5 of the best horror movies from the 2000s and beyond

When it comes to horror movies, there are many ways to get scared and spooked. And over the years, we have met plenty of terrifying individuals and creatures. While there is no denying that some of the best horror movies likely came out during the 1980s, the 1990s were no joke either. But then the 2000s happened, and horror movies found a way to get even scarier.

Whether we are looking at the artistic aspect of the movie, the jump scares, or even just the psychological aspect of the horror, every horror movie is different and likely to impact people in different ways.

Personally, As Above So Below, which was released in 2014, might just be one of the best horror movies I have seen in the last ten years. There is so much about the setting alone that is terrifying and creepy. And that doesn't even take into account that twisty end.

But I think As Above So Below works so well, thanks to some of the other movies that came before it, like Paranormal Activity. In the Paranormal Activity franchise, there are some downright creepy movies that will get your heart racing. And this found-footage style works so well because it makes you believe what you are seeing.

So what are the best horror movies of the 2000s? Which movies had us covering our eyes and questioning our love of being scared?

Paranormal Activity

Released in 2007, this movie follows a couple who move into a new home together. But things take a turn as they seem to be haunted by an unknown entity. In an effort to figure out what is happening in their home, they set up cameras to determine if someone is messing with them or if there really is an evil entity in their home.

Paranormal Activity is the first in a franchise that has continued to deliver the terror in ways that are not over the top but tend to work on a very visceral level. This movie makes you rethink so many things in your home, including what a camera can actually catch.

The Descent

The Descent understood how to get people creeped out and disgusted by tight spaces. Set in caves in North Carolina, a small group of friends has decided to go spelunking together as they explore this area together. However, they soon find that they are not the only people who have been in these caves, and they are certainly not alone.

This movie is chilling and dark, with intense moments that will leave you ready to go outside and see the sky. It's a lot, but it works.

Hostel

If you love to travel and actually have stayed in a hostel, this movie will definitely get your blood pumping. It starts off with characters you basically don't like because they feel like typical, bad-behavior tourists. And then things go off the rails. You basically go from hating these characters to actually hoping that they make it out alive.

This movie has the blood and gore of some of the more traditional horror movies while also playing on the psychological aspect of fear that really adds to the terror. Hostel is a gritty movie that uses its setting well, as well as the fear of what could happen to full effect.

As Above, So Below

I have to say that As Above, So Below terrified me. I watched this in theaters at a midnight matinee, and I regretted that as soon as the movie was over. Not being able to walk out into the sunlight to shake off the terror just seemed to add to the horror aspect of this film.

Set in the catacombs of Paris, this movie follows an archaeologist hunting for an artifact that allegedly grants "eternal life." In an effort to document what could be the find of the century, a team takes their handheld cameras and heads into the catacombs on a search that turns into a brutal expedition of death, destruction, and a journey that leads to their own versions of hell. As Above, So Below uses its setting, history, and our own versions of terror to truly make our heart race and our skin jump.

Insidious

Patrick Wilson might be the perfect horror movie actor of the 2000s and beyond. And Insidious definitely proves that. In this movie, we see a family haunted by a terrifying entity that eventually takes over the body of their son, who is in a coma.

This is both a haunted house movie and a terrifying thriller with paranormal activity that gets the blood pumping. Insidious doesn't just rely on jump scares to terrify us and that works. And I am not going to lie, some of the visuals in this movie still make me jump even when it is a still frame.

There is something so creepy about a malevolent spirit trying to destroy a family through their child that you can't help but find yourself looking over your own shoulder. And there is just no denying that this is a film that may not have ended as strongly as we wanted, but everything leading up to that ending was enough to have us leaving a light on at night.