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.
RELATED: The Best Horror Film of 2020, According to Critics.
40 | Malignant
Warner Bros. PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 75 percent
"None of this is especially scary, but, if you’re patient, [director James Wan] delivers the kind of hilariously sick climax that only a sadist would spoil. Or envisage," writes New York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis.
39 | Spoor
Samuel Goldwyn FilmsRotten Tomatoes score: 76 percent
"A wildly entertaining eco-feminist crime caper, anchored by a winning lead performance from Agnieszka Mandat," writes Los Angeles Times critic Katie Walsh.
38 | Son
RLJE FilmsRotten Tomatoes score: 76 percent
"It's engrossing and well-made, but you'll need a strong stomach to get through it," writes San Jose Mercury News critic Randy Myers.
37 | Shadow in the Cloud
Vertical EntertainmentRotten Tomatoes score: 77 percent
"A sincere but silly mash-up of WWII dogfights, gremlin chaos, and feminism in action," writes RogerEbert.com critic Nick Allen.
36 | The Night
IFC MidnightRotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent
"Spooky and unsettling, director Kourosh Ahari's eerie suspense yarn The Night got under my skin," writes MovieFreak.com critic Sara Michelle Fetters.
35 | In the Earth
NeonRotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent
"Sinister and hilarious, psychedelic yet grounded, absurdist while still gripping, In the Earth will take root in you," writes Austin Chronicle critic Richard Whittaker.
34 | Bloodthirsty
Brainstorm MediaRotten 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 critic Valerie Complex.
33 | Knocking
LäskRotten 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 critic Brian Tallerico.
32 | The Columnist
Film MovementRotten 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," writes Detroit News critic Adam Graham.
31 | Dementer
Dark Star PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent
"Chad Crawford Kinkle's micro-budget supernatural horror filmDementer is unsettling right from the start," writes Los Angeles Times critic Noel Murray.
30 | Caveat
ShudderRotten Tomatoes score: 83 percent
"An impressive and often terrifying film," writes RogerEbert.com critic Sheila O'Malley.
29 | Boys From County Hell
ShudderRotten 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 critic Kristy Puchko.
28 | Gaia
DecalRotten 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 critic Meagan Navarro.
27 | Fear Street Part One: 1994
NetflixRotten 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," writes San Jose Mercury News critic Randy Myers.
26 | The Power
ShudderRotten 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," writes New York Magazine critic Alison Willmore.
25 | Candyman
Universal PicturesRotten 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 critic Peter Travers.
24 | Come True
IFC MidnightRotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent
"The film reaches out, even at its most implausible, and claws at you," writes New Yorker critic Anthony Lane.
23 | Jakob's Wife
RLJE FilmsRotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent
"By turns funny, grisly, tragic and insightful, Jakob's Wife carries the smartness of years," writes Austin Chronicle critic Richard Whittaker.
22 | Werewolves Within
IFC FilmsRotten 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," writes Guardian critic Leslie Felperin.
21 | The Night House
Searchlight PicturesRotten 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 critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
20 | The Djinn
IFC MidnightRotten 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.
19 | Oxygen
NetflixRotten 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," writes Entertainment Weekly critic Leah Greenblatt.
18 | Violation
ShudderRotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent
"It's grueling, but fiercely intelligent film-making," writes Observer critic Wendy Ide.
17 | Fear Street Part Two: 1978
NetflixRotten 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.
16 | Titane
NeonRotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent
"Titane is a truly harrowing experience, if you’re willing to let go behind the wheel," writes Austin Chronicle critic Jenny Nulf.
15 | Censor
Magnet ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent
"A psychedelic rabbit-hole-drop of a movie from one of the most exciting new directors working in horror today," writes Empire Magazine critic Terri White.
14 | The Stylist
Arrow FilmsRotten 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," writes Los Angeles Times critic Noel Murray.
13 | The Oak Room
Gravitas VenturesRotten 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.
12 | The Queen of Black Magic
ShudderRotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent
"The meaner it gets, the more you care, and The Queen of Black Magic earns every twist of the knife," writes Austin Chronicle critic Richard Whittaker.
11 | I Blame Society
Cranked Up FilmsRotten 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," writes The Australian critic David Stratton.
10 | The Vigil
IFC MidnightRotten 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.
9 | A Quiet Place Part II
Paramount PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 91 percent
"The Abbotts venture into the unknown in a meticulously crafted monster movie that leaves us wanting more," writes Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
8 | Coming Home in the Dark
Dark Sky FilmsRotten 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 critic Dwight Brown.
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7 | PG: Psycho Goreman
RLJE FilmsRotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent
"Psycho Goreman is a hilarious gut-buster in every sense of the term," writes Detroit News critic Adam Graham.
6 | Saint Maud
A24Rotten 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 critic Aja Romano.
5 | Martyrs Lane
ShudderRotten 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.
4 | V/H/S/94
ShudderRotten 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," writes San Jose Mercury News critic Randy Myers.
RELATED: The One Horror Film Stephen King Was Too Scared to Finish.
3 | Lucky
ShudderRotten 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.
2 | Slaxx
The Horror CollectiveRotten 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 critic Tomris Laffly.
1 | The Boy Behind the Door
ShudderRotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
"[An] effective use of a simple premise and modest means to create a nicely nerve-jangling thriller," writes Variety critic Dennis Harvey.
RELATED: The Scariest Movie That Came Out the Year You Graduated.
