The 2020s have so far seen some brilliantly creative horror movies, which put new spins on well-worn tropes entwined with unique (but not too bizarre) supernatural concepts. Taking inspiration from some of the best fantasy horror movies in general, these terrifying new flicks derive scares from fantastical monsters that still have some thematic substance. On the other hand, some recent thriller movies that are almost perfect are driven by realistic but terrifying psychological horror.
Leaning into multiple genres that have blown up in movies and TV in the past decade, horror movies in the 2020s have been about social commentary and subverting classic tales. However, the decade is only (almost) halfway done. Some of these titles have already spawned obvious imitators, and fans can look forward to other interesting horror movies that build upon the horror themes that define this decade.
You are watching: 10 Most Creative Horror Movies From The 2020s (So Far)
10 Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Lisa Frankenstein Turns Mary Shelley’s Classic Into A Coming-Of-Age Romance
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Campy and comedic, Lisa Frankenstein was a box office disappointment but is still an enjoyable movie for fans of the classic horror novel. In this goofy romp, a weird high school girl with macabre tastes (possibly inspired by Winona Ryder’s 90s characters) finds herself the girlfriend of a mysteriously reanimated Victorian-era corpse.
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8.7/10 Lisa Frankenstein PG-13ComedyFantasyHorror
Lisa Frankenstein is a comedic fantasy-horror film by first-time director Zelda Williams and is a twist on the classic Frankenstein formula. Set in 1989, a high school outcast named Lisa accidentally revives a handsome corpse from the Victorian era and resolves to rebuild him into the perfect man.
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*Availability in US Director Zelda Williams Release Date February 9, 2024 Writers Diablo Cody Cast Kathryn Newton , Cole Sprouse , Liza Soberano , Henry Eikenberry , Joe Chrest , Carla Gugino Runtime 101 Minutes
Lisa Frankenstein‘s reviews imply that the concept has more merit than the execution, but it is fun nonetheless. Namely, Lisa Frankenstein uses the idea of a sort-of-resurrected person to prompt reflection on the 1980s coming-of-age template, with Lisa having little desire to live up to her “perfect” stepsister’s tastes.
Related 2024 Is One Of The Best Years For Horror In My Lifetime
The horror genre has been having one of the best years it’s ever had, with over a dozen critically-acclaimed scary films coming out in 2024.
Kathryn Newton is wild and morbid as Lisa, storming her way through the story and all of her character’s disturbing antics. Lisa Frankenstein is at least amusing when its ludicrous nature is primed for very dark comedy, and its heroine is unapologetically herself. It makes Frankenstein the set piece for Lisa to determine her own life (or death).
9 The Substance (2024)
The Substance Is This Year’s Riveting New Take On Body Horror
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The Substance puts a unique spin on multiple subgenres of horror, primarily body horror. A famous, accoladed actress longs for her glory days and resorts to taking a black-market drug — but not one that conveniently restores her youth and beauty. Things become physically and psychologically grotesque when the drug creates a second version of Elisabeth, who takes the name Sue and proceeds to steal her older self’s job.
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6.5/10 The Substance RHorrorDrama
The Substance is a science fiction horror film that follows a group of individuals as they uncover the dark secrets surrounding a mysterious substance with otherworldly properties. As they delve deeper into the truth, they must confront the sinister forces driving its production and the catastrophic consequences that follow.
Director Coralie Fargeat Release Date September 20, 2024 Writers Coralie Fargeat Cast Demi Moore , Margaret Qualley , Dennis Quaid , Gore Abrams , Hugo Diego Garcia , Olivier Raynal , Tiffany Hofstetter , Tom Morton , Jiselle Burkhalter , Axel Baille , Oscar Lesage , Matthew Géczy , Philip Schurer Runtime 140 Minutes
With relative newcomer Margaret Qualley playing the younger version of Demi Moore’s character, The Substance is interesting in both concept and enactment. It is labeled as satire, with the intention behind its gruesome body horror being to comment on the beauty standards of Hollywood and the stress of maintaining them, motivating Elisabeth’s actions. Having arrived in theaters in late September 2024, The Substance was met with strong reviews and box office success.
8 The Menu (2022)
Each Dish Served In The Menu Is Wickedly Clever
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How Erin escapes the restaurant and The Menu’s ending also make for some clever twists on classic meals.
