10 Great Horror Movies Turning 20 In 2025
1. The Descent
It’s almost an obligation to mention Neil Marshall’s The Descent whenever you’re discussing peak 2000s horror, as it’s a textbook case of how convincing protagonists, effective pacing, white-knuckle editing, and a distinguishing look can turn genericness into greatness.
The tragic backstory of main heroine Sarah (who survived a car accident that killed her husband and daughter) makes her empathetic from the start.
Ultimately, it strengthens her arc into a fierce leader determined to survive multiple ordeals, too, and while her five friends aren’t the deepest characters in the genre, all of them – especially the corrupt Juno – are distinctive enough to be compelling.
That achievement goes hand in hand with Marshall wisely devoting the first half of the feature to establishing both their relationships/backstories and the inherently claustrophobic nature of cave diving. As such, The Descent is a gripping and uneasy experience long before the monstrous crawlers begin picking the women off one by one.
Once they do, Marshall's movie becomes more of a visually striking nailbiter thanks to its dynamic camera angles, brisk editing, and awe-inspiring oversaturation of colors (particularly, red and green).
Oh, and although the deceptively grim U.S. ending works fine, the original (bleaker) ending is truly terrific.