Horror movies can do a lot of things: they can scare, provoke, and keep us awake at night, but they can also tell hidden truths about the world they are brought into. All of this is to say that horror movies have a lot of impact on the audience that is viewing them. Some films have such an effect on an audience that the only way they can respond is by telling everyone they know about it. And, sometimes, that results in movies that are immediately codified into the larger film canon: what the Collins Dictionary calls an “instant classic.”
With the majority of film discussion and discourse happening online, the conversations over what is an “instant classic” are ever-present and quite contentious. Everyone has their favorite movie, but horror films are a different story. They invite more vitriolic and impassioned discussion, as the fanbase is among the most dedicated and outspoken. Even still, there are some movies that even the most combative horror fans can agree on, and we’ve compiled some of those films here. This is a list of the 20 modern horror movies that were instant classics upon release.
20 A Quiet Place
The directorial breakout of John Krasinski and the launching of a new franchise, A Quiet Place was one of the biggest surprises of 2018. It made a whole boatload of money and caused a viral trend of people trying to complete the “Quiet Place Challenge.” The film was a sensation in a way that few horror films manage to be, causing Krasinski’s star to hit the stratosphere and even included a few award wins for his writing and directing. A Quiet Place was an instant classic through and through, grossing $341 million at the box office on a measly $17 million budget. It would be followed by a sequel in 2021 and an upcoming third film, a prequel starring Alex Wolff.
19 Hereditary
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Hereditary was the announcement of a fresh new talent on the scene in director/writer Ari Aster. His unique mix of family drama, occult imagery, and aggressively blunt visuals all coalesced into 2018’s other huge horror hit, Hereditary. Between the viral campaign to nominate Toni Collette for an Oscar for her performance in the film to all the kids that did the clicking noise from the film, to say that this film’s impact was big would be an understatement. All that anyone wanted to talk about in the summer of 2018 was Hereditary. The film would go on to gross $82.5 million on a $10 million budget and pave the way for Aster’s future career as one of the most well renowned horror directors of the current day.
18 Malignant
Coming from the twisted mind of the man behind both the Saw franchise and The Conjuring (which we’ll get to), James Wan’s Malignant was sort of a sleeper hit when it saw day-and-date release on HBO Max and theaters in late-2021. The film took a lot of cues from the films of Italian giallo masters like Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento, while also having this odd slant into action-horror that shows what Wan learned from directing Aquaman. This is all to say that Malignant was an odd mix and one that didn’t necessarily appeal to general audiences. It did appeal, however, to horror lovers and film fans, who quickly swooped the film up and heralded it as one of the freshest and craziest studio horror films in years.
17 Hush
An indie darling that got a lot of attention after being released on Netflix in 2016, Mike Flanagan’s Hush is one of the best independent horror films of the 2010s. The lead character of Maddie, played by Kate Siegel, is a deaf woman whose home is invaded by an indeterminately motivated killer. What ensues is a game of cat and deaf(?) mouse that excites as much as it terrifies. Audiences gravitated toward the film because of ease of access via Netflix, but also because of how easily digestible its premise is. Luckily for us, the success of Hush has led to Mike Flanagan having a long and healthy career as the guy who makes all the most terrifying Netflix shows.
16 Midsommar
The second film from aforementioned horror favorite Ari Aster pivots its focus from suburban life and more toward the listlessness of someone’s late-20s. Midsommar is one of those rare horror films that takes place in the daylight, but it is still absolutely terrifying. The film follows a group of young people as they take a trip to Sweden to take part in a midsummer festival, only to find that the group of religious leaders is actually a sinister cult that will tear them apart. The film has found a lot of fans through its thematic content, simultaneously taking on toxic masculinity, religious zealotry, white privilege, and a whole heap of other stuff. It’s a dense text and one that horror fans can’t get enough of, then and now. Midsommar made $48 million on an $8 million budget, and allowed Aster to continue his meteoric rise as the arthouse horror favorite.