The Menu found the perfect luxurious experience to elevate to points of absurdity for its commentary on the upper class and losing sight of one’s passion, and is creative with the presentation of each dish. The movie features some nice touches, like the subtitles for every culinary creation, à la cooking TV show. In between, the various guests get some time to converse, showing how they are all well-thought-out and hilarious satires on corporate magnates, movie stars, reviewers, and the like.
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9/10 The Menu RComedyHorrorThriller
A darkly comedic horror-thriller, The Menu focuses on a group of diners invited to a high-end restaurant on a private island by one of the world’s greatest chefs. Shortly after arriving on the island, Margot Mills begins to realize something is strange beyond the perceived pompous nature of the menu. Her suspicions are confirmed when the night turns deadly as the restaurant staff begins to descend into a cult-like madness.
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*Availability in US Director Mark Mylod Release Date November 18, 2022 Writers Seth Reiss , Will Tracy Cast Ralph Fiennes , Anya Taylor-Joy , Nicholas Hoult , Hong Chau , Janet McTeer , Reed Birney , Judith Light , John Leguizamo Runtime 106 minutes
How Erin escapes the restaurant and The Menu‘s ending also make for some clever twists on classic meals. A year after The Menu, What You Wish For also used the concept of haute cuisine for a horrific depiction of wealth — one that is more focused on the concept than flowery presentation. However, The Menu‘s basic structure is familiar to those well-versed in horror, but much of its originality lies in smaller details and the lesson taught with each “course.”
7 #Alive (2020)
A New & Terrifying Perspective On The Zombie Apocalypse
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#Alive (original title #Saraitda) uses its story premise to show how social media would be used during a zombie apocalypse, something that isn’t properly delved into in other properties when the outbreak usually results in the collapse of all media outlets. The main character sees others’ attempts at a physical or mental escape going badly, increasing his own stress. Coming out later in 2020, #Alive struck upon some anxieties of lockdown.
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#Alive TV-MAHorrorActionDrama
See more : Chainsaw Man Chapter 156 Release Date, Spoilers, Recap, and Where to Read?
Alive is a South Korean horror-thriller film directed by Il Cho. The narrative follows a video game live streamer, portrayed by Yoo Ah-in, who is trapped in his apartment as a zombie apocalypse unfolds outside. Isolated and cut off from communication, he must use his wits to survive the growing threat. The film also stars Park Shin-hye and explores themes of survival and human resilience.
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*Availability in US Director Il Cho Release Date September 8, 2020 Writers Il Cho , Jo Il Hyung , Chuck Mccue , Matt Naylor , Jimmy Olsson , Jules Vincent Cast Yoo Ah-in , Park Shin-Hye , Jeon Bae-soo , Hyun-Wook Lee Runtime 98 Minutes
It’s a relatively basic premise, but interesting because most people would think staying inside is the best option in this scenario. However, #Alive shows how staying in a barricaded residence is just as horrifying, especially when one is alone. Its depiction of confinement is unsettling, demonstrating another kind of survival that The Walking Dead never gets around to. The characters then reach a broadly uplifting ending using tools that creators in this genre rarely think of.
6 Abigail (2024)
The Dracula’s Daughter Revamp Is A Bloody Vampiric Spectacle
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Abigail is inspired by Dracula’s Daughter, but still deserves praise for its new execution, which pays homage to multiple iterations of Dracula and delivers a charismatic version of the title character. Like in many horror movies before it, a seemingly unrelated group of characters end up trapped with a monster, but Abigail is no ordinary monster.
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8.5/10 Abigail (2024) RHorrorThriller
Abigail is a 2024 horror thriller directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The plot follows a group of people who kidnap the daughter of a dangerous crime lord only to discover that the little girl is actually a vicious vampire out for blood. Alisha Weir stars as the titular character alongside Kathryn Newton, Melissa Barrera, and Dan Stevens.
