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The 41 Best Horror Movies of the 2000s

Ready for a spooky throwback?

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We've blinked, and apparently we're now about to approach spooky season. That means it's time for the annual discussion of what horror movies are the best and all that jazz. Now there's different types of horror movies—you've got horror films that are based on true stories (which is quite disturbing when you think about it), then you've got the major horror franchises, the indie horror films that are less known but still entertaining, and then the horror movies of different decades. Needless to say, a horror film from the 1940s looks very different than some of the best horror movies of the 2000s. Speaking of y2k-era films, today's topic of discussion is the best horror movies of the 2000s. Now before we start, it's imperative that I give my annual not-so-important spiel about what I personally think defines a solid horror movie.

For somebody who's seen dozens upon dozens of horror films in my life, I can count on one finger (literally) how many of those were something that I actually wanted to see. All of the others came by way of being forced by family and friends, so I feel this makes me a fair critic of judging these movies fairly because I'm not a "fan" of the genre. In my opinion, a good horror film is one in which the individuals are smart, don't make silly borderline stupid decisions, and don't start celebrating without looking behind them. The plot and acting has to be believable as well. Now that we've established that, let's get into the list.

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1. Wolf Creek (2005)

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2. Black Water (2007)

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3. Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)

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4. Borderland (2007)

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5. An American Haunting (2005)

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6. Ted Bundy (2002)

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7. The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

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8. Primeval (2007)

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9. The Host (2006)

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10. An American Crime (2007)

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11. From Hell (2001)

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12. The Girl Next Door (2007)

13. SAW II (2005)

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14. 28 Weeks Later (2007)

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15. Trick 'r' Treat (2007)

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16. American Psycho (2000)

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17. The Last House on the Left (2009)

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18. House of Wax (2005)

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19. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

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20. Session 9 (2001)

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21. Orphan (2009)

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22. The Fourth Kind (2009)

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23. Dead Silence (2007)

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24. Saw (2004)

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25. Doomsday (2008)

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26. Eden Lake (2008)

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27. Cloverfield (2008)

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28. The Cell (2000)

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29. Quarantine (2008)

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30. Frailty (2001)

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31. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

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32. Silent Hill (2006)

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33. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

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34. The Strangers (2008)

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35. The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

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36. Daybreakers (2009)

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37. Hostel (2005)

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38. The Ring (2002)

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39. Final Destination (2000)

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40. The Skeleton Key (2005)

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41. Jennifer's Body (2009)

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