21 Best Horror Films of the 21st Century, According to the Internet

Scene from “Cabin In the Woods,” which earned a top spot on a list of the 21 best films of the 21st century.

Movies, Films and Flix! (MFF), a blog and podcast devoted to all things film, has come up with a list of the 21 Best Horror Films of the 21st Century. The writers generated the list by culling user and critic scores from multiple film-review sites, and then asking readers to vote on the ones that were ranked highest.

The result is a pretty solid and extremely varied list, though there’s not a ton of Philadelphia on it. Local thriller-film god M. Night Shyamalan is nowhere to be found—either here or on the original list—but PAFA alum David Lynch‘s Mulholland Drive makes a nice show in the top ten. I know what you’re thinking—is Mulholland Drive really a horror film? MFF writer and list curator Mark Hofmeyer explains that, “that question infects most of David Lynch’s films, as the narrow-minded idea of tropes and sub-genres does not really apply to them. Lynch is an original; he does not follow any rules or aesthetic cues of horror, he creates them.”

That kind of variety is the theme that runs throughout the entire list. Hofmeyer explains that the 21 comprising films “cover every aspect of horror. It is an eclectic mix that features French transcendent torture, demon goats, ivory business cards, death via Merman and quite possibly the scariest child killer ever.” So it’s sure to satisfy horror fans of all varieties.

Check out the full list below, then head over to MFF for commentary. I’ve hyperlinked all the ones that are available on Netflix Instant so you can get your scare on tonight, instant-streaming style. Those are highlighted in red:

21. Session 9 (tie)
21. The Devil’s Rejects (tie)
20. What We Do in the Shadows
19. Paranormal Activity
18. The Mist
17. The House of the Devil
16. American Psycho
15. Trick ‘r Treat
14. [Rec]
13. Martyrs
12. The Conjuring
11. The Ring
10. Drag Me to Hell
9. Mulholland Drive
8. Shaun of the Dead
7. The Babadook
6. It Follows
5. Let the Right One In
4. The Descent
3. 28 Days Later
2. Pan’s Labyrinth
1. Cabin In the Woods