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*Availability in US Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin , Tyler Gillett Release Date April 19, 2024 Writers Stephen Shields , Guy Busick Cast Kathryn Newton , Dan Stevens , Giancarlo Esposito , Kevin Durand , Melissa Barrera , Alisha Weir , Angus Cloud , William Catlett Runtime 109 Minutes
Due to the writing surrounding her character and Alisha Weir’s performance, Abigail is satisfyingly, spectacularly dramatic. Letting the vampire child bear her fangs and unleash mayhem, all while Swan Lake blares in the background, is an ingenious combination of elements that puts a new spin on the vampire genre, even when, as the movie points out, it has become oversaturated.
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Abigail‘s pacing takes the audience through some surprising twists and turns, with new villains appearing late in the movie and Abigail’s ultimate narrative role becoming something slightly different from expected. The supporting cast has their own creative beats, which contributes to a movie that both feels like a classic and wholly original.
5 Possessor (2020)
Mind Control Technology Drives Possessor’s Haunting Philosophical Discourse
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Part body horror and part psychological thriller, Possessor begins with a relatively easy-to-understand concept that spirals into psychedelic consequences for the main character. Tasya Vos is an agent who uses futuristic brain implant technology to “possess” other people, to commit assassinations on behalf of the company she works for. As one might have guessed, this job comes with some major negative ethical and psychological implications, elevated by Brandon Cronenberg’s nightmarish directing decisions.
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Possessor Not RatedThrillerHorror Sci-Fi
Possessor, directed by Brandon Cronenberg, is a 2020 science fiction horror film that follows Tasya Vos, a corporate agent who uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people’s bodies and perform assassinations. As Vos struggles with her identity and loses control over her host, the boundaries between her own mind and her host’s begin to blur, leading to catastrophic consequences. Starring Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott, the film explores themes of control and identity.
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*Availability in US Director Brandon Cronenberg Release Date October 2, 2020 Writers Brandon Cronenberg Cast Andrea Riseborough , Christopher Abbott , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Sean Bean , Rossif Sutherland , Tuppence Middleton Runtime 103 minutes
Possessor is a bigger deal than it might seem, directed by horror icon David Cronenberg’s son, and coming out eight years after this legacy director’s debut full-length movie. The additional time to work on the script was worth it, especially when the concept is somewhat abstract, and its meaning needs to come across. Possessor introduces new beats for mind control plots, which may reappear within this decade as Cronenberg and others continue to direct horror sleeper hits.
4 I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (2020)
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things Uses The Literal To Showcase The Figurative
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I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a difficult movie to interpret, but it showcases ingenuity in how it illustrates discernible themes. The movie appears to lament the passage of time, reaching old age in the blink of an eye, illustrating this when the unnamed protagonist passes in and out of a room to find that her boyfriend’s parents have aged decades in a moment. Her narration also makes clear how uncomfortable she is, highlighting even the most mundane details.
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10/10 I’m Thinking of Ending Things RHorrorThrillerDrama
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a Netflix original movie that was released in September 2020. The story centers on a young woman who decides to visit her boyfriend’s parents’ mysterious farm. But after arriving, she realizes he’s not the man she thought he was. I’m Thinking of Ending Things stars Jesse Plemmons and Jessie Buckley and is directed by Charlie Kaufman.
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*Availability in US Director Charlie Kaufman Release Date September 4, 2020 Writers Charlie Kaufman , Ian Reid Cast Jessie Buckley , Jesse Plemons , Colby Minifie , Toni Collette , David Thewlis , Jason Ralph Runtime 134 minutes
The parents and some other figures the couple meets along the way are creepy, earning this movie’s classification as a horror. In the final act, I’m Thinking of Ending Things devolves into some abrupt sequences of dance and musical theater. They are illogical on paper but succeed at conveying what the main characters are feeling. Again, it’s hard to find a linear, sensible narrative in this movie, but its strangest moments are very weighty, motivating the audience to unpack them.
3 Last Night In Soho (2021)
If Midnight In Paris Were A Horror Movie
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If Last Night in Soho took inspiration from Midnight in Paris, it did a commendable job of emphasizing the new location and tone. When a young fashion student in London begins having visions of the woman who inhabited her room decades earlier, the movie flawlessly moves between them as they travel together during a night in Sandie’s life. Last Night in Soho continues to draw haunting parallels between Eloise and Sandie when the former begins to mimic the latter in her present-day life, as they face obstacles that resonate with each other decades apart.
