The Best 100 Horror Movies of the 2010s: A Decade That Redefined Fear
A decade of horror revival
The 2010s turned the quality revival that had begun in the previous decade into a much larger movement. Horror reached multiplexes and arthouse audiences, while streaming services offered another route for the genre.
Early successes included remakes such as Piranha 3-D, Fright Night and Let Me In. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil and Cabin in the Woods also played with familiar horror conventions, clearing space for new approaches.
New stories find an audience
The Conjuring brought old-school scares to blockbuster audiences in 2013. In 2014, films such as Under the Skin, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night and The Babadook pointed toward horror grounded in intimate stories and personal grief.
By 2017, horror was visible across box office, awards and streaming. It became the highest-grossing horror movie ever, Get Out reached the Oscars, and Gerald’s Game and 1922 appeared on streaming services. Happy Death Day also became a surprise theatrical hit.
How the ranking was built
The collection includes 100 films ranked by Adjusted Tomatometer, a measure that takes release year and number of reviews into account. That approach is intended to help compare movies from different years and with different review totals.
A minimum of 40 reviews was required, favoring films with substantial critical coverage. Creep is cited as an example of a movie that did not reach that threshold.
Films that define the era
The article’s featured films show the range of the decade. Under the Shadow and The Wailing pair supernatural elements with mystery, while Get Out combines horror and comedy with social criticism.
The Babadook is praised for emotional depth alongside its scares. The selection also points to the decade’s continued activity with Hereditary, A Quiet Place and a Halloween sequel.
Key points
- Horror expanded across theaters, arthouse cinemas and streaming during the 2010s.
- The Conjuring, Get Out and The Babadook helped define the decade’s reach and variety.
- The 100-film ranking uses Adjusted Tomatometer and requires at least 40 reviews.
- The featured titles span supernatural mystery, social satire and emotionally grounded horror.