20 2010s Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die

5. The Conjuring

It Follows
Warner Bros

Plot: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren go to help a family whose house is haunted in 1970s America.

Supernatural horror films from Hollywood have frequently flopped in recent times and have often been familiar, jump-scare filled messes. The Conjuring seems like just another one of those at first glance, but there is one very crucial difference: it works. It's actually a great horror film.

The jump scares are unbearably terrifying and the fear and suspense go to almost heart attack-inducing levels. Unlike many terrible modern studio horror flicks, this has been crafted with skill and artistry and although the plot is fairly basic in many ways, it is still a well-written film filled with characters that are easy to root for. The cast do a terrific job too and the period detail adds quite a lot.

The main issue with The Conjuring is that it might make one feel very frustrated. It does prove that haunted house movies can still be very effective, so why can't they all be as good as this?! This really is a movie that puts the rest of the industry to shame.

Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.