Just in the nick of time comes HorrorBid's top 10 most significant horror flicks of the decade! Unlike everybody's best of '09 and decade lists we wanted to be different. Instead of defending why we think certain movies of the past 10 years are better than others we decided to concentrate on films that have had the biggest horror impact instead. This means there could be movies in this list that we don't particularly like but that's not the point.

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10. Trick 'r Treat (2008)
Just because the long-delayed horror anthology never got the major theatrical release it deserved doesn’t mean Trick r Treat was any less significant and in fact many argue this led to its ultimate success. Since when does a movie have a massive cult following before its debut? With such hype it was feared Trick r Treat couldn’t live up to expectations but it easily captured the essence of Halloween with twisting storylines, fascinating characters and a rich mythology. It’s been beaten to death with Creepshow and Pulp Fiction comparisons, but they are warranted, and this is such a fresh and new spin that it just feels like the Creepshow for our generation. Who would have thought that Trick r Treat would have more of a Halloween vibe than the movie titled Halloween?

9 & 8. The Ring (2002) / The Grudge (2004) Sharing this spot are two films that spawned the decade trend of Asian horror remakes. You may not be a fan but their significance is warranted. The Ring, based on Ringu, is one of the few times the American version was superior. Using the skeleton of Ringu’s plot, Gore Verbinski expanded the idea balancing classic horror with commercial gimmicks. The Ring’s use cinematography only compliments the efforts that could have been easily ignored. The 2004 American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge was more loyal to its source material (due to retaining the original’s director, Taskashi Shimizu). However, casting of familiar scream queen Sarah Michelle Gellar helped The Grudge earned over $100 million in the box office ensuring U.S. theaters would undergo an Asian invasion of the horror kind. These two films carved the path for another horror subgenre.

7. The Descent (2005)
In space no one can hear you scream. They can’t one mile beneath earth’s surface either. Since when could a film capture phobias on screen? Well, that’s exactly what the Descent did with its claustrophobic style. Buried miles underground and forced deeper into the darkness who would have thought that horror’s gore fest of the decade awaited a group of women thrill seekers. What could be scarier than the dark? That’s where The Descent took audiences. It reminded us that loneliness and the human imagination (along with cannibal, mutated cave people) land a knock out punch at the movies. It’s the Alien of the decade as far as we’re concerned.

6. Paranormal Activity (2009)It wasn’t the first time we saw a handy cam movie but it could be the best use of first personal filmmaking yet! Over hyped? That really depended on each viewer’s expectations prior to seeing the highest grossing R-Rated horror flick of the past decade. Made for only $15,000 and purchased by Paramount for $300,000, Paranormal Activity stands as the fifth largest horror/supernatural movie release of all time not too mention it out performed Zack Snyder’s $180 million budgeted adaptation of Watchmen! Paranormal Activity, love it or hate it, is easily one of the most significant horror films of the decade.

5. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Redefining anything isn’t easy but that’s exactly what Shaun of the Dead did for zombie flicks! Following in the footsteps of George Romero zombie films but with more comedy, Shaun of the Dead ranks as one of the most all-around entertaining zombie movies ever made. Unlike American slapstick, Shaun includes a balance of witty laughs with real scares that birth the first horror/comedy (not comedy/horror) movie. Thanks partially to Shaun of the Dead; zombies have been hording across pop-culture for the past decade.

4. My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) Guilty pleasure puts it mildly. My Bloody Valentine 3D didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and become something that it shouldn’t. Unlike other remakes this flick was actually a successful homage to good old fashioned 80’s slasher. Little to no plot, tons of nudity and cheesy acting were all wrapped up into a 90 minute slaughter-fest. On top of that this was the first horror film that utilized the new 3D technology and ushered in an era where just about everything is being shot in 3D. Yes it’s a remake, yes the story is thin, yes the acting is bad and yes it was a very significant film of the past decade.

3. Let The Right One In (2008)
If it’s not remakes than it must be vampires. Let the Right One In did everything Twilight didn’t, give us a real on screen horror romance. Set in 1982 Sweden, this period piece follows young Oskar as he develops a romantic relationship with a vampire in sheep’s clothing named Eli. Disguised as a protagonist, Eli slowly seduces Oskar despite her murderous appetite and demonic nature. It’s easy to forget how evil she might be because Eli appears in the form of a 12 year old girl. The film is seen through Oskar’s narrow, child-like perception leaving viewers the rare opportunity to think about the story’s tragic meaning while the credits role. The romance and childhood innocence are smokescreens for something much darker and disturbing. Take a note Twihards, this is how it’s done.

2. Dawn Of The Dead (2004) Not the first remake of the decade but possibly the one that rivaled its original in terms of fans and favor. One thing we can all agree upon, this past decade will be remembered for the avalanche of remakes most of which being attributed to greedy Hollywood and a famine of original storytelling. Needless to say, fans feel these films often fail to live up to their predecessors but the first act of Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead wins us over with Romero’s classic elements jacked up on crack (zombies that can run). If Shaun of the Dead is the angel sitting on George’s right shoulder, Snyder’s remake is the devil on his left.

1. Saw (2004)
Before the avalanche of sequels, before the buckets of blood there was the independent, low-budget film known as Saw. Over the past decade Jigsaw helped usher in the indie horror scene which since then has taken the horror genre by storm. Also credited as the origin of torture porn, Saw created a new subgenre of horror despite the fact that the movie Saw itself may not actually fall into the category it pioneered. Saw’s main draw was its twisted storyline, not scenes of torture. Life-and-death games where the antagonist actually never kills anybody helped make Saw extremely significant this past decade. Jigsaw has become as iconic as Michael Myers, Jason or Freddy but his use of mind over muscle started another chapter in horror.