Horror/Thriller Movies I Actually Liked
I am a huge fan or horror movies. Pretty much since I was a kid, I loved the feeling of being scared! I have seen literally thousands of movies and a huge portion of those were in the horror/science fiction/fantasy genre. Yeah, I need a life, I know.
Of all those movies, I've seen more than my fair share of garbage posing as film while every once and awhile, I've come across a true gem!
This is a short list of some of the more recent horror movies that I really liked for various reasons. More importantly, these are movies that I would recommend to someone else to watch. A good number of these, I like so much as to bear repeated viewing, so I bought them on DVD.
Some people may argue that a couple of these aren't technically "horror" movies, but I believe that they all still have aspects of the genre.
This list is nowhere near complete!
Of all those movies, I've seen more than my fair share of garbage posing as film while every once and awhile, I've come across a true gem!
This is a short list of some of the more recent horror movies that I really liked for various reasons. More importantly, these are movies that I would recommend to someone else to watch. A good number of these, I like so much as to bear repeated viewing, so I bought them on DVD.
Some people may argue that a couple of these aren't technically "horror" movies, but I believe that they all still have aspects of the genre.
This list is nowhere near complete!
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- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.A brilliant vampire film that is also a love story as well as a coming of age story.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsKodi Smit-McPheeChloë Grace MoretzRichard JenkinsA bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.I am against re-makes of films mainly on general principle.
This is one of the rare films that does a brilliant job of translating the original to an American audience without dumbing it down or "Americanizing" it. - DirectorM.J. BassettStarsAdelaide ClemensKit HaringtonSean BeanWhen her adoptive father disappears, Sharon Da Silva is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.I'm a sucker for Silent Hill. So there....
- DirectorMarcus DunstanStarsJosh StewartEmma FitzpatrickChristopher McDonaldA man who escapes from the vicious grips of the serial killer known as "The Collector" is then forced to help rescue an innocent girl from the killer's booby-trapped lair.This was actually a decent sequal! Although it is essentially "torture-porn", it is surprisingly well made, well acted and has a decent script. Ignore the engineering miracles the collector character pulls off and just stay for the fast paced ride.
- DirectorDrew GoddardStarsKristen ConnollyChris HemsworthAnna HutchisonFive college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
- DirectorMarcus DunstanStarsJosh StewartAndrea RothJuan FernándezDesperate to repay his debt to his ex-wife, an ex-con plots a heist at his new employer's country home, unaware that a second criminal has also targeted the property, and rigged it with a series of deadly traps.
- DirectorBreck EisnerStarsRadha MitchellTimothy OlyphantDanielle PanabakerAfter a strange and insecure plane crash, an unusual toxic virus enters a quaint farming town. A young couple are quarantined, but they fight for survival along with help from a couple of people.I'm not a big fan of re-makes but in this case, I think that a re-make was necessary! The acting, direction, writing, and production were all top-notch without falling into the usual pitfalls associated with remaking already good movies.
- DirectorJames WatkinsStarsDaniel RadcliffeJanet McTeerCiarán HindsA young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
- DirectorMatthijs van Heijningen Jr.StarsMary Elizabeth WinsteadJoel EdgertonUlrich ThomsenAt an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.Another excellent re-make that isn't so much a re-make as it is a prequal. Keep watch out for clues that link this movie to the original!
- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.If this movie doesn't creep you out, Im not sure what will. Claustrophobic, creepy and downright scary as Hell!
- DirectorJon HarrisStarsMichael J. ReynoldsShauna MacdonaldJessika WilliamsRefusing to believe her story about cave-dwelling monsters, the sole survivor of a spelunking exploration gone horribly wrong is forced to follow the authorities back into the caves where something awaits.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsCillian MurphyNaomie HarrisChristopher EcclestonFour weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
- DirectorJuan Carlos FresnadilloStarsJeremy RennerRose ByrneRobert CarlyleSix months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsMike VogelJessica LucasLizzy CaplanA group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.I'm glad someone finally made a giant monster that the U.S. can call their own! I kinda felt sorry for "Clover" after awhile though.
- DirectorJohn FawcettStarsEmily PerkinsKatharine IsabelleKris LemcheTwo death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.Brilliant coming-of-age/werewolf film that wasn't derivative or overly melodramatic. Suck it Twilight fans!
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian CoxA journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.Very few Asian horror films translate well to American audiences without extensive re-writes. This is a rare exception! Almost as good as the original.
- DirectorChristophe GansStarsRadha MitchellLaurie HoldenSean BeanRose Da Silva takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears and Rose begins a horrific journey to get her back.Personally, i liked it, but then again, I love the games. Creepy, but it can be very confusing for those not familiar with the Silent Hill video game series.
- DirectorOren PeliStarsKatie FeatherstonMicah SloatMark FredrichsAfter moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.Director Orin Peli succeeds with $10,000 what the majority of "Big Hollywood" directors can't do with $10,000,000! Realistic acting, nice jump scares and a damn good story arc...no wonder this title revived the "found footage" genre.
- DirectorRuben FleischerStarsJesse EisenbergEmma StoneWoody HarrelsonA shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.If you haven't seen this yet, then you aren't much of a horror fan are you?
- DirectorBryan BertinoStarsScott SpeedmanLiv TylerGemma WardA young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants.I bit over-rated and the logic strays a bit from time to time, but the tension the film generates was worth it. "Based on a true story" the same way "Jaws" is based on a true story.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróPaco PlazaStarsManuela VelascoFerran TerrazaJorge-Yamam SerranoA television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.Great premise! This is how a "video cam/shaky cam/etc" movie should be made. The movie is intense, scary and there are several standout performances! The first sequel is worth too, but avoid the third movie like plague.
- DirectorJohn Erick DowdleStarsJennifer CarpenterSteve HarrisColumbus ShortA television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC, after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.Pretty much a frame by frame remake of the original Spanish film, but it's well made with enough differences to make it worth watching. Jennifer Carpenter is great in this even though her screaming gets a bit annoying after awhile.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsNathan FillionElizabeth BanksMichael RookerA small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.Possibly the best monster movie of the new millenium! Great acting, great SFX, a very cool monster, and more than a few hilarious moments. This movie has it all!
- DirectorJames WatkinsStarsKelly ReillyMichael FassbenderTara EllisRefusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.This was a particularly brutal movie to watch, simply because of the casual nature of the "bad guys" and how easily they turned to violence. The ending was a serious sucker punch!
- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsDavid CarusoStephen GevedonPaul GuilfoyleTensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.Not really a ghost story so much as a very creepy insight into a broken mind. It starts off a bit slow and their are a couple of red herrings along the way, but stick with it and you will be rewarded. No jump scares or other gimmicks, but you should pay attention to everything that happens!