The 30 Best Horror Films of the 2010's

The 2010s have ended, and it's time to look back at the very best in horror that that decade had to offer. There weren't that many clear trends, as we had remakes, ghosts flicks (with way too many shitty jump-scares), home invasions, horror comedies, gorefests, and more. Whatever the case maybe, it was hard narrowing it down to just 30, but I feel very pleased with what I picked. Let's not waste anymore time and get right into it!

• Honorable Mentions:

Unsane

All Cheerleaders Die
Maniac
Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1 & 2
Would You Rather
Happy Death Day 2U
The Love Witch

30. You're Next (2011)- Adam Wingard's rollicking horror comedy has one of the best final girls in the gorgeous Sharni Vinson's Erin and ends up being one of the finest home invasion flicks in recent times.

29. The Woman (2011)- Arguably Lucky McKee's best film, The Woman is one fuck of a brutal and uncompromising viewing experience. It also stands has a powerful feminist view years before the current cinematic state. Throw in some excellent acting and you have one of the best hardcore splatter flicks of the last decade.

28. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2017)- This chilling and intense supernatural horror flick is ghost (and witch!) horror done right. It builds tension and is genuinely creepy. The more the movie moves along the tighter you'll grasp your chair. Throw in some superlative acting from the small cast, and you have a real winner.

27. The Shallows (2016)- The Shallows is one of those films that has gotten better with time and viewings. It is a nail-biting horror-thriller that also happens to be beautiful looking, and just cause of its gorgeous star Blake Lively. Lively makes for a great heroine and proves that she is more than just a perfect body. Truth is this film is one of the best shark horror movies ever!

26. Incident in a Ghostland (2018)- From Pascal Laugier, the director of the vicious Martyrs comes this brutal and under-seen masterpiece. Hopefully, with Shudder starting to stream it last year, more have. My full review.

25. The Devil's Candy (2015)- A truly chilling and unnerving heavy metal/ horror movie from The Loved Ones (2009) writer/ director Sean Byrne. My full review.

24. Green Room (2015)- Another movie that gets better with repeated viewings, punk rock/ horror/ thriller Green Room is intense as fucking hell. It also features an amazing performance by Patrick Stewart as the lead neo-Nazi scumbag as one of the best bad guys (and easy to root against) in a genre film in the past decade.

23. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)- Wild horror/ comedy that works best with the less you know of it. My full and non-spoiler review.

22. Crimson Peak (2015)- A beautiful (in fact it is one of the most gorgeous horror movies of the last decade) and wonderfully acted horror/ Gothic romance from Guillermo Del Toro that is one of the very best ghost movies around. It is horribly underrated and should have been seen by more. Hopefully by now, you all have.

21. Train to Busan (2016)- Just when we were all ready to keep the zombie movie in the fucking toilet, comes this thundering ass kicker from Korea. A full throttle mix of action, gore, drama, and intensity that deserves all the praise it gets.

20. Get Out (2017)- A smart and timely horror movie from Jordan Peele got the rare kind of love (IE Oscar attention) for a genre movie. But, with its smart, deep, and. at times, funny script, excellent acting. and superlative directing it is more than worth it. Plus, it is highly entertaining, something completely missing, from most, if not all, of those other, so-called "elevated" (holy fuck, do I ever abhor that term!) horror movies.

19. It: Chapter One (2017)- This ridiculously successful horror flick, is one of the finest Stephen King adaptations ever made. It also has one of the best child casts ever, in any movie of any genre. The second chapter is alright, but a letdown, so let's just concentrate on our love for this one, OK?

18. Black Swan (2010)- Featuring an amazing performance by Natalie Portman, this is a nightmarish, searing, and, sometimes, sexy flick. Darren Aronofsky's modern masterpiece is really one of the best psychological horror movies ever made.

17. Raw (2016)- Alternately sexy, shocking, smart, and repulsive French horror movie is one of the best Euro-horror flicks of the last couple of years. Wonderfully acted and made, Raw shows us that the French are still kicking ass in our beloved genre.

16. The Conjuring (2013)- James Wan's scary modern classic (and his best movie to date) created its own world, the highly successful The Conjuring Universe, and is one of the best ghost movies ever fucking made. My mini review.

15. The Final Girls (2015)- A smart, loving horror comedy with a ton of heart. My full review.

14. Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)- Truly one of the greatest Christmas horror movies, this flick is one hell of mix of comedy, zombie, musical, and the holiday. And, unlike a lot of musicals, I actually love the tunes in it! Gory, funny, exciting, moving, and fun, with a wonderful turn by the lovely Ella Hunt as the title character, this is one I truly love.

