10 Best Horror Films Of The 2010s (So Far)

Julia Ducournau works wonders in her debut film, telling the misadventures of a vegetarian girl who is forced to partake in her first eating of meat when she goes off to college. As you can probably assume from the image above, it doesn't exactly go well from there.

The film is an intimate coming-of-age story that uses its more horrific elements to tackle larger themes such as sexuality and familial expectations. One of the most surprising aspects is just how accurately it encapsulates the inescapable dread of adolescence. Watching Justine attempt to survive her first year at college feels all too familiar and horrifying in a completely different way.

But that is not to say the traditional horror-elements take a back seat. When they hit, they hit hard.

Though the film is about a cannibal and does feature its fair share of blood, its true power comes from its mastery of suspense. Ducournau weaves together separate strands of motifs, forming them into an overarching orchestration of terror and anxiety. For proof of the effectiveness of this technique, one need look no further than the insanity that is the waxing sequence.