2017 was quite significant for the horror genre in the 2010s. Marked by terrifying brilliance and unforgettable acclaim, this was the genre’s year in the spotlight this decade, as it produced some greatly remarkable content that went a long way to elevating horror’s standing. This was a time for terror to thrive, and when modern horror classics came to shine. Truly, was there a better year for fans of chills and thrills?
In a decade full of horror, where standouts like The Conjuring, It Follows, and Hereditary dominated each of their respective years, 2017 is hard to narrow down and pick which horror film was the definitive best and scariest. From charming slasher comedies and compelling Stephen King adaptations to groundbreaking psychological thrillers, the following ten movies prove 2017 was the best year for horror in recent memory. They blew audiences away with their scares and brilliant plots, and highlighted how this cinematic year was dominated by this genre.
‘The Ritual’ (2017)
To begin, we have The Ritual, a tense psychological folk horror thriller that’ll make audiences think twice about hiking in the woods. Based on the novel of the same name by Adam Nevill, it’s a nail-biting, slow-burning chiller about four British friends as they go backpacking through the Swedish old-growth forest to heal from a traumatic event. Soon, they realize they’re being stalked by an ancient evil.
The Ritual delivers a terrifying punch with its eerie setting and brilliant slow build-up to the terror. It’s right under the skin in the first two acts, then it absolutely stuns the viewer with its explosive and chaotic finale, which in itself is pure nightmare fuel. Now, admittedly, its premise is a bit derivative, and the plot takes quite a while to lead up to the scares. However, The Ritual has some solidly good scares and even some captivating creature effects near the end, enough to make it one of the most genuinely memorable horror movies to come out of 2017.
‘Happy Death Day’ (2017)
Christopher Landon‘s Happy Death Day is a delightful campy slasher comedy that scares and excites viewers with a darkly comedic spin on its Groundhog Day-inspired premise. It shows there are many different, horrific, and sometimes comedic ways to die as it follows a popular college sorority girl (Jessica Rothe) as she struggles to break an endless time-loop of being killed by a mysterious mask-wearing murderer on her birthday.
It’s funny, at parts scary, and just overall feels like a blast of horror entertainment. Yeah, it’s not the most compelling, original, or even the goriest horror film of 2017, but Happy Death Day is a thrill ride that will leave viewers satisfied and wanting more. It’s a neat treat for slasher fans with its memorable and creative kills, and it’s an interesting plot about the final girl preserving and, for once, being the unstoppable immortal who comes back from the dead.
‘Annabelle: Creation’ (2017)
The Conjuring Universe thrived in the late 2010s, thanks to a string of mostly successful spin-offs that provided so much exciting terror. Arguably, the best of which came out in 2017 with Annabelle: Creation, the second installment in the Annabelle spin-off series. It follows a group of orphaned girls as they stay at a farmhouse with a grieving couple who are harboring a terrifying demonic secret.
Having more of an emphasis on atmosphere, suspense, and tension-building rather than the cheap, jump-scare-heavy mess of its predecessor, Annabelle: Creation becomes a rarity in horror for being far better than the original. Granted, it’s not as good as the better Conjuring films, but it has a haunting tone, an eerie, isolated setting, and plenty of effective scares, enough of which to keep audiences gripped in and then jumping out of their seats. Anabelle: Creation honestly is one of the most fun and terrifying experiences of 2017.
‘Mother!’ (2017)
From the modern king of mind-bending thrillers, Darren Aronofsky, comes a more unique and unusual experimental horror film, Mother! Starring Academy Award winners Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, it’s a strange, dreamlike journey full of twists and turns about a woman and her writer’s block-plagued poet husband as they face unimaginable horror after their house is slowly taken over by cryptic strangers.
Behind its admittedly convoluted plot and absurdity is a tense and deeply psychological thrill ride that’s both captivating and deserving of a second viewing just to understand its meaning. The performances from Lawrence, Bardem, and Oscar nominee Michelle Pfeiffer are all around spectacular, and Aronofsky’s direction shows he has the ability to craft compelling stories with his distinct style. Mother! is one of the most unique but fascinating horror films that defined 2017.
‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ (2017)
A foreign-language dark fantasy crime flick, Issa López‘s Tigers Are Not Afraid is a compelling, emotional, and deeply unsettling tale. It’s a deep story that looks into the bleakness of one’s desperate, impoverished situation through the eyes of a young girl who navigates through a gang-war-torn slum with a group of orphans while seeing visions of the dead.