13. Deathgasm (2015)- A gore drenched splatterfest, this headbanging and utterly hilarious fucker might just be the king of heavy metal horror movies. It has everything you could ever ask for: demons, metal love and music, hot babes, nudity, sex toys as weapons, and ton of fucking gore.

12. Piranha 3D (2010)- Blood drenched, sexy, and frequently funny remake might just be better than even Joe Dante's own cult classic. Filled to the brim with graphic gore, babes (including Elisabeth Shue, Riley Steele, Gianna Michaels, Kelly Brook, and more!), nudity, lesbianism, and an awesome cast, it is without a shadow of a doubt the best aquatic horror flick of the last decade.

11. Better Watch Out (2016)- This one ranks right next to Gremlins and the original Black Christmas as one of the greatest Christmas horror movies ever made. It also falls under the less you know about it, the better category. A nasty, fun, and twisted flick with great acting from its young leads, that is completely my cup of blood and excellent in repeated, and yearly, viewings.

10. Gerald's Game (2017)- Mike Flanagan's incredible adaptation of one of my favorite Stephen King books. My full review.

9. Evil Dead (2013)- Fede Alvarez' gorefest is one of the most fun moving going experiences of the last decade. It also might be the bloodiest big-studio film ever made. Combine it with Mia, who as played by the beautiful Jane Levy, is one of the absolute best horror heroines ever! Now, can we please get the fucking sequel, like right fucking now!!

8. Starry Eyes (2014)- A bloody, smart, and nightmarish horror flick with a killer performance by the beautiful Alex Essoe. My full review.

7. Happy Death Day (2017)- Talk about a movie for whom my love has grown and grown. Of all the movies, that are listed here, it is probably the one I have seen the most times, at least in terms of shortest period of time. Funny and wild this slasher/ comedy take on Groundhog Day holds a very special place in my heart. The awesome Baby-Face Killer has one of my favorite masks ever. And, its final girl Tree, as portrayed by the breathtaking Jessica Rothe, is honest to God one of the best the genre has ever seen.

6. Revenge (2017)- This superlative French, feminist badass of a movie is one of the greatest rape-revenge movies ever made. My full review.

5. Excision (2012)- An alternately twisted, funny, moving, sexy (in messed up sort of way), and gory coming of age film that with an amazing performance by the breathtaking goddess AnnaLynne McCord. Her character is one of my favorite, complex females in horror of the last decade. Playing her mom is Traci Lords in the greatest role she has ever had. The fact that this superlative masterpiece only gets better with multiple viewings is that much more impressive a feat.

4. American Mary (2012)- The Soska sisters introduced us horror fans to Mary Mason in this modern classic. My full review.

3. Mandy (2018)- A true masterpiece Mandy mixes Mad Max style revenge, with David Lynch and Dario Argento influences, gore, and a metal heart and style to deliver the most original horror movie of the 2010's. Gory, insane, is has an evil, hippie cult, demonic bikers, chainsaw mayhem, and an unhinged and awesome Nicolas Cage. There is no fucking movie quite like it. Plus, the Cheddar Goblin fucking rules!

2. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)- Speaking of Mad Max, this fucker combines that with the zombie flick,and the result is the absolute best zombie movie since Shaun of the Dead. My full review.

1. Doctor Sleep (2019)- Mike Flangan's adaption of the Stephen King book of the same serves as a sequel to both The Shining book and movie. And, dear friends, ain't easy to pull off. Yet, he does it so amazingly in this the best horror movie of all of the 2010's. If you were one of those who fucked up and missed it in the movies, be sure you correct that shit when it comes out digital download and Blu-ray (February 4, in a director's cut!).





I would love to know what your favorite horror movies of the  2010's were. Tell me in the comments section below.

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The 10 Best Movies of 2019 (Updated)

Last year was another phenomenal year for film, especially in the horror genre which has a lot of entries in my yearly list. Now, there are movies that I haven't seen (including: Midsummar, Parasite, Uncut Gems, Lighthouse, and  Bombshell), but as far as what I did see, here is my definitive list of my picks of the finest movies of 2019!

Honorable Mentions

Satanic Panic
Rabid

Crawl

Toy Story 4

Joker

Us

10. The Perfection- This Netflix psychological horror flick has what might be my favorite script for a genre flick this year. The less you know about this one the better. It's smart, shocking, powerful, and timely with smashing performances from all involved especially the movies's two beautiful leads: Allison Williams and Logan Browning

9. Ready or Not- This ass kicking, fun, and fast paced mix of horror, action, and comedy is a complete fucking blast to watch. Exquisitely beautiful lead actress Samara Weaving is one of the year's best final girls. And, then there is that ending, which is absolutely the best of 2019!

