PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Let’s be honest. While 2020 was a shit year in general, it was actually a pretty great year for Horror. Thank God. Because while nothing could truly erase the horrors of COVID: a worldwide death toll, record joblessness, a wrecked economy, and a massive toilet paper shortage, at least Horror could provide us with a little comfort. We were glad to have it!
So what are the best Horror films of 2020? We asked the PopHorror staff that question, and here’s what they had to say!
PopHorror’s Best Horror Movies Of 2020
Promising Young Woman
“Promising Young Woman should be recognized for its ambitious narrative, and beautiful scenery that captures the perfect mood scene by scene. With an absolutely stunning performance from Carey Mulligan which should gain her an Oscar nomination. Crowd pleasing plot twist you won’t see coming. ~AJ Friar
“Promising Young Woman is the film of the year. I thought nothing could top Invisible Man for me, however it’s stylistic approach delivered in spades. Had the most surprising ending of any film all year for me.” ~Lacy Lou
Teacher Shortage
“I think Teacher Shortage is Troy Escamilla’s best movie so far. The kill scenes were amazing, a really great cast, and a really creative plot. Not just my favorite indie movie, but my favorite horror movie from 2020!” ~ Jeremy Adkins READ OUR REVIEW OF TEACHER SHORTAGE HERE
The Invisible Man
As a horror lover, The Invisible Man had all the intensity I could ask for. It also delivered in my opinion the best death all year. It didn’t try to be the original it did something on its own and I really appreciated it.” ~ Lacy Lou
“My pick (though, admittedly, I didn’t watch nearly as many new movies as I could have): I almost want to go more obscure, but I think The Invisible Man is a unique take on the old movie series. You don’t have to ponder the Invisible Man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) being naked or whether he’d need to quit wearing shoes, as it’s more a matter of technology than physical form. Granted, I don’t know how they’d do a sequel, but maybe there will be “the Griffin family empire” somehow. I also like how Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) isn’t a super hero-esque action star, or even one of the finest human beings in the world. She was just a normal person in a controlling, abusive relationship.” ~ Wade Wainio READ OUR REVIEW OF THE INVISIBLE MAN HERE
The Evil Eye
“Blumhouse’s Evil Eye. I didn’t think I’d like this one. Domestic violence is difficult to watch. But the way this story is told and they way it interweaves the mother/daughter relationship and supernatural is so well done. It’s a tight, edge of your seat thriller…I liked the twist thrown in as well.” ~ Jennifer Bonges
The Creepshow Specials on Shudder
“The Creepshow Animated Special: Shapeshifter’s Anonymous! This is based on a story by one of my favorite authors JA Konrath. It’s a dark comedy with shapeshifters. Perfect combination and it definitely satisfies us Creepshow fanatics.” ~ Jennifer Bonges
“Oof this is a tough one! Julia and I loved The Creepshow Holiday Special and The Head Hunter!” ~ Chris Prevost
“The Creepshow Animated Special! The animation was so beautiful and haunting. I loved the stories, and I loved all of the nods to Romero, King, and Joe Hill.” ~ Karli Ray
Various Shudder Originals and Exclusives
“The indie Shudder original Host. Directed by Rob Savage, this short, sweet story of a seance gone wrong takes place during the pandemic lockdowns via Zoom giving an eerie immersive experience that will send chills down your spine.” ~Brandon Long
“Host was awesome!” ~ Kenn Hoekstra READ OUR REVIEW OF HOST HERE
“I’ll give a shout out to the uber-creative Scare Me. Minimized to three main characters and one central location, this film was maximized in it’s acting and chemistry. Telling scary stories live on the spot, this clever script relies on it’s wit and pacing to deliver one of the best horror comedies in several years. ~Jason Burke
“I loved Scare Me, too! ~ Kenn Hoekstra
“Scare Me is fantastic! What a wonderful surprise. Simple, elegant, hilarious and creepy as hell.” ~ Tracy Allen READ OUR REVIEW OF SCARE ME HERE
“Color Out of Space… Nic Cage going batshit crazy! Need I say more?”~ Lacy Lou READ OUR REVIEW OF COLOR OUT OF SPACE HERE
“Scare Package. Its one of the best anthologies I’ve seen in a long time. Its fun, ridiculously gory and covers many subgenres of horror. The wraparound ties everything together perfectly and the film even features a lengthy Job Bob Briggs cameo.” ~ Charlie Cargile
“[Scare Package] is a GREAT horror anthology!” ~ Kenn Hoekstra READ OUR REVIEW OF SCARE PACKAGE HERE
