So much of a genre film relies on surprise; whether it’s the punchline of a joke or the shock of a jumpscare. By definition, things that succeed because of surprise can typically only succeed once. So then, what makes an audience watch a horror film twice, five times, a hundred times? When the mystery is solved and there are no shocks left to be had, what compells someone to press ‘play’ again?
There’s much more toHorrorthan just the shock. The genre is so often a breeding ground for new ideas, techniques and themes that will go on to become memes, cultural touchpoints or shared terrors that audiences can bond over. This is what keeps people coming back to horror again and again. The genre is always improving itself, as seen in these horror movies from the 2020s.
10’Sick' (2023)
Directed by John Hyams
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Parker (Gideon Aldon) and her friend Miri (Beth Million) take off to the lake house owned by Parker’s family. While isolated at home, they realize they aren’t alone. It’s no surprise thatSick, with its hyper-relevant and unique spin on the slasher genre,brings about memories ofScream. The 2022 film was co-written and produced byScreamscreenwriterKevin Williamson. Although 26 years and an abundance of success stand between the Williamson who wroteScreamand the Williamson who wroteSick, his interest in capturing the zeitgeist through the slasher lens hasn’t dwindled.
Films about historical events are a dime in a dozen, but theCOVID-19 pandemic occupies an abnormal space in pop culture. Everyone lived through it, but there was often something awkward or false about seeing it depicted on film. That awkwardness is what makesSickso rewatchable. While the film is average at best, it is excellent in the way it’s able to snatch viewers from their place in time and dump them back into the otherworldly realm we know as ‘2020.’ Ultimately,Sickfunctions as the time capsule of a moment everyone would rather forget.
Rent on Amazon
9’Underwater' (2020)
Directed by William Eubank
Norah (Kristen Stewart) is a mechanical engineer working in a research and drilling facility at the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench on earth; the Mariana Trench. When an earthquake causes significant damage to the high-tech facility, Norah and her surviving colleagues have to find a way to get to the surface.Underwateris essentially just a mid-tier vision of howAlienmight have lookedif it were set…underwater. Planets like Mercury, Venus and Mars have been mapped more extensively than earth’s own oceans; much of which remains ‘undiscovered.’ Something so extensive yet so mysterious is innately terrifying.
But the scares and action aren’t what makeUnderwaterso rewatchable.Kristen Stewart’s performance, enhanced by her ultra-cool peroxide blonde buzz cut, was a step out of the star’s comfort zone at the time of the film’s release. Unfortunately, the surrounding film was not quite good enough to make Norah as much of anicon as Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). That being said, Stewart’s rugged and engaging performance inUnderwaterbodes well for her upcoming filmLove Lies Bleeding, which follows the violent intersection of the bodybuilding scene and the mob.
Underwater
Watch on Hulu
8’Till Death' (2021)
Directed by S.K. Dale
Celebrated and simultaneously denigrated due to her good looks,Megan Foxdidn’t have the easiest start as a young actorin the spotlight. But as times have changed,so has the perspective on Fox’s work. Now appreciated for her on-screen charisma and dry comedic delivery, films likeTill Deathare exactly where Megan Fox belongs.
Till Deathfollows Emma (Fox) and Mark (Eoin Macken) who seem to have it all. Mark is a high-powered criminal attorney who met Emma when she was the victim of a crime. Despite once being her knight in shining armor, Mark is now controlling, obsessive and dangerous and Emma is having an affair. When their anniversary arrives, Mark uses the occasion to set up an elaborate and unhinged plot to punish Emma for cheating.Till Deathasks a lot of Fox; placing her in a very physical role with little dialogue and a lot of solo screen time. But she steps up to the plate, andelevates what could have been a run-of-the-mill B-movie into a tense and gritty horror thriller that viewers can watch on repeat.
Till Death
Rent on AppleTV
7’No Exit' (2022)
Directed by Damien Power
Darby (Havana Rose Liu) is supposed to be in rehab. But, when the troubled college student learns that her mom is sick, she skips out on her drug treatment and starts the long trip home. Before she can get there, she’s caught in a snow storm and forced to spend the night at an isolated rest stop with a handful of strangers.Darby quickly learns that one of the strangers has a secret.
DirectorDamien Poweris gaining a reputation as a maker of heartstoppingly tense, yet viciously bleak horror films. The Australian director’s debut filmKilling Groundwas a cynical and violent edge-of-your-seat horror film, andNo Exitisn’t much different. The film’s protagonist, brought to life so perfectly by Havana Rose Liu, is put through more pain and suffering than the average horror movie protagonist, yet she persists. Although Liu’s performance is a serious draw, the unraveling of the film’s central mystery is the compelling and gasp-inducing aspect ofNo Exitthat makes it impossible to watch only once.
6’Talk To Me' (2022)
Directed by Michael and Danny Phillippou
Mia (Sophie Wilde) and her friends attend a party where some of the attendees claim they’re able to host the spirits of the dead by holding the embalmed hand of a psychic. Still grieving the traumatic death of her mother, Mia touches the hand and discovers that it’s the real deal. She also discovers that catching a glimpse of what’s on the other side can be dangerous and addictive.Talk To Meis a game-changerin how it represents grief, longing and the afterlife.Depicting demonic possession as a quick and thrilling high is evocative, engaging and thematically rich.
