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New Era, New Classics: Professor Horror Presents Purgatory Media's Poll of the 100 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century

By. Preston Fassel 

 

Alas, Halloween has come and gone. With Spooky Season in the rearview mirror, many folks will pack away their pumpkins and scarecrows, return those devil masks and haunt accoutrements to the attic, and begin their Thanksgiving planning. We here at Professor Horror cater to a different sort of crowd, though, one for whom ghosts and ghouls aren’t seasonal fascinations but a way of life. So it is that we offer you a cure to ail those suffering an All Hallow’s Hangover: Purgatory Media’s inaugural list of the Best Horror Movies of the 21^st Century.

“I saw a certain ‘reputable’ publication put out a top 10 horror films of the century list and it was laughable,” says Caleb Jones of Purgatory Media, a horror creators’ co-op comprised of authors, reviewers, creators, and other enthusiasts. “Their number one was Under the Skin.” So it was that Jones and the purgatory team set about compiling their own list, with a goal of surveying at least 100 people in the horror field. Not only did Purgatory surpass their goal, but respondents ending up listing over 500  unique movies, presenting what Jones feels is a more representative and diverse survey of the state of 21^st century horror. While the list includes representatives from a broad swath of corners of the horror world, there’s a unique focus given to the realm of independent horror broadly and indy horror writing specifically, a space that often goes unrepresented or underrepresented.

“The indie writing world is kind of the world… the Purgatory team exists in,” says Jones. “We are just fortunate to know so many cool folks working in that publishing space.” That focus means horror authors who may not normally be tapped for their insight had the opportunity to make their voices known through the Purgatory list, including Phillip Fracassi (Gothic), Brian Asman (Man, F*ck This House), Emma E. Murray (Crushing Snails), Judith Sonnet, Jeff Strand, Lucas Mangum, Royal Poff, and more. The emphasis on indy horror also means the Purgatory List also represents a broad cross-section of individuals, with a wide selection including POC, LGBTQ+ individuals, NAME people, and more.

Taking course over several months of 2025, the list was completed in time for Halloween, and Purgatory Media couldn’t be more pleased- or surprised- with the results. “I can say that the number one movie on our list really surprised me. It was on my personal list of top movies, but there was no way I could have expected it to be number one,” says Jones, adding with a certain amount of wry skepticism: “Guess how many votes Under the Skin got? Zero.”

You can find the list below. Participants are encouraged to post their own lists and responses to social media. Be sure to like and follow Professor Horror on social media, and chime in with your thoughts! Do you agree, disagree? Was there something you’d like to have seen here that isn’t? Were you surprised? Do you want us to go take a flying leap?

    

Rank	Movie
100	Mandy
99	Cloverfield
98	I Saw the Devil
97	Lords of Salem
96	The Taking of Deborah Logan
95	Freddy Vs. Jason
94	Terrifier 2
93	Dog Soldiers
92	Scream (5) (2022)
91	The Crazies
90	As Above so Below

89	Kill List
88	The Orphanage
87	The Invisible Man
86	Green Room
85	Speak No Evil/Gaesterne (2022)
84	In a Violent Nature
83	I Saw the TV Glow
82	Suspiria (2018)
81	The Devil's Backbone
80	You're Next

79	Nosferatu
78	May
77	Lake Mungo
76	Jennifer's Body
75	Pulse
74	1408
73	Happy Death Day
72	X
71	Host
70	The Grudge
69	Hell House LLC
68	Annihilation
67	Ready or Not
66	The Black Phone
65	Doctor Sleep
64	Drag Me to Hell
63	Signs
62	Smile
61	Pearl
60	Oddity
59	When Evil Lurks
58	The Menu
57	Hostel
56	Final Destination
55	Pan's Labryinth
54	The Devil's Rejects
53	Ginger Snaps
52	House of 1000 Corpses
51	Cabin Fever
50	The Lighthouse
49	Late Night with the Devil
48	Martyrs
47	The Ritual
46	Frailty
45	Jeepers Creepers
44	13 Ghosts
43	REC
42	Evil Dead (2013)
41	Nope
40	The Hills Have Eyes
39	Us
38	Heretic
37	A Quiet Place
36	Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
35	The Babadook
34	Bring Her Back
33	Creep
32	Dawn of the Dead
31	Longlegs
30	Talk to Me
29	The Substance
28	30 Days of Night
27	Shaun of the Dead
26	Paranormal Activity
25	Train to Busan
24	Trick r' Treat
23	The Autopsy of Jane Doe
22	Session 9
21	The Others
20	Insidious
19	American Psycho
18	The Mist
17	Midsommar
16	Barbarian
15	It: Chapter One
14	The Strangers
13	Let the Right One In
12	Cabin in the Woods
11	The Ring
10	Saw
9	Sinners
8	The Vvitch
7	28 Days Later
6	The Conjuring
5	Sinister
4	It Follows
3	Hereditary
2	Get Out
1	The Descent