Horror films, at their best, can present very effective mirrors to some of society’s biggest problems. Through the history of the genre, film after film has presented an outlet for anger, sadness, or even parody of pointless wars, consumerism, greed, and a slew of other attributes. In a way, horror films make the perfect allegory in presenting challenging ideas in an entertaining way. Some are schlocky fun, others have transcended into a beautiful art form.
Compiled here are This Guy’s picks for the top ten horror films of the 2000s (2000-2009.) The list is based upon theatrical distribution as well as loyalty to the genre, (as there are many films that might be considered horror, though they fit more applicably into another category, i.e. Shaun of the Dead.) *Note: this list is subject to change and if it does it shall promptly be reposted with the appropriate information.
#10. The Mist is Frank Darabont’s venture into B-movie fun proves itself as an entertaining and often jolting film. While the whole film doesn’t work, what does work is such a delight. A couple of great performances and numerous religious/anti-religious themes elevate this from schlock to lock stock and two smoking barrels… or at least just the smoke… okay okay, ‘mist.’ It’s part sci-fi, part horror, and part human psychology experiment. If nothing else, this film shows that in the right hands Stephen King’s work can still deliver theater worthy experiences and shouldn’t be entirely banished to the small screen.
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Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber
Director: Zack Snyder
Country: USA
Genre: Horror
It’s no secret that the first decade of the 2000s have bred handfuls upon handfuls of remakes of older films, particularly in the horror genre. Most of these remakes are completely forgettable; cheap thrills made for bored teens on a weekend evening. But of those handfuls, there are a select few that show their respect for the source material and separate themselves by creating something else wholly inventive. Zack Snyder’s debut is one of those rare remakes that use the original as inspiration to expand on other ideas and themes in the concept. His direction his highly stylized, the story deals with hints of humanity, and there are plenty of jumps, scares, and blood-dripping amusement. Character development isn’t abandoned to make room for flimsy tension, drama isn’t sacrificed to make room for concept. Romero’s original is a milestone in the horror genre leaving some big shoes to fill, but Snyder’s remake can boast that it was one of the more entertaining films of 2004.
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Danny Boyle
Country: UK
Genre: Horror
Zombies had taken a bit of a backseat in the horror genre for awhile just before the 21st century. Their slow antics and lack of personality eventually made them silly, which is why my guess is there are more zombie-comedies than any other horror creature. But around the turn of the century, the infection evolved into humans instilled with rage, ready to not only eat your flesh, but tear it off your body before beating your skull to a bloody pulp. How appropriate that 28 Days Later begins with angry monkeys, as that’s what zombies have become. When this film came out, it scared me senseless. I still get chills when I think about the church scene. Not only did it make zombies hip again, it raised the standards to which all other zombie films would then be compared. Top notch gory suspense.
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Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Kate Ashfield
Director: Edgar Wright
Country: UK
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Shaun of the Dead isn’t the first to mix movie genres, but it certainly is one of the most successful on recent years, especially the horror realm. It’s first and foremost a comedy, setting up jokes rather than scares but it shouldn’t be discredited as a horror film as it has a conclusion equal to that of any of its many influences (Romero obviously and especially.) It brings together a quaint love story, but also a tale of friendship and finding a balance in life… sometimes the only thing that brings balance is the zombie apocalypse. There’s no question why this has reached such high levels of cult status as it’s got more than a handful of hilarious and memorable scenes, including one that will never allow me to hear “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen again without laughing my ass off.
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Starring: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin
Director: Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
Country: USA
Genre: Horror, Action
The experience of seeing Grindhouse in the theater as a double-billing in a grimy second-run theater was definitely one of the more fun I’ve had in the last decade. Technically it might not make sense to classify this as one film, but when you separate them the appeal immediately decreases as neither are ‘great’ stand-alone films. Sitting through the ridiculousness that is Planet Terror, and the one-note build-up that is Deathproof, back-to-back with fake movie trailers in between is just something that doesn’t happen at the movies. Ever. It’s a shame that this hasn’t been developed for home video the way it should be, (yet,) because the longevity of Grindhouse comes from the act of creating a whole midnight get together with your friends to watch the whole package. Planet Terror is gooey gorey zombie fun and Deathproof is such a bizarre concept that leads to one of the most satisfying conclusions that one would never know they would want. I’d definitely pay money to see a special screening of this again…at midnight…with a 40 oz. of my favorite beer.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Somebody’s zombie-loving dreams came true. Somewhere out there, a writer so in love with the zombie genre just had a wet dream. Someone beat Left 4 Dead one too many times, got bored, wrote a movie, and it’s called Zombieland. And it’s fuuuuuuun. I doubt everyone’s zombie fantasies can be fulfilled in one film, but this comes close. While it will be compared greatly to Shaun of the Dead, it shouldn’t be. It has its own quick-paced pseudo-grindhouse style that it sets up at the beginning of its short runtime and doesn’t stop with the action or the laughs until the credits roll… and not even then (if you’re someone who stays for all of the credits.) While there is just a hint of something missing to make this film ‘amazing’, it doesn’t leave you time to really consider it because you’ll be too busy cheering the fun zombie killing or laughing your ass off. The entire cast is perfect, and I think this is partly due to them all feeling like they are miscast… two wrongs making a right. You’re not likely to find better entertainment this Halloween.
Lists | this guy over here February 27, 2010 | 
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