecting, no new and complex monsters and lore, no explaining what is happening half the time, just a witch in the woods. I had the misfortune of seeing the movie opening weekend with an entire row of young children who weren't giggling or off their phones for more than five minutes. Despite this, the movie was constantly creepy and tense. The movie, in the kids' defense, does use time period appropriate language, so pay attention because it's not exactly in colloquial language.

The cons:

The movie can feel a bit more like a drama than horror at times, but this keeps the tension high for the audience. As I mentioned before, the language can be a distraction for some viewers, but if you're willing to actually sit and watch, it's not hard to follow.

1) Mama (2013):

Mama follows two feral children as they're reintroduced to a family, and their guardian, Mama, a spiritual being hellbent on protecting her two children. It plays out like a pretty generic horror movie at first, the parents begin to notice strange things happening around the house after bringing the once-feral children into their home.

The pros:

The absolute best part of this movie is its clever use of practical effects. The being, Mama, is not CGI, but a puppet controlled by several crew members. The plot is original and has a bit of fantastical elements throughout (similar to Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth -- he's the executive producer of Mama).

Go to Youtube and search for "Mama behind the scenes movement test" to really see how creepy the creature is.

The cons:

The movie's truly horrifying creature and creepy events almost play against the slightly more fantastical scenes; they don't flow into one another. If the movie were to be either a fantasy movie or a horror one, it wouldn't have to worry about being both. The movie can be a bit... underwhelming and confusing at points.

These movies may not be for every horror fan, but, generally speaking, they are as spooky as they are entertaining.