The eerie, disembodied ring of a black phone has become the sound of a genre resurgence. With ‘The Black Phone 2‘ successfully expanding the mythology of its predecessor and earning strong critical praise for its bold, darker direction, the film joins a select group of recent titles that have rescued modern horror from creative stagnation.
This latest cinematic success is merely one echo in a chorus of chilling films that have been redefining the boundaries of fright since 2017. These aren’t just jump-scare machines; they are works of sophisticated terror that weave societal anxieties, familial grief and identity politics into their DNA.
Get Out (2017)
The Revival: Director Jordan Peele’s debut didn’t just scare audiences; it ignited the “social horror” subgenre. By blending sharp sociopolitical commentary on race with psychological terror, the film became a cultural phenomenon, earned four Oscar nominations (winning for Best Original Screenplay), and proved that horror could be both universally profitable ($255M worldwide) and intellectually profound.
Hereditary (2018)
Marking the arrival of director Ari Aster and the commercial peak of A24’s horror output, Hereditary is a devastating study of family trauma, grief, and demonic cults. It redefined “elevated horror” by prioritizing slow-burn dread and emotional disintegration over cheap jump scares, leading to massive critical acclaim and popularizing a more artful approach to the genre.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Co-written and directed by John Krasinski, this film was a masterclass in high-concept tension, utilizing silence as its central premise. Its massive box-office success ($340 million worldwide) demonstrated that original, non-reboot horror could attract blockbuster crowds, establishing a new franchise built on innovative sound design and powerful family drama.
It (2017)
The Revival: The highest-grossing horror film of all time, It proved the immense commercial viability of Stephen King adaptations when done right. Its nostalgic, ensemble focus on the Losers’ Club captured the spirit of 80s coming-of-age films while delivering terrifying modern scares, launching a hugely successful two-part cinematic event.
Midsommar (2019)
Ari Aster’s second film subverted conventional horror tropes by setting its dread almost entirely in broad daylight. It focused on psychological manipulation and the disintegration of a toxic relationship within a Swedish pagan cult, further cementing the trend of using highly stylized, emotionally complex narratives to explore personal trauma.
Talk to Me (2023)
This Australian independent film, directed by the Philippou brothers, used a terrifyingly simple premise (a haunted hand used for online thrills) to capture the anxieties of the social media generation. Its fresh take on demonic possession and its massive grassroots success made it one of the most exciting and financially successful original horror films of the 2020s.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Leigh Whannell successfully rebooted a classic Universal Monster property by turning it into a chilling, modern metaphor for gaslighting and domestic abuse. The film’s minimalist approach to terror, relying on empty space and psychological manipulation, was praised for its intelligence and proved that a well-written concept is far scarier than spectacle.
Barbarian (2022)
This film became a word-of-mouth sensation by executing a radical mid-movie narrative twist that changed genres entirely. Its unpredictable structure, black humor, and effective creature-feature scares thrilled audiences and critics alike, rewarding viewers for going into a film knowing nothing about the plot.
The Black Phone 2 (2025)
Following a strong $42 million global opening, this film proved the viability of continuing the story of The Grabber in a larger, more ambitious way. Its solid critical reception and audience score confirm that the sequel successfully expanded the lore into a more supernatural realm, signaling a healthy future for the franchise and for supernatural horror.
Smile (2022)
A massive, word-of-mouth box-office hit that demonstrated the sustained hunger for original theatrical horror. Centered on a terrifying visual gimmick (a cursed smile), the film effectively tapped into real-world fears about mental health and inherited trauma, becoming one of the most profitable and talked-about releases of its year.