The 20 Most Underrated Horror Movies of the 2020s So Far, Ranked
Updated
Writing from the Chicagoland area in Illinois, Robert is an avid movie watcher and will take just about any excuse to find time to go to his local movie theaters. Robert graduated from Bradley University with degrees in Journalism and Game Design with a minor in Film Studies. Robert tries his best to keep up with all the latest movie releases, from those released in theaters to those released on streaming. While he doesn't always keep up with the latest TV shows, he makes it a goal to watch nearly every major new release possible. He has been honing his craft and following any and all movie news all his life, leading up to now, where he has a vast knowledge of film and film history. He also logs every movie that he watches on his Letterboxd page, and has hosted a weekly online movie night with his closest friends for over 6 years.
Horror has been a staple of the medium of film for over a century, with the genre acting as a perfect avenue for creative visionaries and experimental works of art that simply aren't possible in any other genre. This trend has effectively continued into the 2020s with a high number of exceptional and widely acclaimed horror titles, from massive blockbusters like Smile and A Quiet Place Part II to critical darlings like I Saw the TV Glow and Evil Dead Rise.
However, for every horror film that has had its time in the spotlight this decade, there are just as many exceptional efforts that didn't get the praise or recognition they deserved. Maybe they got a mistimed release date, or maybe they got lost in the wave of streaming service originals and other more popular releases; some might not have looked interesting at face value. There are many reasons why these films didn't attract the interest of audiences. However, horror is thriving thanks to its inherent underground nature and word-of-mouth discussions, with these films lined up to become the decade's premier hidden horror gems.
20 'Uncle Peckerhead' (2020)
A low-budget horror comedy largely defined by its no-nonsense punk aesthetic and an abundance of gore, Uncle Peckerhead strives to have the same energy as an overlooked hidden gem buried in the depths of a video rental store. The film follows an indie band getting ready for their first tour only to have their van repossessed at the last second. Desperate for a van, they end up getting help from Uncle Peckerhead, who offers to drive the band as a roadie, yet Peck soon reveals that he temporarily becomes a man-eating monster at midnight.
The clear strength of Uncle Peckerhead is that, much like the indie punk culture that it's embracing, the film doesn't let its limited resources and small scale get in the way of being an absolutely killer good time. It's a Z movie that has a real sense of passion and love for its craft to set it apart from other low-budget horror films. One can only hope that its time on various streaming services will allow it to rise in popularity and become a true cult classic.
19 'Hatching' (2022)
A Finnish psychological horror film that combines a classic creature feature premise with overarching themes of familial trauma and pressures, Hatching is an exceptional look into a fractured and outdated worldview. The film follows young 12-year-old Tinja, who, for her entire life, has been desperate to please and make her harsh mother proud, wanting to create an idealistic family. However, Tinja's world is completely changed when she discovers a strange egg, deciding to take care of the mysterious creature that hatches from the egg and mold it into her image of an ideal family.
Hatching uses exceptional practical effects and shocking body horror to convey its overarching themes and message. It keeps dialogue to a minimum and allows the subtle performances and visual acuity to speak for themselves, an approach that helps it greatly stand out among the other topical and subtext-heavy horror films of the 2020s. Even those who aren't as interested in symbolism-heavy horror films will find a lot to enjoy from the film's exceptional practical effects and masterful depiction of the central bird creature.
18 'Gretel & Hansel' (2020)
From director Osgood Perkins, known for the just recently released horror phenomenon Longlegs, Gretel & Hansel took his signature style of slow, methodical horror and applied it to a compelling folk angle. The film loosely follows the plot and concepts of the original fairy tale with a demonic horror twist, seeing a grown Gretel taking her little brother into the woods in search of food and work. The duo suddenly find themselves at the cabin of a mysterious woman who harbors dark, twisted secrets of the dark arts.
Perkins brings his A-game to this surprisingly effective piece of folk horror. The clear highlight of the film is Perkins's directing style; Gretel & Hansel is filled to the brim with exquisite tension and beautiful sequences that toe the line between intrigue and terror. Especially for those who had a great time with Longlegs, it would be worth your while to check out the director's previous, underrated work.
17 'Peninsula' (2020)
Train to Busan was one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved horror movies of the 2010s, so it's not exactly a surprise that the film would eventually get a sequel, yet Peninsula goes in such a unique direction that it turned away many audiences in the process. The film takes place years after the outbreak and events of the original film, following a former soldier who embarks on a dangerous mission to return to the now-abandoned wastelands of South Korea to retrieve a truck full of abandoned money. While there, he ends up meeting a family of survivors who have found a way to thrive in the zombie wastelands.
