This past Wednesday, we released an article on Five Must-See Horror Movies for the Halloween Season. Well, with there being so many horror movies out there – and with it being impossible to cover all of our recommendations in just one article – we have decided to do a follow-up. Much like in the previous article, where we named five suggestions, we are going to do the same today. With all of the previous recommendation coming from the 20th century, today’s is going to be five recommendations from the 21st. Here’s five more modern horrors for you to watch over the Halloween period.
Get Out (2017)
Maybe the best pure movie on this list, 2017’s Get Out (written and directed by Jordan Peele) is an iconic, timeless flick which will be talked about for generations. Without spoilers, the film follows a young African-American man named Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who is in a romantic relationship with a young Caucasian woman named Rose (Allison Williams). Things soon turn out to not be as they appear when Chris travels to meet, and stay with, her family for the first time. It is a truly great movie which hones in on some of the more complicated aspects of mixed-race relationships (as well as “casual” racism and racism as a whole) and how, quite often, one of those in said relationship has to change who they are in order to fit in. This isn’t a love movie, either; the psychologically tormenting aspects of the film will leave you truly angry and rooting for the protagonist to overcome the evil which lies within the film.
Hereditary (2018)
2018’s Hereditary (directed by Ari Aster) is a slow-burner horror movie with perhaps one of the more frightening, disturbing endings in cinematic history. A recent bereavement leaves the Graham family unraveling increasingly terrifying and cryptic secrets regarding their ancestry and, as you can imagine, those secrets are far from good. As mentioned, it is a slow burner; with the Graham family falling further and further into this curse as time goes on. You will have to watch the film to see if they overcome it but, be warned, this one possesses nightmarish imagery which ranks it among the horror greats. More of a pure horror than Get Out, Hereditary is bound to provide you with enough shock and scare, should you make it through the drawn-out slow build it does so well.
Halloween (2018)
At the culmination of the last article, we recommended the original John Carpenter classic of Halloween (1978). Well, of all the sequels, remakes and other Halloween movies which have been made over the years, the one we can most strongly recommend is 2018’s re-imagined sequel to the original (directed by David Gordon Green). Laurie Strode (once more played by the terrific Jamie Lee Curtis) is dealing with the trauma Michael Myers brought to Haddonfield 40 years prior and now that Myers is back, having escaped from incarceration, he is once more terrorizing the small town; with Laurie, joined by her daughter and granddaughter, providing the fightback. Again, this was a truly fun movie brimming with nostalgia and genuinely good slasher overtones. Whilst not the best pure movie on this list, it does its job of providing a couple hours of slasher excellence at the hands of the be-masked master.
Nocturne (2020)
Whilst Amazon Prime’s Nocturne (written and directed by Zu Quirke) is far from the most well-known in this article, it might be one of the best and therefore has our strongest recommendation. A psychological horror masterclass, the movie focuses on the relationship of twin sisters Juliet and Vivian Lowe; students at the acclaimed music school named Lindberg Academy. This one is deeply unnerving, given that its themes range from mental illness to severe (and we mean severe) sibling jealousy and rivalry. If you have seen the terrific non-horror movie of Whiplash (2014), then you can pretty much view Nocturne as a more classical music orientated, horrific version of that. Nocturne does a tremendous job of bringing some of the more toxic elements of the music industry to light and whereas the film is horrifically striking, as well as haunting, it does make you ponder your own family relationships in a gratifying way. Side note: the musical score for this one is among the best in the genre.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
This final entry is tricky because, technically, Mulholland Drive(2001) isn’t classed as a horror movie at all – this is part of the reason why it is so horrific and deserves to be among these films. Coming from legendary film director David Lynch, Mulholland Drive is widely regarded as being one of the greatest films ever made; the BBC have ranked it as the greatest film since the turn of the millennium. If you are familiar with Lynch’s work (think Eraserhead, Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet) then you will rightfully expect this movie to be a surrealist, artistic masterclass which you may or may not understand – and you would be right to think that. Many of us who have seen the film aren’t fully aware of what is happening and this only adds to the horror because what we can see is laced in horrific audio, visuals and even the occasional jumpscare (that actually works). If you are seeking a truly horrific experience which makes you question “what did I just watch?”, then look no further than the brilliance of Mulholland Drive.
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