Most Underrated Horror Films from the 2000s

Not many people love horror films simply because they're terrifying, and that's totally understandable. I personally love horror movies, because I actually enjoy being terrified by the unrealistic monsters and paranormal events as odd as it sounds. Yes, I'm weird that way, but I'm positive so many people can agree with me. And when it actually comes to horror films, us horror lovers are very passionate about the films. Many of us don't settle on a specific type of movie—we enjoy paranormal, slasher, and even monster horror movies.

However, among other movie genres, horror is probably the genre that gets tossed around a lot. There will be one horror film that has mixed feelings about it. There's rarely a film where everyone loved it or everyone hated it. So, here are the most underrated horror films from the 2000s that can be your next favorite.

While the movie is originally named Haute Tension and created by French filmmaker Alexandre Aja, the film was acquired by U.S. distributor Lions Gate Films in 2004 and was turned around as an NC-17 release and retitled High Tension. However, the R-rated version is missing out one minute of grisly gore and even features a re-dubbed audio track by star Cécile De France.

The movie is about two best friends, Marie and Alex, who go out to visit Alex’s parents in the countryside. Yet, a homicidal delivery man ends up in their house and begins to kill everyone. The two best friends fight for themselves with the help of intense weaponry and courageous actions.

Among the underrated horror films from the 2000s, Reeker is many people's all-time favorite. Director David Payne creates an amazing horror film that perfect combines slasher, monster, and even supernatural horror into one movie.

The movie revolves around five students who are driving through the desert and come across an inescapable stench of death. While the highway has unreasonably been closed, this causes the five young individuals to leave their travel oasis to find a different path. However, they soon come across disturbing visions of maimed travelers. Horrified by the series of visions and eager to escape the eerie motel and diner before the monster gets to them, the travelers meet up with a frantic stranger who admits that he recently lost his wife to a frightening entity that hovers between life and death.

Creepy, eerie, and visually disturbing, See No Evil is about a bunch of delinquents who are sent to clean the Blackwell Hotel. However, as ignorant as they are, psychopath Jacob Goodnight lives within the Blackwell Hotel. And when one of the teens is captured, the rest of the delinquents much stick together to survive and escape the psycho killer.

Filled with jump scares and one terrifying serial killer, this slasher film is perfect for those who can’t get enough of psychopathic killers. And the best part of the film? Legendary and professional WWE wrestler Kane plays Jacob Goodnight. The filmmaker couldn't come up with a better actor to play Goodnight than Kane. Kane just makes this film part of the top 10 horror films of all time.

From the underrated horror films from the 2000s, The Ruins is actually based on a novel, A Simply Plan, written by Scott Smith. And director Carter B. Smith turns the popular novel into a terrific and terrifying film.

The movie is about a group of American friends who are enjoying a fun and exciting Mexican holiday while vacationing in Cancún. While a German tourist asks help from the American tourists to search for his missing brother in the jungle, the group agrees and head into the jungle. However, it suddenly becomes a nightmare when they partake in an archaeological dig in the jungle and come across something evil in the ruins.

As for one of the most underrated horror films from the 2000s, Ghost Ship is about a boat salvage crew that comes across creepy remains of a large passenger liner that is seen to be lost for more than 40 years. Yet when onboard the terrifying ship, the crew of the Arctic Warrior notice that the decaying vessel is completely deserted… yet it’s home to something horrifying than anything anyone can encountered at sea.

If you're a sucker for a good creepy ship movie, I highly suggest Ghost Ship. This movie is very underrated and should be appreciated more because of its unique story. And what the ship crew encounters will certainly frighten you.

Oh, House of Wax. Many people love you, but you're still viewed as one of the most underrated horror movies of all time. This movie is easily one of my top favorite scary movies as well as one of the classics. If I see that the movie is on, I will automatically watch it even though I've viewed this film numerous times. It never ceases to give me the chills.

A group of college friends are on their way to their school’s football game. But they run into a problem, they get a flat tire in the middle of a ghostly town. At this point, they have no choice but to ask for help from someone around town—then they see that the local wax museum is open. While they’re inside and searching for assistance, they discover that the wax displays are unusual. And the group soon realize that they’re being hunted down by twin brothers who run the museum and are utterly insane. Will they ever escape the wax museum?

Have you ever heard of TheAlphabet Killer? Seen to be one of the top underrated horror films from the 2000s, this slasher film is a must see that literally gets under your skin. It's also among the best independent slasher films to watch.

The Alphabet Killer tells a story about a 10 year old girl whose body is discovered after being brutally murdered just outside of a small blue-collar city of Rochester, New York. Police detective Mega Paige is obsessed with the case and even suffers a mental breakdown to solve the crime. However, while the child-killing returns two years later, Megan also returns to investigate, but only recalls her own horrific hallucinations. Will she ever crack the case and find out who the killer is?

A group of recently graduated college kids are vacationing together in one secluded cabin in the woods and enjoy their moments together. These college students just finished their finals and earned their diplomas and all they want to do is relax and enjoy their vacation together—what can go wrong? Unless they forcibly participate in a sadistic game of kill or be killed.

Among the most underrated horror films from the 2000s, Kill Theory is about a group of graduates who are visited by a violet psychopath who tells them that they all are now contestants of a horrific game of survival. As for the rules: kill all of your friends and the last person standing is the winner.

Interested in alien invasion films? Then this next horror movie will suit your liking. Out of the most underrated horror films from the 2000s, The Fourth Kind will make you view aliens in a whole different way. Not to mention this movie will literally make your skin crawl—the trailer alone can freak you out.

Ever since the 1960s, many people in Nome, Alaska, have gone missing from their homes. While FBI investigators aren’t able to understand how and why these people are disappearing, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler just might be the one to figure out the mystery. During sessions of treating her patients, she discovers something that no one would have ever thought of—alien abductions.

Lastly on the list of the best and most underrated horror films from the 2000s of all time is Darkness Falls. Created by filmmaker Jonathan Liebesman, this film will not only send chills down your spine, but it'll blow your mind.

In the 1850s, Matilda Dixon is a woman who lived in a New England town that’s known as Darkness Falls. While she was a well-known lady by the local children for her habit of paying them for each tooth they lost, Matilda was lynched by an angry mob when two kids were mysteriously disappeared. She was wrongly convicted for murdering the children. Then in 2002, former Darkness Falls resident Kyle Walsh now lives in Las Vegas where he is still terrified of the dark ever since he “ran into” the ghost of Matilda Dixon and left him severely scarred. Even though no one believed any of Kyle’s stories about the ghost, his childhood friend Caitlin noticed that her nine-year-old brother Michael is suffering with nightmares that’s very similar to Kyle’s stories. At this point, Caitlin asks Kyle to return to Darkness Falls to figure out the meaning of the stories and nightmares.