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7.7/10 Last Night in Soho RDramaHorrorThriller
In the acclaimed director Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, Last Night in Soho, Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie. However, the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.
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*Availability in US Director Edgar Wright Release Date October 29, 2021 Writers Edgar Wright , Krysty Wilson-Cairns Cast Anya Taylor-Joy , Lisa McGrillis , Michael Ajao , Matt Smith , Margaret Nolan , Synnove Karlsen , Diana Rigg , Oliver Phelps , Thomasin McKenzie , Jessie Mei Li , Terence Stamp , Rita Tushingham , James Phelps Runtime 116 minutes
Last Night in Soho seems like it may stay within the realm of a subtle psychological thriller for the first half of the movie. However, it quickly spirals into a full-blown horror fest. As Sandie’s past life begins to haunt Eloise more and more, she looks for a way out, only to discover a shocking truth. Last Night in Soho blurs the lines between the past and present, only ambiguously hinting at the ultimate effect on the protagonist’s life.
2 Nightbooks (2021)
Nightbooks Is A New “Hansel & Gretel” Full Of Scary Stories & A Brilliant Witch
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Nightbooks also plays with the story-withing-a-story concept by having the act of storytelling be important to the plot as Alex and Yasmin navigate their way to freedom.
While some other recent horror movies are loose interpretations of classic fairy tales and literary works, Nightbooks is a very underrated approach to this formula. Two children, a boy and a girl, find themselves captive in a moving apartment inhabited by a charismatic witch in this vibrant, terrifying take on “Hansel and Gretel.”
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Nightbooks tv-14FamilyHorrorFantasy
Nightbooks is a Netflix-based Horror film directed by David Yarovesky and released in 2021. The release stars Lidya Jewett, Winslow Fegley, and Krysten Ritter. The release follows a young boy who writes Horror books in his free time as he has a chance encounter with a strange witch.
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*Availability in US Director David Yarovesky Release Date September 15, 2021 Writers Mikki Daughtry , Tobias Iaconis Cast Krysten Ritter , Winslow Fegley , Lidya Jewett Runtime 100 minutes
Both children are only alive because the witch has some use for them, delving into the plot where, like their fairy tale counterparts, they rely on their wits to survive. Meanwhile, the witch Natacha is wonderfully played by Krysten Ritter, with whoever conceptualized the character helping the movie out tremendously by letting her have a sassy personality and sense of style.
Related 2 More Classic Fairy Tales Are Secretly Getting Horror Versions In 2024
Following an ongoing trend in the horror genre, two more classic fairy tales have secretly gotten horror movies that are projected for a 2024 release.
Nightbooks also plays with the story-withing-a-story concept by having the act of storytelling be important to the plot as Alex and Yasmin navigate their way to freedom. Additionally, the apartment that moves around the world and is stocked with a massive library is a superior version of the candy cottage, making for a much more interesting fairy tale.
1 Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele’s Latest Genius Horror With An Out-Of-This World Threat
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Horror visionary Jordan Peele developed an intriguing alien invasion scenario with an extra-terrestrial being that resembles a flying saucer, prompting this very confusion for the first part of the movie. When the people who encounter this alien are Hollywood horse trainers, the intelligent thematic concept of interacting with animals on their own terms takes shape. Meanwhile, the bizarre and violent backstory of Steven Yeun’s character reinforces this theme.
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8.5/10 Nope rHorror Sci-Fi
Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Nope follows the owners of a family-run Hollywood horse ranch whose lives are changed by extraterrestrial phenomena. Siblings Otis (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) scramble to understand events that seem to defy all explanation, even as their neighbor (Steven Yeun) tries to turn the strange occurrences into a alien tourist attraction.
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*Availability in US Director Jordan Peele Release Date July 22, 2022 Writers Jordan Peele Cast Steven Yeun , Michael Wincott , Daniel Kaluuya , Brandon Perea , Keke Palmer , Barbie Ferreira Runtime 131 minutes
“Jean Jacket” becomes the horrifying crux of a game of cat and mouse as the human characters try to capture a picture of the visitor. Nope also piles on to its already profound premise with a character who is a brilliant cinematographer, with his own philosophy of capturing the perfect shot. Peele has proven himself to be more than adept at coming up with new concepts for horror movies, which allow fear to be used to convey important stories in modern cinema.
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