The 2010s were a good decade for horror, producing some of the genre’s most innovative and boundary-pushing movies. The genre was revitalized with a resurgence in both quality and creativity. However, a handful of horror gems flew under the radar and didn’t receive the appreciation they deserved.
This list highlights the 10 most underrated R-Rated horror movies. From the chilling internet scares of Unfriended: Dark Web to the claustrophobic terror of Green Room, where a punk band fights for survival against a group of neo-Nazis, these movies show the diversity, depth, creativity and quality of 2010s horror.
10 ‘The Girl With All the Gifts’ (2017)
Directed by Colm McCarthy
The Girl With All the Gifts is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been ravaged by a disease that turns humans into zombie-like creatures, called hungries. The movie follows a young girl named Melanie (Sennia Nanua) who is kept in a military facility alongside other children who carry the fungal infection but haven’t been affected by it. As the hungries attack and overtake the facilities, Melanie escapes with her teacher (Gemma Arterton), a scientist (Glenn Close), a sergeant (Paddy Considine) and two soldiers. The movie follows the group as they try to survive.
The Girl With All the Gifts offers a fresh take on the zombie genre with its introduction of a new zombie type, caused by a fungal infection. The movie blends the zombies’ horror with philosophical exploration of humanity, survival, and identity. The performance of Nanua as Melanie is very strong as she garners the audience’s empathy yet keeps them on edge worrying about what she will do next. The movie’s pace slows down a bit in its second half, and some supporting characters are underdeveloped. However, a lot of other aspects make up for these flaws.
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9 ‘Unfriended: Dark Web’ (2018)
Directed by Stephen Susco
Unfriended: Dark Web follows Matias (Colin Woodell) who takes a laptop he found in a cybercafé home. While Matias is Skyping his friends on the laptop he found, he receives a message from the owner and decides to return it. However, Matias and his friends quickly discover that the laptop is connected to the dark web and that it contains files depicting heinous crimes. Matias and his friends become targets of the criminals behind the laptop, who begin to manipulate and terrorize them through their digital devices as well as in their real lives.
Unfriended: Dark Web
gets its horror from real-world fears about privacy, online security, and the terrifying possibilities of the dark web.
Unfriended: Dark Web is a sequel to the 2014 Unfriended, the movie that popularized the screelife narrative device where the entire movie is told through a computer or a smartphone screen. Unfriended: Dark Web needs a significant amount of suspension of belief to be enjoyed, especially with its characters’ frustrating illogical decisions. However, the movie creates a very immersive experience with its updated horror. Unfriended: Dark Web gets its horror from real-world fears about privacy, online security, and the terrifying possibilities of the dark web.
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8 ‘Let Me In’ (2010)
Directed by Matt Reeves
Let Me In follows the story of Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a neglected, lonely and bullied 12-year-old boy, whose life changes when Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz) moves in and befriends him. However, he doesn’t know that Abby is a vampire that has lived for centuries. When Abby’s guardian (Richard Jenkins), who helps her find victims, dies, she is left to fend for herself and suspicion about her grows in the small town Owen and Abby reside in.
Let Me In blends a vampire story with a story about loneliness and unconventional friendship, making it a blend of horror and drama. The bond between Abby and Owen, and the performance of Smit-McPhee and Moretz add to the emotional depth and impact of the movie. Let Me In is the American remake of the Swedish movie Let the Right One In. When compared to its Swedish counterpart, Let Me In lacks the intensity of the relationship between the two characters, which elevates the intensity and tension of the movie due to the relationship being central to the narrative.
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7 ‘Better Watch Out’ (2016)
Directed by Chris Peckover
Better Watch Out centers on Ashley (Olivia DeJonge), a 17-year-old babysitter who is looking after a 12-year-old boy named Luke (Levi Miller) on Christmas Eve. When a home invasion occurs, Ashley thinks they are under attack by intruders as Luke’s friend, Garrett (Ed Oxenbould), is apparently shot when he tries to leave the house and a window is broken. But Ashley quickly realizes that this is not a regular home invasion, and the source of danger is much closer than she thinks.
Better Watch Out is a Christmas horror movie that feels like the R-rated version ofHome Alone. Better Watch Out cleverly blends dark humor with horror, and its holiday setting acts as a fresh backdrop for its violence. The movie constantly subverts expectations and predictions of where the story is going. The movie neglects character development a bit, but it is an original and bold approach to the horror genre.
6 ‘It Comes at Night’ (2017)
Directed by Trey Edward Shults
It Comes at Night revolves around a family; Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and their teenage son, Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who lives in a secluded house, trying to protect themselves from a mysterious and deadly disease. The family’s peace is disrupted when another family, Will (Christopher Abbott), Kim (Riley Keough) and Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner), seeks refuge at their doorstep, and they take them in. As the two families coexist, paranoia and fear escalate as the families don’t trust each other.
