The past few years have seen a resurgence of critically-acclaimed horror films coming out of the USA. The years of torture porn and jump-scare franchises dominating the horror landscape are over. These new horror films are made with a reverence for older horror films, whilst also introducing fresh ideas about the modern world. Plenty of these films aren't gore-heavy, and most are made either by respected directors or newcomers with a vision. This is a revival of quieter, slower horror, often with an arthouse edge, and this trend has only grown (2018 was a bumper year for horror). This is probably just a phase, but personally I'm intrigued by it.
To compare over a decade, the top 5 most popular…
The past few years have seen a resurgence of critically-acclaimed horror films coming out of the USA. The years of torture porn and jump-scare franchises dominating the horror landscape are over. These new horror films are made with a reverence for older horror films, whilst also introducing fresh ideas about the modern world. Plenty of these films aren't gore-heavy, and most are made either by respected directors or newcomers with a vision. This is a revival of quieter, slower horror, often with an arthouse edge, and this trend has only grown (2018 was a bumper year for horror). This is probably just a phase, but personally I'm intrigued by it.
To compare over a decade, the top 5 most popular horror films on Letterboxd by year*:
2018 - A Quiet Place; Hereditary; Suspiria; Mandy; Halloween
2008 - Let the Right One In; Martyrs; The Strangers; Saw V; Eden Lake
Seems clear to me that torture porn and foreign films have gone from being the most popular horror and have been replaced by this new wave of acclaimed American horror.
* - as of 22/03/2019
Thoughts and discussion welcome.
Criteria for films on this list:
- American
- Acclaimed
- Released after 2013