Peninsula's shift to focus more on the action aspects of action-horror proved to be too much of a disconnect from the original film, yet Peninsula still finds many ways to succeed and stand as its own zombie film experience. The very concepts of a modern society and world that has grown and evolved after a zombie outbreak, as well as those who are in rough conditions from losing everything in an outbreak, are rarely explored in zombie media and make the worldbuilding in Peninsula that much more effective. The action set pieces and Mad Max with zombies aesthetic also give the film a fun and distinct identity from the original Train to Busan.
16 'Sting' (2024)
While the fan-favorite creature feature used to be one of the most prominent subgenres in horror, the style has largely fallen out of favor in recent years, which makes its occasional return in films like Sting all the more exciting. The film has a relatively simple premise: a young girl raises a mysterious spider and bonds with him, feeding him and helping him grow strong. However, this spider is not from this planet, and it doesn't take long before it breaks free of the confines of the jar he is kept in and begins preying on the apartment's residents.
Sting's biggest strengths come from the practical effects it employs for the spider and its ever-expanding web of chaos, as it all comes together to create a deeply imposing and threatening monster. The film's blend of genuine terror and comedy also goes hand in hand with the pacing, allowing this spider to increase its ante from murdering small animals to full-on calculated assassinations before taking humans head-on.
15 '#Alive' (2020)
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One of the most effective horror films about isolation and dread that came from the pandemic and quarantine in 2020, #Alive combines these themes with a classic zombie premise. The film follows young Oh Joon-woo, who finds himself trapped in his city apartment while a deadly zombie outbreak rampages through the city. Cut off from the rest of the world, Joon-woo desperately tries to find a way out. He eventually finds unexpected companionship in a woman in a similar situation across the street, and the two work together to call for a rescue.
It's easy to see the parallels that #Alive has with the then-ongoing pandemic: its heroes are forced into a state of isolation, staying in their apartments, or else their lives are at risk of a deadly virus. On top of the continued excellence South Korea has shown in zombie films, #Alive is one of the most dynamic and singular takes on the zombie apocalypse. Instead of simply having its heroes fight head-on, the film focuses more on the battles for long-term survival, involving food, water, and, surprisingly, most importantly, companionship.
14 'The Pope's Exorcist' (2023)
One trend that has seemingly dominated horror throughout the late 2010s and the 2020s has been an increased focus on multilayered themes and symbolism. However, The Pope's Exorcist is one of the clearest detractors of this trend in recent memory, focusing less on powerful themes and messages and more on creating a wild, in-your-face thrill ride. The film sees Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, who is tasked with checking out an especially dangerous possession in Spain.
While many other possession and paranormal films have an increased focus on tension and mystery surrounding their ghostly figures, The Pope's Exorcist isn't afraid to have its terrors front and center and have fun with its premise. There's a level of self-aware tongue-in-cheek absurdity present that makes it an absolute joy to experience unfold. The Pope's Exorcist is fully aware of the absurdity and chaos of its execution and loves every second of it. Especially for those who are tired of these exorcism films all feeling the same, The Pope's Exorcist holds many surprises.
13 'Till Death' (2021)
While Megan Fox is widely celebrated by horror circles for her brilliant performance in the modern cult classic Jennifer's Body, few people realize that she had another recent spin in the horror genre in Till Death. The film finds success thanks to its simple yet effective premise, seeing Fox as a young woman who, on what was supposed to be a romantic weekend with her husband, wakes up to find herself handcuffed to his dead body. Now trapped and isolated in this winter cabin, Fox must fight for her life against a group of killers hired by her husband to finish the job and enact his wicked plan.
Till Death has the type of ingenious and malleable premise that allows Fox to go all out in terms of abilities as an actress, making the most of the setting and amping up the audience at every turn. It's difficult not to get invested in the excitement and thrills that the film provides, especially as various twists and turns are introduced on top of the already tension-building premise. While some are quick to write off Fox's acting capabilities due to her infamous work in blockbuster franchises, Till Death proves that she can bring her all when it comes to the horror genre.
12 'Saccharine' (2026)
Using classic paranormal haunting stories to tackle the struggles and anxieties of weight loss and eating disorders, Saccharine is the definitive horror take on the rising prominence of GLP-1 weight-loss crazes. The film follows a medical student who discovers an obscure weight loss craze involving eating human ashes, as she begins cremating and eating the body she and her classmates are dissecting for class. However, she soon finds herself being haunted by the ghost of the person she's eating.
