The 15 scariest horror movies of the 2020s
16d 9h ago by sh.itjust.works/u/Lisk91 in Horror@lemmy.ca from www.thenationalnews.com
Want to see the future of film? Look to the horror genre. While some corners of Hollywood feel stuck in the past, with the same old directors making the same sorts of movies year after year, scary movies are experiencing a genuinely thrilling moment. Young filmmakers worldwide are turning in bold and inventive work, and – even with small budgets and little marketing – audiences are turning out in droves.
In the first half of 2026, it seems that the cultural shift may be complete. At the weekend, Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons, grossed a staggering $118 million at the global box office, while Obsession, directed by 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, hit $148 million worldwide on a budget of under $1 million. Both films are outpacing big-budget releases from major studios, showing a clear sea change in audience taste.
Longlegs didn’t hit for me (did you see how short his legs were?!), but this is a fun list.
Was It Follows in this period? Also the first of the two movies with the break in of the blind guys home was really awful in good ways (don’t watch the sequel though imo).
I really really loved Barbarian. Weapons was good to, arguable having some better parts than Barbarian, but I liked Barbarian more as a whole.
Backrooms is simply amazing. A friend told me it tops Alien for them, which idk if I agree with but it certainly has stuck with me for days already.
Sorry for the ramble. This list was fun.
“Nope” was a complete disappointment. It barely qualifies as horror. But “Talk To Me” creeped me the hell out.
Weapons is a thriller not a horror.