Best Horror Movies of 2019

2019 is sad because everyone’s doing Best of the Decade lists & forgetting about it. Well not me. Here are the horror films from the past year that I like best, in ascending order from least best to most best.

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10. The Perfection

I had a very fun time watching this & an even better time describing it to others. Regardless of what Vincenzo Natali intended for the film, it works beautifully as high camp. Watch it with some wine & some bitchy friends.

Listen to our episode on The Perfection here.

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9. The Field Guide to Evil

The finest anthology of 2019 was this collection of folktales from from an impressive list of international filmmakers, including Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy), Can Evrenol (Baskin) & Peter Strickland (In Fabric). It’s by turns bizarre, awkwardly funny & disgusting, & of course, creepy.

Listen to our episode on The Field Guide to Evil here.

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8. Knife + Heart

A treat for fans of Giallo, this slasher is awash in lurid colors and full of sly humor. How this didn’t make it onto John Waters’ favorite films of 2019 is beyond me.

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7. Greta

One of the only good things about 2019 is that not one but two delightfully campy movies got wide releases - one on Netflix (see #10) & this one, which somehow made it into multiplexes. If you haven’t seen Isabelle Huppert scamper about with a kitchen knife on the big screen then you have not lived.

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6. Ready or Not

AKA the movie that introduced me to the fabulous Samara Weaving. It’s also the movie that proved the guys from Radio Silence could make a feature film as good as their shorts.

Listen to our episode on Ready or Not here.

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5. Piercing

Raise your hand if you still think of The Eyes of My Mother from time to time. Yeah, me too. In Pesce’s directorial follow-up we’re again introduced to a strange, lonely person with… let’s just say unique interests. Instead of living hidden away from civilization, the lead in this film hides in plain sight, only revealing who he truly is to his victims in their last moments. The other distinct difference is that this lead finds someone just as strange as he is. It’s kind of a happy ending instead of Eyes’s tragic one. Happy if you’re a weirdo, anyway.

Listen to our episode on Piercing here.

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4. One Cut of the Dead

The only film as clever as this one in 2019 was Parasite, & that’s the most lauded movie of the year. Not too shabby, One Cut of the Dead. This is maybe the best love letter to filmmaking to come out this decade, & yes, I’ve seen Hugo.

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3. Us

Jordan Peele excels at so many things you almost want to hate him. How can someone be so good at both comedy & horror, AND have the ability to meld the two together so seamlessly? Sure, Us plays pretty fast & loose with logic., & isn’t quite as perfectly structured as Get Out. It’s also a good deal scarier & more visually impressive than his feature debut.

Listen to our episode on Us here.

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2. Midsommar

The feel-good movie of the year, if you’re in need of some vicarious catharsis. Aster is great at highlighting the absurdity of death & grief, both in this film & in Hereditary. It just took seeing this one for me to pick up on those aspects of Hereditary. I’m still not sure which of the two I like more, but I look forward to watching this one again to try to figure it out.

Listen to our episode on Midsommar here.

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1. The Lighthouse

As I’ve said time & time again, I’m a sucker for a pretty movie. Looking at my top two picks should prove that to you. The Lighthouse gets the top spot because, in addition to the gorgeous black & white & that amazing lighting, the movie’s also creepy & extremely funny. And I haven’t even mentioned the score! I never would have thought that a movie with this many farts could be this good.

Listen to our episode on The Lighthouse here.

10 of the Best Horror Movies of the Decade

10. Mandy

Mandy was such a wild ride - it’s near impossible not to get sucked into it’s trippy, epic story of love, revenge, and LSD. Nic Cage was made for the main role, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score couldn’t be more perfect, and the visuals from director Panos Cosmatos won’t soon be forgotten.

9. The Ritual

If you find yourself feeling as if there are just no quality movie monsters anymore, I’d like for you to meet The Ritual. In addition to having, what I like to consider, the best movie monster of the decade, The Ritual also brings some serious scares and tense moments. It’s based on a book, which is also fun if you’re into books.

8. You’re Next

You’re Next has to be one of my top, go-to horror movies to recommend to folks. A solid home invasion thriller, with a satisfying story and catchy af song, You’re Next will hold a special place in my heart for many years to come.

