The Best Horror Movies of 2017
I like most horror movies. Hell, I like most movies that are only tangentially horror movies. (I'm looking at you, Resident Evil and Underworld sequels.) But there's a big difference between a goofy 92-minute distraction and a legitimately impressive horror film. I don't think I'll ever revisit Underworld 5 again -- or even discuss it all that much -- but when it comes to the finest genre films, it's never too early to start shining a light on the really good stuff.
With that in mind, here's my idea of the best horror films of 2017... so far. We'll be updating the piece on a regular basis (just like our bigger Best of 2017 list) and highlighting the best of the best. Good news for horror fans: The year is already off to a pretty damn good start with more coming soon (and if you need more horror recommendations, read our new list: The Best Horror Movies of 2018).
With that in mind, here's my idea of the best horror films of 2017... so far. We'll be updating the piece on a regular basis (just like our bigger Best of 2017 list) and highlighting the best of the best. Good news for horror fans: The year is already off to a pretty damn good start with more coming soon (and if you need more horror recommendations, read our new list: The Best Horror Movies of 2018).
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- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsDaniel KaluuyaAllison WilliamsBradley WhitfordA young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
- DirectorAndy MuschiettiStarsBill SkarsgårdJaeden MartellFinn WolfhardIn the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsSally HawkinsOctavia SpencerMichael ShannonAt a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
- DirectorMike FlanaganStarsCarla GuginoBruce GreenwoodChiara AureliaA couple tries to spice up their marriage in a remote lake house. After the husband dies unexpectedly, the wife is left handcuffed to their bed frame and must fight to survive and break free.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsGarance MarillierElla RumpfRabah Nait OufellaA young woman, studying to be a vet, develops a craving for human flesh.
- DirectorAlice LoweStarsAlice LoweDan Renton SkinnerJo HartleyWidow Ruth is seven months pregnant when, believing herself to be guided by her unborn baby, she embarks on a homicidal rampage, dispatching anyone who stands in her way.
- DirectorLiam GavinStarsSteve OramCatherine WalkerSusan LoughnaneA determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.
- DirectorSean ByrneStarsEthan EmbryShiri ApplebyPruitt Taylor VinceA struggling painter's possessed by dark forces after he and his young family move into their dream home in rural Texas, in this creepy haunted-house tale.
- DirectorBen YoungStarsEmma BoothAshleigh CummingsStephen CurryVicki Maloney is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed couple. As she observes the dynamic between her captors she quickly realises she must drive a wedge between them if she is to survive.
- DirectorKevin PhillipsStarsOwen CampbellCharlie TahanElizabeth CappuccinoTeenagers Zach and Josh have been best friends their whole lives, but when a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the secret drives a wedge between them and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia and violence.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsJennifer LawrenceJavier BardemEd HarrisA couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.
- DirectorTyler MacIntyreStarsBrianna HildebrandAlexandra ShippJack QuaidA twist on the slasher genre, following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-western town into a frenzy, and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.
- DirectorZak HilditchStarsThomas JaneMolly ParkerDylan SchmidA simple yet proud farmer in the year 1922 conspires to murder his wife for financial gain, convincing his teenage son to assist. But their actions have unintended consequences.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsEili HarboeKaya WilkinsHenrik RafaelsenA confused religious girl tries to deny her feelings for a female friend who's in love with her. This causes her suppressed subconsciously-controlled psychokinetic powers to reemerge with devastating results.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsJames McAvoyAnya Taylor-JoyHaley Lu RichardsonThree girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.
- DirectorPatrick BriceStarsKaran SoniMark DuplassDesiree AkhavanA video artist looking for work drives to a remote house in the forest to meet a man claiming to be a serial killer. But after agreeing to spend the day with him, she soon realizes that she made a deadly mistake.
- DirectorDaniel EspinosaStarsJake GyllenhaalRebecca FergusonRyan ReynoldsA team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth.
- DirectorOz PerkinsStarsEmma RobertsKiernan ShipkaLucy BoyntonTwo girls must battle a mysterious evil force when they get left behind at their boarding school over winter break.
- DirectorColm McCarthyStarsSennia NanuaFisayo AkinadeDominique TipperA scientist and a teacher living in a dystopian future embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie.
- DirectorChristopher LandonStarsJessica RotheIsrael BroussardRuby ModineA college student must relive the day of her murder over and over again, in a loop that will end only when she discovers her killer's identity.
- DirectorJoe DietschLouie GibsonStarsMartin Dingle WallKen LallyKenny WormaldAn alcoholic drifter must battle withdrawal and psychotic rednecks after he becomes the target of a deranged sporting event.
- DirectorTrey Edward ShultsStarsJoel EdgertonChristopher AbbottCarmen EjogoSecure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, a man has established a tenuous domestic order with his wife and son. Then a desperate young family arrives seeking refuge.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMichael FassbenderKatherine WaterstonBilly CrudupThe crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.
- DirectorJamie M. DaggStarsJon BernthalChristopher AbbottImogen PootsA former rodeo champ befriends a young man with a propensity for violence.
- DirectorChris PeckoverStarsOlivia DeJongeLevi MillerEd OxenbouldOn a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it's far from a normal home invasion.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsDane DeHaanJason IsaacsMia GothAn ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps, but soon suspects that the spa's treatments are not what they seem.
- DirectorDavid F. SandbergStarsAnthony LaPagliaSamara LeeMiranda OttoTwelve years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll-maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, where they become the target of the doll-maker's possessed creation, Annabelle.
- DirectorJeremy GillespieSteven KostanskiStarsAaron PooleKenneth WelshEllen WongShortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures.
- DirectorAlastair OrrStarsSharni VinsonCarlyn BurchellSteven John WardAfter a young woman is kidnapped, her captors soon come to realize that in fact they may be the ones in danger and this young woman has a dark secret inside her.
- DirectorDon ManciniStarsAllison Dawn DoironAlex VincentBrad DourifChucky returns to terrorize his human victim, Nica. Meanwhile, the killer doll has some scores to settle with his old enemies, with the help of his former wife.