“My absolute favorite was Ravage/Swing Low. I haven’t enjoyed a ‘thugs pursuing prey in the woods’ type film this much since I first saw the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Ravage succeeded on every level, and the ending was a doozy.” ~ Christine Burnham READ OUR REVIEW OF RAVAGE/SWING LOW HERE
After Midnight
“I will start off by saying this is one of the best years in horror in quite a long while, even though we didn’t get any Theatrical films this year the amount of amazing films on streaming services and VOD has been incredible. I have watched two hundred and thirty three horror films this year and my number one pick would be After Midnight. This film covers struggles in a relationship in such a realistic manner that it hit me really hard being fresh off my divorce I could seriously relate with both characters and the fact that the main character was dealing with a monster version of depression and loneliness just felt so relatable to me. Please give this overlooked gem a watch.” ~ Scott Crawford
Vivarium
“I would say Vivarium was very deep and still lingers with me many months after watching it. Plus I think the kid takes the cake as most annoying child in a movie ever.. at least for me.” ~ Lacy Lou
“I stumbled upon Vivarium randomly on Amazon Prime Video and was so pleasantly surprised. It is an original, thought provoking, creepy-as-hell sci-fi/horror film, and I loved every minute of it.” ~ Kenn Hoekstra
Spontaneous
“There are several I’d like to mention, but for now, I’m going with Paramount’s dark horror comedy, Spontaneous. It is the most brilliantly bizarre coming of age story that I’ve ever seen. It’s everything you want in a film plus more, taking you on a rollercoaster of emotions and the term spontaneous combustion will never be looked at the same away after experiencing this film.” ~ Tori Danielle Romero READ OUR REVIEW OF SPONTANEOUS HERE
Fried Barry
“One of the best watches I experienced this year was with Ryan Kruger’s Fried Barry. The film follows drug-addled Barry and his subsequent alien abduction and experimentation that eventually lands an extraterrestrial in command of the addicts body back on Earth. Ridiculous and revolting interactions with some of the most perplexing examples of humankind, Fried Barry delivered a unique and unforgettable sonic charged genre entry.” ~ Danni Winn READ OUR REVIEW OF FRIED BARRY HERE
13 Slays Till X-Mas
“I’m picking 13 Slays Till X-Mas… a bloody, gory, hilarious romp through heaps of holiday horror. Anthologies like this only come around once in a great while, and I’m thrilled that I was here to see it. I’m always excited to see what Filmmaker PJ Starks brings to the table, and he went above expectations once again. I now have a new holiday horror film to watch every year.” ~ Tracy Allen READ OUR REVIEW OF 13 SLAYS TILL X-MAS HERE
Short, But Sweet Blurbs
“Two of my favorite horror films of 2020 were Becky and John Hyams’ Alone. 2020 was a fantastic year for Revenge Horror!” ~ Kenn Hoekstra READ OUR REVIEW OF BECKY HERE READ OUR REVIEW OF ALONE HERE
“Well, my pick is for sure #ALIVE!” ~ Devin Shea
“The Lodge… Its bleakness is so overpowering, it made me, as a viewer, feel very numb. It’s one of those films that just creeps into your soul.” ~ Lacy Lou READ OUR REVIEW OF THE LODGE HERE
“The Hunt is brutal, hilarious, socially relevant, and it has some of the best fight scenes I’ve seen in a long time!” ~ Karli Ray READ OUR REVIEW OF THE HUNT HERE
“Sputnik… This one may not be on your radar. It’s a Russian sci-fi horror/thriller. If you love Alien and the like, this film is right up your alley. I admit subtitled films are, at times, difficult for me. In this one I didn’t even notice them. Strong character and plot and the creature is unique in design.” ~ Jennifer Bonges READ OUR REVIEW OF SPUTNIK HERE
“Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight… A film about kids lost in the woods with no technology to save them. Terrorized by a pair of gruesome, psychopathic brothers, this campy gore-fest delivers! You thought 2020 was scary?” ~Laura Plant
“The Swerve directed by Dean Kapsalis and starring Azura Skye. The Swerve is easily my favorite film from this year. It takes a deep look at a mother and wife with extreme mental illness. Dean Kapsalis did a wonderful job building up her character all for her to come crashing down.” ~Anthony Baamonde
“Heks directed by Reine Swart and starring Coco Lloyd. A great film about witchcraft, with supernatural themes through. Heks works well at creating tension with its quiet moments. Swart’s directorial debut was stunning.” ~Anthony Baamonde
Final Thoughts
The PopHorror writers have spoken! See? I told you 2020 was a great year for horror! Are you looking for something great to watch? Be sure to check out all of our movie reviews here.
What do you think? What were your favorite Horror films of 2020? Any we missed?
Tell us in the comments!
