2017 was a killer year for horror movies. Whether you’re into blood-soaked slashers, psychological mind-benders, or supernatural spookfests, there was something to make everyone scream with delight (or fright). Horror has always been a genre that pushes boundaries and reflects our deepest fears. And in 2017, these movies held a dark mirror up to society while delivering serious scares.
So let’s count down the top 20 scary movies of 2017 that kept us up at night and made us think twice about turning off the lights. Beware – there are spoilers ahead!
20. Happy Death Day
Happy Death Day put a horror spin on the classic Groundhog Day premise. A college student finds herself reliving the day of her murder over and over again. She has to unmask her killer and stop her death to break the time loop. With fun twists and turns, Happy Death Day delivered slasher thrills with a dash of dark humor. It was like a bloody, R-rated version of a 90s teen horror flick.
19. The Blackcoat’s Daughter
This slow-burn chiller follows two girls left alone at their boarding school over winter break. As they descend into madness, it becomes unclear what’s real and what’s imagined. With an ominous atmosphere and occult undertones, The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a moody, unsettling film that creeps under your skin. The sense of isolation and ambiguity creates a lingering unease.
18. Annabelle: Creation
Annabelle: Creation explored the origins of the creepy doll first seen in The Conjuring. When a nun and a group of orphan girls move into a dollmaker’s home, the evil presence of Annabelle is awakened. This prequel had effective jump scares, disturbing visuals, and a scary-doll-come-to-life that’s the stuff of nightmares. It built upon the Conjuring universe and reminded us that dolls are just plain creepy.
17. The Devil’s Candy
In this heavy metal horror film, a painter and his family move into a house with a demonic past. The father becomes possessed and starts painting terrifying images. Meanwhile, a murderous former resident returns home. With a doom metal soundtrack and occult imagery, The Devil’s Candy is a trippy, gory ride into hell. It’s a fresh take on familiar possession horror tropes.
16. Split
M. Night Shyamalan returned to form with this tense abduction thriller. Three girls are kidnapped by a man with 24 distinct personalities. As his personas battle for control, the girls must find a way to escape before a monstrous 24th identity emerges. James McAvoy’s committed performance as the unpredictable villain elevated Split beyond its pulpy premise into a suspenseful character study.
15. Killing Ground
This brutal survival film follows a couple on a camping trip who discover an abandoned tent and a traumatized child. They soon realize a band of depraved locals have been terrorizing the area. With nail-biting tension, Killing Ground doesn’t shy away from disturbing violence as it portrays a harrowing fight for survival in the Australian outback. It’s a visceral, uncompromising movie that leaves you shaken.
14. Super Dark Times
Set in the 1990s, this coming-of-age thriller captures the darkness lurking beneath the surface of suburban adolescence. When a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the friendship between two teenage boys starts to unravel. With a foreboding mood and deliberate pacing, Super Dark Times is a haunting meditation on guilt, paranoia, and the loss of innocence. It taps into relatable teenage experiences while building a sense of dread.
13. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
From surrealist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, this psychological revenge tale is steeped in dread and absurdity. A surgeon’s picture-perfect life descends into chaos when a sinister teenager places a deadly curse on his family. Strange symptoms and impossible choices torment the family. With unsettling visuals and deadpan performances, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a disturbing, darkly humorous nightmare that gets under your skin.
12. Hounds of Love
This harrowing Australian crime thriller follows a young woman abducted by a disturbed suburban couple. As she desperately seeks a way to escape, the dynamics between the kidnappers begin to unravel. Based on real-life crimes, Hounds of Love is an unflinching, emotionally intense film. It features raw, fearless performances that make the horror feel all too real. It’s a tough but powerful watch.
11. Gerald’s Game
Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel is a tense, claustrophobic thriller. When her husband dies during a kinky game, a woman is left handcuffed to a bed in a remote lake house. As dehydration and shock set in, she must confront her inner demons to survive. With an intimate focus and psychological depth, Gerald’s Game is a gripping showcase for Carla Gugino’s complex performance. It’s a layered, emotionally challenging film.
10. The Endless
This mind-bending sci-fi horror film follows two brothers who return to the UFO death cult they escaped years ago. As they become drawn back into the cult’s cryptic rituals, reality starts to fracture in bizarre ways. The Endless is an ambitious, original film that blends Lovecraftian cosmic horror with a heartfelt story of brotherly bonds. The inventive visuals, eerie mood, and existential themes make it a trippy, thought-provoking gem.
