'Totally Killer' & 9 Other Horror Movies About Gen-Z (original) (raw)

Published Oct 18, 2023, 6:01 PM EDT

S.K. Sapiano is a UK-based TV and movie writer for Collider. S.K. has a background in academia, earning a Bachelors in Film Production and a Masters in Religious Studies. Experienced in sound design, she has worked on both narrative and documentary short film projects.

While a fan of basically every genre, S.K. has a particular passion for horror films and comedy television, with strong interest in 2000s extreme horror, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the complete filmographies of Leigh Whannell and Rob Zombie.

When she isn't writing or watching films, S.K. enjoys video games, reading and collaging.

The horror genre has always been a crucial vessel for satirizing and commenting on popular culture and social themes, with each decade providing distinct horror aesthetics and popular subgenres. From '80s slashers to early 2000s torture horror, every generation has horror films that particularly aim to comment on their culture and socio-political climate, and Gen-Z is no different.

Growing up around the advent of the internet and the technology boom, as well as in the wake of economic recessions, Gen-Z's identity is drastically distinct from their preceding generations. In light of this, these are excellent horror films that touch on unique and important aspects of Gen-Z culture and identity.

10 'Last Night in Soho' (2021)

Thomasin McKenzie, Matt Smith, and Anya Taylor Joy in Last Night in Soho

Image via A24

Last Night in Soho is a British psychological horror movie directed by Edgar Wright from a screenplay co-written by Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The film follows Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie), a young fashion design student in the present day who finds herself psychically connected to and obsessed with Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), a mysterious woman from the 1960s.

Last Night in Soho explores themes of feminism and the romanticization of the past, with Ellie believing herself to have been 'born in the wrong generation' before discovering how dark and dangerous the '60s could be for ambitious young women like herself and Sandie. Through its examination of women's treatment in both the past and present, the film is unique among the Gen-Z horror canon.

9 'Pyewacket' (2017)

Nicole Muñoz in Pyewacket Image via Les Films Seville

Canadian horror Pyewacket, written and directed by Adam MacDonald follows Leah (Nicole Muñoz), a teenager dealing with grief over her father's death and her strained relationship with her mother (Laurie Holden) in the aftermath. Obsessed with witchcraft and the occult, Leah places a demonic curse on her mother in a moment of anger and then is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions after they begin to mend their relationship.

Compared to witchcraft horror of previous generations such as The Craft, Pyewacket has a distinctly modern flavor and presents a deeply personal horror story that focuses on themes of familial trauma and guilt. Although the film aligns thematically with the concept of the modern 'elevated horror' subgenre, the film is unpretentious, tells a compelling story and never relies on style over substance.

8 'M3GAN' (2022)

M3GAN and Cady reading together.

Jenna Davis as M3GAN and Violet McGraw in M3GAN

Image via Universal Pictures

Directed by Gerard Johnstone from a story by Akela Cooper and James Wan, M3GAN is a deliberately comedic and campy sci-fi horror film. The film follows Gemma (Allison Williams), a roboticist at a toy company, who builds an advanced AI-powered doll called M3GAN to befriend her bereaved niece Cady (Violet McGraw). Taking her role of protecting Cady far too seriously, M3GAN quickly becomes dangerously posessive and murderous on Cady's behalf.

The film is extremely relevant to 2020s culture, exploring the negative consequences of over-reliance on technology and AI as well as the harm caused to children through lack of real-world socialization. Additionally, on a much lighter side, M3GAN herself proved to be an instantly iconic doll character popular with Gen-Z due to her TikTok-esque dance moves and snarky wit.

7 'Host' (2020)

A zoom call between 6 friends in Host

Host 2020 Movie

Image via Shudder

Directed by Rob Savage, Host is a supernatural horror film shot on Zoom and entirely produced during the British 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. The film follows a young woman called Haley (Haley Bishop) and her group of friends as they undergo a séance led by a medium (Seylan Baxter) on Zoom, finding themselves besieged by a demonic entity.

Taking place during the COVID pandemic and utilizing common software associated with the time, the film is especially resonant to Gen-Z by situating its horror during an already deeply stressful period of time. With its unique setup and effective scares, Host was one of 2020s best and most resonant horror films.

