50 Greatest Horror Movies Of The 21st Century

41. The Skin I Live In

Get Out Daniel Kaluuya
Warners EspaƱa

Plot: A plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas, in quite possibly the best performance of his career) tries to create a synthetic skin that can withstand anything, but his doings start to attract suspicion.

The great Pedro Almodovar has always made films with distinctly effed-up plot-lines, so it felt fitting when he dabbled in the horror genre for the first time in 2011.

Described as a 'horror story without screams or frights' by Almodovar, The Skin I Live In is a very different sort of horror film which uses twisted characters, a horrifying story and one of the best, most depraved plot twists in film history to terrify audiences, as opposed to traditional scares.

The result is an incredibly disturbing film that also has all the rich storytelling, beautiful visuals and masterful characterisation you'd expect from a Pedro Almodovar film, making this one of the most complex, fascinating horror films of recent times. It also provides another reminder that Almodovar is one of the best directors in the world - not that we needed one, of course.

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.