15 It Follows
While it saw a small but decently successful release in 2015, David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows contributed to a whole heap of Gen Z becoming horror fans. The film is constantly grouped up with some of the other entries on this list as being the first in class of “elevated horror:” scary movies that have an actual message or purpose beyond just showing death and bloodshed on screen. While this “elevated” moniker has certainly ushered in a new era of the genre and helped keep it evolving, It Follows works on an even deeper level. It’s a terrifying examination of sexual discovery, societal pressure, and just how scary it can be to be a young person (especially for women). It Follows has influenced an entire generation of films and often gets cited as one of the best horror films of the century, which is undoubtedly fair.
14 The Witch
Arriving on the scene with a boom, Robert Egger’s feature debut The Witch was another in this series of elevated horror films that made a huge impact in the middle of the 2010s. Eggers’ vision of 1600s New England, rife with Puritanical beliefs and occult happenings, was so striking that it launched his career into the stratosphere. While Eggers hasn’t done anything as down and dirty as The Witch as he’s gone into this next phase of his career, his debut will always be discussed as one of the most assured and confident horror debuts of all time. The lead performance from Anya Taylor-Joy was a star-making performance and for that alone, the world is eternally grateful.
13 Trick R’ Treat
Michael Dougherty’s debut film might’ve never seen theatrical release back in 2007, but it sure has made an impact since then. If you’re at all tuned into the horror world, you’ll have seen the little bag-covered face of lead antagonist Sam, whose appearance in the film Trick r’ Treat was enough to catapult the film to cult classic status. The anthology film might not be to everyone’s cup of tea, as it takes the piss out of a variety of horror tropes and flips them on their head, but it is assuredly a favorite amongst those who considered scary movies more than a hobby.
12 Get Out
What is there to say about Jordan Peele’s explosive debut directorial feature that hasn’t already been said? Get Out was a monumental moment in the film world when it came out in 2017, quickly becoming one of the most acclaimed films of that year and leading Peele to a first time Oscar nomination and win for his screenplay. Conversations have inevitably happened about whether or not the film was overrated, especially as Peele’s subsequent films haven’t connected as much (though still very well) with broad audiences. Regardless, there’s nary a film on this list that is more cemented as an instant classic than this one right here. Get Out was a roaring success on a level that horror movies rarely see, grossing ~$450 million on just a $4.5 million budget.
11 The Cabin in the Woods
The Cabin in the Woods represented a new kind of horror film when it was released in 2011.The movie, directed by Drew Goddard and written by horror veteran Joss Whedon, was a disarming one for audiences. At first, the film presents itself like a trope-y, cliché horror story. Following a group of horny teenagers staying at a cabin in the woods who are terrorized by zombies, the film eventually develops into a satire about the very nature of creating a horror premise. The scientists we see controlling all the action behind the scenes make for a type of meta-film we hadn’t seen up to that point. Launching a new kind of horror fandom in its wake, which is self-aware of all the tropes and cliches, Cabin in the Woods is for sure an instant classic.
10 Raw
The debut of future Palme D’or winner Julia Ducournau, 2016’s Raw was a confident announcement of talent if there ever was one. When a young vegetarian girl goes to a veterinary school for her first semester, she is quickly brought into a circle of insular hazing and mistreatment. One such mistreatment happens when she is forced to eat meat, which ends up causing her to have insurmountable cravings: cravings of which end up developing into a full-blown hunger for human flesh. Ducournau’s film was controversial, but thematically rich and a big hit with fans of the New French Extremity wave of films.
9 Sinister
Scott Derrickson’s breakout, Ethan Hawke-starring film Sinister was one of those objects of fascination for many horror fans. It featured a really strong premise, horrifying visuals, and a unique voice and vision behind the camera. Of course, the unfortunate thing that happened is that Derrickson would go on to direct Doctor Strange and drop out of directing its sequel, depriving horror fans of his horror vision for almost a decade. The important thing, however, is that we’ll always have Sinister to remember fondly (and his newest movie The Black Phone, which is also good). Derrickson’s depiction of the dissolution of family and obsession with what’s real and fake behind the camera terrified audiences then and now.
8 The Conjuring
One of the most enduring and successful franchises in modern horror, James Wan’s The Conjuring Universe has changed the shape of horror for years to come. The first film in the franchise, before it ever had spin-offs and multiple sequels, was a whirlwind of supernatural terror that gripped broad audiences and screamed in their faces. The story of the Warrens and their battle against a spirit that holds a grip on their home was one that many found to be just real enough to buy, even though the “true story” the film is based on is almost entirely fictitious. Regardless of the traction (or lack thereof) of its subsequent entries, The Conjuring will forever go down as one of the most influential and standout horror films of the 2010s and possibly ever.
