The Best Horror Movie of 2021 So Far, According to Critics — Best Life (2024)

There's nothing like a great horror film, but the genre's gems can be few and far between. Thankfully, despite all the scary movie misses, there are standout horror films released all the time. In fact, this year has seen an impressive number of worthy entries into the canon. From spooky spoofs to psychological thrillers to classic haunted house horror, we scoured Rotten Tomatoes' list of this year's top-rated films, then focused solely on our favorite genre. Read on to discover the best horror films of 2021 so far.

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 75 percent

"None of this is especially scary, but, if you're patient, [directorJames Wan] delivers the kind of hilariously sick climax that only a sad*st would spoil. Or envisage," writesNew York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76 percent

"A wildly entertaining eco-feminist crime caper, anchored by a winning lead performance from Agnieszka Mandat," writes Los Angeles Times criticKatie Walsh.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76 percent

"It's engrossing and well-made, but you'll need a strong stomach to get through it," writesSan Jose Mercury News criticRandy Myers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 77 percent

"A sincere but silly mash-up of WWII dogfights, gremlin chaos, and feminism in action," writes RogerEbert.com criticNick Allen.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent

"Spooky and unsettling, director Kourosh Ahari's eerie suspense yarn The Night got under my skin," writes MovieFreak.com criticSara Michelle Fetters.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent

"Sinister and hilarious, psychedelic yet grounded, absurdist while still gripping, In the Earth will take root in you," writesAustin Chronicle criticRichard Whittaker.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80 percent

"Bloodthirsty does well to build tension and mystery around exactly what Grey is turning into. Her transformation is gradual, well paced, and will leave you on the edge of your seat," writes AwardsWatch criticValerie Complex.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80 percent

"There's a sweaty claustrophobia to this film that's effective, especially for those who haven't left their apartment in a year," writes RogerEbert.com criticBrian Tallerico.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80 percent

"The Columnist is sharp, funny and uneasy, and speaks to the fallacy of the world we live in. It's a killer romp," writesDetroit News criticAdam Graham.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent

"Chad Crawford Kinkle's micro-budget supernatural horror film Dementer is unsettling right from the start," writesLos Angeles Times criticNoel Murray.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent

"An impressive and often terrifying film," writes RogerEbert.com criticSheila O'Malley.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent

"With a cast that's down for cracking good fun and a bloody wild ride, this vampire tale is alive with surprises, silly and scary," writes Pajiba criticKristy Puchko.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent

"This slow-burn horror-fantasy narrative prefers a different approach to eco-horror by creating a stunning assault on the senses," writes Bloody Disgusting criticMeagan Navarro.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent

"Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is everything a horror fan desires: nerve-wracking sequences, a killer soundtrack, complex characters and twists and surprises galore," writesSan Jose Mercury News critic Randy Myers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent

"The Power elegantly knits together atmospheric terrors and institutional ones, providing a reminder that it's not always the things that go bump in the night that are the true threat," writesNew York Magazine criticAlison Willmore.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent

"The scares are off the charts, but only as a means to confront the film's heavy messaging about racial injustice. Dynamite star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and director Nia DaCosta make you think hard about everything you see. Welcome to a new horror classic," writes ABC News criticPeter Travers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

"The film reaches out, even at its most implausible, and claws at you," writesNew Yorker criticAnthony Lane.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

"By turns funny, grisly, tragic and insightful, Jakob's Wife carries the smartness of years," writesAustin Chronicle critic Richard Whittaker.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

"This goofy horror comedy, based on an online game of the same name, just goes to prove that if you have a great cast, smart direction and witty script you can just about get away with murder," writesGuardian criticLeslie Felperin.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

"Intelligent, emotionally compelling and visually sophisticated, for fans of darker fare and old-fashioned spooky stories, The Night House is unmissable," writes ABC Radio criticAlexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87 percent

"There's not an ounce of fat here, just a streamlined story packed with intensity and scares. The meticulous simplicity lets the suspense do the heavy lifting for this modern fairy tale nightmare," writes Bloody Disgusting critic Meagan Navarro.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

"A neat little sci-fi nightmare; a cool-toned exercise in claustrophobia that nearly pulls off the innate improbabilities of its high-concept nonsense," writesEntertainment Weekly criticLeah Greenblatt.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

"It's grueling, but fiercely intelligent film-making," writesObserver criticWendy Ide.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

"Leigh Janiak continues her streak with another solid R-rated slasher that delivers brutal kills and likable characters that make those deaths hurt," writes Bloody Disgusting critic Meagan Navarro.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

"Titane is a truly harrowing experience, if you're willing to let go behind the wheel," writesAustin Chronicle critic Jenny Nulf.

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent

"A psychedelic rabbit-hole-drop of a movie from one of the most exciting new directors working in horror today," writesEmpire Magazine criticTerri White.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

"This is a movie that suggests finding a new friend as an adult can be as difficult and emotionally wrenching as escaping a serial killer," writesLos Angeles Times critic Noel Murray.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

"The Oak Room is a small little thriller that demonstrates the potent power of storytelling. For those interested in something far more introspective that plays like an unsettling tale told around a campfire, it's is an engaging narrative exercise," writes Bloody Disgusting critic Meagan Navarro.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

"The meaner it gets, the more you care, and The Queen of Black Magic earns every twist of the knife," writesAustin Chronicle critic Richard Whittaker.

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

"The writer-director-actor takes a while to hit her stride, but by the end the viewer is likely to be unnerved and amused by this display of egocentricity, homicide and low-budget film-craft," writesThe Australian criticDavid Stratton.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

"It is smart enough, scary enough and unique enough to be worth a watch both for horror fans and for people who want to see more Jewish culture represented on the screen," writes Salon critic Matthew Rozsa.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91 percent

"The Abbotts venture into the unknown in a meticulously crafted monster movie that leaves us wanting more," writesChicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent

"Thinking about a family hiking trip? You might forgo that after being scared to death by this relentless thriller," writes National Newspaper Publishers Association criticDwight Brown.

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent

"Psycho Goreman is a hilarious gut-buster in every sense of the term," writesDetroit News critic Adam Graham.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent

"St. Maud marks a stunning feature film debut for writer-director Rose Glass. Understated yet opulent, measured, and intensely creepy, it's a tour de force in balancing uncomfortable levels of tension and suspense with deep pathos," writes Vox criticAja Romano.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

"There's an oppressive sense of menace which is magnified by the high-quality performances from the two young stars, and by the nervily watchful camerawork," writes Screen International critic Wendy Ide.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

"Rage, smarts, skill and some astute observations about the period just before social media set in combine to great effect here," writesSan Jose Mercury News criticRandy Myers.

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

"[Brea Grant's]aching heart spills out a story of blood and boldness, dread and defiance," writes Pajiba critic Kristy Puchko.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

"There's some blood-spattered pleasure to be had with Slaxx and its amusing twist on a survive-the-night slasher," writes RogerEbert.com criticTomris Laffly.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

"[An] effective use of a simple premise and modest means to create a nicely nerve-jangling thriller," writesVariety criticDennis Harvey.

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