5 Most Underrated Horror Movies of the 2000's

With Halloween right around the corner, watching horror movies is essential for people who want to get into the holiday spirit. While plenty of people will watch classics like The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Exorcist or recent popular fare like the Paranormal Activity franchise or Insidious this October, there are also plenty of current horror films that deserve the a viewing alongside widely-appreciated genre staples. Here are 5 under-the-radar horror films that deserve a viewing from any horror aficionado or casual film viewer this Halloween.

28 Days Later (2002): Danny Boyle's take on the traditional zombie film helped redefine the genre for the better.  Boyle's background in independent films also made things a lot more interesting as he avoided horror cliches like jump scares and thumping soundtracks and focused more on creating a realistic aura of terror. For the first time ever, the "zombies" (the virus in the movie is closer to rabies than a traditional zombie infection)  were actually menacing. Opposed to being slow and stupid, the zombies in 28 Days Later were actually intelligent and could move fast, making the presence of impending doom for the survivors that you should get from a film about a zombie apocalypse a lot more prominent and believable opposed to the classic zombie films. Out of all of the zombies films I've seen, 28 Days Later is easily the most well-crafted, atmospheric, and most importantly, frightening I've ever seen.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012): As writer/director Drew Goddard proved with The Cabin in the Woods, sometimes the best horror films are the ones that make fun of them. The Cabin in the Woods is a brilliant deconstruction of the genre that essentially points out everything that is wrong with modern horror films in 95 minutes. Just about every possible horror movie cliche you can think of is skewered in this film with consistently hilarious results and an appropriately-ridiculous ending brings the madness to a perfect close. The Cabin in the Woods was a much-needed breath of fresh air for a modern horror movement that desperately needed a spark of originality and creativity.

Drag Me to Hell (2009): Sam Raimi's return to horror after an almost 15-year hiatus thankfully did not disappoint. As you would expect from the man that brought the world The Evil Dead trilogy, Drag Me to Hell was appropriately twisted, unpredictable and at times, downright hilarious. Bonus points for having one of the most best ending scenes in any movie I've ever seen.

Sinister (2012): I normally am not a big fan of supernatural horror. I find a lot of the films (i.e. Paranormal Activity and Insidious) to have some good ideas, but are unfortunately squandered with some sort of ridiculous plot twist and a tendency to have a complete reliance on "gotcha" jump scares. A big reason why have I found Sinister so refreshing is that had none of those things (save for a few cheap jump scares.) The film focused more on tension and suspense to get scares opposed to having things pop out nonstop in an attempt to generate scares. It was also one of the rare horror films to have an engaging, well-developed storyline with a great performance in the lead role from Ethan Hawke as a family man trying to protect his kids from a pagan deity who takes the souls of children, that resides in their new home. In a world where supernatural horror films come out every few months, we need more like Sinister that dare to go beyond the genre's typical subpar standard and not succumb to its pitfalls.

You're Next (2013): Just about every horror film this year has been a booming success at the box office. With all the buzz around The Conjuring, Evil Dead and Mama, indie slasher/home-invasion film You're Next slipped way under-the-radar, which is a shame considering that it's one of the best horror films to be released in years. You're Next does require some patience as it starts off purposely slow with a run-of-the mill home invasion setup, but at the halfway point it becomes wildly entertaining and a whole lot of fun to watch. It's the first horror film I've seen that expertly weaves old-school tension with the gore-heavy philosophy of the modern era. There's also a nice dose of morbid humor and some absolutely stunning cinematography that really ramps up the intensity of the entire film. With its creativity and nods to every generation of horror, You're Next has all the makings of a new horror classic.