Horror films have always been an extremely self-referential genre, but they reached new heights of recursiveness in the 2000s.
Reflexivity pushed the genre to new extremes of arch humor and mannerist excess; it’s a decade that includes some of the funniest horror films, and some of the most repulsive.
The Paranormal Activity Blumhouse found footage franchise quickly plunged into the mediocre sequel abyss, but the first entry remains a masterpiece.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
It’s one of those rare horror movies, and rare comedies, in which the final twist ending is one of the absolute best gags in the film, and just in general.
Quentin Tarantino’s sole foray into horror is probably his least discussed movie. Which is unfortunate, because Death Proof, originally part of the Grindhouse double feature, is fantastic.
The Ring is the most famous Hideo Nakata-directed J-horror based on the writing of Koji Suzuki. But the little-known Dark Water has a deeper and clammier chill.
The movie is unsettling because of its portrait of a life and a culture so empty even the super-cool super-evil super-geniuses have nothing on their minds but their own business cards.