Just in time for Halloween, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is adding a new twist to its annual tradition of year-end top film lists. For 2021, the society has updated its BEST SCARY MOVIES OF ALL TIME, to include the cream of the crop since that list was created in 2003. As usual, members were given a general definition to frame the parameters of their list, resulting in a list intended more to spark conversation than to declare definitive winners.
Horror has traditionally found its roots in the world of independent film. These films are often easier to make on smaller budgets, and are more able to critique current societal issues because of the ‘otherworldly’ nature of the genre. And since independent filmmakers have tended towards such commentary, it’s not surprising to find some of the best examples from independent cinema within the realm of horror.
The films on the list includes over 20 countries. Only 2 filmmakers were featured twice, Ari Aster and Jordan Peele, with 4 female filmmakers earning spots. The top 10 films alone comprised 7 different countries and 5 different languages. However there was some recency bias with about 42% of the films being released in the last 5 years.
Find out what the Society’s OG 50 scariest films were – and read on for the new additions to the list:
To create this list, members were asked to come up with ranked lists of their favorite scary films released between 2003 and the present. Films did not have to be in the traditional horror genre. After receiving all of the lists, numerical values were assigned to each of the rankings, and each movie was given a point total. Scores were weighted according to the number of viewers who had see the film, and ties were resolved by consideration of the number of lists a movie appeared on, followed by the highest ranking that movie reached.
We hope you enjoy our list of the 30 Favorite Scary Films of from 2003 to the present. From indies to the best of international horror, you’ll find something to scare you on this list.
Please note: This list was created in 2021, so it is a moment in time.
THE BEST SCARY MOVIES FROM 2003-2021
| 1 | Let the Right One In | 2008 | Tomas Alfredson | Sweden |
| 2 | Pontypool | 2009 | Bruce McDonald | Canada |
| 3 | A Tale of Two Sisters | 2004 | Kim Jee-woon | South Korea |
| 4 | The Host | 2007 | Bong Joon Ho | South Korea |
| 5 | Hereditary | 2018 | Ari Aster | USA |
| 6 | Get Out | 2017 | Jordan Peele | USA/Japan |
| 7 | Under the Shadow | 2016 | Babak Anvari | UK/Jordan/Qatar/Iran |
| 8 | It Follows | 2015 | David Robert Mitchell | USA |
| 9 | The Witch | 2016 | Robert Eggers | Canada/USA/UK |
| 10 | Relic | 2020 | Natalie Erika James | Australia/USA/China |
| 11 | The Babadook | 2014 | Jennifer Kent | Australia/Canada |
| 12 | Gozu | 2004 | Takashi Miike | Japan |
| 13 | The Last Winter | 2007 | Larry Fessenden | USA/Iceland |
| 14 | The Invitation | 2016 | Karyn Kusama | USA |
| 15 | La Llorona | 2020 | Jayro Bustamante | Guatemala/France |
| 16 | [REC] | 2008 | Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza | Spain |
| 17 | Kill List | 2012 | Ben Wheatley | UK |
| 18 | Midsommar | 2019 | Ari Aster | USA/Sweden |
| 19 | Under the Skin | 2014 | Jonathan Glazer | UK/Switzerland |
| 20 | Us | 2019 | Jordan Peele | USA/China/Japan |
| 21 | Suspiria | 2018 | Luca Guadagnino | Italy/USA |
| 22 | Rare Exports | 2010 | Jalmari Helander | Finland/Norway/France/Sweden |
| 23 | The Killing of a Sacred Deer | 2017 | Yorgos Lanthimos | Ireland/UK |
| 24 | Berberian Sound Studio | 2013 | Peter Strickland | UK/Germany/Australia |
| 25 | Borgman | 2014 | Alex van Warmerdam | Netherlands/Belgium/Denmark |
| 26 | The Descent | 2006 | Neil Marshall | UK |
| 27 | Pan’s Labyrinth | 2006 | Guillermo Del Toro | Mexico/Spain |
| 28 | The Devil’s Rejects | 2005 | Rob Zombie | USA/Germany |
| 29 | She Dies Tomorrow | 2020 | Amy Seimetz | USA |
| 30 | The Girl With All the Gifts | 2017 | Colm McCarthy | UK |
| 31 | Inland Empire | 2006 | David Lynch | France/Poland/USA |