20 Horror Movies From The 21st Century That Didn't Actually Suck

9. The Mist (2007)

This film, perhaps more than any other on the list, is aging well the older it gets. Initially ignored by many, it is slowly becoming one of the modern greats of the genre. Frank Darabont, a notorious Stephen King adapter, turns in a film that, while not as loved as The Shawshank Redemption, is almost an equal to it for the power it holds.

After a particularly violent storm, David (Thomas Jane) finds himself seeking refuge in a grocery store as mist engulfs the town and anyone venturing out is never seen again. The piece becomes a battle of wills between the calm and intelligent David and Mrs Carmody, a religious fanatic convinced that the mist signals the start of the Armageddon.

As her power swells and she develops a group of violent followers, David and his band of non-believers must find a way out of the store. This is quite a simple film in terms of plot but the performances and the fifties soaked paranoid delusions take it to the next level. Marcia Gay Harden, as Mrs Carmody, creates a hateful character that you really despise towards the end and, as the for the conclusion, without giving anything away, it is both awe-inspiring and heart-breaking.

If you get the chance, watch the film in the black and white version available on DVD. It really places the film in the world Darabont was trying to create and the horrific reality of the end of the world.