The Best Horror Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer – Rotten Tomatoes

TAGGED AS: Horror, movies, scary movies, thriller

(Photo by Paramount. Thumbnail: Paramount/Everett Collection.)

A Quiet Place Part II became the first post-quarantine theatrical release to match pre-pandemic box office numbers. So it was through horror that we declared, yes, we still like seeing movies with the lights off with strangers! Its entirely fitting audiences came back to theaters screaming: Experiencing scary movies in theaters is a communal release of terror and tension, something a lot of people couldve used after 2020. With this guide, well be listing every Fresh and Certified Fresh horror movie of 2021, like Quiet Place II and Fear Street. Alex Vo

#45

Adjusted Score: 67561%

Critics Consensus: It struggles to find a successful balance between its genre and allegorical elements, but Antlers is sharp enough to recommend as a richly atmospheric creature feature.

#44

Adjusted Score: 64914%

Critics Consensus: Willy's Wonderland isn't quite as much fun as its premise would suggest -- but it's still got Nicolas Cage beating the hell out of bloodthirsty animatronics, which is nice.

#43

Adjusted Score: 26918%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

#42

Adjusted Score: 62547%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

#41

Adjusted Score: 67472%

Critics Consensus: Wrong Turn is a cut below more effective horror outings, but viewers in the mood for some gory chills will find that this franchise reboot does more than a few things right.

#40

Adjusted Score: 81383%

Critics Consensus: An ambitious, over-the-top zombie heist mashup, Army of the Dead brings Zack Snyder back to his genre roots with a suitably gory splash.

#39

Adjusted Score: 66468%

Critics Consensus: The consistency isn't always smooth, but Sound of Violence's blend of character study and horror marks writer-director Alex Noyer as an ambitious, visually distinctive filmmaker.

#38

Adjusted Score: 74014%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

#37

Adjusted Score: 66901%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

#36

Adjusted Score: 92694%

Critics Consensus: Although it struggles to maintain its thrilling early momentum, Last Night in Soho shows flashes of Edgar Wright at his most stylish and ambitious.

#35

Adjusted Score: 85561%

Critics Consensus: Although Malignant isn't particularly scary, director James Wan's return to horror contains plenty of gory thrills -- and a memorably bonkers twist.

#34

Adjusted Score: 84043%

Critics Consensus: Part creature feature, part war movie, and part social commentary, Shadow in the Cloud doesn't always blend its ingredients evenly -- but it's frequently pulpy fun.

#33

Adjusted Score: 88240%

Critics Consensus: In the Earth's bleak kaleidoscope of horror is a hallucinogenic meditation on the residual pandemic fears that haunt humanity.

#32

Adjusted Score: 81709%

Critics Consensus: Blood Red Sky makes the most of its high-concept vampire story, delivering a fast-paced treat for genre enthusiasts.

#31

Adjusted Score: 82084%

Critics Consensus: Offering a hauntingly lush style and plenty of gore, Bloodthirsty successfully captures the nightmarish darkness behind being hungry like the wolf in the quest for fame.

#30

Adjusted Score: 83439%

Critics Consensus: Savagely funny and viscerally unsettling, The Columnist takes the unbridled vitriol of social media to its bloodily over-the-top conclusion.

#29

Adjusted Score: 83807%

Critics Consensus: Traditional horror may not be on the menu, but for fans of the gruesomely disquieting, The Feast more than lives up to its name.

#28

Adjusted Score: 83963%

Critics Consensus: An effective spine-tingler despite clear budget constraints, Caveat suggests a deliciously dark filmmaking future for writer-director Damian Mc Carthy.

#27

Adjusted Score: 85568%

Critics Consensus: Boys from County Hell stands out as an uncommonly good time in the crowded vampire genre -- and proves the Irish countryside is a fine setting for slaying the undead.

#26

Adjusted Score: 89196%

Critics Consensus: Fear Street Part One: 1994 kicks off the trilogy in promising fashion, honoring the source material with plenty of retro slasher appeal.

#25

Adjusted Score: 86045%

Critics Consensus: A supernatural horror story grounded in real-world trauma, The Power marks writer-director Corinna Faith as an emerging talent to watch.

#24

Adjusted Score: 87525%

Critics Consensus: If its narrative ambitions aren't always equaled by its chilling visuals, Gaia remains an effective slice of ecological horror.

#23

Adjusted Score: 89564%

Critics Consensus: Well-acted and visually striking, Come True offers an eerily effective reminder of how the sleeping subconscious can be fertile ground for horror.

#22

Adjusted Score: 88967%

Critics Consensus: Jakob's Wife gives genre legend Barbara Crampton an opportunity to carry an old-school horror story -- and she bloody well delivers.

#21

Adjusted Score: 92905%

Critics Consensus: Werewolves Within is the rare horror comedy that offers equal helpings of either genre -- and adds up to a whole lot of fun in the bargain.

#20

Adjusted Score: 95148%

Critics Consensus: Darkly imaginative and brought to life by a pair of striking central performances, Lamb shears expectations with its singularly wooly chills.

#19

Adjusted Score: 88708%

Critics Consensus: Its contents may be a bit busy and overly familiar, but Nightbooks offers a fun -- and actually fairly scary -- gateway to horror for younger viewers.

#18

Adjusted Score: 88792%

Critics Consensus: Led by Ezra Dewey's standout performance, The Djinn serves up a scary, sleekly effective cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for.

#17

Adjusted Score: 99700%

Critics Consensus: Led by Rebecca Hall's gripping central performance, The Night House offers atmospheric horror that engages intellectually as well as emotionally.

#16

Adjusted Score: 102460%

Critics Consensus: Thrillingly provocative and original, Titane reaffirms writer-director Julia Ducournau's delightfully disturbing vision.

#15

Adjusted Score: 93592%

Critics Consensus: Violation presents a powerful depiction of one woman's trauma -- and its uncomfortably gripping aftermath.

#14

Adjusted Score: 91822%

Critics Consensus: A smart and subversive twist on slasher horror, Fear Street Part II: 1978 shows that summer camp has never been scarier thanks to stellar performances from Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins.

#13

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The Best Horror Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer - Rotten Tomatoes