Best Horror Movies of 2012

 Best Horror Movies of 2012

| Best 2011 Horror Movies |                                                             | Best 2013 Horror Movies |

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TOO SCARY 2 WATCH now presents a "Best of" list of 2012 horror films (arranged alphabetically) that we believe may be worth checking out, if you love scary movies like we do. The list will continue to be updated as we continue to find more movies that we believe are worthy of adding. We've done our best to create a versatile list pulling from a variety of different horror genres ...

 

Action horror movies, popular horror movies, B-movies, underrated movies, Independent movies, remakes, and more ... 

It can be argued whether some of the movies on the list belong in the horror genre (depending on how one defines horror) ... nevertheless (with versatility in mind), we've included some that are definitely horror, some that are horror comedies, some that are sci-fi action horror, some that are psychological thrillers, along with others that may be open for interpretation. 

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Disclaimer

Not all of the movies on the list, in our opinion, are actually good movies, but were chosen to be included for a variety of different reasons. -- Some had highly anticipated theatrical releases, some are popular horror films, some are cheesy but entertaining, while others are remakes or sequels to classic horror films from decades past.

Thanks and enjoy!

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2000's Horror Movies by Decade

Decade I  - Best Horror Films of the 2000's List (2000-2009)

Decade II - Best Horror Films of the 2010's List (2010-2013)

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2010's Horror Movies by Year

| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |

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1. 7 Below (2012)

After a bus accident leaves them stranded, a group of strangers must ride out a storm in a foreboding house with a frightening history: A century earlier, a 10-year-old boy brutally murdered his family there.

Director: Kevin Carraway 

R-Rated

90 mins

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2. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Honest Abe: he was the 16th president, the Great Emancipator ... and a righteous slayer of the undead spurred to action by his mother's vampiric murder. History and legend are both turned upside-down as Lincoln tracks the creatures of the nigh.

Director: Timur Bekmambetov 

R-Rated

105 mins

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3. The Apparition (2012)

When a series of disturbing events begin disrupting their home life, Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) realize that they aren't alone. Aided by a paranormal expert (Tom Felton), the desperate young couple attempts to exorcise their supernatural tormentor and save themselves. Written and directed by Todd Lincoln, this spine-tingling horror film co-stars Julianna Guill, Rick Gomez and Luke Pasqualino.

Director: Todd Lincoln 

PG-13

82 mins

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4. Apartment 143 (2011)

Emergo (original title)

- 2012 American Release (May 4)

Hired by a family to investigate supernatural activity in their apartment, a paranormal research group find themselves haunted by a malevolent force. Their investigation is derailed as the strange manifestations become gradually more violent.

Director: Carles Torrens

R-Rated 

80 mins

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5. Area 407 (2012)

Tape 407 (original title)

After their plane crashes, a group of survivors find themselves pursued by predators that are part of a top-secret government experiment. Two teenage sisters who were on board the plane capture that fateful night on video.

Director: Dale Fabrigar, Everette Wallin

Not-Rated

90 mins

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6. ATM (2012)

When three co-workers make a midnight stop at a glass-enclosed ATM after their Christmas party, they find themselves trapped by a menacing man outside. Soon they're fighting for their survival as the temperature plunges and the man toys with them.

Director: David Brook

R-Rated

90 mins

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7. The Awakening (2011)

2012 American Release

In post-World War I England, a boarding school haunted by a boy's ghost calls on Florence Cathcart, who disproves hoaxes for a living. But Cathcart senses something truly strange about the school, leading her to question her belief in the rational.

Director: Nick Murphy

R-Rated

107 mins

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8. Bait (2012)

When a tsunami hits a sleepy beach community, a group of survivors find themselves trapped inside a submerged grocery store. As they try to locate safety, they discover a threat worse than drowning: bloodthirsty sharks lurking in the water.

Director: Kimble Rendall

R-Rated 

91 mins

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9. Beneath the Darkness (2012)

In this creepy thriller set in a close-knit heartlands community, Dennis Quaid plays a mortician whose respectable life hides homicidal secrets. Only the local teens -- who know of the man's true psychosis -- have a chance at thwarting him.

