10 Most Rewatchable Horror Movie From Each Year of the 2010s

The horror genre isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and saying that there are rewatchable horror films out there to send chills down the spine over and over again might come as a silly suggestion to some people. However, for those who love the genre, love the feeling of fearful and unnerving anticipation, or simply love a good jumpscare, horror movies can be incredibly rewatchable. The initial scare factor may be gone, but for well-written horror stories with gripping plots, twists, turns, and, of course, jumpscares, that doesn’t really have much of an impact on a second, third, or tenth watch-through.

Horror films can be rewatchable for a number of reasons, but iconic characters can have a primary impact on what an audience may be willing to rewatch. Many of these classic spooky figures got their start in the 1990s, and the 2010s paid tribute with remakes or new additions to previous franchise installments. However, they also introduced new creepy tales and some comedy spoofs that became just as loved as their more frightful counterparts. Of all the worthy additions to the genre between 2010 and 2019, these ten are some of the most instantly recognizable and are easy for repeat viewing. Forget one more episode; how about one more rewatch?

10 ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (2010)

Directed by Samuel Bayer

Freddy Kruger is undeniably one of the most notable characters in the horror genre. The creepy song that accompanies him is enough to give anybody an uneasy feeling and make them want to sleep with a light on, and his appearance alone will send chills down the spine of anyone within seeing range.

Although technically a reboot of the iconic cult classic from 1984 and unfortunately nowhere near as successful, 2010s A Nightmare On Elm Street is still a decent movie as a standalone feature. While it may be controversial between fans of both the character and the horror genre in general, it’s well worth the watch all the same. With movies like these, they’re super easy to pop on in the background while pottering around the house or sitting down with friends to watch a cheesy creepy tale.

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9 ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ (2011)

Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Found footage-style horror movies can be absolutely terrifying. There’s just something about the film-grain effect with a first-person perspective that sends chills down the spine with ease. Throw a supernatural element into the mix, and there’s the potential for an entirely captivating, albeit on-edge, start-to-finish viewing experience.

The Paranormal Activity franchise consists of seven movies released sporadically between 2007 and 2021, and the third installment, appropriately named Paranormal Activity 3, is arguably the most successful one. A prequel to its two predecessors, the highest-grossing addition to the franchise follows a group of people being preyed upon by a demon named Tobi. The movie is shot primarily through video tapes and a handheld camera, continuing the pattern of the previous two. This technique in film will always be reliable for bringing a deep, unnerving feeling. Found footage horrors will always be capable of freaking people out, which makes their rewatchability element sky-high.

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8 ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2012)

Directed by Drew Goddard

Chris Hemsworth may be best known today for his role as the iconic Marvel superhero Thor. But just after he put on his cape and started swinging trusty old Mjölnir around, he appeared in a very different genre of entertainment as a very different type of character. Trading in his God of Thunder status for that of an athletic college student majoring in sociology, Hemsworth became one of five friends trapped in one hell of a nightmarish situation.

A combination of humor and downright fear-inducing scenarios make this twelve-year-old horror a best-of-both-worlds type of film. While some don’t succeed in their multi-genre attempts, The Cabin in the Woods did the complete opposite, becoming a success on multiple fronts. A box office triumph with overwhelming critical praise, this 2012 shot at revitalizing the slasher subgenre did an incredible job in its attempt. Being one of the most iconic horror films from the early 2010s makes this easy to rewatch, but the fact that Chris Hemsworth is in it makes it all the more easy to do so.

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7 ‘The Conjuring’ (2013)

Directed by James Wan

The Conjuring is a 2013 horror film with an immediately unnerving statement attached to it. It introduces audiences to the story with no music, a black screen, and then a sudden and incredibly unsettling close-up of a creepy doll’s eye before jumping into an on-screen written introduction to who Ed and Lorraine Warren are. At the end of the text? “Based on a true story.”

The film has been dubbed the scariest by many in the extensive Conjuring Universe and was well-received at the time of its release over ten years ago. The supernatural retelling is inspired by one of the Warrens’ most notoriously malevolent cases, and despite how some may feel about the authenticity behind the paranormal, the movie is undeniably capable of leaving its viewers with a sinking feeling in their stomach and a chill trailing down their entire spine. Its incredible atmosphere has people hooked from the beginning, and that aspect always helps make a horror movie enthralling and, in this case, more than worthy of a rewatch. Those jumpscares will get you every time.

