50 Greatest Horror Movies Of The 21st Century

31. The Wailing

Get Out Daniel Kaluuya
Fox

Plot: A policeman (Kwak Do-Wan) goes to a remote village to investigate a series of illnesses and killings.

The Wailing, with its massive length and wide cast of characters, very much feels like a horror epic - and it's a great one at that.

A horror film drenched in atmospheric, mystery and ambiguity, The Wailing will leave viewers feeling just as confused and uneasy as the characters at the center of its meaty, well-drawn story, and even though it generally foregoes scares (in the traditional sense, anyhow) and progresses slowly, it'll have viewers hooked and deeply unsettled from start to finish.

And then, in the end, the film delivers an absolutely shocking final act. It might be a restrained and subtle film in most ways, but it still hits like a baseball bat by the end.

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.