Summary

• Recent horror movies showcase a new golden era for the genre, delivering great entries that still draw people to the movies.
• The genre offers a wide variety of projects, including elevated horror movies, classic horror franchises, supernatural stories, masked killers, and terrifying monsters.
• The best horror movies of the last five years feature slick and entertaining studio monster movies, intense creature features, quirky dark comedies, and genre-bending experiences like the Fear Street trilogy.

The best horror movies of the last five years have showcased why many are starting to consider it a new golden era for the genre. Horror movies have been a staple of cinema since its very beginning with classics like Nosferatu. Subsequent eras such as the golden age of Universal monster movies and the mainstream popularity of 80s slashers, for example, has ensured interest in scary films never waned. The 2020s have seen a resurgent tide of high-quality scares, and the best horror movies of the last five years include some of the most celebrated in decades.

The latest horror movie boom highlights the wide variety of films catering to audiences and viewers hoping for a good scare. There continues to be the rise of so-called elevated horror movies with deeper messages. However, there is also the return of some classic horror franchises that have become popular once again. Supernatural stories, masked killers, and terrifying monsters populate the best horror movies of the last five years, giving horror fans plenty of incredible releases between 2019 and 2023.

35 The Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023)

A Crew Battles Dracula On The Night Seas

Dracula movies haven't proven successful at the box office recently, but The Last Voyage of the Demeter proves the iconic vampire still makes for a great genre monster. The movie is inspired by a section in Bram Stoker's classic novel detailing a ship coming to England unknowingly carrying the coffin of Count Dracula.

2024's The Last Voyage of the Demeter operates like Ridley Scott's 1979 classic, Alien, but on a 19th century merchant ship, with the crew getting picked off one by one as the vampire lurks around the dark vessel with no hope of escape. It is a slick and entertaining studio monster movie with a solid cast and some great creature designs.

34 Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)

Animatronic Puppets Are Out For Blood

Blumhouse's FNAF movie arrived in 2023 and finally brought audiences the long-awaited adaptation of the popular horror video game. Five Nights at Freddy's tells the story of a young father who takes a job as a night security guard at an abandoned family entertainment center only to learn that the creepy animatronic puppets come alive and become murderous monsters. While the critical response to Five Nights at Freddy's was negative, the movie was embraced by fans, becoming one of the biggest openings for a Blumhouse movie to date.

33 The Wolf Of Snow Hollow (2020)

Small-Town Murders Point To A Werewolf

Werewolf movies have been a mainstay of the horror genre in the past, but The Wolf of Snow Hollow finds an interesting new approach to the story. Set in the titular mountainside town, Jim Cummings stars as a young and hot-tempered deputy looking into a series of grisly murders that begins to suggest there is a werewolf among them.

The movie is a dark and bloody affair, but Cummings, who also wrote and directed the movie, brings a great sense of humor to it as well. The result is a quirky dark comedy that feels like the Coen Brothers take on the horror genre.

32 Crawl (2019)

A Father And Daughter Fight Off Alligators During A Flood

The creature feature subgenre of horror movies isn't as prevalent in modern horror, but Crawl brought it back with a terrifically intense and fun ride. Set in Florida during a flood, the movie follows a young woman who attempts to rescue her father who is stuck under the crawl space of their house when a group of hungry alligators arrive. As the water rises in the small area and the gators continue to circle, there is a very effective fast-paced energy to Crawl, mixing in heroic elements of a survival story with the thrills of a killer animal story.

31 The Lodge (2019)

A New Step-Mom Is Not What She Seems

The Lodge became one of the lesser-known standout horror movies of the last five years thanks to its overwhelmingly creepy premise. Siblings Mia and Aiden Hall are still mourning the death of their mother, Laura, when their dad commits to a new woman named Grace Marshall and wants the family to spend the holidays at a country house.

Grace's actions become worrisome and end up being more terrifying than the kids imagined.

Grace's actions become worrisome and end up being more terrifying than the kids imagined. The atmospheric approach and the smart script earned The Lodge high praise from critics, who also pointed to the performance of Riley Keough as Grace.

The Lodge is available to stream on Max.

30 No One Will Save You (2023)

Home Invasion With An Alien Twist

Alien horror movies have made for some of the genre's greatest entries, and No One Will Save You emerged as a surprise hit that deserves its recognition among the best horror movies of the last five years. The Hulu original horror movie stars Kaitlyn Dever as a young woman living an isolated life who has to fight for survival when an alien invades her home.

