Modern Marvels of Scare: 10 Films of the 21st Century Poised to Be Remembered Like The Thing (1982)

Some horror movies, like the other sci-fi horror classic Alien, combine different kinds of horror to deliver nerve-shredding tension and outright scares.

The Descent follows in Alien’s footsteps by placing characters in an isolated and claustrophobic setting, this time an unexplored cave system, before introducing more active and hungry threats. Many fans agree that The Descent is one of the few films of the new century to count as a “10/10” horror movie.

One of the few remakes to improve upon the original, The Ring is a horror movie from this century that offers viewers an “unusual storyline, great acting…beautiful cinematography and a haunting score.”

The remake streamlines the original’s story about a cursed videotape that gives viewers seven days to live. It makes it into a tense and thrilling supernatural mystery horror movie that stands out as one of the best.

Many horror lovers call out The Witch as a modern classic. One even goes so far as to say that The Witch is going to be among “the movies my children will find a decade from now and go ‘whoa, have you seen this?’”

The movie centers on a family during the early 17th century who are expelled from their colonial community in New England and make a home for themselves far from anyone else, on the edge of some woods that may or may not be home to a witch.

The film focuses on the experience of the eldest daughter in the family, who is blamed when things begin to go wrong around the home.

Many fans believe that 28 Days Later will be remembered as one of the best horror movies ever made for decades. The film centers on a man who awakens from a coma 28 days after the outbreak of a virus known as “rage” that turns people into mindless violence machines.

It certainly helps the argument for its importance that the film is already recognized as a turning point for the zombie genre, reinvigorating it after several years of stasis.

It Follows is widely lauded as one of the century’s best and most memorable horror movies. One fan even goes so far as to say that the movie, which centers on a teenager stalked by a mystical entity transferred via sex, “is one of the single most flawlessly executed horror movies I’ve ever seen.”

Raw is another film like It Follows and The Witch, that can be considered a horror coming-of-age hybrid film. The movie, the feature debut of Palme d’Or winning writer/director Julia Ducournau, centers on a young woman who begins to crave all manner of raw flesh shortly after her arrival at veterinary school.

That means she’s hungry for people too, and must figure out how she wants to navigate her newfound hunger while also trying to exist in the world. It’s a fascinating movie that treats its premise and heroine with genuine empathy without turning away from the violence of her desire.

Green Room, along with The Witch, is what made A24 a trusted name among horror fans. The film follows a hardcore punk band that takes a gig at a venue run by neo-nazis because they desperately need the money as they end up stuck there and have to fight their way out. It’s a vicious movie that’s thrilling from start to finish and, as several fans highlight, is incredibly rewatchable.

There might not be any better claim to modern classic status than being referenced not once but twice in a modern Scream movie.

The Babadook, which centers on a widow and her son as they struggle with the loss of a husband and father as well as a supernatural monster known as “the Babadook,” is called namedropped in Scream (2022) as the film that exemplifies the “elevated horror” (a term I hate) style that has become popular in recent years.

Unlike the other movies included here, Underwater isn’t a modern classic, but that’s precisely why one person thinks it fits the bill as a movie that will be remembered, like The Thing.

They highlight that The Thing flopped upon release and was largely ignored for years before finding an audience. So in that way, they think Underwater, which follows a deep sea crew as they seek to resurface after an earthquake leaves their station in disrepair, may be remembered like The Thing. Others agree that the movie seemed like it wouldn’t be great but “was a huge surprise.”

This thread inspired this post.

Launching a franchise doesn’t necessarily mean that a movie is great or will be remembered as a classic. Just look at Puppet Master (I know it has its defenders). But the first Saw film didn’t just kick off a franchise but became the poster child for “torture porn” in the late 2000s.

Whether that label is correct or not, the film is often cited as the inciting film in the subgenre that centers on victims being brutally tortured in non-supernatural stories.

From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the blue waters of the Great Lakes, these vast and mysterious areas are home to more than just wildlife.

They harbor mythical creatures that terrorize people, protect trees from loggers, and warn miners from embedding doom. From local versions of the Loch Ness Monsters to indigenous tales told to children to keep them from wandering off. See the Creepiest Mythical Creatures from Each State in America.

With hundreds of thousands of horror movies available on streaming services, it can be tough to know which ones are terrifying and which are not. Horror buffs often struggle to feel absolute terror when we've watched so many scary movies over the years.

A user on a popular online horror forum wonders what other lovers of the genre find to be the most terrifying movies ever. Fans came together in the thread to recommend their favorites. Check out the Top 15 Fan-Voted Hands Down Scariest Movies of All Time.

Part of the thrill of watching horror movies after dark is that enhanced feeling of terror, whether it's a psychological scare that messes with your mind or a jump scare that has you levitating out of your seat. So when a community of horror film buffs was asked which movies were the most frightening to watch in the dark, they replied with films that will make you want to watch them in a well-lit place.

See the 10 Films That Are Hands Down the Scariest Movies to Watch in the Dark.

Horror movies don't often get awarded at the Oscars, so when they do, you know they must be terrific. Whether they won best picture or original screenplay, these terrifying films are sure to impress and scare their viewers.

See the 10 Scariest Movies That Have Actually Won Oscars.