12 Most Underrated Horror Movies Of The 2010s

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The 2010s boasted a variety of amazing horror movies. Films like the mind-bending monster flick "The Babadook" and the South Korean zombie horror "Train to Busan" showed where the genre was heading and how it would continue to grow in the 2020s. The 2010s paved the way for what has already been an excellent decade of horror so far, with options like the pandemic screenlife "Host" and the creature feature "After Midnight" (which got a theatrical release in 2020) continuing to push the genre forward.

However, there are several horror projects from the 2010s that don't get enough love. These films were dismissed by audiences at the time (and often still are today), awarded rotten scores on Rotten Tomatoes and not thought about again. Maybe they were boring or the pacing was too slow. Whatever the reason, audiences wrote them off.

Critics saw something in them though, whether it was because of discussions of loneliness in the southwest or the quiet tension that continued to build over the course of 90 minutes. Based on the differing Rotten Tomatoes scores between critics and audiences, these movies are the underrated gems of the 2010s, complete with zombie flicks, Lovecraftian horror, and the tried and true haunted house plots.

• Cast: MacLeod Andrews, Evan Dumouchel, Margaret Ying Drake

• Director: Perry Blackshear

• Runtime: 80m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Pluto TV

Wyatt (MacLeod Andrews) believes he alone has been told of an upcoming apocalypse in "They Look Like People." In this scenario, demons take over human bodies. His mental health steadily declines as he thinks those around him are demons, resulting in him tying up his roommate Christian (Evan Dumouchel) in their cellar.

"They Look Like People" doesn't have the traditional jump scares that audiences tend to like in horror. It's a slow-building, emotionally tense piece rooted in a man's mental health and learning how to see the signs of paranoia. Wyatt's hallucinations reach a point where he believes his friend is a demon, only to finally recognize that's not true. It's the kind of horror that just leaves you feeling unsettled, but this isn't always what does well with audiences.

Audiences felt that, while the film certainly focused on mental health, it wasn't a true horror movie without the jump scares. Critics saw what audiences didn't, awarding it a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 57% from the latter. "What terrifies most in 'They Look Like People' is the threat inside rather than anything external," Katie Walsh wrote for the Los Angeles Times. 

• Cast: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence, Andrew Crawford

• Director: J. D. Dillard

• Rating: PG-13

• Runtime: 82m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, YouTube

In "Sweetheart," Jenn (Kiersey Clemons) ends up stranded on an island after a boat sinks. Though her friends and boyfriend were on it, she's initially alone. However, she's not actually the only person there, because a humanoid monster who lives in a hole in the ocean floor stalks her at night.

The movie seems like a standard survival horror. However, the constant reminder that as a woman, no one believes Jenn, keeps popping up. Her boyfriend doesn't believe there's a monster, even tying Jenn up for her lies. Then, when she becomes a true final girl, she brings the monster's head back to make sure whoever finds her believes her story. There's so much social commentary, even just in the name of the film itself, that adds a new layer to the project, giving it more nuance than similar flicks.

Audiences weren't sold, with reviews commenting on a dislike for the script, acting, and even the monster itself. This translated to a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. In contrast, critics loved the film, giving it a Certified Fresh score of 95%. "It's a really fun movie that's both old-fashioned and progressive at the same time," Brian Tallerico wrote for RogerEbert.

• Cast: Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton, Lauren Holly, James Remar

• Director: Osgood Perkins

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 93m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, YouTube

"The Blackcoat's Daughter" features three narratives, each following a different young woman. Kat (Kiernan Shipka) and Rose (Lucy Boynton) are both students at a Catholic boarding school, whereas Joan (Emma Roberts) was a patient at a mental health facility before breaking out. All of their stories connect, and while we don't want to spoil the third act, it does involve satanic worship and gathering decapitated heads in front of a boiler.

Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, who is now known for "Longlegs" and "The Monkey," the 2015 horror didn't make waves with viewers during its release. Audiences felt it was too slow, with one Rotten Tomatoes review noting that "it took 50 minutes in for anything to happen," while others thought it had a confusing story with the connections between the girls and the two timelines.