It Comes at Night was a victim of misleading marketing. The movie was marketed as a fast-paced survival monster film when it is a slow-paced psychological horror film instead. There’s a possibility of monsters, and families’ efforts to survive the deadly disease are looming in the background. However, the main source of horror is the psychological strains of survival in a post-apocalyptic world, especially when survivors don’t trust each other.
5 ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ (2016)
Directed by André Øvredal
The Autopsy of Jane Doe follows a father-son team of coroners, Tommy (Brian Cox) and Austin Tilden (Emile Hirsch), who are tasked with conducting an autopsy on an unidentified female corpse found at an inexplicable crime scene. As they conduct the autopsy, strange, unexplainable things start to happen. The autopsy confuses the coroners as the victim’s body shows contradicting signs. The morgue turns into a nightmarish scene of terror as the night progresses, putting the Tildens at a huge risk of danger.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe utilizes a confined setting and minimalist plot to build intense suspense. The film’s real-time, night-long autopsy procedure creates a gripping atmosphere. The gradual introduction of supernatural elements keeps viewers on edge. The use of practical effects enhances the terrifying impact of the movie as well. The movie’s buildup might be slow for some watchers, but it only adds to the suspense of the movie.WATCH ON NETFLIX
4 ‘The Loved Ones’ (2010)
The Loved Ones follows Lola (Robin McLeavy), a high school student who knocks out and kidnaps her crush, Brent (Xavier Samuel), after she asks him to go to prom with her, and he rejects in favor of going with his girlfriend Holly (Jessica McNamee). Brent wakes up at Lola’s house to see it decorated to imitate a prom, and he is Lola’s special guest at this prom. Through the night, Lola and her father (John Brumpton) subject Brent to a night of sadistic torture and psychological torment.
The Loved Ones is a very violent and bold addition to the torture and the revenge subgenres, which makes the movie not very suitable for the faint of heart. The Loved Ones is a violent blend between Prom Night and Misery. The movie balances gruesome horror with a satirical edge to explore themes of revenge, obsession, and dysfunctional families. Furthermore, McLeavy’s performance as Lola is a standout. The heart of The Loved Ones is Brent’s survival journey as he is the character audiences sympathize and root for due to how complex he is and Samuel’s performance.
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3 ‘We Are What We Are’ (2013)
Directed by Jim Mickle
We Are What We Are follows the Parker family who live in a remote area and follow an old religious, disturbing tradition that involves ritualistic cannibalism. When the family’s matriarch (Kassie DePaiva) dies unexpectedly, her husband, Frank (Bill Sage), and her daughters, Iris (Ambyr Childers) and Rose (Julia Garner), struggle to maintain the family traditions. After an autopsy of the mother, the family’s dark secrets begin to unravel and tensions begin to rise between the family members.
We Are What We Are is a character driven psychological cannibalism movie. However, cannibalism is not the main source of horror in the movie, it is the psychological horror elements instead. The movie has a meticulously crafted atmosphere due to its isolated setting with disturbing traditions that fills the audience with dread. The movie explores themes of tradition, inherited behavior, isolation, and primal instincts. It also explores family bonds through generational transmission of horrific rituals and asks whether those who reject the rituals are able to break free from their familiesWATCH ON PLEX
2 ‘Green Room’ (2015)
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Green Room follows Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole), and Tiger (Callum Turner), who are all members of the punk band The Ain’t Rights. After the cancelation of one of their gigs, the band finds themselves opening for a Nazi metal band at a remote neo-Nazi skinhead bar. After witnessing a murder in the club’s green room, the band becomes the target of the violent and ruthless patrons because the bar owner and skinhead leader, Darcy (Patrick Stewart), decides to kill them to eliminate witnesses.
Green Room is the perfect claustrophobic horror thriller movie. The movie’s pacing is relentless and tight, and the stakes are high for the band members. Green Room offers a realistic and gritty portrayal of violence which is both shocking and effective, heightening the stakes and making the characters’ peril feel incredibly real. All the cast members give outstanding performance but especially Stewart, who departs from his usual hero roles.
1 ‘Demon’ (2015)
Directed by Marcin Wrona
Demon follows Piotr (Itay Tiran), a groom-to-be who arrives in Poland to marry his fiancée, Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska). While digging in the yard of Zaneta’s grandfather’s property, Piotr discovers human bones buried on the land. Soon after, he begins experiencing disturbing visions and showing strange behavior, which intensifies during the wedding ceremony. As the night unfolds, it becomes clear that Piotr is possessed by the spirit of a Jewish woman who was wronged and buried on the property.
Demon is a modern retelling of the dybbuk story from Jewish folklore. Director Marcin Wrona weaves the story of the dybbuk as a metaphor for historical traumas, particularly those related to Poland’s complex history with its Jewish population. The movie is mildly scary. However, its narrative, atmosphere, and setting, alongside Tiran’s performance, are haunting. Additionally, the cinematography in Demon is breathtaking as it captures the bleak beauty of the Polish countryside, and the otherworldly events that unfold within it.
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