It
is safe to say that the 2010s was one of the
greatest decades for horror cinema, with the likes of: Get Out, It Follows, Hereditary,
The Cabin in the Woods, and The Conjuring gracing our screens. However, there were a
ton of terrifying horrors that were overshadowed by the aforementioned heavy hitters. So today
on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going to be counting down our list of the Top 5 Scary Forgotten
Horror Movies From The 2010's. Before we begin though, be sure to give this video a big thumbs
up, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another Scary vid. And until
next time, see ya later.
5 The Invitation (2015) The Invitation is a 2015 horror thriller film
directed by Karyn Kusama and stars Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, and Michiel Huisman. Responding
to an invitation from his ex-wife, a man brings his girlfriend to a dinner party. There, he
relives the trauma of their child’s death and becomes suspicious that his ex-wife has
ulterior motives for inviting him. The Invitation is an insidiously subtle nightmare, in which
you are constantly going back and forth in your head: “Is there something wrong at
this party, or is there something wrong with me?” The movie manages to torture our minds
from start to finish with its constant sense of unease and uncomfortable social interactions.The
Invitation holds an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus
reading: “The Invitation makes brilliant use of its tension-rich premise to deliver
a uniquely effective -- and surprisingly clever -- slow-building thriller.”
4 Attack the Block (2011) Attack the Block is a 2011 British science
fiction horror comedy film written and directed by Joe Cornish and starring John Boyega, Jodie
Whittaker, and Nick Frost. The film centres on a teenage street gang who have to defend
themselves from predatory alien invaders on a council estate in South London on Guy Fawkes
Night. Attack the Block is an effective genre mashup that blends sci-fi and comedy with
creature feature horror, with the movie offering up immense tension as well as tons of laughs
and engaging social commentary. Attack the Block received critical acclaim from critics,
with it receiving a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes with the general consensus reading: “Effortlessly
mixing scares, laughs, and social commentary, Attack the Block is a thrilling, brisky-paced
sci-fi yarn with a distinctly British flavor.” Attack the Block is a movie that has something
for everyone, it is also the place Star Wars’ John Boyega got his start, making it a movie
you should definitely take a look at. Attack the Block was revisited by critics following
the casting of its two lead actors as stars of flagship science fiction franchises -- Boyega
in Star Wars and Whittakes in Doctor Who. In a 2017 retrospective, Tom Philip writing
for GQ described the film as, I quote: “One of the most confidently-delivered debut feature
films in recent memory. It still stands out as one of the best genre-mashup films of the
decade.”
3 Maniac (2013) Maniac is a 2013 slasher film directed by
Frank Khalfoun, and starring Elijah Wood and Nora Arnezeder. It is a remake of the 1980
film of the same name and follows the violent exploits of a brutal serial killer.
The movie is completely faithful to William Lustig’s controversial film, while simultaneously
doubling down on violence and delivering a pulverizing slasher. Maniac is a solid revival
of a genre that was beginning to feel rather stale. Not to mention, with its throwback
synthesizer score and shadowy lighting, the entire movie evokes a sense of dread from
start to finish. Now, the movie polarized critics, with it receiving a 53% approval
rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus reading: “Shocking and bloody.
Maniac is smarter than your average psychological slasher, but it’s often undermined by its
excessive gore.” Now, some audience members had quite the visceral reaction when viewing
the movie for the first time. Khalfoun said that audience members have vomited and fainted,
and he took the reactions “as a compliment,” explaining, “We had a screening here in
Los Angeles and somebody passed out, which I pay myself on the back for. The movie had
to creep on you -- it’s a different kind of fear, it’s more of a nauseating fear.
You really have the opportunity to maybe feel the nausea of committing crime rather than
glorifying it just for the aspect of fun and thrill. The audience gets to experience for
the first time how sick it is to commit murder -- we’re certainly not condoning it, but
making a real statement about serial killers.”
2 What We Do in the Shadows (2015) What We Do in the Shadows is a 2015 New Zealand
mockumentary horror comedy film written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
and the first installment in the What We Do in the Shadows franchise. The film’s plot
concerns several vampires who live together in a flat in Wellington.
Now, modern spoofs that are genuinely good are pretty hard to come by, with most of them
flopping and flopping hard. However, What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy and horror
masterpiece. The movie itself is a docu-style story of idiotic vampire, what’s better
than that? Yes, I did say it was a modern spoof film, however, it doesn’t overtly
reference any specific horror movies, but instead makes jokes of all the tropes and
cliches in classic vampire horror movies. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval
rating of 96% with the general consensus reading: “Smarter, fresher, and funnier than a modern
vampire movie has any right to be, What We Do in the Shadows is bloody good fun.” Ultimately,
what makes What We Do in the Shadows so great, is that it was made for us, horror fans, and
isn’t pandering to anyone else. Not to mention, it gets better and better the more times you
watch it.
1 The Witch (2016) The Witch is a 2016 supernatural horror film
written and directed by Robert Eggers in his feature directorial debut. The film stars
Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, and Lucas Dawson. The plot follows a Puritan
family who encounter forces of evil in the woods beyond their New England farm. The Witch
is an incredibly effective movie that manages to make twin children and a billy goat some
of the most terrifying villains of the movie. “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”
The Witch relies on unsettling fear to instil dread, rather than relying on jumpscares or
overt scare tactics. The movie is a slow burn, however, from start to finish you’re hooked
and can’t pull your eyes away from the screen. The film was a critical success with it receiving
an approval rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes with the general consensus reading: “As
thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise
in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert
Eggers.” Between Anya Taylor-Joy’s mesmerizing performance, my friend Daniel’s as the Devil
himself, shoutout Daniel, and the ominous entity in the woods, I’m seeking out Black
Philip’s book to sign right about now. Now, it is safe to say that The Witch is a love
it or hate it kind of movie considering its pace and lack of overt scares. However, Lesley
Coffin criticized A24 for this, saying it was a huge mistake to market the movie as
a terrifying horror: “Not because it doesn’t fit into the genre of horror, but because
of the power of expectations. The less you know about this movie the better your experience
will be, but everyone who saw it opening weekend probably walked in with too much knowledge
and hype to really get as much out of it as they could have if the film had the veil of
mystery.”
Well, there we have it! Do you guys agree with our list? Were there any Forgotten Horror
Movies that we missed? Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and
perhaps we can do a part 2. Before I go though, I just want to respond to a few comments from
one of our last videos, Top 5 Scariest Lovecraftian Gods From Cosmic Horror.
Black Cavalier said: “Stop waving your hands” ---
Charley Edwards said: “Not into horror in general, but I’m a huge fan of Lovecraft.
More please.” ---
Cabal887 said: “Ah, love a video where Lucy talks about her fellow cosmic entities.”
---
Abnur Tharn said: “I’m actually impressed with how you pronounce the names. Are you
sure you’re not a witch?” ---
And on that note, if you haven’t already, be sure to give this video a big thumbs up,
subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another Scary vid. And until next
time, see ya later.