The plot is gripping alone, but Tigers Are Not Afraid is on a whole other level of interesting storytelling, as it’s powerfully creative and full of unique and haunting imagery. The film is far more dramatic and heartbreaking than the average horror due to its themes of gang violence and childhood trauma that are deeply grounded in many people’s reality. However, it’s a definite watch for horror enthusiasts, and it helped contribute to why this was such an acclaimed horror year.
‘It Comes at Night’ (2017)
There’s something new to be afraid of in the dark in Trey Edward Shults‘ It Comes at Night. This 2017 intense psychological horror thriller is a nightmare that never ends, following a family of three as they stay in a cabin in the woods to survive after society has collapsed in the wake of a devastating and deadly virus.
It’s a film that preys on many audiences’ deep-seated fears of diseases, being trapped and isolated indoors, and fearing what may be lurking at night. It Comes At Night is deeply psychological in its execution, relying on the characters and how they react to their bleak situation to help build up the terror. It’s nail-biting and depressing from start to finish, and honestly is one of the darkest horror films of the latter half of the 2010s.
‘1922’ (2017)
From the eerie mind of horror genius Stephen King comes a compelling adaptation of his novel 1922, directed by Zak Hilditch and starring the ever-underrated Thomas Jane. A tense psychological nail-biter that delves heavily into the themes of guilt and paranoia, it follows a father and his son in 1920s Nebraska as they descend into madness after they murdered his wife.
The terror comes from within in 1922, as it follows the leads as they slowly unravel to the overwhelming guilt of what they’ve committed. It shows the prolonged suffering they have after doing such a dark deed and how it slowly but effectively destroys the rest of their lives. Thomas Jane is simply captivating in the lead role, and it’s his performance and what the character goes through that truly enhances this story’s themes and overall scare factor. 1922 remains underrated but is nonetheless a triumph and one of the most acclaimed horror films of 2017.
‘Gerald’s Game’ (2017)
Continuing with another brilliant King adaptation, this retelling of the novel Gerald’s Game is a fantastic film destined to become a classic. Directed by the now-iconic horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan, it stars Carla Gugino as a woman desperately fighting for survival and against her personal demons after a foreplay session goes horribly wrong, and her husband suffers a fatal heart attack while she’s handcuffed to the bed.
It’s a simple yet highly effective premise that’s both stress-inducing and incredibly terrifying. Gerald’s Game, at its heart, is a psychological survival story as it follows the main character as she struggles both internally and externally to overcome her dire situation. Gugino gives it her A-game with this performance, and she’s easy to root for, and we understand her troubles and past. Overall, Gerald’s Game is one of the most compelling and highly watchable horror films of 2017.
‘It’ (2017)
2017 really was Stephen King’s year! Not only were 1922 and Gerald’s Game both very well-received, but one of his works shattered many box office records. Directed by Andy Muschietti, the mainstream retelling of King’s classic novel, It, became a monster success that excelled both critically and commercially. Starring the now highly revered Bill Skarsgård as the sinister Pennywise, it’s about a group of small-town outcasts as they band together to defeat a shapeshifting monster disguised as a clown.
Hailed for its intensity, epic scares, and memorable performances, Muschietti’s It is a bona fide modern classic that shows no signs of slowing down in popularity. It established Skarsgård’s reputation as a horror icon and launched the careers of its incredibly talented young cast. With its over $700 million box office gross, when unadjusted for inflation, it’s currently the highest-grossing horror film in history, cementing the film’s legacy as one of the greatest horror movies not just in 2017 or of the 2010s but of all time.
‘Get Out (2017)
Finally, 2017 was a year that marked changes in the horror genre, thanks to the acclaim of Jordan Peele‘s groundbreaking psychological horror masterpiece Get Out. Starring Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya in a commanding performance, it follows him as a photographer whose visit to meet his white girlfriend’s wealthy family turns sinister as he realizes they may have secret dark plans for him.
A sharply written and compellingly acted tale, Get Out is undeniably an innovative modern horror classic. It’s full of nail-biting suspense and powerful storytelling, coupled with thought-provoking themes about race and identity that were brilliantly expressed through Peele’s Oscar-winning screenplay. When it comes down to it, Get Out ultimately represents the peak of the horror genre in the 2010s overall, let alone 2017. Its standing keeps increasing every year, and it couldn’t happen to a more worthy movie.