7 Train to Busan
One of those rare international crossover hits, Train to Busan was a revolutionary film in the horror sub-genre of zombie flicks. The genre reached such a point of over-saturation that it needed a jolt of lightning to stay alive, and Busan was that jolt. It not only introduced a whole American audience to power and tenacity of the New Korean Wave of filmmakers, but also reignited interest in zombies as horror antagonists.
6 The Babadook
Another one of the original “elevated horror” gems, Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook is a notable entry on this list, and not just because it’s Jenna Ortega’s character from Scream 5’s favorite movie, as Looper points out. The Babadook was a real moment for horror filmmaking, especially in the independent space. It was a woman-directed horror movie whose villain, the titular Babadook, was actually a metaphor for the unbearable weight of responsibility and untreated mental illness. The reason it’s so often touted as an “elevated” horror movie is because it was a lot of people’s first exposure to the thematic breadth of horror films, and it deserves to be recognized for that very feat.
5 Don’t Breathe
Fede Alvarez’ debut feature Don’t Breathe was, like many on this list, an announcement of something: though in his case, it was an announcement that horror could still be absolutely vile and disgusting like it used to be. Don’t Breathe has very little in common with most of the films on this list because, unlike those movies, it has no ultimate message or final purpose. Alvarez’ film is nothing more than empty provocation and disgusting violence, and it enraptured audiences for that very reason. It revived mainstream grindhouse cinema and brought forward an interesting new voice into the horror sphere: one that was a proper foil to the elevated horror auteurs of the time. A sequel came out in 2021 to middling responses, although a third film has been confirmed with Stephen Lang returning.
4 Mandy
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The beginning of the Nicolas Cage renaissance that we’ve been witnessing in recent years, Panos Cosmatos’ earthbending, psychedelic masterwork Mandy has enraptured horror fans ever since it came out. Featuring one of the most freakish and disquieting performances of Cage’s career and a blindingly beautiful visual style, Mandy is the type of movie you just can’t not look at. There’s also a chainsaw duel at one point in the film, which might be the coolest thing ever put to film. While technically a cult movie (and a great one at that), the core of the film is a love story and isn’t that what we all want from our blood-soaked, psychedelic horror movies.
3 You’re Next
An underrated slasher film through and through, 2011’s You’re Next is one of the best horror comedies of the 2010s and often doesn’t get enough credit from general audiences. If you’re at all tuned into the horror sphere, this film will be overly familiar to you, but a recommendation is always worth passing along. It has a badass final girl in main character Erin, a twisty, turny murder mystery plot, and a wickedly dark sense of humor.
2 The Strangers
Claimed to be based on a true story, 2008’s The Strangers has long been one of those films that even non-horror fans cite as one of the most terrifying things they’ve ever seen. It turns out that if you make a film predicated upon the invasion of the one place everyone hopes they’ll be safe (their homes), it’ll make them very uncomfortable in that place. The Strangers so thoroughly creeped everyone out that it ended up getting a long-awaited sequel in 2018, with three more films planned to release in the coming years. There’ll be a lot of home invasion content to scare the generations to come, but the first one will always hold a special place in the hearts of many for praying upon fears they didn’t even know they had.
1 Drag Me to Hell
Last but certainly not least, we have the last horror film (at the time of writing) made by Evil Dead creator and all-around maniac Sam Raimi: 2009’s Drag Me to Hell. A wonky and uncomfortable mix of gross-out horror and black-as-night humor, Drag Me to Hell is a thrill ride through the darkest and most disgusting impulses of Raimi’s mind. While it may have a goofiness to it at heart, that doesn’t mean it’s a casual watch in any way. Audiences in 2009 might not have grabbed onto it immediately, but as usual, the horror fans definitely did. Being used to Raimi’s particular mix of horror and comedy certainly helped, but it was also the correct diffusion from the current trends of horror at the time. While everything around Drag Me to Hell was either torture porn or found-footage, it definitely stood out and made a huge impression.