9. Tragedy Girls
Tragedy Girls is a darkly comedic slasher that satirizes social media obsession. Two death-obsessed teenage girls kidnap a serial killer and use his murders to boost their online fame. But as their hunger for likes and followers grows, their crimes spiral out of control. With biting wit, subversive style, and gleeful gore, Tragedy Girls is a fresh, self-aware take on slasher conventions. It’s Heathers meets Scream for the Twitter age.
8. mother!
Darren Aronofsky’s allegorical horror film is a wild, polarizing ride. When a poet and his wife are visited by mysterious houseguests, their tranquil existence unravels into chaos. As more strangers invade their home, events escalate into a surreal, apocalyptic nightmare. mother! is a bold, feverish film that’s dense with symbolism and social commentary. Love it or hate it, it’s a shocking, unforgettable experience that demands discussion.
7. Raw
This French coming-of-age cannibal film is a uniquely unsettling feast. When a vegetarian student is forced to eat raw meat during a hazing ritual, she develops an insatiable craving for flesh. As her hunger grows, she undergoes a disturbing transformation. With a visceral style and a queasy mix of body horror and dark humor, Raw is a provocative, strikingly original film. It’s a potent metaphor for female desire and awakening.
6. A Dark Song
In this Irish occult horror film, a grieving mother hires an antisocial occultist to perform a dangerous ritual to contact her murdered son. Sealing themselves in an isolated house, they undergo grueling trials that test their sanity and souls. A Dark Song is a slow-burning, deeply atmospheric film that delves into the dark side of spiritualism. With intense performances and haunting themes of loss and obsession, it’s a challenging but rewarding journey into the occult.
5. The Devil’s Candy
Sean Byrne’s follow-up to The Loved Ones is another stylish, heavy metal-infused horror film. A struggling painter moves his family into a house with a dark history. As he becomes possessed by demonic forces, his paintings take a disturbing turn. Meanwhile, a troubled former resident returns home. With doom metal riffs, vivid visuals, and occult overtones, The Devil’s Candy is a gory, satanic thrill ride. It’s an unholy blend of haunted house horror and possession thriller.
4. It Comes At Night
Trey Edward Shults’ post-apocalyptic horror film is a bleak, intensely gripping tale of paranoia and distrust. As a deadly plague ravages the world, two families share an uneasy alliance in an isolated house. But as fear and suspicion grow, their fragile coexistence shatters. With a suffocating sense of dread, It Comes At Night is a masterclass in minimalist horror. It’s a chilling allegory for our fear of the other and the darkness of human nature.
3. It
Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the Stephen King classic was the horror blockbuster of the year. When a shape-shifting entity that takes the form of a clown terrorizes the town of Derry, a group of misfit kids band together to stop it. Balancing nostalgic coming-of-age drama with creepy scares, It captured what made the novel so beloved. Bill Skarsgård’s unnerving portrayal of Pennywise and the endearing young cast made it a funny, heartfelt, and frightening crowdpleaser.
2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Yorgos Lanthimos’ twisted morality tale is a master class in unease. When a heart surgeon befriends a sinister teenager, he finds his perfect life unraveling in bizarre, inexplicable ways. Forced to make an impossible sacrifice, he descends into a nightmarish game of revenge. With unsettlingly mannered performances, clinical visuals, and a lurking sense of cosmic dread, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a skin-crawling, darkly humorous film. It’s a surreal, mythic tragedy that leaves you shaken.
1. Get Out
Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is a biting social thriller that tapped into the real-life horrors of racism. When a black man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a sinister conspiracy. As the weekend progresses, the family’s insidious intentions are revealed. Get Out is a brilliant blend of Hitchcockian tension, satirical humor, and sharp social commentary. It’s a culturally relevant, massively entertaining horror film that captured the zeitgeist. Thought-provoking and thrilling, Get Out is an instant classic.
2017 was a landmark year for horror, delivering a diverse range of scares while reflecting our deepest fears and anxieties. From big-budget blockbusters to arthouse gems, these top 20 scary movies of 2017 pushed the genre in bold new directions. Whether you like your horror bloody, cerebral, or socially conscious, there was something to keep you up at night. So lock your doors, turn out the lights, and let these terrifying films get under your skin. Sweet dreams!
