8. Hereditary (2018)

It’s hard for me to talk about Hereditary without absolutely gushing over it. I’ve talked before in this series about how A24 is so successful because they cede creative control over to their directors and there is no better example of it than Hereditary. Ari Aster’s debut film is profusely upsetting, terrifying, and utterly brilliant. In other words, it’s the kind of film most studios wouldn’t put out in fear of being too much of a downer. This is a horror movie yes, but it’s also so much more. At it’s core Hereditary is a highly effective and emotional family drama about generational trauma and dysfunction. And all of this anchored by Toni Collette, who as as a grief stricken mother gives the absolute best performance of the decade and no one is even remotely close. This film is brilliant, and is arguably the decade’s best horror film.