Updated:
11 Dec 2023
Perhaps one of the brightest years for horror cinema, 2016 brought about many new and exciting additions to the genre.
Both on the home turf and internationally, horror films released throughout 2016 were a mixed bag of excitement and terror, covering every conceivable topic that has become beloved in the horror community.
From zombie apocalypses to terrifying home invasions, 2016’s various entries raised the bar for the future of horror films, paving the way for the current industry. Without further adieu, here are some of the best horror movies of 2016.
| Movie Name | What's The Movie About? | Trailer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Cloverfield Lane | A young woman wakes up to discover she’s trapped in an underground bunker with two men who claim the world has been ravaged by an inexplicable disaster. | Trailer | December 9, 2016 |
| 1920 London | A woman desperately seeks help from a former lover when her husband is possessed by an evil spirit. | Trailer | May 6, 2016 |
| Abattoir | After her sister’s family is killed, an investigative reporter tries to unravel the mystery behind the killings, leading to a terrifying and gruesome discovery. | Trailer | December 9, 2016 |
| The Autopsy of Jane Doe | A father and son team of coroners attempt to identify the body of a mysterious young woman, whose corpse harbors supernatural secrets. | Trailer | December 21, 2016 |
| Bedeviled | Five friends are terrorized by a sinister supernatural entity after downloading a strange phone app called ‘Mr. Bedevil’. | Trailer | October 22, 2016 |
| Before I Wake | A couple adopts a young boy after the sudden death of their son, only to realize that his dreams manifest into reality when he sleeps. | Trailer | April 7, 2016 |
| The Belko Experiment | A typical day at work turns to terror as a group of employees are trapped in a social experiment where they are forced to kill each other or risk death. | Trailer | September 10, 2016 |
| Better Watch Out | A babysitter must defend two children in the midst of a home invasion, only to realize the invasion is far more sinister than she ever could have imagined. | Trailer | September 22, 2016 |
| Blair Witch | After a tape supposedly featuring the disappearance of his sister is found, a boy and his friends venture into the woods believed to be haunted by the fabled Blair Witch. | Trailer | September 16, 2016 |
| The Boy | An American nanny discovers that her English ward is a life-sized doll, but inexplicable and disturbing events lead her to believe the doll might be possessed. | Trailer | January 22, 2016 |
| Cabin Fever | While vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods, a group of friends is inflicted with a horrific flesh-eating disease. | Trailer | May 13, 2016 |
| Child Eater | A babysitter and a young boy must struggle to survive after learning that a monster lives in the boy’s closet. | Trailer | October 28, 2016 |
| The Conjuring 2 | Paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to England to investigate a haunting involving a single mother and her four children. | Trailer | June 10, 2016 |
| A Cure For Wellness | A young executive is sent to fetch his company’s CEO from a wellness retreat, only to discover the spa’s treatment plan isn’t quite what it seems. | Trailer | December 10, 2016 |
| Don't Breathe | A group of friends breaks into the home of an elderly blind man with intent to rob him, only to find themselves in a desperate fight for survival when the man begins hunting them down. | Trailer | August 26, 2016 |
| Don't Knock Twice | After knocking on the door of a supposedly haunted house, a mother and her troubled daughter become entangled with a deadly entity. | Trailer | September 22, 2016 |
| The Evil In Us | While on vacation on the Fourth of July, a group of six friends are transformed into bloodthirsty cannibals. | Trailer | August 19, 2016 |
| The Faith of Anna Waters | When her sister dies of seemingly demonic circumstances, a young woman travels to Singapore to unravel the truth. | Trailer | May 6, 2016 |
| Friend Request | A popular college student struggles against a malevolent entity after she unfriends a mysterious girl online. | Trailer | January 7, 2016 |
| Gehenna: Where Death Lives | A group of researchers stumble upon an abandoned World War II bunker, where something evil has been waiting for years to be set free. | Trailer | October 6, 2016 |
| The Girl With All The Gifts | When the world is plagued with a deadly infection, a teacher and a scientist struggle for survival alongside a powerful girl named Melanie. | Trailer | August 3, 2016 |
| The Haunted House on Kirby Road | In a moment of deadly curiosity, a group of friends investigates an abandoned and supposedly haunted house to discover if the rumors of supernatural entities are true. | Trailer | October 14, 2016 |
| Here Alone | A young woman struggles for survival when a sudden epidemic wipes out most of humanity and forces her into the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. | Trailer | April 15, 2016 |
| Holidays | An anthology of horrific and twisted tales centered around some of the most beloved holidays. | Trailer | April 15, 2016 |
