10 Best & 10 Worst Horror Movies Of 2016

1. The Witch

Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch earned widespread acclaim for its tense, creeping tale of a Puritan family in 17th century New England unravelling as they encounter black magic and satanic forces in their remote woodland home after being ousted from their colony.

The emphasis is more on chills than thrills, but with the help of Jarin Blaschke’s eerily beautiful cinematography and a talented cast Eggers nevertheless crafts a claustrophobic, doom-laden atmosphere that feels far more unsettling than movies that rely purely on shock tactics and gratuitous gore.

Of course, some horror fans weren’t too taken with the movie’s slow-burning pace and relative lack of gore and denounced it as un-scary and boring. But for those who enjoy their horror subtle and psychological, The Witch’s mounting tension and moments of genuine, if understated, horror – many of which come courtesy of scene-stealing possessed goat Black Phillip, funnily enough – are a treat.