Director: Martin Guigui 

R-Rated

96 mins

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10. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

In this twisted thriller from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, five friends arrive at a secluded cabin with clear instructions for their anticipated mountain getaway. But when the rigid rules are broken, punishment is swift -- and everyone will pay. Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth and Brian J. White star with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford in this surprising spin on a classic horror setup.

Director: Drew Goddard

R-Rated 

95 mins

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11. Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

Several friends touring Europe stumble into misadventure and end up stranded in Prypiat, the Ukrainian city abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster. Their bad situation gets worse when they realize that something else is lurking in the ghost city.

Director: Bradley Parker

R-Rated

86 mins

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12. The Collection (2012)

Arkin escapes with his life from the vicious grips of "The Collector" during an entrapment party where he adds beautiful Elena to his "Collection." Instead of recovering from the trauma, Arkin is suddenly abducted from the hospital by mercenaries hired by Elena's wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up with the mercenaries and track down The Collector's booby trapped warehouse and save Elena.

Director: Marcus Dunstan

R-Rated

82 mins

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13. Dark Shadows (2012)

Tim Burton's take on the cult gothic soap follows a centuries-old vampire as he returns to his now-crumbling estate to meet his modern descendants. But what he finds is a house full of secrets and shadows.

Director: Tim Burton

PG-13

113 mins

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14. Dark Tide (2012)

"Shark whisperer" Kate has lost her magic after a shark attack kills a diver on her team. But when an ex-boyfriend offers her a chance to get her mojo back by leading a millionaire on a risky shark dive, she decides to go for it.

Director: John Stockwell

PG-13

94 mins

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15. Detention (2011)

2012 Worldwide Release

In this genre-bending slasher flick, a high schooler gets slapped with detention on the same night as senior prom. But plenty of other kids will also be missing the big event when a past-her-prime prom queen shows up to slay them.

Director: Joseph Kahn 

R-Rated

93 mins

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16. The Devil Inside (2012)

At once spooky and grisly, this thriller follows a woman's quest to find the truth behind claims that her mother killed three people during an exorcism. The daughter's journey takes her to Italy, where she becomes involved in other exorcisms.

Director: William Brent Bell

R-Rated 

83 mins

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17. The Divide (2011)

2012 American Release (January 13)

After a cataclysmic explosion wipes out New York City, eight survivors blockade themselves in their apartment house basement, but claustrophobia and armed attackers turn the tenants against one another as they scramble to escape.

Director: Xavier Gens

R-Rated

112 mins

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18. Enter Nowhere (2011)

Three strangers arrive one by one to a mysterious cabin in the middle of nowhere after enduring separate life-altering predicaments. Searching for a way out of the woods, frustrated, hungry and battling to stay warm, they discover their mysterious connection and realize what they have to do in order to get out of the woods alive.

Director: Jack Heller

R-Rated

90 mins

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19. Gone (2012)

Returning from her night job, Jill expects to find her sister home in bed. When she doesn't, she knows just where to look -- her own past abductor. But the police show little interest, so Jill sets off on her own to find her sibling in this chiller.

Director: Heitor Dhalia 

PG-13

94 mins

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20. Grave Encounter 2 (2012)

A film student who is obsessed with the movie Grave Encounters sets out with his friends to visit the psychiatric hospital depicted in the original film.

Directors: John Poliquin

Not-Rated 

100 mins

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21. The Grey (2012)

After narrowly surviving a deadly plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, a band of oil riggers must fend for their lives in the ice and snow. But thanks to wolves that view their presence as a threat, they aren't alone.

Director: Joe Carnahan 

R-Rated

117 mins

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22. House at the End of the Street (2012)

A mother and daughter move to a new town and find themselves living next door to a house where a young girl murdered her parents. When the daughter befriends the surviving son, she learns the story is far from over.

Director: Mark Tonderai 

PG-13

101 mins

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23. The Innkeepers (2011)

In this eerie ghost story, a venerable inn closes after a century in business and the two remaining employees are determined to uncover the truth about longtime rumors that the majestic mansion is haunted -- but will they survive their explorations?

Director: Ti West

R-Rated

100 mins

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24. Intruders (2011)

2012 American Release

Childhood demons become all too real in this thriller starring Clive Owen as the father of a girl who dreams of creatures that are out to get her family. A parallel story focuses on a Spanish mother and son who go up against a faceless stranger.

