Five underrated horror films of the 2000s you should watch on Halloween

During the late 90s to early 2000s a lot of people came to the conclusion that the horror genre is dead after what seemed like its renaissance during the seventies and eighties. This led to the transition into making horror movie remakes that has still an impact up to this day. But in the midst of the decade-long remakes and reboots, we were given hidden gems peppered across this timeline of horror that according to a few are considered as some of the best horror films made.

So to help you be in-tune with the spooky festivities during All Hallow’s Eve, we are sharing some of the most underrated horror films of the 2000s (in no particular order) that you should watch with your friends and family this Halloween. Kick back, relax, get your favorite drink, maybe a blanket to cower in, and enjoy these terrifyingly good but underrated horror movies.

 

One Hour Photo

January, 2003

The late, great Robin Williams will pretty much forever be tethered to comedy, but the late actor had phenomenal performances in more serious films and director Mark Romanek saw this and tapped that road less travelled.

Williams plays Sy Parrish, a lonely photo technician of a one-hour photo developing lab in SavMart who slowly becomes obsessed with the lives of the Yorkin family, regulars at his store. With the revelation that Will, the Yorkin family head was being unfaithful to his wife, Parrish goes deep down the rabbit hole as his fragile psyche deteriorates as the story unfold.

The Strangers

May, 2008

What if you went on a weekend getaway after your wedding proposal was turned down by your girlfriend? What if a group of strangers show up in your vacation home in the middle of the night with not the best of intentions?

This is the ordeal that befalls couple Kristen and James, played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. The film has such a simple idea, a home intrusion scenario, and the fact that this could happen to anyone is what makes it so terrifying to watch. According to director Bryan Bertino, the film was inspired by real incidents like the Manson family murders and break-in incidents that happened in his own hometown when he was a child, leading credence to the dangers that anyone can fall victim to such perilous situations.

The Descent

August, 2006

Shaun Macdonald stars as Sarah, a woman who was recovering from trauma due to a horrific car accident where her husband Paul (Oliver Milburn) and their daughter Jessica (Molly Kayll) died. With her friends, Sarah goes on a trip to North Carolina with her friends to do some cave-sploring and discover cave drawings and some indication of an attempted expedition. The group comes to the horrific conclusion that they were not alone in the cavern as human-eating cave creatures populated the cave system.

The film tackles real world dangers like being trapped in isolated and dark places. The audience traverses this dark world with the women, sharing the claustrophobic fear that the characters experience which make it wonderfully terrifying.

The Orphanage

October, 2007

Laura, played by Belén Rueda, manages to convince her family to go back and see her childhood home, an orphanage for sick and disabled children. As the story progresses, Simon (Roger Princep), her adopted son vanishes and after months of searching is presumed dead. Heartbroken by these events, Laura starts to hear unseen forces talking to her about the whereabouts of Simon.

Set in Spain, the film focuses more on the psychology rather than just relying on jump scares. The movie handles the one thing scarier than the usual monsters: creepy children. What sane person would not be unsettled by weird creepy kids right?

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

November, 2005

A college girl dies after she was acquiesced into an exorcism done by their parish priest. The nineteen year-old Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) believed she was possessed by numerous demons and when medical treatment fails, she falls back to her Catholic faith. Reverend Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) is then subjected into trial for being accused of negligent homicide resulting in her death.

This is probably the most disturbing film to come out of the 2000s, which sparked an urban fad that if you watch the movie around 3am you will smell sulfur just like in the film. Riddled with flashbacks to show the exorcisms, the film shows how horrific the visage of an exorcism could be. The slow pace of the film also wears you down mentally, emotionally and psychology as Emily slowly breaks down to the demonic elements. This was also based on real-life events, so good luck sleeping after watching this.

Alain Ang
Alain Ang
Alain Ang is an editor for Best in Au. He enjoys writing about entertainment, movies, and lifestyle. On off days he spends his time with his rescue dogs, Sansa and Heart, digging holes in Minecraft, and developing his novel.
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