In 2017, the horror movie genre roared back to life. Whether you’re into supernatural horror, there was something on this list for everyone who loved scary movies in 2017. These are the 2017 horror movies that you won’t want to miss!
This year, we’ve created an infographic to help you quickly see what makes each film tremendous and share it with your friends.
Check it out at the bottom of this article!
1. The Ritual
In a secluded corner of the world, a group of friends is drawn together by their collective faith in an enigmatic figure known as ‘Krampus.’ Once every Christmas Eve, they venture out to send this ancient force back into exile.
As they age, the stakes grow higher, and their demons come out to play. The rituals are intensified until one is ultimately chosen to be sacrificed at Krampus’ rageful touch.
But as we learn from these rites, it isn’t about who lives and who dies; it’s about young people being able to see that another version of themselves has succeeded. And if Krampus is ever undone, it won’t be without a fight.
2. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer
Lanthimos’ latest is like a slap to the face–violent, brutal, and cold. This is one of the 2017 horror movies; it’s a tale about society’s sociopaths and how they’re set up for success in an open world. In other words, it’s pure and unapologetic art.
Anyone who finds success in our interconnected world should watch this film to see what they have to aspire to.
Viewers expecting the typical Lanthimos satire will be disappointed by The Killing of a Sacred Deer–there are few humorless laughs here.
Still, it’s impossible not to marvel at the movie he has made: dizzyingly tense and hypnotic, this gorgeous portrait of the way we treat people who don’t matter (until they do) is some exquisite art.
3. Rings
Moviegoers will be frightened by Javier Gutiérrez’s Rings, one of the best 2017 horror movies. Based on the 2002 American supernatural horror film, The Ring, written by Koji Suzuki and directed by Hideo Nakata, this follow-up takes place in 2013 where the boy from the original Japanese encounters an evil videotape that promises to release a horror unless all copies of the tape are destroyed.
When children who have watched the same tape start showing similar symptoms to those who died in the first film, it’s up to one professor and a local cop to stop this terrifying power before it destroys their town. The limited release is October 28, with a DVD release date on January 3.
4. Phoenix Forgotten
Found footage horror movies have seen a resurgence in popularity since Paranormal Activity first scared the bejeezus out of us.
This movie is no exception to that pattern, as it chronicles the stories of two families who were drawn to Phoenix, Arizona, due to the supernatural events unfolding there.
It soon becomes clear that Phoenix has been under attack for years, and there is one person who seems to know what’s going on.
Leveraging social media like YouTube, Instagram posts, and police records, they show how even technology can’t keep things hidden forever.
Phoenix Forgotten not only delivers jump scares galore but also provides some interesting insights into the power and dangers of humanity’s creations.
5. Mother!
Darren Aronofsky continues to cement his status as one of Hollywood’s most ambitious auteurs with mother! One of the 2017 horror movies is an impressionistic and violent allegory about a couple’s relationship with the creator.
Like his last film, Black Swan, Aronofsky uses a story that can be read on many levels and is open to interpretations.
However, It’s up to the audience to figure out what’s happening, with the director himself commenting that part of the fun of mother! It is for people to make up their minds about what it means.
Much like The Tree of Life, there are connections to Christianity (and other religions), but ultimately, its ambiguity gives it such complexity and depth. With that said, mother!
6. Jigsaw
Jigsaw is one of the 2017 horror movies, a thriller where the last person alive in a town communicates through one person at a time.
The storyline explores different aspects of what it means to be human and to be alone. Isolation leads to desperation, terror, and defiance.
It’s difficult not to jump out of your seat at the roller coaster section or squirm when he visits her place, but the inevitable conflict raises some disturbing moral questions, which they are brave enough to explore with much skill.
7. Little Evil
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Little Evil, one of the 2017 horror movies, was written and directed by Eli Craig.
The horror-comedy film follows newlywed couple Steve and Wendy (Timothy Simons, Evangeline Lilly), who are looking forward to starting a family.
And after adopting their foster child from Paraguay, a disturbing pattern emerges in little Tyler’s behavior that sets off an escalating series of disturbing events involving the boy’s biological father, his overbearing mother (Joan Cusack), and a teacher who shares an uncanny resemblance to Steve’s mom.