A hugely entertaining genre movie with a fun twist on the typical home invasion story.

What is particularly impressive about the movie is that No One Will Save You has barely any dialogue in the entire runtime, working off the tense set pieces and building suspense to tell its story. The result is a hugely entertaining genre movie with a fun twist on the typical home invasion story.

29 Werewolves Within (2021)

A Whodunnit With A Possible Werewolf

Like The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Werewolves Within is a werewolf movie that combines horror and humor in a very fun way. Based on the video game, Werewolves Within is about the residents of Beaverfield, Vermont who are there for one another during bad winter weather and who realize that a werewolf is loose in their seemingly regular, adorable town.

An entertaining genre-bending experience and one of the best movies based on a video game.

The characters of The Wolf of Snow Hollow are charming and portrayed by a great ensemble cast that includes Sam Richardson, Harvey Guillén, and Milana Vayntrub. It is perhaps goofier than it is scary, but makes for an entertaining genre-bending experience and one of the best movies based on a video game.

Werewolves Within is available to stream on Hulu and AMC+.

28 Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

Netflix's Genre-Blending Horror Trilogy

Netflix took an interesting approach to telling an expansive and compelling horror story that crosses various time periods with the Fear Street trilogy, all set in the town of Shadyside. It's great that each film in the Fear Street trilogy is like its own subgenre, with the first being a slasher about Shadyside, the second being set at Camp Nightwing, and the third telling a witchcraft tale. The three connected films focus on the town's scary history, the friendship between the main characters, and the sibling bond that Cindy and Ziggy had before tragedy struck.

All Fear Street movies are available on Netflix.

27 Freaky (2020)

A Teen Girl Body Swaps With A Serial Killer

Another genre-bending horror movie, Freaky is not only a comedic slasher film, but also a wacky body-swap movie. The 2020 horror-comedy stars Kathryn Newton as a high schooler who is attacked by a local serial killer (Vince Vaughn) only for the two to switch bodies in the process.

What follows is a very entertaining new approach to the high-concept story with Vaughn giving a hilarious performance as a teen girl trapped in a grown man's body as he tries to stop a killer who is now disguised as a seemingly innocent girl. Despite the comedy, Freaky is also a gory affair, balancing the two genres nicely.

26 Doctor Sleep (2019)

A Follow-Up To Stephen King's The Shining

Mike Flanagan's horror projects on television have helped to establish him as one of the genre's best voices right now, but his movie work is also worth noting, especially his adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep. The movie is a sequel to The Shining, following an adult Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) as he still deals with his dark past while helping protect young children with similar powers from a deadly cult.

An interesting mythology, some deeply disturbing scenes, and a terrific villain performance from Rebecca Ferguson.

Flanagan lovingly pays homage to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining while also building his own story with an interesting mythology, some deeply disturbing scenes, and a terrific villain performance from Rebecca Ferguson.

25 The Night House (2021)

Secrets Are Revealed About A Widower's Late Husband

The Night House features a powerful performance from Rebecca Hall in a gripping take on the haunted house subgenre. Beth's sadness over her husband Owen's death becomes even more overpowering when she walks into the woods near her lake house and sees a similar home that he built. As she explores the house, she begins seeing strange things and hints at a darker truth about her late husband. The 2021 horror movie is an unsettling experience carried by Hall's performance, but there is also a stirring mystery at the center which is fascinating to see unravel.

24 Ready Or Not (2019)

Horror-Comedy About A Deadly Game Of Hide And Seek

While hide and seek is a game that is often reserved for children, it becomes a dangerous way to spend the evening in this scary movie. Ready Or Not stars Samara Weaving stars as newlywed Grace, who has just married into a family that forces her into this twisted game while trying to kill her because it's part of a ritual that will keep their family rich and successful. The premise is wisely approached with a sense of comedy, with Weaving delivering a star-making performance as she expertly balances the terror of the situation with astounding comedic timing.

23 His House (2020)

Refugees Contend With Dark Forces In Their New Home

The Netflix horror movie His House is the story of a married couple from Sudan who arrive at their new home in England only to find it haunted by dark forces. The movie is a rich and complex horror story, delivering chilling scares and suspense while also tackling the experiences of refugees, the real-world horrors they face, and the injustices even after being "accepted" in their new home. It makes for a completely unique and engrossing experience that earned strong reviews from critics, even achieving a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

22 Fresh (2022)

A Woman's New Romance Takes A Gruesome Turn

Fresh is the kind of horror movie that takes a lot of pleasure in throwing the audience off kilter. The movie starts out as if it is a romantic comedy with Daisy Edgar-Jones playing a young woman tired of the dating world when she meets an intriguing new man (Sebastian Stan). Their romance start off on an exciting and passionate note only for him to show his true sadistic colors.

