Watch these great horror movies from the 2000s during your Halloween movie marathon
The 2000s were quite diverse in the world of horror movies, from the supernatural to survival gems and foreign masterpieces.
Here's a look at some of the notable horror films from that decade:
The Ring (2002)
This supernatural horror film, based off a 1998 Japanese horror film, starring Naomi Watts centers around a journalist investigating the death of a teenage girl after she watched a mysterious video tape.
It's said that anyone who watches the video tape will die seven days later.
The contents of the tape, which involve a vengeful spirit, make the film eerie.
This is first film to launch the English-language remake of an Asian horror film.
28 Days Later (2002)
Great Britain is plagued — and ultimately wiped out — by a virus that causes pure, unrestrained rage.
And those who contract the virus, referred to as “the infected,” will not stop hunting survivors trying to find sanctuary.
The frightening aspect is that one doesn’t have to be bitten to become infected, as the virus is transmitted by something as small as an open wound.
The terror and devastation that follows make director Danny Boyle’s film memorable.
Saw (2004)
Two men are trapped in a room, chained up with no memory of how they got there.
Then they meet a killer named Jigsaw.
This film presents a terrifying thought: one having to hack off a limb just to save one's own life, and only having a matter of minutes to do so.
That alone creates immediate, unconscionable panic and illustrates just how deranged Jigsaw is.
There’s not only the physical torture, but also the psychological torture.
The film is memorable because it’s crafty in its own right.
The Descent (2005)
Six outdoor enthusiasts travel down a dark, unmapped cavern in the Appalachian mountains, with natural lighting gradually diminishing the deeper they go.
The narrow, claustrophobic pathways add to the gradual tension, which soon leads to them encountering ravenous creatures lurking in the darkness.
The latter may be cliché, but the overall premise of this film is a bloody reminder that nature can be as unforgivingly cruel as it is beautiful.
30 Days of Night (2007)
Vampires enter a small, isolated Alaskan town and terrorize the locals. What makes it an especially scary concept is that the town experiences a period of 30 consecutive days of polar night — meaning there’s literally no sunlight.
Just like the setting, the film has a dark and cold tone.
Even in a blizzard, the vampires in this film are ruthless.
The overall uneasiness will make your blood pump.
El Orfanato, a.k.a. 'The Orphanage' (2007)
This Spanish horror flick makes the most out of psychological terror and things that go bump in the night.
The tone and setting are gothic, tense and straight-up creepy. It also dives into a mother's navigating through the eerie noises and surrounding as she relentlessly searches for a her missing child throughout the building.
Matt Hollinshead covers sports for the Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4577 and on Twitter at @MattH_717.
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