8. Haunt- By and far the best slasher of last year. My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2019/10/haunt-review.html

7. Horror Noire- This Shudder documentary is the best documentary that I saw last year. Smart, highly entertaining, and thought provoking with excellent interviews with everyone they choose, it is the last word on Black Americans in horror movies. 

6. Rambo: Last Blood- The year's most terribly underrated action movie is this final (supposedly) entry in the long running Rambo franchise. Featuring a great and graphically violent climax, the movie is a satisfying ending for our hero. I honestly think this more personal tale fits Rambo (at this point in his life, especially) very well, and Stallone gives a strong performance. Also, tell me that final kill doesn't make you wanna stand-up and cheer. 

5. John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum- From the most underrated, we go to the year's best action movie. Fast paced, exciting, fun, violent, and truly fucking awesome John Wick Chapter 3 is one of the greatest sequels in action movie history, topping the second movie (but still not as great as the first movie). Also, can we give Halle Berry and her dogs, their own spin-off movie?

4. Happy Death Day 2U- It sucks ass that this movie didn't do that good at the box office, because not only is it great but we'll never get the final movie in the trilogy. Moving farther into sci-fi world this one is really wild and feels fresh, instead of retreading the first movie. The gorgeous Jessica Rothe proves again that her character of Tree is truly worthy of being in the pantheon of the great horror final girls of all time, especially thanks to her performance. The sequel is also hilarious, in fact, I say that it is the funniest movie I saw last year! 

3. Avengers: End Game- This was a super satisfying ending to this long building chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Exciting, fun, and rousing, but also emotional and enthralling, it might just be the greatest superhero movie ever made.

2. Doctor Sleep- The year's finest horror movie is this horribly underrated (by audiences) sequel to The Shining. Managing to be both a follow up to the King book and the Kubrick flick is no mean feet and this fucker really pulls it off excellently. The acting and script are top notch, and the climax had me on the edge of my seat. Now, while I respect and like Kubrick's movie, I have never loved it. This flick I do adore, and think it is superior to that movie. In fact, it is one of greatest genre movies of the last decade. 

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood- I fell in love with this movie from the moment, I first saw it in the theaters. But, sometimes when I go back to a film, I like it less (and even less, in some cases, looking at you oh so mediocre The Force Awakens). Not so here, in fact, when I rewatched it, I loved it even more. Not that I thought that was even humanly possible. It is such a love letter to late 60s Hollywood and filled with phenomenal acting. DiCaprio and Pitt are fucking awesome and have a really wonderful friendship on camera. And, for what little time she has onscreen, Margot Robbie is a beautiful, loving, and wonderful capturing of classic beauty Sharon Tate. Plus, the revisionist history with the Manson family is fucking awesome! It has me cheering and laughing all the way through it (in both viewings!!!)! A near perfect, if not in fact perfect movie, that is one of Tarantino's truly finest and greatest movies. 

I would love to know what your favorites from last year are. Tell me in the comment section below. 

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The 20 Best Hard Rock & Metal Albums of 2019

Sorry, for the bit of the delay, on this list, but regular work had kept me very busy. Regardless, 2019 proved to be another great year for heavy music. Many big name veterans put out some great music, but there are some young, up and comers who kicked major ass, as well. The year proved to be really good for thrash and death metal, in particular, I feel. Making this list wasn't easy and involved a lot of continuous, to the last minute, changes. Anyway, here we go! On a side note, man was black and grey a popular choice for artists as their cover color schemes last year!

Honorable Mentions:
Amon Amarth- Berserker
Korn- The Nothing
Lindsey Schoolcraft- Martyr 
Belzebubs- Pantheon of the Nightside Gods
Flotsam and Jetsam- The End of Chaos 

20. Entombed A.D.- Bowels of the Earth- The mighty Entombed A.D. are back motherfuckers! My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2019/08/entombed-ad-bowels-of-earth-album-review.html

19. Darkthrone- Old Star- Majestically dark and cold, Darkthrone's latest release is an all engulfing and encompassing assault of old school Norwegian black metal. It combines with an epicness, and even bits of catchieness in songs like "The Hardships of the Scots", that helps to cement it as one the best black metal releases of last year. 

18. Traveler- Traveler- Canadian band Traveler makes their debut and give us what is the best music from a new group playing old school style heavy metal. My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2019/02/traveler-traveler-album-review.html

17. Chelsea Wolfe- Birth of Violence- Chelsea Wolfe, one of the most original musicians of recent memory, gives us a haunting, powerful, and beautiful acoustic album with her latest release. It is the perfect album to heal and soothe my dark soul.  

