In a post-pandemic world starved for thrills, did ghosts chill deeper than twisted minds or rivers of blood?

The early 2020s marked a turbulent renaissance for horror cinema, as filmmakers grappled with isolation, uncertainty, and societal fractures. Streaming platforms surged, theatres tentatively reopened, and three subgenres clashed for dominance: supernatural tales evoking otherworldly dread, psychological horrors dissecting the human psyche, and extreme gore spectacles unleashing visceral carnage. This article pits them head-to-head, analysing their strengths, cultural resonance, and lasting impact through key films from 2020 to 2023.

  • Supernatural horror reclaimed box office crowns with infectious concepts like cursed smiles and possessed hands, blending folklore with modern anxieties.
  • Psychological thrillers probed trauma and identity, offering cerebral unease that lingered long after credits rolled.
  • Extreme gore pushed boundaries with unapologetic brutality, revitalising the splatter subgenre for a desensitised audience.

The Spectral Surge: Supernatural Horror’s Haunting Revival

Supernatural horror burst back into prominence in the early 2020s, capitalising on collective fears amplified by global lockdowns. Films like Parker Finn’s Smile (2022) introduced a curse spread through grins, where victims contort into rictus masks before suicide. The narrative follows therapist Rose Cotter, haunted by a patient’s eerie smile, as the entity jumps hosts in a chain of escalating terror. Sosie Bacon delivers a raw performance, her unraveling mirroring the audience’s pandemic-induced fragility. Finn masterfully builds tension through subtle apparitions and jump scares timed to maximum effect.

Talk to Me (2022), the Australian breakout from directors Danny and Michael Philippou, took a fresh spin on possession via a embalmed hand. Teens at parties grip it to invite spirits for 90 seconds, but greed invites permanent hauntings. Sophie Wilde’s Mia grapples with grief, her possession scenes blending body horror with emotional devastation. The film’s viral marketing on TikTok propelled it to cult status, proving supernatural elements thrive in social media eras.

Late Night with the Devil

(2023) offered a period piece, David Dastmalchian’s Jack Delroy hosting a live 1970s talk show that summons a demon. Retro aesthetics, faux VHS glitches, and Angus Sampson’s chilling possessed girl create an intimate, claustrophobic nightmare. These films succeeded by rooting ancient supernatural tropes in contemporary isolation, making viewers question reality amid real-world chaos.

Critics praised their innovation: supernatural horror evolved from jump-scare reliant fare to narratives exploring mental health metaphors. The subgenre’s accessibility—clear rules, tangible monsters—drew wide audiences, grossing over $100 million combined for Smile and Talk to Me alone.

Cracks in the Mind: Psychological Horror’s Intimate Torments

Psychological horror distinguished itself through subtlety, favouring implication over spectacle. Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man (2020) reimagined H.G. Wells’ classic as a stalking ex’s gaslighting tech nightmare. Elisabeth Moss’s Cecilia fakes composure while invisible forces bruise her body and sanity. Whannell’s use of negative space—empty doorways, unseen shoves—amplifies paranoia, reflecting domestic abuse survivors’ invisibility.

Rose Glass’s Saint Maud (2019, wide 2020 release) centres devout nurse Maud nursing terminally ill Amanda. Morfydd Clark’s dual-role performance blurs faith and madness, culminating in ecstatic visions. Glass draws from Catholic guilt and bodily mortification, her static shots trapping viewers in Maud’s fervour.

Alex Garland’s Men (2022) stars Jessie Buckley as Harper grieving her husband’s suicide, retreating to a rural idyll where Rory Kinnear plays every male. Folk horror meets trauma, with birth cycles symbolising toxic masculinity. Garland’s long takes and folkloric echoes provoke discomfort without resolution.

Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool (2023) follows vacationers cloning themselves for consequence-free debauchery. Alexander Skarsgård’s James fragments identity amid orgies and murders. These films excel in ambiguity, forcing audiences to confront personal demons—grief, abuse, dissociation—mirroring therapy culture’s rise.

Box office varied; The Invisible Man soared to $144 million, but arthouse entries like Men polarised. Their power lies in replay value, rewarding dissection of subtext over gore shocks.