The montages and madness of the possession scenes inTalk To Meare just as addictive to watch as a viewer as they are for the characters participating in it. On top of this, the film’s conclusion leaves open ends and questions that make it tempting to rewatch and speculate on. Directed by Australian brothersDanny and Michael Philippou,Talk To Mewas an international box office hitand has earned itself a sequel.
Talk to Me
5’Orphan: First Kill' (2022)
Directed by William Brent Bell
Orphan: First Killfollows Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman)as she flees Estonia and settles in America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Unfortunately for Esther, she may have met her match with the Albright family, who are darker and more dysfunctional than they seem.
WhenOrphanwas released in 2009,Fuhrman was 11 years old. It came as quite a surprise when it was announced that there would be anotherOrphanfilm over ten years later, that it would be a prequel,andthatFuhrman would reprise her role as Esther - the 9-year-old orphan.Orphan: First Killdelivers on the promise implied by its existence. Rather than adding another cash-grab reboot to the film landscape,First Killgoes in a wildly different direction to its predecessor and manages to give viewers a wickedly fun viewing experience that only gets better the second time around.
Orphan: First Kill
4’M3GAN' (2022)
Directed by Gerard Johnstone
Robotics engineer Gemma (Allison Williams)has her life turned upside down when her sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car accident. They are survived by their young daughter, Cady (Violet McGraw), With no other family, Gemma becomes Cady’s guardian. Workaholic Gemma struggles to bond with her niece until a robotics breakthroughcreates Megan, a life-like robot designed to be a companion to children.Megan and Cady become inseparable, but Megan may not be as perfect as she seems.
DirectorGerard Johnstoneprobably didn’t anticipate thatM3GANwould become the hottest meme of 2022, yet here we are withM3GANbecoming a household name and a sequel on the horizon.M3GANreinventsChild’s Playfor the iPad generation, and embraces camp with open arms while it does so. While other horror films are rewatchable due to their twists, turns or scares,M3GANis simply an entertaining and chaotic crowdpleaser that’s perfect viewing for an annual Halloween party.
3’Becky' (2020)
Directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion
13-year-old Becky (Lulu Wilson) is troubled, grieving the death of her mother and has a strained relationship with her dad, Jeff (Joel McHale).Things between the pair become more tense when they head up to her late mother’s lakeside home for a weekend away, only to be joined by Jeff’s new girlfriend and her son.Becky storms off to be alone and while she’s gone, a gang of neo-Nazis led by Dominick (Kevin James) invade the home in search of a mysterious key.
It’s not often you see a sitcom actor playing a neo-Nazi - especially a neo-Nazi who has beef with a teen girl. But, James makes a great antagonist inBeckyand a great match forLulu Wilson’s raw energy. Although stunt casting might have gotten people in the door, the vicious joyfulness of Becky’s rage and violence is certainly whatearnedBeckya sequeland what makes it so rewatchable. Much of that is down to the relentlessness of Lulu Wilson in the role and how few punches are pulled in this home-invasion horror/thriller.
2’Barbarian' (2022)
Directed by Zach Cregger
Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives in Detroit late at night and heads to her Airbnb. It’s pitch black, raining and when she tries to enter the property, she’s shocked to discover someone is already there. Keith (Bill Skarsgård) opens the door and explains that he also booked the Airbnb. Neither of them have anywhere else to go, so Keith invites Tess to share the house with him for the night. Despite her concerns, Tess feels she has no choice, and takes Keith up on the offer.
Put simply,Barbarianhas so much more going on thanno one could ever guess from reading a description, or comprehend from a single viewing. The film manages to be an effective, surprising and gut-wrenching horror film, while also spinning multiple themes -from gender politics, to the collapse of middle-class and generational differences across America. Much like lightning in a bottle, every element ofBarbarianis excellent, down to thecasting of Skarsgård, who’s known for being both a trustworthy leading man and one of horror’s best villains. It does all of this and more, never feels anything less than an excellent, tight, cohesive horror film.
1’Malignant' (2021)
Directed by James Wan
Madison (Annabelle Wallis) begins having vivid and terrifying visions and dreams of attacks and murders. She soon learns that what she’s seeing is really happening. Unsure of why she’s having these visions, what they mean, and what connects all the murder victims, she begins digging into the mystery.
James Wan has had a hand in almostevery major horror franchise of the century. Despite being known for his mainstream work as a director (The Conjuring,Insidious),Malignantis proof that Wan is anything but a one-trick pony.Malignanttakeselements from Giallo cinema, 90s action-movies and campy B-horror and smashes them together, creating something bold, weird and one-of-a-kind.Malignantneeds to be seen to be believed, but it needs to be seen at least twice to be adored.
This horror film centers on a woman who begins to experience terrifying visions of brutal murders. As these visions intensify, she discovers that they are actually terrifying realities. She must uncover the connection between her traumatic past and the gruesome realities before it’s too late, leading to shocking revelations.