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6 ‘It Follows’ (2014)

Directed by David Robert Mitchell

It Follows is an unexpected gem of a horror film that made its way onto cinema screens in 2014 following an impressive reception at the Cannes Film Festival. A box office success and more than deserving of the critical acclaim it received, the movie quickly rose to classic status and took audiences by pleasant, albeit creepy, surprise.

The premise of It Follows is that of a supernatural being who does just as the title says, at any cost to get close to the person it’s after. It’s so unique, and its originality does wonders for its gripping storytelling. To those who’ve never seen it, it’s a highly recommended film for any horror fan with a new spin on the genre that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. To those who have, that same uniqueness is an inviting characteristic for a rewatch of a horror movie with a hell of a lot of potential for an expanding universe.

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5 ‘Krampus’ (2015)

Directed by Michael Dougherty

Krampus is one of those so bad they’re good horror movies that audiences can’t help but love to hate. The comedically horrifying story takes its inspiration from the real-life European folklore tale of the same name, in which a horned and monstrous being seeks punishment against children deemed naughty at Christmas. Forget coal in the stocking; demonic beast is much scarier.

Krampus may have been released to mixed reviews among critics and audiences, but it’s easy to watch as an entertaining horror flick. It follows a young boy and his family after a faltered festive spirit brings about the beast who makes it its goal to destroy Christmas and any human that gets in the way. The movie’s somewhat cheesy nature and legitimately creepy baseline make for a decent feature, and it’s always a worthy contender to watch with friends on Halloween or Christmas for a classic creepy go-to.

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4 ‘Split’ (2016)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Psychological horror at its finest, 2016s Split is one part of M. Night Shyamalan‘s extensively eerie filmography. He’s got a knack for the creep factor, and his films tend to have audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Split is no different. This vastly different take on superheroes released to positive reviews from audiences and has high critical ratings both on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes and for good reason.

The film is the second installment in the trilogy that also included Unbreakable and Glass and stars James McAvoy as a man suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) who shares his body and mind with twenty-three alter egos, ranging from a nine-year-old boy to the unleashing of the inhuman twenty-fourth personality. It’s unnervingly gripping and is capable of sending chills down the spine of anyone who sees it.

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3 ‘It’ (2017)

Directed by Andy Muschietti

Every horror fan knows the story of Pennywise the Clown. First appearing in the 1986 novel from the mind of horror icon Stephen King, this demonic sewer-dwelling being has become quite the genre legend. It released in 2017 as the first of two parts to the book’s adaptation, and audiences loved it. It was creepy, spine-chilling horror with a hint of comedy inspired by one of the most iconic characters in the genre.

It follows a group of young kids in the fictional town of Derry, where unexplained disappearances are a regular occurrence. The film remains the highest-grossing horror film of all time and is arguably one of the best Stephen King adaptations. If there are two things to take away from this film, remember to run when a red balloon appears and that paper boats are always replaceable. Oh, and also, stay away from the sewers.

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2 ‘Halloween’ (2018)

Directed by David Gordon Green

For many, Halloween was a fitting addition to the extensive franchise in which it resides. The film is the eleventh installment and one of the highest-rated in the series for multiple reasons. Its willingness to go back to the roots of the Halloween franchise while also allowing for further continuation is part of what makes it so fitting.

Taking place forty years after the events of the 1978 original, Jamie Lee Curtis returns as a traumatized Laurie Strode, determined to face the monster who altered her life and end his reign once and for all. Michael Myers is one of the most instantly recognizable horror characters of the last fifty years, and this film serves as both a testament to the old and a fitting addition to the new.

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1 ‘Us’ (2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele

Doppelgängers are a concept that many people have wondered about at some point in their lives, whether they have one or if one day they might come into contact with someone who bears a striking resemblance to themselves. It’s always been a basic human curiosity. But in the case of the five-year-old psychological horror film Us, the saying “curiosity killed the cat” could very well end up a reality.

The Tethered are a frightening species who mimic their prey to perfection; thoughts, movements, and emotions all become fine-tuned with pinpoint accuracy, so clearcut it’s enough to fool even the most seasoned detective, aside from the profound creep factor they possess, and they’re not to be messed with. The trailer for this film left everyone with such an unsettling pit in their stomach that it left them with that itchy feeling of fear. Unique and incredibly unnerving, the multi-award-winning Us will always be one of those horror movies able to get under the skin no matter how many times it’s been seen.

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NEXT: 45 Scariest Horror Movies That Are Too Disturbing to Re-Watch