16. Fit For An Autopsy- The Sea of Tragic Beasts- One of the best acts in all of deathcore, Fit For An Autopsy have delivered a monster of an album. One of their finest recordings ever, The Sea of Tragic Beasts is heavy, groove-filled, and sure to get mosh pits a blaze. For proof just listen to bangers like "No Man Is Without Fear" and the title track.

15. Possessed- Revelations of Oblivion- Possessed are back to kick your fucking ass straight to hell! Revelations of Oblivion is their absolute finest work since their rightfully heralded classic Seven Churches. This album is a wonderfully satanic mix of pounding death metal and unrelenting thrash. In all, one of the most killer genre benders in many a moon.  

14. Creeping Death- Wretched Illusions- 2019's best debut album came from this old school death metal styled Texas act. My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2019/09/creeping-death-wretched-illusions-album.html

13. Toxic Holocaust- Primal Future: 2019- The best Toxic Holocaust album yet, and here is my review of it: https://www.themastergio.com/2019/10/toxic-holocaust-primal-future-2019.html

12. Mayhem- Daemon- It feels like forever since I last really enjoyed a Mayhem album. But, unholy fuck is it ever great to have that change. This is an awesome and dark blast of old school and righteously evil Norwegian sounds. From the cold feeling production to the raspy, demonic vocals to the blast-beat assaults this is everything we black metal fans fucking want and need!

11. Rammstein- Rammstein- All these years later Rammstein remain one of the kings of industrial. And, this self-titled rocker proves it. Hard hitting, fun, and catchy it really ranks among their best albums. The excellent production is among the best that you were likely to hear last year. And, the single "Deutschland" is one of my favorite singles that was released in 2019.

 10. Carnifex- World War X- Carnifex continue to grow outside of the confines of deathcore, while remaining entrenched in it. They do this by continuing to expand on the use of taking influences from other sub-genres, like black metal, as they have been doing for the last couple of releases. Tracks like "Visions of the End" are among some of the songs that got my adrenaline most pumped up. In short, World War X is brutal, angry, dark, merciless, and absolutely fucking kills! . 

9. Periphery- Periphery IV: Hail Stan- Periphery continue to be one of the best bands in their style of metal, being head and shoulders above many of the others like them. Their epic, complex, and diverse fourth album continues to prove that. On a side note, it has one of the most fun sounding titles of 2019!

8. Whitechapel- The Valley- This is a dark, powerful, and honest release from one of the kings of deathcore. It is perhaps their most mature album, yet despite some moments where it slows down, the band never loses any of its ferocity. The Valley is a haunting work and one among their finest recordings.

7. Death Angel- Humanicide- One of the great classic thrash bands, Death Angel have put out 2019's absolute best thrash album in Humanicide. As fucking good as their preceding album, The Evil Divide, was this album is even better. As a matter of fact, it is their best work since their classic heyday.

6. Jinjer- Macro- Jinjer is the metal success story of the year. The hardworking band achieved their biggest success yet, and I honestly believe that they are only going to get bigger. Their latest LP Macro is a killer bit of progressive/ d'jent metal. Killer groove, complex song structures, and varied influences (including reggae!) and sounds make this a record that, I feel, will be looked upon as a classic in the future. For now, it is their best yet and one of the coolest of 2019. 

5. Slipknot- We Are Not Your Kind- One of the biggest bands in all of metal, Slipknot put out their latest last year. And, honestly it ranks among the very best the band has ever done. It takes the best elements of their finest work mixes it all in a great and varied sounding disc. Heavy, catchy, and featuring excellent production proves that they are worthy of all the continued popularity and success that they continue to have.

4. The Agonist- Orphans- It is a crying shame that The Agonist are so underrated. They remain a fucking killer group, one that not only continues to make spectacular music, but in fact, with this album, have made their best one, yet! I absolute adore them and this album, is one of my most listened to of all of last year. 

3. Killswitch Engage- Atonement- The masters and gods of metalcore gave us another masterwork this time in the form of the amazing Atonement. It is an album that early on looked like it could take the top place. And, even though it didn't, it did come close. But, then featuring team-ups with former signer and current Light The Torch frontman Howard Jones ("The Signal Fire") and Testament frontman Chuck Billy ("The Crownless King") and more truly fucking ass kicking songs, how could it not?

2. Cattle Decapitation- Death Atlas- Fuck is this album ever brutal!! Cattle Decapitation is always a band that I am excited to hear their latest, and despite one or two reviews I heard/ read giving it a lower rating, I fucking LOVED this one!! It is yet another great release from one of the best extreme metal bands around. I spent a lot of time debating whether this should be number one or two. This may have taken the silver medal, but it came ever so fucking close to gold!