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo 

R-Rated

100 mins

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25. The Loved Ones (2009)

2012 American Release

Troubled high school senior Brent's (Xavier Samuel) plans to spend prom night with his caring girlfriend, Holly (Victoria Thaine), go awry when secret admirer Lola (Robin McLeavy) and her father kidnap him for their own macabre evening in this spine-chiller. Now Brent is in for the battle of his life as he tries to escape while fighting against syringes, nails, power drills and more accessories of his captor's twisted take on prom night.

Director: Sean Byrne

R-Rated

84 mins

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26. Lovely Molly (2012)

After moving into her deceased father's country house, Molly and her new husband Tim face eerie disturbances -- and things get worse as Molly faces them alone while Tim's away. Soon the evil presence threatens both her sanity and her life.

Director: Eduardo Sánchez 

R-Rated

99 mins

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27. Madison County (2012)

College kids travel to a small mountain town to interview the author of a book about several grisly murders that happened there. But the author is nowhere to be found and the townspeople say the killer never existed and the murders never happened.

Director: Eric England

R-Rated

81 mins

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28. The Moth Diaries (2011)

2012 Release in Some Countries

College senior Rebecca's world is upended when her best friend Lucy befriends new girl Ernessa, who Rebecca suspects is a vampire. Is she haunted by the school's gothic past, in shock from her father's suicide, or just jealous? Or could she be right?

Director: Mary Harron

R-Rated

82 mins

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29. Mother's Day (2010)

2012 Official American Release

The new owners of a home pick the wrong day to host a birthday party when their bash is crashed by the house's previous occupants: three fugitive bank robber brothers, their sister, and their shrewd, protective and psychotic mother (Rebecca De Mornay). A hostage crisis ensues as the mother plots her family's big escape in this loose remake of the 1980 Troma B-movie classic. Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III and IV) directs.

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

R-Rated

112 mins

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30. The Pact (2012)

Feeling obligated to return home for the funeral of the mother she despised, Annie soon senses an evil presence in her childhood home. As she seeks answers about her mother's death, Annie is forced to face demons from her past.

Director: Nicholas McCarthy

R-Rated

89 mins

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31. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Get ready for more spine-chilling suspense in this fourth installment of the popular horror franchise as the bloodthirsty supernatural spirit returns to wreak more havoc, instill more terror and claim more victims.

Directors: Henry Joosts, Ariel Schulman

R-Rated

95 mins

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32. Piranha 3DD (2012)

There's blood in the water when a hungry pack of piranhas set their sights on scoring tasty morsels from a bustling water park. The all-star cast of potential victims includes David Hasselhoff, Christopher Lloyd, Gary Busey and Ving Rhames.

Director: John Gulager 

R-Rated

83 mins

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33. Playback (2012)

Harlan Diehl slaughtered his family, capturing the deed on video. When students learning about the case watch the tape, they unleash a powerful evil. They become pawns of the malevolent force that threatens to destroy them and their small town.

Director: Michael A. Nickles 

R-Rated

98 mins

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34. The Possession (2012)

In this supernatural horror flick, a young girl unwittingly unleashes an evil spirit that resides in a curious old box filled will mysterious relics. Now the girl and her estranged parents must break the hold the demonic force has on their family.

Director: Ole Bornedal 

PG-13
92 mins

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35. Prometheus (2012)

When scientific explorers unearth an artifact that points to the origins of humankind, they're pulled into the unexpected adventure of a lifetime. But if they falter, the very future of their species is at stake.

Director: Ridley Scott

R-Rated

124 mins

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36. The Raven (2012)

After discovering that a string of baffling murders seems to be inspired by the macabre short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore cop Emmett Fields turns to the brilliant-but-boozy author to help solve the crimes.

Director: James McTeigue

R-Rated

110 mins

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37. Red Lights (2012)

Professor Margaret Matheson and her assistant, Tom Buckley, set out to debunk claims of paranormal activity. During their investigation, a legendary psychic comes out of retirement, and Buckley becomes obsessed with proving he's a fraud.

Director: Rodrigo Cortés

R-Rated

113 mins

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38. [REC 3] Genesis (2012)

The third chapter in the blood-chilling REC franchise begins with protagonists Koldo and Clara about to be wed, when several guests begin falling ill. The scene quickly turns ghoulish as those infected by a demonic virus begin to go lethally mad.