6 'Scream 5' (2022)

jenna ortega in Scream

Jenna Ortega as Tara Carpenter in Scream 5

Image via Paramount

Scream, the fifth installment of the eponymous horror franchise, is a teen slasher film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from the filmmaking collective Radio Silence. The film follows series regulars Sidney (Neve Campbell), Gale (Courteney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette) as well as a new cast of teenagers including sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (portrayed by Gen-Z scream queen Jenna Ortega) as they face a new incarnation of the Ghostface killers in Woodsboro.

Genre satire is essential to the heart of the Scream franchise, and the fifth film in particular sets its target on the subject of franchise reboots and "requels" - a horror trend particularly en vogue as of recent years. Tackling issues particularly relevant to Gen-Z including online forums and true crime fanaticism, Scream breathed new life into its franchise for a whole new generation.

5 'Freaky' (2020)

Kathryn Newton in a scene from Freaky. Image Via Blumhouse

Freaky is a body-swap comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon and co-written by Landon and Michael Kennedy. The film stars Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn as a teenage girl named Millie and a serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher who magically end up in each other's bodies - a switch that will become permanent unless Millie kills the Butcher by midnight.

Due to its body-swap premise, the film necessarily deals with themes of gender and generational gaps, making it an essential Gen-Z horror. With its funny and quippy screenplay and excellent lead performances from Vaughn and Newton in their duel roles of Millie and The Butcher, Freaky is frequently cited as one of the best comedic slashers ever made.

4 'Totally Killer' (2023)

Kiernan Shipka in Totally Killer

Kiernan Shipka in Totally Killer.

Image via Prime Video

Directed by Nahnatchka Khan, Totally Killer is a comedic slasher film about Jamie (K iernan Shipka), a teenager who time travels back to the 1980s in order to escape from an infamous masked killer who has suddenly returned and killed her mother Pam (Julie Bowen). Jamie befriends the teenage versions of Pam (Olivia Holt) and her best friend's mother Lauren (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson) in order to attempt to catch the killer and return to the present.

As a time travel film, Totally Killer hinges largely on the differences between Gen-Z and Gen-X teenagers, with Jamie comedically explaining away her strange behavior as being because she is from Canada rather than being from the future. Funny, intriguing and likable, Totally Killer is a great Halloween slasher film.

3 'We're All Going to the World's Fair' (2021)

Anna Cobb wearing glow in the dark paint and holding a glass eye over her own.

We're All Going to the World's Fair

Image via Utopia

Written, directed and edited by Jane Schoenbrun, We're All Going to the World's Fair is a horror film about a teenager called Casey (Anna Cobb) who becomes enraptured by an online horror ARG called The World's Fair Challenge. As Casey's behavior becomes increasingly alarming, an older stranger called JLB (Michael J. Rogers) begins to overstep boundaries, notionally out of concern for her safety.

The film explores online horror communities, grounding its central World's Fair Challenge in the worlds of creepypasta and YouTube horror. Reckoning with themes of gender dysphoria, online grooming and teenage alienation, the film is a subtle and beautiful coming-of-age horror film with an electrifying central performance from Anna Cobb and an excellent soundtrack from indie musician Alex G.

2 'Talk to Me' (2022)

Sophie Wilde as Mia in Talk to Me

Image Via A24

One of the best horror films of the 2020s, Talk to Me is an Australian supernatural horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou. The film follows Mia (Sophie Wilde), a teenager who becomes fixated on a game involving a prop hand that allows the players to commune with and become possessed by the spirits of the dead.

The film explores themes of grief and peer pressure, using its central demonic artifact as a metaphor for drug use and addiction. Becoming A24's second highest-grossing film, Talk to Me proved popular with both critics and audiences due to its serious tone, powerful scares and thematic maturity.

1 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' (2022)

Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Chase Sui Wonders, and Rachel Sennott covered in blood in Bodies Bodies Bodies Image via A24

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a black comedy slasher film directed by Halina Reijn. The film follows girlfriends Bee (Maria Bakalova) and Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) as they attend a hurricane party at their wealthy friend's mansion, in which party guests begin to mysteriously turn up dead and the characters fear that a killer may be among them.

The film is a queer horror masterpiece, treating the sapphic relationships between its characters with the casualness and naturalism characteristic of Gen-Z. Focusing on themes of class, modern friendships and privilege and applying a sharply satirical lens to its subject, Bodies Bodies Bodies is the quintessential Gen-Z horror movie.

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