1. Abbath- Outstrider- From the moment I heard this album it felt like it would take the top spot. While, it wasn't easy to choose over the KsE or especially over Cattle Decapitation, it ultimately won. Now, while I absolutely adored the self-titled debut, this one is even better. Which in my book is saying a lot! Abbath's brand of fun, but still unquestionably ass kicking black metal is completely up my alley. With it's musicianship and awesome track list, Oustrtider makes it to the very top of this super competitive list, and in my eyes is the best metal album of 2019!

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The Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 7: 10-1

10. Madeline Petsch (last year #11)- No matter how ridiculous or over the top Riverdale gets the gorgeous Petsch always achieves amazing performances. Especially this season where she really managed to pull at my heart, make me laugh, and make us all fall even more in love with her.

9. Maria Gabriela de Faria (new)- The breathtaking star (those eyes!!) of SyFy's unjustly cancelled Deadly Class is a site to behold. The Venezuelan de Faria is one of most impossibly beautiful women around. Here is hoping we see more of this stunner, as she has a very good chance at moving up the list if we do.

8. Kenzie Taylor (last year #36)- Kenzie skyrockets into the top 10 position as she continues to appear in smoldering adult movies. In particular is the beautiful blonde's appearance in one of the year's best adult features Captain Marvel XXX, a film from the prolific and awesome Axel Braun. One that is better than the Hollywood movie it parodies. Kenzie, of course, plays the title character. She does so with more charisma and looks even more beautiful than the lovely Brie Larson, herself!

7. Laura Legends (new)- The second biggest debut on this list this time around comes from this absolutely gorgeous and awesome Canadian YouTube personality. There are other pretty ladies who have YouTube channels dedicated to toy collecting. But, in my very humble opinion they lack the combination of charisma, beauty, sweetness, humor, and knowledge that makes Legends my favorite. I look forward to every new video she posts on her fucking AWESOME channel!

6. Dani Daniels (last year same)- Perhaps the greatest performer in the current era of the adult business, the sexy and breathtaking Dani Daniels holds on strong to her sixth position and our hearts.

5. Lili Reinhart (last year #4)- Facing stiff competition, the stunning Reinhart drops a spot down the list but only barely. As Betty on Riverdale, she remains one of television's most truly beautiful women. And, her acting is as great as ever, continuing to give the series many of it's biggest and best highlights.

4. Aubrey Plaza (new)- The biggest debut on this list comes courtesy of the lovely Ms. Plaza. Her turn as Andy's mom in Child's Play (the year's most pleasant surprise) was great! She added pathos, fun, and beauty to the role, which became one of my favorite final girls of 2019. It also helped her become one of this site's official Horror Crushes!

3. Jessica Rothe (last year ranked 2017- #2)- Rothe returned as one of the greatest final girls ever, Tree, in the amazing and terribly underrated Happy Death Day 2U (which is one of the year's best horror movies). Once again, she was beautiful, sexy, hot, funny, and badass in it! Rothe needs to be in every horror movie!

2. Bella Thorne (last year ranked 2017- #9)- Taking the runner up spot is one of the sexiest mainstream actresses ever! Ms. Thorne released a poetry book, went on a tour (where I met her!) promoting it, and most awesome of all, directed a porn, Him & Her, for PornHub!! It starred Small Hands and fellow list maker the gorgeous Abella Danger! Plus, Thorne was inducted into the Horror Crush section, this even before knowing that she is gonna direct a horror movie herself! The sky is the limit for her (and her future position on this list!)!

1. Jen & Sylvia Soska (last year #3)- Taking the top spot are the immensely talented, awesome as fuck, and beautiful Twisted Twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska! Their long awaited remake of David Cronenberg's cult classic, Rabid, played limited release and is currently on On Demand. And, earlier year, at Monster-Mania, I conducted an exclusive and awesome interview with them. For all of this and more, they rightfully rule the list!






The Rest of the List:
The 70 Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 1: 70-61
The 70 Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 2: 60-51
The 70 Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 3: 50-41
The 70 Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 4: 40-31
The 70 Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 5: 30-21
The 70 Most Beautiful Women of 2019, Part 6: 20-11

And, so concludes the 2019 list of the 70 Most Beautiful Women. Regular work has left me backlogged on various posts (including more NYCC, WinterCon, and the best metal/ hard rock album and movies of 2019). They are all coming, so please be patient. And, thank you for all of your support last year, before, and beyond. You all humble me with it. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and may 2020 be a fucking awesome year for us all!

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