Critics enjoyed "The Blackcoat's Daughter," however, giving it a 77% compared to the audience's 52%, highlighting the tension and moodiness of the film. Scott Tobias wrote for NPR that the movie is "awash in a hypnotic ambience" and that "the tension comes from wondering who's the threat and who's the threatened." Audiences disliked it for the reasons critics loved it. 

• Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso

• Director: Mike Flanagan

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 105m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, YouTube

Kaylie (Karen Gillan) tracks down an old mirror from her family home in "Oculus." She believes the mirror is responsible for her parents' deaths, even though the police blamed her younger brother Tim (Brenton Thwaites). Now that he's released from a mental health facility, she's determined to prove her theory correct by capturing the mirror's actions on camera in the same home her parents' died in.

Audiences know Mike Flanagan for projects like "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Midnight Mass" on Netflix, but before he created frightening shows, he wrote and directed "Oculus." When it had a wide release in 2014, critics awarded it a rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian says it creates "a piercingly unpleasant atmosphere of fear," while IGN notes that the movie "works as a tantalizing enough allegory for very real aspects of the human condition." 

However, audiences didn't agree, giving "Oculus" a 54%. Some thought the story was boring and lacked any logic. Others simply didn't like the ending, finding that it didn't fit in against the rest of the story. To viewers, the narrative was too slow, though critics could see what Flanagan was trying to do.

• Cast: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine, Aaron Moten, Carter Redwood, Danny Flaherty

• Director: Michael O'Shea

• Runtime: 97m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi

While the 2010s boasted the end of the "Twilight" movies, it also featured underrated entries in the vampire genre. "The Transfiguration" follows Milo (Eric Ruffin), a teen who is a vampire. At least, he thinks he is. Milo has rules he has to follow when it comes to who he feeds on and regularly contemplates his own existence as he grapples with his want for blood.

"The Transfiguration" is a different breed of vampire film, looking at socio-economic factors facing different communities while also being a coming-of-age story. However, it didn't land with audiences, who gave it a score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. They felt it was slow, at times too slow, and while the tension was worth the pay off, viewers felt parts of the movie were unnecessary. Others find Milo a bit too weird and think his interest in vampires, and everything that comes with that, is too obsessive.

Critics saw what audiences didn't, awarding "The Transfiguration" an 86%. They thought the pacing worked well, even if it isn't what's typical to horror. Empire called it "a defining vampire film of the mid-2010s" and "the horror movie shadow" of Best Picture winner "Moonlight." 

• Cast: Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig, Larry Fessenden, Lisa Marie, Monte Markham

• Director: Ted Geoghegan

• Runtime: 84m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

• Where to Watch: AMC+, Prime Video, Tubi

Anne and Paul are trying to figure out a new normal after the death of their son in "We Are Still Here." In an attempt to help his wife, Paul moves the couple to a new town, but their new house has a haunted past. There's an entity living there that demands death, and very quickly it becomes the town versus the spirits, complete with enough death to make the spirits happy for the next 30 years.

Critics loved "We Are Still Here," based on the 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers believe it does a phenomenal job of reinvigorating what's great about older horror films, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it a "retro haunted-house thriller" that "nostalgically [recalls] such cult classics as 'The House by the Cemetery.'" It was even considered one of the best horror movies of 2015 by Rolling Stone.

Audiences firmly disagreed, giving the film just 47%. Viewers on Rotten Tomatoes wrote that it felt like it was "a cheapo horror flick from the 1970s," and not in a good way. There are consistent mentions of a disappointing story, poor performances, and subpar special effects. The nostalgia that worked well with critics didn't land, ultimately making this an underrated film of the decade.

• Cast: Jeremy Gardner, Adam Cronheim, Niels Bolle, Alana O'Brien

• Director: Jeremy Gardner

• Runtime: 101m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi

"The Battery" is a zombie apocalypse movie following Mickey (Adam Cronheim) and Ben (Jeremy Gardner), two survivors. They have differing opinions on how to live in the new world, with Ben choosing to constantly move around and Mickey wanting to settle down. After they encounter other survivors, life takes a turn as Ben forces Mickey to do what he thinks is necessary to stay alive: kill zombies.