| Hush | Living in a remote area, a deaf and mute writer must fight for survival against a masked killer who breaks into her home. | Trailer | April 8, 2016 |
| Hypersomnia | An actress rehearsing for a role in a play about human trafficking begins to experience nightmares that may be linked to an alternate reality. | Trailer | November 18, 2016 |
| Inside | A woman in the middle of her third trimester of pregnancy is stalked by an unknown woman in black obsessed with her unborn child. | Trailer | October 7, 2016 |
| The Invitation | A man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, only to discover that she and her friends have a mysterious and terrifying agenda. | Trailer | April 8, 2016 |
| Let's Be Evil | Three chaperones are recruited to watch over an advanced learning program, in which children are equipped with augmented reality glasses to better their education. | Trailer | August 5, 2016 |
| Lights Out | After the sudden death of their father, a family is haunted by a wicked entity that can only attack them in the darkness. | Trailer | July 22, 2016 |
| Lost Creek | On Halloween night, three friends venture into the woods to face off against a creature born from their nightmares. | Trailer | July 17, 2016 |
| Morgan | A risk management specialist must make the difficult decision whether or not to destroy an artificial human being when she proves to be growing smarter and more dangerous than the average person. | Trailer | September 2, 2016 |
| The Monster | After breaking down on the side of the road, a mother and her young daughter fight to survive against a monster that stalks them. | Trailer | October 6, 2016 |
| The Neon Demon | An aspiring model’s mysterious beauty sparks fascination and jealousy among her friends in the fashion community. | Trailer | June 24, 2016 |
| Night of Something Strange | A group of friends on vacation are rerouted to an isolated motel where a strange infection turns the living into bloodthirsty monsters. | Trailer | November 22, 2016 |
| The Other Side of the Door | When her young son is killed in a tragic accident, a woman seeks a ritual to bring him back for a final goodbye, disrupting the balance between life and death. | Trailer | March 4, 2016 |
| Ouija: Origin of Evil | A widowed mother and her young daughters summon a wicked spirit to bolster their seance scam, not realizing the danger that comes from their ritual. | Trailer | October 21, 2016 |
| Pandemic | In a dystopian world where a deadly virus has transformed most of humanity into infected beasts, the surviving humans try to thrive amidst the chaos. | Trailer | April 1, 2016 |
| Pet | A young woman is held captive beneath an animal shelter by a deranged man who once had a crush on her. | Trailer | December 2, 2016 |
| The Purge: Election Year | In this addition to the Purge series, a Presidential candidate must survive the night where all crime, including murder, is legal after she claims to want to eliminate the practice. | Trailer | July 1, 2016 |
| Raw | After consuming a rabbit kidney as part of a hazing ritual, a vegetarian working to become a veterinarian suddenly finds herself with an insatiable craving for human flesh. | Trailer | May 14, 2016 |
| Siren | A simple bachelor party turns to chaos when a group of friends accidentally unleashes an irresistible and bloodthirsty monster on the festivities. | Trailer | December 2, 2016 |
| The Shallows | A young surfer must struggle for survival after she is attacked by a shark and stranded away from shore. | Trailer | June 24, 2016 |
| Shut In | A child psychologist lives in isolation with her unresponsive stepson, until the arrival of a mysterious young boy brings something sinister to light. | Trailer | November 11, 2016 |
| Terrifier | On a horrific Halloween night, two friends find themselves the objects of obsession for a killer clown’s sadistic wiles. | Trailer | October 15, 2016 |
| Train to Busan | When a zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out in South Korea, survivors struggle to stay alive aboard a train from Seol to Busan. | Trailer | July 20, 2016 |
| Under the Shadow | When a mother and daughter attempt to piece their lives back together in the midst of war-torn Tehran, an evil creature begins to haunt their home. | Trailer | October 7, 2016 |
| Viral | After a deadly virus wipes out most of humanity, a young woman documents her family’s new life in quarantine and the mental toll it takes on them. | Trailer | July 29, 2016 |
| The Wailing | After a stranger arrives in a small village, a mysterious illness plagues the villagers, leading the local police into a desperate attempt to unravel the mystery. | Trailer | June 3, 2016 |
| Wolves at the Door | What begins as a fun going-away party quickly turns to terror as four friends are hunted down and tormented by intruders mimicking the Manson Family. | Trailer | October 21, 2016 |
Also be sure to read:
- 21 Horror Movies We Can Never Forget
- [Top 50] Upcoming Horror Movies of 2020 We're Excited For
- [Top 15] New & Upcoming Horror Games of 2020!
- [Top 50] Best Horror Movies of 2018
- [Top 50] Best Horror Movies of 2016
- [Top 15] Anime Horror Games With Great Storyline
- Top 11 Co-op Horror Games To Play With Friends
- The 15 Best Horror Mangas Loved by Millions Worldwide
- Top 15 Best Japanese Horror Games We Love!