With her supernatural knowledge and inborn evil, Mrs. Little will test this strained family’s limits like never before.
8. Leatherface
An important factor in choosing a horror movie is whether it’s a remake or not. Leatherface is one of the best 2017 horror movies, and it’s an original story, but that might not matter to some people.
However, If you don’t like remakes, you’ll want to pass on this one, but it offers some originality. The film has some suspenseful moments and gives the viewer a different look at the lives of people with a mental health conditions.
There are times when Leatherface seems downright evil, but there are also moments when he appears innocent and genuinely kind-hearted, making for an exciting mix.
It’s worth mentioning that Leatherface keeps viewers guessing, which is something that many films struggle with because we can pretty much predict what will happen next, given the genre.
9. Jeepers Creepers 3
Chronologically, the third Jeepers Creepers was released as one of the 2017 horror movies on October 14. The story is set after the events of Jeepers Creepers II and revolves around Darry’s life as a sergeant in the US army for five years.
Who has been assigned to watch over the Creeper headstone with three jeeps – Big Bertha, Big Berta, and Big Bertha.
The Creeper stone is an Aztec Temple where a curse grants immortality to anyone entering, but it also contains clues to bringing down the Creeper for good.
Chucky from Child’s Play also makes an appearance (to tell Darry about how he got what’s inside him).
10. Jackals
Jackals is a sci-fi thriller horror film set in suburban America; it’s one of the 2017 horror movies. When a pack of roving jackals viciously attacks a mother and her son, the family sets out on a harrowing journey into the deadly forest to escape their destiny.
Together they face terror from nature and from within as each desperate step brings them closer to even greater danger than their past.
The film was written and directed by Travis Stevens. It stars Garret Dillahunt (who you might recognize from Deadwood), Rea Nolan-Young, Mary Woodruff Tucker, Brenna Ellis Cooper, and Samuel Davis Friedlander.
It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for an unpredictable movie with mystery and thrilling suspense!
11. The Heretics
This is one of the 2017 horror movies; It’s about the end of the world. A new apocalyptic creature is on a killing spree, and no one knows where it came from.
For these people, their worst nightmare is becoming a reality as they frantically struggle to find a way to save themselves.
And those who can muster up enough courage form groups to scavenge for supplies while also fighting off killer creatures that lurk nearby.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out as planned when you never know if someone has been bitten or not.
12. Happy Death Day
In Happy Death Day, a college student (Jessica Rothe) who is killed on her birthday spends the day being murdered repeatedly. Meanwhile, she tries to find out who her killer is and avoid him in a new time loop that started that day.
It’s either keep dying or solve the mystery-whatever will stop this from happening. Although it sounds like horror film material with the primary focus on gore and death, its lighthearted nature sometimes offers viewers plenty of humor.
13. Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill!
Written and directed by Mitchell Altieri, Greg Lamberson, and Nate Southard, Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill! One of the 2017 horror movies tells the story of two suburban high school girls who use their babysitting money to explore their sexual identities.
They search for their next victim in a remote cabin in the woods that just so happens to be hosting a Halloween costume party.
When they discover it’s filled with strange masked people, they must figure out if they’re up for another challenge.
14. Get Out
One of the 2017 horror movies, Get Out, is the story of a black man. Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), and his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), as they go upstate to meet her parents for the first time.
However, Chris’s apprehension is matched by anticipation. He believes he is finally taking steps toward being a more fully realized man, not just an Obama-era post-racial figure.
But soon enough, it becomes clear that something much more sinister and uncanny has been at work in this part of the country. You know you’re being watched by faceless beings who never rest.
15. Gerald’s Game
This is one of the 2017 horror movies based on the Stephen King novel. Gerald’s Game is the story of a woman who accidentally kills her husband while fighting off his advances.
From there, she begins to have some out-of-body experience and sees their reflections on television. She then realizes her arms are broken because he handcuffed her to a bedpost.
