The Best Horror Movie From Every Year in the 2010s

The horror genre has definitely gone through a fascinating evolution since the days of Universal Monsters and the slashers of the '80s. While we'll always have a soft spot for the classics like The Exorcist or The Shining, the 2010s brought in a "prestige horror" era that prioritized atmospheric storytelling, interesting characters, psychological depth, and subtext.

This decade saw the rise of the indie horror scene (especially with studios like A24 and NEON), which transformed the genre into a space for exploring themes of grief and trauma. Audiences got to experience elevated concepts that lasted long after the credits rolled, and gave them a lot to think about and dissect. 

Overall, the genre moved away from the "found footage" fatigue of the late 2000s during this decade and entered a space of artistic filmmaking where directors like Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, and Robert Eggers became household names. These films also used the genre's tropes to deconstruct human nature. Here are the absolute best horror movies from each year of the 2010s. 

1. I Saw the Devil (2010)
2. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
3. Prometheus (2012)
4. The Conjuring (2013)
5. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
6. Green Room (2015)
7. Train to Busan (2016)
8. mother!  (2017)
9. The House That Jack Built (2018)
10. Us (2019)

I Saw the Devil (2010)

· Runner Up - Black Swan

If you go into Kim Jee-woon’s I Saw the Devil expecting a conventional horror film, it will absolutely pulverize your expectations. There are no ghosts here, but a lot of human cruelty. Lee Byung-hun plays a secret agent whose fiancée is murdered by a serial killer, and what follows isn’t a clean revenge story. 

Half the film plays like a cat-and-mouse thriller. Lee’s character doesn’t just hunt the killer; he captures him, tortures him, releases him, and hunts him again. It’s sadistic and at times almost unbearable to watch, and the film faced heavy censorship in South Korea for its excessive gore.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

· Runner Up - The Skin I Live In

You might think you know where this movie goes within the first 10 minutes, but it actually heads in a completely unexpected direction. The Cabin in the Woods works on two levels. On the surface, it’s a creature feature with the tension and gore you’d expect. But underneath, it’s also a smart and meta dissection of the horror genre. 

The film eventually reveals that the “cabin” scenario is orchestrated and controlled by technicians in an underground facility who manipulate the victims like lab rats. The film is packed with Easter eggs and references to horror history, but it’s the third act that makes it stand out. 

Prometheus (2012)

· Runner Up - Sinister

Ridley Scott returning to the universe he created with Alien (1979) was always going to stir debate. Prometheus isn’t as airtight as the original, but it dares to do things differently and expand on the lore instead of retreading it.  

The film follows a crew of scientists traveling to a distant moon after discovering ancient star maps embedded in human history, and Michael Fassbender’s android, David, always steals scenes with his eeriness. The production design feels colossal and ancient at the same time, and is just as impressive as the original Alien. 

The Conjuring (2013)

· Runner Up - Under the Skin

Based on the real-life case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring feels like a perfect throwback to the horror movies of the 70s. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have great chemistry and bring a lot of likability to the Warrens, making them characters you actually care about, which can be a bit of a rarity in mainstream horror. 

The occasionally slower pacing perfectly enhances the film's tension, and it feels old-school in the best possible way, thanks in large part to its practical effects and very effective scares. 

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

· Runner Up - It Follows

Shot in black and white, the movie is set in a fictional Iranian ghost town. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night mixes vampires with an otherwise very grounded setting. The story centers on a chador-wearing vampire who stalks abusive men at night. 

Sparse dialogue and lingering shots combined with a melancholic soundtrack result in one of the most “real-feeling” horror movies made in recent years, and it almost feels like you’re watching a documentary at times. Made on a very modest budget, this movie's urban setting feels authentic and leads to one of the most immersive horror movies you’ll see. 

Green Room (2015)

· Runner Up - Bone Tomahawk

Green Room doesn’t rely on ghosts or any of the usual horror elements. Instead, it traps you in a room with neo-Nazis and lets tension and violence do the rest. The premise is rather simple—a punk band witnesses a murder at a remote venue and must fight their way out. Overall, the movie presents a very impactful and tight 90 minutes of horror storytelling. 

The violence here is also very sudden and messy, often with no dramatic build-ups (but nothing feels like it’s done for shock value). The direction makes every interaction feel claustrophobic, and every decision does actually feel like life-or-death.

Train to Busan (2016)

· Runner Up - The Witch

Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan re-energized the zombie genre. Set almost entirely on a speeding train during a viral outbreak, it has both relentless action and emotional storytelling.

Gong Yoo plays a distant father trying to protect his daughter while taking her to see her mother in Busan. The zombies here are fast, contorting their bodies in unsettling ways as they pile on top of each other, and the confined train setting really amplifies everything, from the scenario's panic and desperation to its human characters' moral dilemmas.

mother!  (2017)

· Runner Up - Get Out

Darren Aronofsky’s mother! is just as much a movie as it is an anxiety attack stretched to feature length, making it somewhat reminiscent of the deeply unsettling Requiem for a Dream. 

Jennifer Lawrence plays a woman whose home is invaded by increasingly chaotic guests, often invited by her husband, played by Javier Bardem. That’s the literal plot, but there are metaphorical interpretations of the movie's events. By the third act, the psychological horror film descends into surreal nightmare territory that left audiences divided. 

The House That Jack Built (2018)

· Runner Up - Hereditary

You know what to expect from a Lars von Trier movie, but somehow The House That Jack Built is even more brutal and deliberately provocative than even most fans were prepared for. Here, Matt Dillon plays Jack, a serial killer recounting his crimes as twisted “works of art.” 

It’s a psychological horror movie steeped in nihilism. The film follows five incidents over 12 years, with Jack narrating his journey to a mysterious figure as they descend into the literal pits of Hell. The movie is notoriously brutal, and can be interpreted as a meta-commentary on von Trier’s own career of provocative movies. 

Us (2019)

· Runner Up - The Lighthouse

Jordan Peele followed Get Out with something even stranger, while providing more of the "social horror" he’s so good at. Us begins as a home invasion story but morphs into a chilling tale about doppelgängers living underground.

Lupita Nyong’o delivers a great dual performance, but it’s the layered social commentary beneath the horror that makes this movie so compelling.  The concept alone is strong, but it’s the execution—from the unsettling imagery to the sharp pacing (and a great final twist)—that cement it as one of the decade’s defining horror films.