Stan delivers a hugely entertaining villainous performance.

Fresh stands out as one of the best horror movies of the last five years thanks to its shocking and impactful abrupt shifts in tone, which themselves are further elevated by the performances of the two leads. Edgar-Jones is a grounded and relatable protagonist, while Stan delivers a hugely entertaining villainous performance. It is quirk and bold but ends up as a satisfying albeit intense experience.

Fresh is available to stream on Hulu.

21 M3GAN (2023)

An AI Doll Gets Too Protective

M3GAN became an internet sensation with its wild horror movie premise and tongue-in-cheek approach to the genre. The movie follows a young girl who recently lost her parents and is living with her aunt. As a way of helping her cope, she is gifted with an AI doll who becomes her best friend. However, soon the doll begins taking extreme measures to ensure the little girl is happy. With a mix of humor and melodrama, M3GAN became a surprise box office hit and already has a sequel in the works.

20 Malignant (2021)

A Woman Fears She Is A Killer

From horror master James Wan, Malignant is perhaps his most outrageous and entertaining movie in the genre. The 2021 movie follows a woman who is haunted by visions of people being brutally murdered only to realize that these killings are happening in reality. The movie takes a lot of inspiration from the "giallo" horror subgenre, making for a vibrant and engrossing murder mystery. However, it is the final reveal that makes Malignant truly memorable and counted among the best horror movies of the last five years, and Wan and his creative team pull off a wildly bizarre and entertaining climax.

19 Last Night In Soho (2021)

Edgar Wright's Psychological Time-Travel Thriller

Though Edgar Wright is mostly known for his comedy movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the filmmaker showed new sides of his talent with the psychological horror movie The Last Night in Soho. The movie follows a young woman attending fashion school in London when she finds herself being transported back to the 1960s each night, following the experiences of a young aspiring singer. However, she soon discovers there was something sinister that befell the young girl. Wright pushes his visual storytelling beyond any of his previous movies to create a throwback thriller and unique ghost story.

18 X (2022)

An Adult Film Crew Are Targeted By An Elderly Couple

X kicked off one of the most unexpected horror movies franchises in recent memory, but remains an incredibly fun standalone movie itself. Set in the 1970s, X follows a group of adult movie artists who rent out a barn on an isolated farm to shoot their latest X-rated movie. However, they soon find themselves under the gaze of the farm's older yet still dangerous owners.

It is Mia Goth who steals the show in dual roles as the final girl Maxine and the villainous Pearl.

X has some brutal kills and intense moments, but it excels because of its well-drawn out characters. Given their occupation, the audience likely forms quick judgements of these people, but they prove to be layered, interesting, and realistic. Jenna Ortega helped to solidify her scream queen status with one of the most epic horror movie screams in history. However, it is Mia Goth who steals the show in dual roles as the final girl Maxine and the villainous Pearl. Goth with return to the former role in the upcoming MaXXXine.

X is available to stream on Netflix.

17 A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

The Abbott Family Find New Allies And New Dangers In Their Fight For Survival

A Quiet Place proved to be an effective horror movie as well as a keen display of John Krasinski's directing abilities. Though Krasinski's role onscreen in the sequel is brief, he returns behind the camera in A Quiet Place 2, which expands the world while keeping the core emotional elements of the first movie. Taking place directly after the events of the first movie, the remaining members of the Abbott family venture out in the world, looking for a new safe home when they meet their neighbor Emmett (Cillian Murphy).

While it doesn't feel as fresh as the first movie, it shows there is more to explore in this franchise

A Quiet Place: Part II once again creates terrific tension with the absence of sound while Murphy makes for a terrific new addition to the story. While it doesn't feel as fresh as the first movie, it shows there is more to explore in this franchise, which continues with the upcoming prequel A Quiet Place: Day One.

16 Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Privileged Partygoers Turn On Each Other

Many horror movies in the last five years have attempted to tackle the idea of the younger generation dealing with the genre tropes. Bodies Bodies Bodies is one of the best examples as it follows a group of young social media-obsessed Gen Z characters who gather for a party only for it to turn deadly. Another movie with a mix of humor and horror, Bodies Bodies Bodies allows the audience to laugh at these characters without making them caricatures. It is a fun murder mystery that builds in tension until the hilarious final reveal.