10 Hidden Horror Movie Gems From 2020s (So Far)

Those underappreciated horror offerings of the decade so far.

by Andrew Pollard
Deadstream Movie
Shudder

While the decades have often not been kind to horror - the genre being an easy target to mock by more 'sophisticated' cineastes - this twisted, terrifying corner of cinema is on a fantastic run right now.

Sure, not every horror picture is a home run, but the genre has delivered so many brilliant movies in recent years. Already in 2023 alone, we've had stellar offerings such as Evil Dead Rise, Infinity Pool, Pearl, M3GAN, and Knock at the Cabin as big-name cinema releases that have impressed, whilst the likes of Skinamarink, Manfish, and Huesera: The Bone Woman have had significant spotlights shone on them on certain streaming services.

Away from those more popular pictures, though, this year and the rest of the 2020s so far have served up some utterly cracking hidden gems; those films which have flown under the radar and been left to go a little underappreciated by the masses. And here, that's where our focus is on today.

With that in mind, then, here are ten hidden gem features of this decade which should be added to the must-watch list of any and all horror hounds.

11. Honorary Mention: The Amusement Park

Deadstream Movie
Shudder

Considering that The Amusement Park is a film from 1973, many will be asking why this George A. Romero picture is on a list of horror gems from the 2020s.

Despite screening at a handful of festivals in 1975, The Amusement Park was "lost" for over 40 years. However, that came to an end in 2017 when Romero and his wife Suzanne were sent a 16mm print of the movie. This would be screened in 2018 in New York, a 4K restoration would be worked on the following year, and The Amusement Park finally became available to the world in 2021, currently to be found on Shudder.

So, despite being finished in 1973, The Amusement Park is definitely worth an honorary mention here, not least for its being a fascinating lost treasure from the career of one of horror's most iconic filmmakers.

In actuality, Romero was hired by the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania to shoot an educational film about discrimination against the elderly. The Amusement Park would be that educational film; an educational film deemed too intense by the Lutheran Service Society, which is part of the reason the movie took so long to make its way out to the public.

As for the the plot of this film, Lincoln Maazel stars as an older gentleman ignored, bullied, and beaten during a day out at the titular park.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.