Her family returns at night and is met with gruesome reality when they try to get her out. It’s not for everyone. But is it a horror classic for those searching for something more terrifying than jump scares?
16. Flatliners
Flatliners, one of the 2017 horror movies, follows five medical students who embark on a daring and dangerous experiment. To see what lies beyond the confines of life by intentionally stopping their hearts for short periods.
However, as the outside world falls away, these young doctors are each haunted by an apparition from the past. A person or an event that failed to keep them alive.
The more they immerse themselves in these visions, the closer they come to an understanding of just how fragile life is.
17. The Bye-Bye Man
It all starts when three college students move into an old house off campus. They’re young, alone, and just looking for a good time. But the house has other plans.
Evil is lurking in every corner, waiting to possess them until they’re nothing but mindless zombies with one thing on their mind-the Bye Bye Man’s deadly countdown!
The only way to survive is by never thinking of his name, or you’ll be saying bye-bye to everything you love. It’s up to an agoraphobic writer, her would-be protector, and a group of teens led by the school’s quiet outcast to stop the insidious creep before he unleashes his terror on the whole town.
18. Cult of Chucky
This is the seventh installment in the ‘Child’s Play franchise, and while it doesn’t top its predecessors, it does enough to make this one scary, darkly comic, good-looking, and surprisingly touching.
Writer/Director Don Mancini has created a suspenseful film that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its many eerie moments.
The storyline picks up with Brad Dourif continuing to bring his distinctive voice to Chucky as he pursues Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), who has been hiding since the events of Curse Of Chucky.
19. The Evil Within
After months of waiting, The Evil Within was finally released as one of the 2017 horror movies on October 13. While it received mixed reviews, this game is still worth checking out.
Like most horror games, you’ll feel jumpier and on edge. It was horrifyingly good with the atmosphere and the story alike!
There are only a few intense jump scares in it, but for those who like that thrill in their gaming, this one’s for you.
Most of the scares come from feeling tense because everything is so unpredictable, with enemies constantly coming around corners or behind doors with no prior warning and scaring you out of your wits. The graphics were a little underwhelming because they’re older, but what can you expect?
20. Creep 2
Josh Mills, a member of the Losers Club, is also in a new relationship with Adrian Mellon. One day while they are looking for a cabin to buy as their refuge from Pennywise, Jason shows up and starts attacking them. During the chaos, Adrian falls on an uncovered sewage pit and gets covered in sludge.
She finds help from an unlikely source: Ben! He helps her wash off most of the disgusting substance so she can continue battling against The Derry Slayer.
Unfortunately, this quick act turns Ben into another victim that ends up cut to ribbons by Jason’s bladed weapon, just as he did to his sibling Judith only days ago.
21. Alien: Covenant
This movie is the sequel to Prometheus and is set 10 years after the actual event. The plot follows a crew who sets out to investigate what happened on an Engineer’s home planet and make a shocking discovery.
In addition, Alien: Covenant is loaded with more gore than previous installments. It explains how humanity was created by the Engineers and for this reason why they are looking for them.
What does this all mean? You may ask. Well, to find out, you’ll have to watch this spooky movie in theaters now!
22. Aliens: Zone of Silence
Alien life from the unknown is a staple in science fiction, and in Zone of Silence, we get to watch those creatures battle with humans in an outer space horror film.
However, this is a prime example where the truth is stranger than fiction, as scientists have discovered a similar living being on Earth that is currently alive and has been for 500 million years.
Named halicephalobus gingivalis, these bacteria that live exclusively in the human mouth eat human tissue to sustain themselves.
Much like the alien antagonists in Zone of Silence, they can infect human beings by secreting toxins that dissolve the enamel on teeth and cause periods of intensive oral pain.
23. Amityville: The Awakening
We were all a bit nervous when it was announced that the next Amityville horror movie would be released as one of the 2017 horror movies.
Last year saw two major disappointments with the remake of It and the most recent attempt at another Poltergeist film.
Luckily, they found Emily Ratajkowski to try and make it worth your while. Telling the story of what goes on when five siblings decide to stay in their family home, which has now been vacant for ten years since their parents’ death, things go wrong immediately when one sister starts hearing voices and exhibiting some supernatural abilities after being touched by an evil spirit that’s somehow still there.
