2021 was a year which, while less outwardly terrifying than 2020, posed a lot of daunting mysteries: Even with the vaccines, would we be able to leave the house? Would the live entertainment industry ever make a return? Would future variants prove more or less risky? While none of these had the same impact as COVID’s shocking 2020 debut, fear morphed into a curious ennui which left us searching for answers. Many of the year’s best horror films also grasp for the unknown, whether facing humanity’s fraught relationship with the earth, or religion, or even family members you might not know as well as you think. Variety has selected the 15 best horror movies of 2021, all of which you can watch from home, the better to dodge COVID anxiety altogether.
See last year’s best horror movies here.