The 15 Best Horror Movies of 2020

8. Peninsula (Yeon Sang-ho, South Korea)

Overall, “Peninsula” is every bit as enjoyable as its prequel. This comes mostly from the stellar mixture of heart and action which was so prominent in the first film. The introduction to this early on, with Jung-suk twice forced to make harsh decisions that seal the fate of various people that are clearly deserving of help but the choice of not risking the health of the people he's around forces him to leave them behind to die. (Don Anelli)

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7. ROH (Emir Ezwan, Malaysia)

“ROH” turned out to be incredibly enjoyable. The biggest attribute present in the film is the impeccable atmosphere created around the remote village. This one plays up the isolation and superstition that runs rampant in the area. Visually, this is impressive as cinematographer Saifuddin Musa captures the evil, foreboding sense of the jungle around them and something living out there they better not mess with. This is helped along by the dark stories about what's out in the woods and the series of accidents that befalls them soon after. This concept from writer/director Ezwan carries out the chilling notion that they've contracted something far more dangerous than they bargained for, simply by being good samaritans. (Don Anelli)

“ROH” is streaming on MUBI Malaysia

6. The Call (Lee Chung-hyun, South Korea)

Overall, “The Call” manages to be wholly entertaining. One of the best attributes is the engaging start-up that offers a fantastic mystery to look into. The frantic quest to find the missing phone leads nicely from the mysterious calls inquiring about someone who doesn't live there, to the discovery of the boarded-up room inside the house. Getting to see how it happened with the incident in the past, with the burning room to the phone conversations here comes off in a novel manner as the girl realizes the hidden connection they have with each other. This factor starts the film in a rather impressive manner. (Don Anelli)

5. Metamorphosis (Kim Hong-seon, South Korea)

“Metamorphosis” is a decent enough if generally forgettable effort. Among it's few positives are the sporadic supernatural elements at play here that signal something is happening. The way that the build-up occurs around the family, from the behavior of their neighbor to Hyun-joo's dream of being abused by their father and the crazed breakfast where the mother gorges herself before threatening everyone, all come together quite well. The fact that this mentions of the uncharacteristic behavior they're exhibiting and how everyone starts behaving manages to offer up some interesting action scenes later on, where the daughters are chased around the house by demonic doppelgangers of the parents in separate scenes. (Don Anelli)

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4. Impetigore (Joko Anwar, Indonesia)

Joko Anwar directs a film that begins as a thriller but eventually transforms into a horror/slasher, in a style that follows, quite closely the general rules of both categories. However, Anwar's effort differs for two reasons. First, he does not base the scare factor on jump-scares (although some of those do exist) but on an overall atmosphere of horror, which he builds masterfully only to shatter it completely as the violence kicks in. This aspect benefits the film the most, as the viewer gradually realizes something will go wrong, but the when and the how remain unknown, thus retaining the agony for the majority of the film. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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3. The Closet (Kim Kwang-bin, South Korea)

A generally enjoyable ghost story, “The Closet” might not be able to outlive its influences but these prove to be it's only real issues anyway which makes this one quite fun in the genre. Fans of the style or other J-horror ghost stories will find a lot to like here while others who just like Asian ghost movies should also like this, but viewers who aren't into either faction might not enjoy the film. (Don Anelli)

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2. May the Devil Take You: Chapter 2 (Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia)

A slight notch below the stellar original, “May the Devil Take You 2” is still every bit as brutal, frenetic and enjoyable as its counterpart which sets up the possibilities of part three very well. Obviously, fans of the original or Timo's past work will enjoy this one as well as those who enjoy Asian horror in general while only those who don't appreciate the style at all will want to heed caution. (Don Anelli)

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1. The Queen of Black Magic (Kimo Stamboel, Indonesia)

“The Queen of Black Magic” has quite a lot to like about it. The strong setup offers quite an enjoyable amount of action. Constructed as the former group coming together to pay respects to their ailing owner while serving as the substitute reunion between everyone and their families, the familiarity and greetings give way logically into the revelation of the ghost who haunts the building. This revelation and setup about the group being at the orphanage gives the viewer a glimpse into their friendly nature and how they're all genuinely friends with everyone while still planting the seeds of what's to come later on. (Don Anelli)