The early 2000s is not generally regarded as a great era for movies — let alone the horror genre. It was the 2010s that marked a mainstream turning point for the genre, with the popularization of arthouse, so-called “elevated horror” instigating a boom in inventive, low-budget horror offerings from both Hollywood and around the world.
That does not mean, however, that the early aughts did not deliver some iconic and influential horror movies. On the contrary, the oft-overlooked era benefitted greatly from the invention of several popular franchises that are still around today, as well as a Japanese Horror wave that spread all the way to the U.S.
Here are 10 of the best and most essential horror movies of the early 2000s.
“The Others” (2001)
“The Others” may be best known for its iconic twist, but this 2001 Gothic horror film has a whole lot more going for it than just its climactic rug-pull. The film, set on the island of Jersey in 1945, follows a woman (Nicole Kidman) as she and her two, young children experience supernatural happenings in their large, haunted manor after newcomers arrive on the grounds.
Directed with masterful control and spooky flair by Alejandro Amenábar, “The Others” is a beautifully atmospheric, shockingly tragic ghost thriller. It is the rare horror film that is as outwardly and aesthetically impressive as it is entertaining. It just so happens to feature one of the best twists of this century as well.
“Pulse” (2001)
One of the best entries in the J-Horror movement that began in the late ’90s and exploded in popularity in the early 2000s, writer-director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Pulse” is a horror film about Japanese citizens who find themselves haunted by ghosts who have begun to seep into the real world through the internet. It is a chilling, entrancing film overflowing with images and moments that make your blood run cold.
It may have been released shortly after the turn of the new millennium, but “Pulse” remains one of the best films about the internet and the isolating, demoralizing feelings it can instill not only within individuals but society itself. “Pulse” is a lonely, hopeless film. It gets under your skin and stays there. It also features the single scariest scene of any horror film this decade, so it has that going for it, too.
“28 Days Later” (2002)
“28 Days Later” should not hold up as well as it does.
Not only was the film shot at the time with early 2000s digital video cameras but its influence on many of the zombie films and TV shows that have followed it, including “The Walking Dead,” is undeniable. Despite all of that, “28 Days Later” is still a remarkably effective horror film, one that feels distinctly tied to the era in which it was made and yet timeless. This is due, in no small part, to both the visceral quality of director Danny Boyle’s filmmaking and the grounded nature of writer Alex Garland’s screenplay.
“28 Days Later” may drop viewers into a post-apocalyptic world where millions of people have been driven mad with an infection that incites all-consuming rage, but the film itself is deeply, heartbreakingly human, and that is what makes the horrors of its story all the more affecting.
“The Ring” (2002)
One of the most iconic horror movies of the 2000s, “The Ring” is a supernatural horror film that grabs you by the throat and does not let go until it has reached its operatic, merciless conclusion. A remake of an acclaimed 1998 Japanese horror film, “The Ring” follows a journalist (Naomi Watts) who finds a cursed videotape that causes whoever watches it to die a week later. Like “Pulse,” “The Ring” uses technology as a vessel for unimaginable horror, and director Gore Verbinski mines as much power as he can out of staticky, grainy VHS footage and images of people watching their TV screens.
The themes, particularly those regarding the nature of the images we choose to expose ourselves to, are all there, and “The Ring” inspired plenty of creepypasta stories and online legends. Over 20 years later, the film remains a terrifying achievement — one punctuated by a brilliantly staged coup de grâce that felt instantly iconic in 2002 and has not lost an ounce of its power since.
“Final Destination 2” (2003)
From a purely qualitative perspective, is “Final Destination 2” one of the 10 best horror movies of the early 2000s? Probably not. But it is one of the period’s most essential horror films. Until this year’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” it was the best installment in one of this century’s defining horror franchises, which produced its first five entries in just 11 years. Free of the introductory exposition dumps that a franchise’s first film must deliver, “Final Destination 2” is a leaner, meaner and punchier sequel to its equally iconic 2000 predecessor.
Its opening, bloody set piece — a traffic accident that claims countless lives — remains one of the “Final Destination” franchise’s finest and most memorable sequences, and “Final Destination 2” follows it up with deaths that repeatedly shock with their gory brutality and imaginative executions. You cannot talk about the horror movies of the early aughts without mentioning “Final Destination,” and 2003’s “Final Destination 2” is the best of the franchise’s first five entries.
