The 15 Best Horror Films Of 2021

5. “The Power“
Horror is a genre of degrees. You need only introduce a few clever tweaks to a tried-and-true concept to provide audiences with something that feels fresh. Such is the case with Corinna Faith’s “The Power,” a ghost story set in a ‘70s hospital during a series of power outages. Of course, we’ve seen vengeful ghost stories and movies set in medical facilities, but the little touches here – labor strikes and ‘70s décor – makes “The Power” feel utterly unique from start to finish.

Special credit goes to Rose Williams, who takes a simple character and carries her through several permutations as both victim and monster. And even though “The Power” may fail to completely stick the landing, that slight misstep only prevents it from being an all-time banger. Its status as one of the best horror films of 2021 is as secure as ever.

4. “The Green Knight“
Is it category creep? Or is David Lowery’s ambitious retelling of the Sir Gawain mythos an existential shot in the arm for the horror genre? By now, many of us have had the chance to enjoy Dev Patel’s shame-fueled performance in “The Green Knight,” and much has been written about the film as both allegory and art. But to appreciate Lowery’s film is also to enjoy the gnawing horror that possesses Patel’s Sir Gawain, making this an ambitious piece of period dread.

Several scenes in “The Green Knight” achieve a kind of psycho-sexual panic not often approached in mainstream cinema. And while the most significant scenes may be rooted more in fantasy than horror, the overall effect is something not dissimilar from other high-profile A24 period horrors. Watch this alongside “The Witch” for a surprisingly unsettling double-feature about the consequences of breaking with your role in society.

(Read Carlos Aguilar’s review of “The Green Knight”)

3. “Saint Maud“
Because of the eligibility changes to the 2020 award season, “Saint Maud” is one of the few films to be released in 2021 but be considered for 2020 awards. But a 2021 release is still a 2021 release, and Rose Glass’s powerful horror film certainly deserves the spotlight wherever it can find it. The film follows a religious palliative care nurse as she looks after a dying artist. As the two women begin to build an unconventional relationship, Maud becomes convinced that her purpose is to convert her patient.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for “Saint Maud,” which delivers the kind of arthouse mental breakdown distributor A24 has become known for. With two standout performances and a soon-to-be iconic ending, “Saint Maud” joins “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” and “The Hole in the Ground” as the understated stars of the distributor’s genre catalog.

(Read Jason Bailey’s review of “Saint Maud”)

2. “Malignant“
If Hollywood operates on a one-for-you, one-for-me approach to project development, then here’s to Wan for pushing all his chips onto something like “Malignant.” The much-beloved horror director has parlayed his “Aquaman” success into the year’s most bombastic slasher, one that features a woman digging into her adoption records to discover her psychic connection to a violent killer.

While “Malignant” is often credited as a modern giallo – an influential mode of Italian thrillers known for their signature production details and costuming – Wan’s film would also feel right at home in the wave of post- “X-Files” horror procedurals. The movie has a calculated knack for being both bombastic and self-serious, a combination often found in the big-budget creature features of the era. In a few years, we may recognize “Malignant” as a true harbinger of ’90s nostalgia yet to come.

1. “Detention“
No film released in 2021 offered as potent a combination of politics and pure visual horror as John Hsu’s “Detention.” Set in 1960s Taiwan during a period of violent political suppression, “Detention” follows an afterschool book club whose appreciation for banned literature put them in the crosshairs of the local government. As the students search for their missing friends, they begin to suspect that some of them may be collaborating with the military, endangering the future of everything they hold dear.

Much like the “Silent Hill” franchise, Hsu’s film sees its character caught between the real world and a nightmarish prison constructed around the students’ own guilt and anger at being forced to collaborate. The result is an astonishing blend of fantastical horror and the darkest days of national history. “Detention” easily resets the bar for what video game adaptations can be in the hands of the right filmmaker.   

Follow along with the rest of our Best of 2021 coverage here.