24. Annabelle: Creation
If you loved the first Annabelle movie, you’d love this prequel spin-off. The film begins when John (Ward Horton) and Mia (Annabelle Wallis) find a porcelain doll in an old house and bring it home.
They soon find out that the doll is possessed by the spirit of a seven-year-old girl who was locked away for years before dying in a fire.
We won’t spoil what happens next, but suffice to say, there is plenty of terrifying jumps scares to keep you on the edge of your seat!
25. The Babysitter
In The Babysitter, one of the 2017 horror movies, Robbie Amell plays the main character, Charlie, a new high school graduate with no plans for college or his future.
When Charlie and his two friends can’t get into a late-night screening of Logan, they convince their parents to hire 17-year-old Maddie (Olivia DeJonge) to babysit. The three boys decide to partake in their favorite pastime: placing nefarious Craigslist ads.
26. Bloodlands
Nellie is not so much turned into a zombie as the virus infects her in utero, and she wears a dress with a red tulip printed on it. After it’s clear that something terrible has happened to her, she tells her father I have learned from my family’s mistake.
This line references the idea that zombies can learn and adapt to their surroundings and parallels Nellie’s transformation from once innocent to now mutated.
27. Sharknado 5: Global Swarming
One of the better Sharknado films was made this year with Sharknado 5: Global Swarming. The film features time travel and different types of sharks, so it’s as though each turn is an adventure.
If you’re looking for a fun watch or two, this one is well worth your time. A film by Anthony Ferrante tells the story of four friends on vacation in Mexico who find themselves fending off swarms of attacking bats.
Plenty of moments will make you jump and then laugh out loud when they happen, making the film even more enjoyable to watch.
28. The Sleeping Curse
Adapted from a series of popular Asian horror short stories, The Sleeping Curse tells the story of Natsumi Hayashi, a high school girl with a knack for magic.
When the curse is cast on her entire class to make them sleep like babies for 24 hours, Natsumi decides to spend that time researching an antidote.
But when she looks into the history and truth behind the curse, she realizes that it has been cast before and nothing good came out of it.
Students have believed in this folktale all these years, but no one knows where it comes from or what it’s called. Why is there no teacher at school who can tell them? Do they even exist?
29. Thelma
This film exemplifies how to do the found footage genre well. The storytelling and shaky cam make you feel like you’re there.
When they are stuck in the forest at night time, all alone, and when they see something or someone coming towards them with a torch or through their lens, it takes you by surprise.
You will also love that this film had a social commentary on gun laws. Seeing as many people have been talking about gun control in America today, this film can be seen as a way to show just how dangerous guns can be without us realizing it.
This film has been nominated for many awards, including best make-up and hair effects. Overall, this movie is a perfect example of what ‘found footage’ movies should aspire to be like.
30. Tigers Are Not Afraid
Grief is a constant topic in Mexico, as it is considered taboo to talk about it or seek help with such a delicate subject.
So the film primarily focuses on being lost in your memories and trapped in your mind, which can be very crippling.
The whole time you watch this movie, you will be emotionally drained and unsure of what to do with yourself. But the ending is where the magic comes into play.
It’s incredible how even when you think you know what will happen next, an entirely different direction might take place and change everything.
31. Tragedy Girls By Tyler Macintyre
A pair of teenage girls, Sadie and McKayla, become social media sensations when they post videos on YouTube about their exploits as amateur teen killers.
Utilizing the advice from a popular teen slasher movie guide, this killer duo systematically eliminates anyone who crosses their path – no matter how innocently.
Their shenanigans come to a head when they decide to attend the local prom, and hilarity (and gore) ensues.
They were surprised by how enjoyable this book was and so much so that I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and will check out the other books from this author.
Conclusion
There’s nothing quite like a good monster movie. They’re fun, exciting, and can often be quite scary. If you loved old classic monster movies such as The Mummy or King Kong, you’d probably also love the many excellent 2017 horror movies.
Here are the best 2017 horror movies worth watching today!