7. The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods was an instant classic. A meta look at horror movies and their many tropes, this movie has a perfect balance of classic horror violence and humor (Brad Whitford and Richard Jenkins?!). The ending is so fun and intense that you’ll immediately want to rewatch, or pause multiple times throughout, to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

6. The Lighthouse

Having high expectations for an upcoming release is risky, and The Lighthouse was one of those movies I had high expectations for. Robert Eggers’ debut movie, The VVitch, was a huge success among horror fans and it may be forever cemented as one of my all-time faves. While The Lighthouse brings a much different type of story, you see Eggers’ hand in all of it. The result is a beautifully captivating and unsettling tale about two lighthouse keepers fighting the effects of isolation and promethean curses.

5. The Babadook

Jennifer Kent did everything right when she made The Babadook. It’s a heavy, terrifying look into the grieving process and the toll it can take on a single mom, trying to raise her child after the death of her husband. Kent creates a rich backstory for her characters, including the sinister Mr. Babadook. This is maybe not the book you would expect to see on a child’s bookshelf - but if you did, you’d likely be compelled to read it.

4. Raw

Raw was an early 2017 release that legit blew me away. Julia Ducourna’s first film brought us a unique story, told in a way that was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It was confident and skillful story-telling that you’d expect to see from a director well into their career. Raw was an instant, rewatch-worthy hit with me and I was introduced to so many great songs from it’s fantastic soundtrack.

3. Midsommar

Released not long after his 2018 success, Hereditary, Ari Aster gave us a megadose of soul-crushing realness with his second film, Midsommar. The visuals in this movie were stunning - not to mention, one of the first scenes you see is absolutely one of the decade’s most terrifying horror movie scenes. Florence Pugh also gives an amazing performance as the protagonist, Dani. I’m definitely ready for whatever Ari Aster does next.

2. What We Do in the Shadows

Do you like comedies where you pick up a new, funny line each time you rewatch it? Then you need to check out What We Do in the Shadows - that is, if you haven’t already. Now that it’s got its own spin-off TV show, it’s growing in popularity - rightly so! Also, if you don’t already love Taika Waititi and the great movies that he’s been involved with, I recommend starting here and then revisiting as often as possible. Lolz for dayz.

1. The VVitch

To me, The VVitch is so close to horror movie perfection that there was no hesitation putting it in my #1 spot. I love period movies and I was instantly on board with a witch-themed horror movie set in early puritan America. Robert Eggers’ attention to detail and his dedication to authenticity pay off in such a terrifying way.

Very honorable mentions: Green Room, Evil Dead, The Voices, Black Swan

Top 15 Horror Movies of the Decade

15. Southbound

My favorite anthology of the decade! Great stories that were all connected and incredible sound design.

14. I Saw the Devil

A South Korean flick about a serial killer and the man trying to exact revenge for his murdered fiance. Gets super gory within the first 10 minutes and doesn’t stop there!

13. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

An Iranian vampire western you say? And it’s black and white? I’m in!

12. Willow Creek

That 18-minute long shot of them in the tent just made the movie. Super awesome Bigfoot movie and very well-researched by Mr. Bobcat Goldthwait.

11. Absentia

The movie that made me a Flan-girl.

10. The Witch

For a while I wasn’t even sure this would be on my list. I was a damn fool.

9. Baskin

I learned Turkish for this god damn episode, you best believe it’s on the list. Plus the sing-along!

8. You’re Next

Favorite home invasion movie and best ensemble cast for me. Love these guys. Just typing the words Looking for the Magic gets the song stuck in my head.

7. The Babadook

I still think about this movie a lot. So well written, the pop-up book is incredible and I love the monster.

6. The Ritual

Best monster and one of the rare instances where the movie is better than the book (the book is very much still worth reading, it kept me up at night!).

5. What We Do in the Shadows

Best horror comedy, I swear I could watch this movie every week and never get sick of it.

4. Raw

3. It Follows

Loved the fresh take on the slasher trope of teenagers having sex and getting killed. Bonus points for being set in Detroit!

2. Us

Great acting from everyone involved, especially Lupita Nyong’o. Loved the story, loved everything about it.

1. Midsommar

If you would have told me after I watched Hereditary that the same director would direct my favorite horror movie of the decade, I would have punched you in the face. It’s got everything: awkward sex, comic relief, fun illustrations, menstrual mocktails and awesome acting by Florence Pugh.

Honorable Mentions: Train to Busan, The Visit, Bone Tomahawk, Evil Dead