The premise alone is already wild enough to catch the interest of viewers, yet Saccharine goes a step beyond in terms of striking visuals and the clear symbolic parallels between its premise and the difficulties that millions of people face with their body image. It all comes together for this slow-build of horror and tension, before reaching an absolute breaking point of chaos and one of the wildest final acts in a recent horror movie.
11 'The Night House' (2020)
The Night House understands that, as much as a series of unnatural occurrences can be terrifying, they are massively amplified when used in parallel with the themes of grief and self-destruction. The film sees Rebecca Hall as Beth, a recent widow reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, left to fend for herself and deal with her inner demons in her lakeside house. However, the circumstances surrounding her husband's death become unclear when she discovers a replica of her house across the lake.
The Night House is one of many horror films that have used its elements of terror and confusion to compound themes of grief. What makes it stand out is its exceptional cinematography and masterful lead performance from Hall, who brings the perfect mix of dread, regret, and self-destructive tendencies, creating one of the most compassionate, relatable, and rootable horror protagonists of recent memory. The Night House's usage of blank space and shadows to create unexpected scares is also wholly unique for the genre and makes for a truly special horror experience.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes What Is Your Biggest Horror Nightmare? Elm Street · Chucky · Scream · The Conjuring
Four horror franchises. Four completely different ways of scaring you. One waits until you fall asleep. One makes sure nobody believes you. One is already in your group of friends. And one is in the house with your family. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually watch horror, and find out which nightmare was built for you.
😴Elm Street(Freddy Krueger)
🧸Chucky(Child's Play)
📞Scream(Ghostface)
🕯️The Conjuring(The Warren Files)
01
Which horror scene makes you cover your eyes? Four classic images. One of them is worse than the others for you.
02
You are home alone and you hear a noise. First thought? Everybody has one. It arrives before you have decided anything.
03
Which horror movie rule would you break first? Everybody thinks they would survive. Almost nobody actually does.
04
Something genuinely frightening happens. What do you do? Not in a film. In your actual living room, tonight.
05
How do you actually watch a horror film? Be honest about this one. Nobody is checking.
06
Somebody offers you serious money. Which do you still refuse? The amount does not matter. There is one on this list you are not doing.
07
Which feeling stays with you a week after the film? Good horror does not stop when the credits do.
08
Something wakes you at 3am. What is the worst possibility? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your nightmare.
The Lights Just Went Out Your Nightmare Is…
Four franchises, four completely different ways of getting underneath your skin. This is the one built out of your particular fear, why it works so well on you, and what it would leave behind.
Elm Street
Your nightmare does not wait outside the door. It waits for you to close your eyes, which you are going to have to do eventually, because nobody has ever won that particular argument.
- Freddy is horror's cruellest idea: a threat that lives in the one place you cannot guard, cannot lock, and cannot avoid forever.
- You are the one who is fine during the film and wide awake at two in the morning. Your own head is where this does its damage.
- These films understood exhaustion as a horror engine. The kids on Elm Street do not lose because they are weak. They lose because they are tired.
- You can lock every door in the house. You still have to sleep.
Chucky
Your nightmare is not really the doll. It is the face of the person you tell, and the way they decide, very kindly, that you have imagined all of it.
- Chucky works precisely because he is absurd. That is the trap: the more accurately you describe him, the less anybody is going to believe you.
- You are the one shouting at the screen because the characters are not listening. You know that feeling from real life too.
- The franchise is at its best when the adults in the room are the real obstacle, and you have met those adults.
- By the time somebody finally believes you, you will have handled most of it on your own.
Scream
Your nightmare has your number, knows your name, and has almost certainly been inside your house before. The worst part is that you already know them.
- Scream is the only one of these where the killer takes the mask off and turns out to be somebody who was at the party.
- You are the person who calls the twist out loud before it lands. You watch people the same way you watch films.
- The franchise made the rules of horror part of the plot, which means the survivors are the ones paying attention. You would be paying attention.
- Everybody is a suspect, including the person who just offered to walk you home.
The Conjuring
Your nightmare is not really about you. It is about the people asleep down the hall, and the feeling that whatever is here is not interested in leaving.
- The Conjuring films are domestic horror. The house, the family, the perfectly ordinary room that quietly stops feeling ordinary.
- Your instinct is to get everybody into one room. Your fear is protective rather than personal, which is rarer than it sounds.
- This is the one franchise where belief is the weapon. The people who come through it are the ones who are not alone and refuse to be.
- Whatever is here did not come for you. It came for the household, and you are the one standing in the hallway.
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