Horror has definitely felt a resurgence this past decade. After the engrossing popularity that polarized audiences in the 2000s — a wave of imported Asian horror, remakes, and torture flicks all but inundated the genre — the new decade began to change form, all thanks to a collection of emerging voices and perspectives.
More than ever, horror had become even more diverse than before. Everything we had before — slashers, haunters, suspensers, you name it — was present and accounted for. Yet, now there was different outlooks and approaches to these tried and true stories. Many of those films became successful, but then a few others slipped through the cracks or deserve another review. So, in consideration of the past decade of horror, here are ten of the most underrated titles, with each year represented by one movie.
The Expelled (2010)
There has a been discernible pushback against youths who wear hoodies in the United Kingdom. The article has been deemed one standout aspect of antisocial attire, it seems. A seminal British horror called Eden Lake broached the topic with severity, and its ending is remembered as being one of the most upsetting in the last twenty years.
The little-known import The Expelled, or F in its homeland, comments on the same subject matter with equally distressing results. In the film, a teacher is suspended after failing a student (which is against school policy) and is threatened with legal action. Upon his return, the educator is deeply troubled by his own alcoholism and his distant teen daughter, also a student at the school. The only way to spend time with her is to give her detention. That fateful night, however, their school is targeted by several violent interlopers whose identities are concealed by hoodies.
Lovely Molly (2011)
Lovely Molly is proof trauma does not always have to be rooted in only the physical. Regardless of one's trauma's origins, this kind of longstanding pain can manifest into something worse. Eduardo Sánchez is best known for his debut The Blair Witch Project. And, since then, most of his work has been disregarded, or it's been overshadowed by his 1999 breakthrough hit. For anyone who has seen Lovely Molly, however, they very well know this is one film that haunts on an even deeper, personal level than the Blair Witch.
In the movie, a newlywed couple moves into the wife's emptied, childhood home. It's there that a series of unusual incidents take place, and ultimately reveal a sinister force at play.
Found (2012)
A common theme in horror is growing pains and burgeoning adulthood. Found joins the ranks of this time-tested motif, but it tweaks the idea in a way that resonates with viewers long after the movie is over. It's a somber film that lingers on the palette.
In this disturbing coming-of-age horror, a boy discovers that his older brother is a serial killer. Rather than telling his parents, the child harbors his sibling's dark secret, becoming an emotional accomplice in the grand scheme of things. But, will he himself be spared in the end?
Beneath (2013)
Larry Fessenden's 2013 creature feature Beneath is a divisive film. For the most part, audiences and critics detested its cast of despicable characters. Those who could see past that admittedly glaring shortfall discovered a diamond in the rough. A movie that introduced a distinctive scenario, or rather, a provoking thought experiment. The execution is blunt, and the monster effects can be dubious. Despite that, Beneath is engaging, even if for all the wrong reasons.
When a group of friends takes a boat out on the lake, they are attacked by a large and carnivorous fish. And, the only way they can get back to shore is to dispose of any 'extra weight' that is slowing down the boat.
The Scarehouse (2014)
Overall, our love of horror made on shoestring budgets does not extend to movies made after the nineties. Some may argue the cash-grab factor of cheapo horror made today is off-putting, but let's not pretend the genre has not always had imitators who were only in it for the green. Differentiating itself from all the duds that give indie horror a bad name, The Scarehouse stands out as a hidden gem. Its lowly IMDb rating would have you think otherwise, though. This film boasts some good characterization and earnest gallows humor that compensates for other weaker areas.
The Scarehouse involves two former sorority sisters exacting revenge on those they blame for their prison stints. To do so, they put together a haunted house on Halloween that is actually a trap for select attendees.
The Gallows (2015)
Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing's film The Gallows — the story follows four teens trapped in their school on the eve of a revived play that is thought to be cursed — did not have the kindest reception upon its release in 2015. One critic went as far to say it was 'depressingly bad.' One should remember that around that time, patience for found-footage horror had waned to the point where every movie using this contentious style of filmmaking was susceptible to severe disapproval.
That's not to say The Gallows is the head of its class; there are things that simply do not work here. That being said, the movie throws itself into its own chaos and fictional folly that lovers of found-footage really should be celebrating its tenacity rather than condemning it.
Always Shine (2016)
While actor-turned-director Sophia Takal's Always Shine does not pack the blunt wallop of her Black Christmas remake, she gives nuanced insight into female friendships that other directors just can't seem to match or even tap into. Mackenzie Davis is a force of nature as the jealous friend, and the haywire relationship between the leads is devastatingly brutal. In terms of every element at play, this may be Takal's most successful film to date.
In Always Shine, a pair friends, both actresses, find themselves competing without willing to admit it. Things eventually take a deadly turn when one of the women is pushed to her limits.
Devil in the Dark (2017)
Going home to see family is not always easy. This is especially true in horror. For all the movies about familial estrangement, the only ones that do succeed have stories highlighting the muddled feelings between distant relatives. Meaning, things are hardly black-and-white when it comes to family. There is a shade of gray that keeps family together despite their inclination to do the opposite.
Reconnection seems impossible for two stubborn brothers in Tim J. Brown's Devil in the Dark, a slow burn whose horror elements come a bit late into the film. Once they do arrive, though, they tremendously emphasize the brothers' bond no matter what.
Our House (2018)
Family is often at the core of the best horror movies. The genre lends itself perfectly to tales of loss and regrets. And, Our House withstands the harshest of evaluations because of how touching its story of grief is.
Lead Thomas Mann hits it out of the park as the guardian of his younger siblings after their parents suddenly die. His aspirations to become something great is postponed indefinitely by this new role, but that doesn't stop him from creating a device that may have very well stirred up the dead.
The Prodigy (2019)
These days, tropes can ruin any movie. But, in order to convey a very specific type of story, all those trusty clichés might be deemed necessary. To a point, of course. One movie in 2019 that defied a number of people's expectations all the while irritating so many others is The Prodigy. A common complaint was the film's reliance on familiar plot devices. Nevertheless, this well-acted and ominous homicidal child horror goes to a dark place that even the recent Pet Sematary adaptation failed to enter.
In The Prodigy, a mother suspects something is very wrong with her young son. One strange event after another, she finally realizes her boy's maladjusted behavior stems from a supernatural origin.