“Open Water” (2003)
Shark movies have been trying to escape the shadow of “Jaws” for decades, but none have managed to do so (all due respect to “The Shallows”). The film that has come the closest to pulling that off is “Open Water,” the low-budget 2003 survival horror thriller from writer-director Chris Kentis. Inspired by the real-life disappearance of a husband and wife, “Open Water” follows a married couple who end up stranded in shark-infested waters after their scuba-diving group accidentally leaves them behind.
Like “28 Days Later,” “Open Water” was shot with early 2000s digital video cameras, and that decision lends it a sense of realism that, along with Kentis’ use of real sharks, makes watching the film an even more stressful and suffocating experience. It is an unflinching thriller that refuses to pull any punches all the way through its bleak conclusion. It leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watches it, which is likely why it emerged as an unexpected financial and pop-cultural hit when it was released in 2003.
“A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003)
A piercing, unnerving psychological horror film, director Kim Jee-woon’s “A Tale of Two Sisters” is one of the rare international horror movies that achieved global success in the early 2000s. To date, it is still the highest-grossing South Korean horror film of all time, and it became the first South Korean film to be released in American theaters. Those two achievements make “A Tale of Two Sisters” an early indicator of the South Korean horror wave that was propelled further forward later in the 2000s by auteurs like Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook.
On its own, though, “A Tale of Two Sisters” packs a mighty punch. It envelopes viewers completely in its twisted, cockeyed world, and then sends hurtling along a journey that gradually reveals in bloody, disturbing fashion the terrifying truths of its story. “A Tale of Two Sisters” was famously remade in America five years after its release. Its remake, titled “The Uninvited,” is not only inferior to its parent film, but only highlights the brilliance of the original even more.
“Saw” (2004)
“Saw” launched one of the defining horror franchises of the early and late 2000s, one which has found more than a few creative ways to continue into the 2020s. That alone makes “Saw” an essential horror movie of its era. It was also the first commercial film effort from director James Wan, who has gone on to become one of the most powerful and important voices in the modern horror space, thanks to his work on the “Conjuring” and “Insidious” franchises. While several of its sequels ventured into cheap torture porn territory as well, “Saw” still holds up.
It is an engrossing mash-up of the horror, mystery and thriller genres that frequently makes your jaw drop and your skin crawl. Like “The Others,” “Saw” also boasts an iconic, final twist that just makes the film’s ending all the more bleak and exhilarating to witness.
“Shaun of the Dead” (2004)
“Shaun of the Dead” may be the only horror comedy on this list, but that is for good reason. Coming two years after “28 Days Later,” director Edgar Wright’s absurd yet heartfelt comedy is the send-up that the zombie genre long deserved. Co-written by Wright and star Simon Pegg, “Shaun of the Dead” quickly became an instant classic among genre fans. It has just about everything that a zombie film should — tense action sequences, ingenious kills, shocking gore and the kind of ever-tightening suburban claustrophobia that has long defined the genre.
The film kicked off one of the most beloved and acclaimed trilogies of this century, but that is not even the most impressive thing you can say about “Shaun of the Dead.” Its greatest achievement is, instead, how well it manages to make you laugh, poke fun at zombie-movie tropes and also — when it wants to — make you cry. There have been many films like it that have failed to find the same blend of farcical humor and genuine, sincere horror that “Shaun of the Dead” does, which is just one of the reasons why it remains one of the most iconic and beloved horror movies of the early aughts.
“The Descent” (2005)
Another low-budget British horror gem, “The Descent” is a film that expertly and terrifyingly preys upon primal fears — namely, claustrophobia and pitch-black darkness. Directed by Neil Marshall, the film follows a group of thrill-seeking female cave divers who end up trapped in an unmapped, uncharted underground cave system only to discover that monsters lurk within its many tunnels.
Out of all of the films on this list, “The Descent” is guaranteed to be one of the most uncomfortable to actually watch. It is a deranged, mean film fueled by surreal, nightmarish logic and pure, infectious terror. “The Descent” viscerally traps you in its characters’ shared, increasingly desperate and crazed states of mind. The result is a horror film that makes your heart race, stomach turn and proves invariably difficult to shake.
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