Critics saw more in "The Battery" than audiences, awarding it a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 66% from the latter. More than just a zombie movie, Dread Central says it's "one of the best" in the genre because it "focuses more on the complicated relationship between the two friends than it does on fighting zombies." Sure, Ben makes Mickey kill a zombie, but it's never just about surviving the zombies — it's about doing what they can to survive together, and that's what makes the film such an underrated gem.

That wasn't the take away for audiences, who felt it never really moved in any particular direction. Some reviews call it boring, while others just didn't like it. A variety of reasons are given, from one reviewer writing that "The Battery" panders to "the 'woke' critics," while another says that it's "basically 'The Walking Dead,' but with a little less drama." 

• Cast: Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins

• Director: Steven Soderbergh

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 98m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, YouTube

Sawyer (Claire Foy) is a woman trying to get away from her stalker in "Unsane." When she tries to speak to someone about her fears, she's made a patient of a mental health facility, coerced into signing a form allowing a voluntary hold. However, when one of the nurses is her stalker, she calls her mother to try and get out.

Critics gave "Unsane" a rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, complimenting the story's execution. The Ringer calls the script "smartly written," and there's a consensus that the film is a great exercise in less is more. Reviews also highlight Foy's performance as the best part, with the Chicago-Sun Times writing that she "delivers a smashing performance" and Rolling Stone saying she "comes on like gangbusters."

While most of the audience agrees that "Unsane" has a strong cast, they don't think the story is there. One Rotten Tomatoes reviewer writes that it "tries way too hard" and isn't realistic in its depiction of mental health facilities. Critics argue the film has something to say with regards to the #MeToo movement, but the audiences don't think it landed, with one review saying that "even Soderbergh cannot really draw out water from this metaphorical pile of sand," making this quite the underrated horror flick of the 2010s.

• Cast: Caitlin Gerard, Ashley Zukerman, Julia Goldani Telles, Miles Anderson

• Director: Emma Tammi

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 86m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi

"The Wind" takes us back in time to the frontier days of the 19th century. Two couples are living in New Mexico, not yet a state, but they're hoping to grow a town there. However, Emma (Julia Goldani Telles) begins having odd visions, similar to ones Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) experienced while pregnant. It causes Emma to think there's a demonic presence in her home that wants her unborn child, and reignites Lizzy's own paranoia.

Audiences like the idea, but feel it could've been more successful in its execution, giving the movie just 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. The narrative isn't told in linear order, and many think that's part of the problem, with one reviewer saying that it "seems like an attempt to mask the undercooked plot." The slow burn didn't resonate well with audiences, who think it never pays off.

Critics disagreed, giving the movie an 82%. They found the story, particularly when viewed as an allegory to loneliness and postpartum depression, and the female-centered narrative intriguing, with Nerdist calling it "a fine piece of ethereal, feminist horror filmmaking." 

• Cast: Colin Woodell, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Betty Gabriel, Andrew Lees, Connor Del Rio

• Director: Stephen Susco

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 88m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, YouTube

"Unfriended: Dark Web" is a screenlife movie following Matias (Colin Woodell), a guy who takes a computer from the lost and found of a cafe. On it, he finds a hidden folder with frightening content and a shortcut to the dark web. When he shows this to his friends during a virtual game night, they encourage him to take the computer to the police, but before he can, the "owner" makes an appearance in their call.

Audiences likely wrote "Unfriended: Dark Web" off because of their reaction to the first movie, "Unfriended," which has a 37% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the sequel moves away from the paranormal, instead rooting the story in red rooms and the trading of elicit material. Despite this, audiences find the story unbelievable, with one review saying it seems like it was made by someone who doesn't know "how the dark web works."

Critics saw the potential, however, awarding it a 60%. The Ringer thinks the story works because of the screenlife format, with Adam Nayman writing that "the absolute authenticity of the MacBook aesthetic will prompt an almost subliminal anxiety in certain susceptible viewers." It speaks to clicking the wrong thing and stumbling down a rabbit hole you wish you had never found.

• Cast: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers, Kathleen Munroe, Ellen Wong

• Director: Steven Kostanski, Jeremy Gillespie

• Runtime: 90m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi

• Cast: Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Ambyr Childers, Kelly McGillis

• Director: Jim Mickle

• Rating: R

• Runtime: 106m

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

• Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi