We have reached a milestone recording episode, and also a good milestone date for horror movies. The first 25 years of the century, nay, the millennium, have passed. It is an opportune time to look back at the first quarter century and show our favorite movies of the past 25 years. We like our lists and rankings here at The Scariest Things!
It is a testament to the breadth and depth of modern horror offerings that our lists differ significantly from one another, yet they all showcase terrific movies. Only one movie ended up on all three lists for those of us on the recording: The House of the Devil, which also appears on Heather’s list, but she couldn’t join us for the recording.
The New York Times recently released its 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, which makes for good timing with our list. It’s a pretty awesome list of films, but not surprisingly, not many horror movies made the list: Get Out, Pan’s Labyrinth, Black Swan, Under the Skin, and Let the Right One In. All of those are excellent films, but listing only five out of 100 movies requires The Scariest Things to provide some counterprogramming.
Our Lists:
Consider the process one of celebrating the merits of modern horror cinema. The mission wasn’t crystal clear as to how we were approaching our strategies. For example, Mike and Eric ranked their lists, Liz ranked hers by year, and Heather provided a top 20 list with no particular order. It’s all good!
As usual with our rankings, it’s fun to see how our horror tendencies emerge. As a result, our fans will get different takes depending on which critic aligns best with their taste in movies. There were so many choices, and the inevitable regrets of leaving some films off or missing a pick altogether were bound to happen. Sophie’s Choice moments were plentiful. It’s so hard picking your favorite babies sometimes.
The Podcast: Episode 200: The Best 25 horror movies of the 21st Century (So far!)
If you come to the podcast via the website, you may want to wait before scrolling past the player applications so as not to spoil the lists. Or, feel free to browse down to see all the lists! (Spoiler warning)
Thanks to everyone who has supported us through our first 200 episodes! Enjoy!
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Eric Li’s List: By Rank
25. Pontypool (2008)
24. Train to Busan (2016)
23. Don’t Breathe (2016)
22. It Follows (2014)
21. Green Room (2015)
20. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
19. Slither (2006)
18. Paranormal Activity (2007)
17. House of the Devil (2009)
16. Spring (2014)
15. Open Water (2003)
14. The Mist (2007)
13. One Cut of the Dead (2017)
12. A Quiet Place (2018)
11. Late Night With the Devil (2023)
10. Ready or Not (2019)
9. The Conjuring (2013)
8. Barbarian (2023)
7. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
6. Raw (2016)
5. Talk To Me (2023)
4. Godzilla Minus One (2023)
3. Get Out (2017)
2. 28 Days Later (2002)
1. Hereditary (2018)
Eric’s hindsight regrets: Let the Right One In, Oddity, Satan’s Slaves,The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Kill List, and The Descent all belong on my list as well. Let the Right One In is probably in the top ten. How did I miss those? Since they appear as recommendations on other lists, I don’t feel so bad, but I’m already considering reorganizing my list.
Liz William’s List: By Date
25. Final Destination (2000)
24. Session 9 (2001)
23. Cabin Fever (2002)
22. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
21. Saw (2004)
20. (tie) The Descent (2005)
20. (tie) Hostel (2005)
19. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
18. Paranormal Activity (2007)
17. Martyrs (2008)
16. The Loved Ones (2009)
15. I Saw the Devil (2010)
14. Kill List (2011)
13. Sinister (2012)
12. The Purge (2013)
11. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
10. Deathgasm (2015)
9. Don’t Breathe (20016)
8. The Ritual (2017)
7. Hereditary (2018)
6. Saint Maude (2019)
5. Host (2020)
4. The Feast (2021)
3. Speak No Evil (2022)
2. Talk To Me (2023)
1. Oddity (2024)
1*. Sinners (2025)
Mike Campbell’s List: By Rank
25. Uncle Peckerhead (2020)
24. The Black Phone (2023)
23. When Evil Lurks (2023)
22. The First Omen (2024)
21. Cavin Fever (2002)
20. Extra Ordinary (2019)
19. Us (2019)
18. Unsane (2018)
17. Halloween (2018)
16. VHS (2022)
15. Kill List (2011)
14. The Innkeepers (2011)
13. The Void (2016)
12. The Last Shift (2014)
11. The Ruins (2008)
10. Talk To Me (2023)
9. Queen of Black Magic (2019)
8. One Cut of the Dead (2017)
7. The Conjuring (2013)
6. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
4. The Ring (2002)
3. Satan’s Slaves (2017)
2. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
1. House of the Devil (2009)
Heather Alexander’s List: No Particular Order
Mads (2024)
First Omen (2024)
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Talk to Me (2023)
Smile (2023)
Train to Busan (2016)
The Witch (2015)
Dawn of the Dead (Snyder remake) (2004)
Martyrs (2008)
The Ruins (2008)
House of the Devil (2009)
Jennifer’s Body
The Conjuring (2013)
A Quiet Place (2018)
In a Violent Nature (2024)
It Follows (2014)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
The Descent (2005)
Hell House LLC (2015)
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
Ready or Not (2019)
Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Strange Darling (2024)
As Above So Below (2014)
X (2022)
Jeff Dean’s List: Ranked
Jeff was the inspiration for the 200th episode. He shares hosting duty for the Portland Horror Trivia Massacre with Heather. It has been a while, but Jeff assisted us with some of our earliest episodes: Episode 52: Horror History 1970-1975, and Episode 53: Medical Malfeasance. Jeff was good enough to provide directors for his movie list!
25. Freddy vs. Jason(2003)
dir. Ronny Yu
24. Prey (2022)
dir. Dan Trachtenberg
23. The Neon Demon (2016)
dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
22. Eyes of my Mother (2016)
dir. Nicolas Pesce
21. Lamb(2021)
dir. Valdimar Johannson
20. El Conde (2023)
dir. Pablo Larrain
19. Doctor Sleep (2019)
dir. Mike Flanagan
18. Triangle (2009)
dir. Christopher Smith
17. Trick ‘R Treat(2009)
dir. Michael Dougherty
16. Hereditary (2018)
dir. Ari Aster
15. Tigers are Not Afraid (2017)
dir. Issa Lopez
14. The Descent (2005)
dir. Neil Marshall
13. Candyman (2021)
dir. Nia DaCosta
12. Mandy(2018)
dir. Panos Cosmatos
11. Pearl (2022)
dir. Ti West
10. REC (2007)
dir. Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza
9. The Night House (2021)
dir. David Bruckner
8. Gretel & Hansel (2020)
dir. Osgood Perkins
7. Three Extremes (2004)
dir. Takashi Miike and Fruit Chan and Park Chan-wook
6. I Saw the Devil (2
dir. Kim Jee-woon
5. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
dir. Andre Overdal
4. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
dir. E. Elias Merhige
3. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
dir. Don Coscarelli
2. The Witch (2015)
dir. Robert Eggers
1. Let The Right One In (2008)
dir. Tomas Alfredson