Once a genre known for masked killers chasing down scantily clad sorority sisters, horror is upping its game with intelligent, thought-provoking films that have something to say. There’s always going to be space for slashers and haunted house stories, but horror is benefiting from the recent wave of arthouse-inspired movies that mix social commentary with their scares.
Within the last few years, multiple original, exciting horror movies have attracted talented actors who otherwise haven’t made appearances in the genre. It’s not far-fetched to think fans will look back at this particular era as the golden age of elevated horror, and the following movies make a strong case for it. There won’t be a ranking; instead, the list aims to celebrate these movies and their contributions to the so-called elevated horror subgenre.
10
‘Get Out’ (2017)
Directed by Jordan Peele
Get Out is one of the most influential horror films in the genre’s modern history. The film follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a black photographer, who leaves the city with his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to visit her parents. Although Chris initially writes off the odd behavior of her family as racially driven awkwardness, he soon suspects Rose’s family is hiding dark secrets that involve plans for him.
The critical and financial success of Get Out is a large contributing factor in the rise of elevated horror. When a certain type of horror makes waves, there will be guaranteed copycats rushed out the door, and for once, that was a good thing. New voices with fresh ideas now had opportunities to get their scripts made, and that was largely responsible for studios hoping to finance the next Get Out.
9
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
Directed by Ari Aster
The death of a family member leaves unresolved issues for both the living and the dead in director Ari Aster’s breakthrough feature Hereditary. Annie (Toni Collette) is a married mother of two who is still processing the death of her emotionally distant mother when another loss sends her over the edge. Annie goes to great lengths to communicate with the dead, but they were possibly trying to reach her long before.
A slower-paced horror movie relies on the performance of the actors to hold the audience’s interest, and in the case of Hereditary, the cast is exceptional. Collette delivers one of the best performances in a horror movie, and Alex Wolff as the guilt-stricken son, Peter, gives a gut-wrenching turn of silent anguish. Hereditary confidently ratchets up the tension at exactly the right moment, leading to a shocking and otherworldly conclusion that will be very hard to forget.
8
‘Presence’ (2024)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Image via Neon
An unseen spirit watches a family adjust to a new house in director Steven Soderbergh’s Presence. Rebecca Payne (Lucy Liu) and her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) move into a new house with their son Tyler (Eddy Maday) and daughter Chloe (Callina Liang). Although they are first unaware of an unseen presence, each will eventually come to terms with what the spirit is destined to do.
Presence pushes the term of horror by providing a supernatural experience that plays closer to a family drama while still retaining an eerie tension. The inventive concept of having Presence take place entirely through the spirit’s point of view sounds like an approach that would wear thin, but Soderberg uses the perspective to its fullest capabilities. Fragments of conversations overheard by the spirit build a narrative that pieces together in a satisfying fashion, creating a unique horror experience for the viewer.
7
‘Heretic’ (2024)
Directed by Bryan Woods
In Heretic, two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), visit a man introduced as Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) to offer religious counsel, but they’ve unknowingly walked into a trap. Reed offers the women a chance to prove their religious faith in a trial of his creation, but all is not what it seems in his elaborate test. Barnes and Paxton will rely on their faith in God and themselves to survive a rigged game.
Using religion in horror adds a taboo nature to the story, using people’s core beliefs to enhance the level and seriousness of the scare. What Heretic does that’s so special is having a mostly even discussion about the nature of religion, its place in society, and arguments for and against it. Helping matters is an incredibly strong performance from the three core cast members, with Grant showing he can use his charming persona in a slyly menacing way to great effect.
6
‘Talk to Me’ (2022)
Directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
A group of teens plays with forces they don’t understand or respect in the haunting Talk to Me. A popular party game involves teens holding an embalmed hand to channel the dead, but the brush with the dead is more profound for Mia (Sophia Wilde). Still mourning the loss of her mother, Mia begins a dark obsession with contacting her mother, even at the risk of those around her.
Talk to Me was a sleeper hit when it quietly released, announcing the arrival of a promising new directing team of brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. The surface-level ghost story is a hard examination of the destruction grief causes when it’s hard to let go of someone who’s been lost. Thoughtful, at times sad, and harrowing when showing the dead, Talk to Me is a major achievement in introducing audiences to entertaining, elevated horror.
