With the success of Wes Craven’s Scream franchise in the late 1990s, horror was on its way to another resurgence. The renewed interest in slashers may have been short-lived, but it paved the way for other subgenres to flourish. Violence laden horror like Hostel was on the rise, and zombies rose from the dead after 28 Days Later changed the rules. There was no doubt that horror was prolific once again.
Yet for every Saw sequel or any remake like The Hills Have Eyes, there are a number of movies that get overlooked or undervalued. So, here are ten underrated horror movies from the 2000s you have to see.
Shiver (2008)
Santi is a teenager with a severe allergy to sunlight. So, he and his mother have no choice but to move to a sunless village deep in the Spanish mountains. As they settle in, they meet the locals, who are not fond of outsiders. This becomes even more apparent when Santi is blamed for a recent rash of horrible murders.
Shiver (originally called Eskalofrío in Spain) is a moody, non-traditional vampire movie. Like The Orphanage, it treads along with a more measured pace that may or may not deter viewers.
Possessed (2009)
Hee-jin returns from college after learning her 14-year old sister So-jin has gone missing. However, their fanatically devout mother is not cooperating with the police, who themselves are not being proactive about finding So-jin. In the meantime, a neighbor who dies of suicide haunts Hee-jijn’s dreams. On top of everything, rumors of So-jin being possessed have started circulating.
Possessed (also known as Living Death) is a South Korean movie that misleads as well as trips you up all along the way. There is not a clear-set path to answers as you have to be patient, but you’ll most definitely be rewarded in the end.
Shadow (2009)
No longer a soldier serving his country in Iraq, David travels to Europe to do what he misses: biking. He is on his way to do so when he stops at a bar and helps Angeline, a woman being harassed by two men. Eventually, all four of these people are captured and tortured by a strange man living alone in the woods.
Shadow is an English-language, Italian horror movie that did not get a wider screening until 2010, but it premiered in 2009 in its homeland. Federico Zampaglione effectively uses horror as a means of understanding trauma caused by war.
The Baby’s Room (2006)
Juan and his wife Sonia have moved into a new home with their newborn. This should be the start of a new dream, but it becomes a nightmare. For starters, the couple hears weird, unexplained noises in their baby’s room. When they put a video camera in the nursery, they see a stranger standing at their child’s crib. Now, the parents seek out help from a paranormal expert.
The Baby’s Room (or La habitación del niño) is one of several TV-movies in the Spanish horror series 6 Films To Keep You Awake. It’s a certifiably spooky tale — directed by Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast) — that capitalizes on every parent’s worst fear.
The Girl Next Door (2007)
An adult man reflects on a terrible ordeal he experienced in the summer of 1958. As a boy, he befriended a new girl in town named Meg. Meg and her sister Susan recently moved in with their aunt after their parents died in a car accident. However, their aunt despises Meg. So much so she oversees a group of neighborhood kids who abuse Meg in the woman’s basement.
Aside from everything that happens here, the most shocking thing about The Girl Next Door is that it’s based on a true story. Author Jack Ketchum wrote a 1989 novel about the murder of Sylvia Likens. So while this is a very upsetting film to watch — or rather, endure — it’s also well-acted and gripping.
Left Bank (2008)
An aspiring athlete named Marie experiences a life-altering setback in her career when she is diagnosed with an immune disorder. Not able to run anymore, Marie moves in with her new boyfriend. But now in her new place, she becomes curious about the previous tenant who disappeared.
Left Bank (or Linkeroever) is a Belgian slow burn that does not make a lot of sense. Not until the ending. Which is incredibly dark yet not in the way one would expect. It’s a bizarre ending for a movie more people need to see.
The Locals (2003)
To help his friend Grant get his mind off a recent breakup, his friend Paul forces him to get out of the house. Along the way, they get lost in the countryside and meet a pair of women who are looking to party. The further the four venture into these parts, though, they soon realize they’ve entered a darkside that they may never escape from.
This low-budget ghost story from New Zealand isn’t going to scare anyone; that’s not what it was intended for. Instead, it evolves into a touching display of the lengths we will go to for friends.
I Know Who Killed Me (2007)
A gifted high school student named Aubrey goes missing without a trace after another girl’s mutilated body is discovered nearby. Then, Aubrey is found on the side of the road, barely alive. The authorities look to Aubrey to help them find her attacker, but she claims to be someone else named Dakota. Is “Dakota” telling the truth, or is something more unusual going on?
This erotic thriller was both a critical and financial flop. It was yet another blemish on Lindsay Lohan’s résumé, who was, at the time, a target for ridicule due in part to her hectic personal life. Truth be told, I Know Who Killed Me doesn’t entirely deserve the hate it receives. There are a lot of admirable things about the film — namely style and soundtrack — and Lohan makes the best of a bad script.
Highwaymen (2004)
A man, James, whose wife was run over by a serial killer finally catches up to her murderer. Today, the killer has targeted a woman, Molly, with an intense fear of driving, and he eventually takes her hostage. It is now up to James to both save Molly and avenge his wife.
After the nightmarish 1987 thriller The Hitcher, Highwaymen is the second vehicular horror by director Robert Harmon. It’s a total underdog as it came and went without much notice. Although those who have seen it recognize it as a top-tier game of cat-and-mouse. And to boot, Jim Caviezel and Rhona Mitra have amazing chemistry in every scene they’re in together.
The Woods (2006)
Set in 1965, a troubled teenager named Heather is sent to a private, all-girls’ boarding school deep in the woods after she commits arson. There, she is subjected to the staff’s strict rules and bullying from her classmates. Yet when she stumbles upon something strange about the school and its headmaster, Heather awakens a dormant evil.
The Woods is made in the tradition of private school horrors like Suspiria and Even the Wind Is Afraid. It takes some time to wind up and get things moving, but the atmosphere along the way is fantastic.
