The horror genre has been constantly changing since its conception. In fact, it’s evolved a bunch of times within the past two decades.
Horror movies are one of the most popular film genres, yet they’re often underrated. I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there who think that horror movies are just meant to scare you and nothing more. But I’ll bet none of them had ever seen the Exorcist.
Below are our picks for the 5 best horror movies of 2021, all of which can be seen from the comfort of your home.
A Quiet Place Part II
The sequel to one of the most popular horror movies of all time has its best moments at the beginning and end, focusing on the aliens’ arrival and how quickly they change small-town life, as well as introducing the aliens to a previously peaceful island that had been spared. In the middle, Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy make a retread of the first film more interesting by making people look scared and have mysterious motives. This gives the most hope for the planned sequel and spin-off.
The Unholy
In spite of bad reviews and a late April release date, “The Unholy” turned a typical possession and exorcist plot into something new.
In this adaptation of James Herbert’s “Shine,” Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Katie Aselton, William Sadler, and Cary Elwes bring sinister energy to the movie. In the movie, a small town is rocked by a series of miracles that might be coming from something more sinister than God.
However, even though Mike Flanagan made the best horror movie of the year with his Netflix miniseries “Midnight Mass,” there are enough fun clues and small-town politics to make “The Unholy” a good movie.
The Night House
When her husband dies, Rebecca Hall goes through a lot as a wife. There are a lot of clues that point to a mysterious house. Covid delayed the release of this Sundance 2020 movie. The intentionally vague trailers didn’t show the dark secrets that were hidden inside the movie.
Hall’s disquieting shock as she learns more and more about her husband’s secret life makes this difficult movie go by quickly, thanks to blinding twists and sharp blow-darts of humor that make the movie even more interesting and fun.
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Spiral
By starring in one of the best installments of the Saw franchise, Chris Rock surprised many people. When a Jigsaw acolyte starts killing cops, Rock’s hard-boiled detective has to find the killer before he or his father (Samuel L. Jackson) is the next victim.
Rock and Jackson do a great job of acting, but there is also a lot of style behind the camera. There is a lot of vomit-worthy gore and cinematic flair that could help start the series and get new fans.
The Vigil
Dave Davis is a former Hasidic Jew who agrees to follow the tradition of watching over the body of a dead man until he is buried and making a little money in the process.
At night, there are a lot of creepy things that happen, but they don’t break new ground. Davis does a lot of the work at making people afraid.