Arterial Assault: Extreme Gore’s Unflinching Onslaught

Extreme gore roared defiantly, embracing excess in an era numb to sanitised scares. Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 (2022) resurrected Art the Clown, a silent sadist hacking teen Sienna. Lauren LaVera’s resourceful survivor battles saws and hacksaws in 2.5-hour runtime. Practical effects—melting faces, bed impalings—drown subtlety, yet Leone weaves angelic lore for mythic depth.

Ti West’s X (2022) strands pornographers on a Texas farm run by geriatric killers. Mia Goth’s dual roles as ingenue and crone steal scenes, with Mia Goth’s Pearl prequel expanding her psychosis. Gnarly kills via gators and harpoons revel in 70s sleaze homage.

Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise (2023) relocates the Necronomicon to an urban high-rise. Sisters Ellie and Beth (Lily Sullivan) fight deadites vomiting bile. Marbelous chainsaw finale and elevator plummet deliver franchise-best viscera.

Gore films thrived on VOD; Terrifier 2 earned $15 million on no budget, spawning midnight screenings. They cathartically purged pandemic stress through taboo transgression, echoing Saw era but rawer.

Covid Shadows: Contextual Crucible of the Early 2020s

The pandemic reshaped horror production—delayed shoots, Zoom auditions, empty sets fostering intimacy. Supernatural films mirrored viral contagion (Smile‘s curse), psychological delved quarantine psychosis, gore externalised rage. Streaming giants like Netflix boosted all, but theatrical hits skewed supernatural.

Audience data from Box Office Mojo shows supernatural leading grosses: Smile ($217m), Evil Dead Rise ($146m, gore crossover). Psychological shone critically—Saint Maud BAFTA nods—gore cultishly via festivals.

Gender dynamics emerged: female leads dominated (Smile, Men), subverting final girl tropes into complex antiheroes.

Sound and Fury: Technical Battlegrounds

Sound design separated titans. Supernatural wielded whispers and stings (Talk to Me‘s hand slaps). Psychological layered diegetic unease (Invisible Man‘s creaks). Gore prioritised squelches and screams, Terrifier 2‘s effects by Kerr FX earning gorehound acclaim.

Cinematography: Garland’s Men lush greens contrast gore’s desaturated palettes, supernatural’s blue-tinged shadows evoking hauntings.

Legacy and Cross-Pollination

No victor emerged outright; hybrids proliferated—Evil Dead Rise gore-supernatural, Infinity Pool psych-gore. Influence ripples: Terrifier 3 (2024), Smile 2. They redefined horror’s vitality, proving diversity trumps singular dominance.

Supernatural won commercially, psychological critically, gore fanatically—each vital to the ecosystem.

Director in the Spotlight

Parker Finn, born in 1988 in the United States, emerged as a supernatural horror wunderkind after years honing craft in shorts. A Temple University film graduate, Finn cut teeth on LA’s indie scene, directing Laid in America (2016), a mockumentary comedy. His horror pivot came with Smile (2022), a microbudget script bought by Paramount, exploding into $217 million global hit. Finn’s influences—The Ring, David Lynch—shine in economical dread-building.

Finn’s sophomore Smile 2 (2024) escalates with pop star Naomi Scott, cementing franchise. Upcoming projects include TV series and potential Exorcist ties. Career highlights: Gotham Awards nod for Smile, praised for elevating found-footage echoes without clichés. Finn champions practical effects, collaborating with legacy creature designers. Filmography: Laid in America (2016, comedy); Smile (2022, supernatural horror); Smile 2 (2024, supernatural sequel). His rise embodies 2020s horror’s new blood, blending viral savvy with classical scares.

Actor in the Spotlight

David Howard Thornton, born March 16, 1979, in Asheville, North Carolina, transformed from theatre veteran to horror icon as Art the Clown. Early life steeped in performance; studied at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Broadway stints in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark honed mime skills, pivotal for silent Art.

Breakout: Terrifier (2016), Damien Leone cast him after audition tape. Art’s mute malice propelled sequels Terrifier 2 (2022), grossing $15m+, and Terrifier 3 (2024). Thornton’s physicality—balletic kills, expressive makeup—earned Fangoria Chainsaw nods. Diverse roles: Big Legend (2018, Bigfoot thriller); Distorted (2018, slasher); Scare Package (2019, anthology); The Furies (2019, revenge); Clown cameo expansions. TV: Creepshow. No major awards yet, but cult reverence grows, embodying extreme gore’s gleeful nihilism.

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Bibliography

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