5
‘Nosferatu’ (2024)
Directed by Robert Eggers
Image via Focus Features
One of the oldest horror films ever made is reimagined for a modern age in director Robert Eggers‘ gothic horror masterpiece, Nosferatu. Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) travels to the lair of Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) to arrange an estate purchase in his home of Wisburg, Germany. The Count is revealed to be an undead supernatural creature who is fixated on seducing Thomas’ wife, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), and spreading his pestilence throughout the city.
Nosferatu has the grandiose presentation of a classic film, with large performances that should feel over the top but amazingly don’t. The character design for Count Orlok possibly turned off a portion of the audience, but the decaying corpse-like appearance is an interpretation of a vampire that feels original while honoring the past. Eggers is a director who continues to hone his craft into films that get better with each new entry, and it’s going to be exciting to see what comes next.
4
‘Sinners’ (2025)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Michael B. Jordan pulls double duty in Sinners, the newest feature from director Ryan Coogler. It follows the smokestack twins, Smoke and Stack (Jordan), as they leave behind a criminal past to start a juke joint in their hometown. When an Irish vampire, Remmick (Jack O’Connell), wishes to infiltrate and turn the attendees on opening night, the remaining survivors will have to resist the charms of the undead trying to get inside.
It’s going to be challenging to find one frame that isn’t outright beautiful. Sinners is a large-scale production of a personal story that celebrates heritage, examines morality, and unites all its themes with the connective tissue of self-expression, in this case, music. Sinners is a reminder of how impactful it can be to see a movie in theaters, experiencing the sounds and sights on the biggest screen possible, and appreciating artistry as a group.
3
‘Longlegs’ (2024)
Directed by Oz Perkins
In Longlegs, the FBI finds new leads on a killer targeting entire families with the help of a new agent, Lee Harker (Maika Monroe). While Lee closes in on the killer known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), she begins to receive messages from him that suggest Longlegs knows personal details about her life. Confused but determined, Lee will have to learn more about her past to stop any future families from meeting a grisly end.
The pacing and plot of Longlegs are reminiscent of a supernatural-leaning The Silence of the Lambs, but with a more dreamlike aspect to the scenes. Seeing Cage play an unhinged, maniacal performance is always a draw, but the real star of the show is the atmosphere of dread. There are aspects of the story, especially upon entering the third act, that are hard to adjust to, but the final scene is skin-crawlingly eerie and leaves a lasting impression that’s hard to shake off.
2
‘The Substance’ (2024)
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
An aging actress takes an experimental drug to reclaim her youth in The Substance. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is an actress whose star has faded in the eyes of producers looking for younger talent. When Elisabeth takes a drug to create a younger alter ego, Sue (Margaret Qualley), she thinks her problems are solved. However, as Sue wants more time in control, Elisabeth is stuck on a path towards becoming a monster.
Women have predominantly been at the center of horror movies, but rarely in such a manner as The Substance. There’s no masked killer in sight, but there is the very real misplaced value on image and lost opportunities for women who don’t uphold themselves to impossible standards. The clever premise and grotesque visuals made The Substance a hit during the awards season, nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and a much-deserved Best Actress nod for Moore.
1
‘Pearl’ (2022)
Directed by Ti West
The prequel to X goes back to the early years of the murderous Pearl (Mia Goth) and her desire for a life of fame in Pearl. The film chronicles Pearl’s life as a young bride who lives with her parents while her soldier husband is off at war. News of an audition for a traveling dance group gives Pearl hope to leave the simple life behind, but a disapproving mother and an opportunistic film projector will send Pearl into an emotional tailspin.
It’s rare for a prequel to outshine the original work, but Pearl’s technicolor character study is the best of the X trilogy. The visual choice to brightly frame the world as a movie that Pearl longs to star in is inspired, making the moments of violence stand out more prominently in an uncomfortable way. Enough praise can’t go toward Goth, who portrays Pearl’s vulnerability and rage with such earnestness that she can stand as both a victim and monster.