![]() ![]() When you see the phrase “Instant Classic” in a review that in turn gets pulled for a quote in a trailer or TV spot, it can often come across as a bit hyperbolic, and maybe even laughable. Haunting, atmospheric, and minimalist, “Under the Skin” may feature an otherworldly creature, but only to show that humanity is truly the horror, and if that doesn’t keep you up with one eye open, not much will. Johansson delivers her best performance to date as said alien seductress, perfectly exemplified by the improvisation she pulls off with the non-actor male victims and being convincing in the flirtation while also disguising the fact that she is Scarlett Johansson (coming up short trying to think of another example of sci-fi/horror cinema verite). READ MORE: 12 Arthouse Horror Directors Who Are Reinventing The Genreįrom the enigmatic opening sequence underscored by Mica Levi’s chugging, foreboding strings to its stark conclusion, Jonathan Glazer’s loose adaptation of Michael Faber’s novel is a masterclass in visual storytelling, experiential horror, and perhaps one of the strongest reinforcements of the old Roger Ebert adage that it’s not “what” a film is about, but “how it’s about it.” The plot of an alien creature commandeering the body of a beautiful woman ( Scarlett Johansson) to lure lustful, unsuspecting men into their untimely deaths to harvest their organs sounds like the 1995 schlock-fest “ Species,” but Glazer merely uses that as the framework to craft an eerie and cinematically-rich look at a creature who slowly learns both the beauty and the terror of human life. These are the films we felt were the best that the 2010s had to offer amidst no shortage of terrific films to choose from the ones that terrified us, made us recoil, made us think, and had us come out the other end as changed people. It’s an exciting time for horror movie fans, and as evidence from this list, attempting to break down the decade in merely thirty films is a daunting task. READ MORE: Essentials: The Best Lesbian Horror Movies Genre-friendly festivals such as Fantastic Fest, Fright Fest, and Beyond Fest became terrific platforms to house new, exciting voices in the genre. Production companies like Blumhouse with a low-cost business model with creative freedom rose to prominence, as well as streaming services and VOD, essentially ushering in a reimagining of the VHS era, where anything with a marketable audience could be made. ![]() READ MORE: The 10 Best Final Girls In Horror Movies After a decade filled with remakes, cheap, careless gunk from the likes of Dark Castle and Platinum Dunes, and the “torture porn” movement that metastasized from taking the extreme violence out of the “French New Extremity” (at least in mainstream horror), audiences were yearning for something more adventurous, and filmmakers were more than happy to oblige. READ MORE: The 25 Best Foreign Language Horror Movies Of All Time It’s difficult to say that definitively as time is the only thing that can really make that distinction, but as the decade comes to a close, it feels like one that is going to be held up as a “golden era.” The 2010s felt like a banner decade for the horror genre. ![]()
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