Director: Paco Plaza 

R-Rated

80 mins

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39. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Alice fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson 

R-Rated

117 mins

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40. The Revenant (2009)

2012 American Release

Killed during the Iraq War, Bart (David Anders) mysteriously awakens as a revenant, a living corpse that requires human blood to keep from decaying. Helped by his goofy bud Joey (Chris Wylde), Bart tries to satiate his thirst as a vigilante, hunting and feasting on criminals. Written and directed by D. Kerry Prior, this hilarious, action-packed vampire movie also stars Louise Griffiths, Jacy King and Cathy Shim.

Directors: D. Kerry Prior 

Not-Rated

110 mins

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41. The Road (2011)

2012 American Release

When three teenagers disappear after a joyride, detective Luis Medina connects the events to a 12-year-old cold case with eerie similarities. As he investigates, supernatural elements begin to surface.

Director: Yam Laranas

R-Rated

110 mins

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42. Silent House (2012)

Based on the Uruguayan film La Casa Muda, this taut thriller from the makers of Open Water follows Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) as she helps her father and uncle repair their damaged summer home. When she hears a mysterious noise, Sarah's descent into madness begins. As the darkness and increasingly loud noise prey on her mind, Sarah grows ever more panicked and convinced that the house, which she barely remembers from her youth, has a malevolent past.

Directors: Chris Kentis, Laura Lau

R-Rated 

83 mins

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43. Smiley (2012)

After learning of an urban legend in which a demented serial killer named SMILEY can be summoned through the Internet, mentally fragile Ashley must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley's next victim.

Director: Michael J. Gallagher 

R-Rated

90 mins

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44. Silent Hill: Revelations 3D (2012)

When her father disappears, Heather Mason is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.

Director: Michael J. Bassett 

R-Rated

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45. Sinister (2012)

After moving to a new town, a true-crime writer discovers a cache of videotapes depicting brutal murders that took place in the very house he just bought. As he tries to solve the mystery behind the crimes, a sinister force threatens his own family.

Director: Scott Derrickson

R-Rated

110 mins

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46. The Tall Man (2012)

The faded mining town of Cold Rock is haunted by a lethal specter known as the Tall Man, thought to be behind the disappearance of numerous children. When Julia Denning's son David also vanishes, she sets out to unlock the chilling mystery herself.

Director: Pascal Laugier 

R-Rated
106 mins

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47. Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Reprising her role as the vampire Selene, Kate Beckinsale stars in this installment in the stylish vampires vs. werewolves franchise. When humans discover the Vampires and Lycans, Selene escapes confinement to lead her clan in its ultimate battle.

Directors: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein

R-Rated

88 mins

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48. V/H/S (2012)

Hired to steal a rare VHS tape from a secluded house, a group of petty crooks breaks in and discovers a corpse surrounded by TVs and stacks of tapes. Now they must watch each horrific and bizarre video as they search for the correct one.

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, and 8 more credits...

R-Rated 

116 mins

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49. The Woman in Black (2012)

Dispatched by his boss to an isolated seaside village to tie up a recently deceased client's affairs, a young London lawyer finds himself in a community grappling with dark secrets -- and a haunting presence with a sinister agenda.

Director: James Watkins

PG-13

95 mins

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50. Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)

A small West Virginia town is hosting the legendary Mountain Man Festival on Halloween, where throngs of costumed party goers gather for a wild night of music and mischief. But an inbred family of hillbilly cannibals kill the fun when they trick and treat themselves to a group of visiting college students.

Director: Declan O'Brien

R-Rated
87 mins

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Our Top Ten Horror/Psychological Thriller Films of 2012's (Arranged Alphabetically)

1. The Apparition (2012)

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2. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

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3. Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

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4. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

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5. The Possession (2012)

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6. Prometheus (2012)

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7. Silent Hill Revelation 3D (2012)

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8. Silent House (2012)

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9. Sinister (2012)

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10. The Woman in Black (2012)

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2000's Horror Movies by Decade

Decade I  - Best Horror Films of the 2000's List (2000-2009)

Decade II - Best Horror Films of the 2010's List (2010-2013)

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2010's Horror Movies by Year

| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |

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Synopsis' taken from:

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