In the '70s, "The Exorcist," "Halloween" and "Jaws" frightened theater-goers to the point of physical shaking. In the '80s, iconic teen killers Freddy Kreuger and Jason Voorhees became Hollywood's horror heroes. The '90s are largely remembered for the psychological scares of "The Sixth Sense," "The Silence of the Lambs" and "The Blair Witch Project."

Unfortunately, many will remember the '00s for the onslaught of dumbed-down torture porn films like "Hostel," "Turistas" and "Captivity." Or cookie-cutter slasher flicks like "Sorority Row" and "Prom Night." Or mediocre remakes and revivals like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "When a Stranger Calls" and "The Wicker Man."

Do you remember 2001's "Jason X"? Jason was in outer freaking space!

Ugh.

Truthfully, only one or two horror films a year are ever really noteworthy. This article will sift through the junk and find the few gems this decade had to offer.

"The Ring" (2002)

In 1999, "The Sixth Sense" and "The Blair Witch Project" made a profound impact on the horror genre. However, it would be three more years before a scary movie captivated American audiences.

Then an evil little girl emerged from a well and scared almost everyone to death.

"The Ring" (an American re-make of the 1998 Japanese film "Ringu") follows Rachel (Naomi Watts), a young journalist who investigates a mysterious videotape that brings disfigured death to anyone within a week of viewing it.

The film scares on two levels. First, anyone who watches "The Ring" also watches the grainy, unsettling footage of the killer videotape - leading viewers to a sense of paranoia. But what got most people seven years ago was the end. Just when everything seems resolved, the little girl who created the tape makes her first appearance.

"It's about atmosphere and disturbing images. There was a certain quality to that film that was wild," says KQ2 movie critic Bob Shultz.

In the wake of the film's success, several studios attempted to cash in on as many Japanese horror re-makes as possible. But none were as frightening as "The Ring."

"Saw" (2004)

Forget about the five terrible sequels and multiple wannabes that followed. Forget about the cheesy over-acting of Cary Elwes. Forget that we know who the Jigsaw Killer is.

Let's remember the squirm-inducing situations, mysterious thrills and awesome twist ending the original "Saw" had to offer.

In "Saw," the audience is introduced to multiple victims in the same situation - do something terrible or die. The "Jigsaw Killer" put people in these situations because they were drug addicts, crooks, cheaters, etc. His goal was to make people appreciate the gift of life.

The movie was like nothing that had come before it. The torture scenes were hard to watch, and the wiley killer, although seriously demented, had a heart.

Unfortunately, the sequels focused less on the chilling psychological aspects that made "Saw" memorable.

"Each following entry grew more convoluted and offered little more than increasingly violent ways to destroy the human body," says Timothy Friend, who directed the independent horror film "Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula."

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005)

Think of this movie as the rational version of "The Exorcist."

Based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" spends most of its time in the courtroom, where a lawyer (Laura Linney) takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Tom Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a college-aged girl named Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter).

Since three-fourths of the film takes place in the courtroom, there are only a handful of scenes featuring Emily, but each is more disturbing than the next.

The same audiences that laughed at the pea-green puke and head-spinning of "The Exorcist" found themselves unnerved by Emily's painful contortions and dark hallucinations.

"'Emily Rose' kind of hit a note with people," Shultz says. "It just played so close to the 'realistic' bone."

"The Descent" (2005)

This film may be the most underrated horror flick of the decade. And it's a thriller you want to watch in complete darkness.

In "The Descent," a caving expedition goes horribly wrong, and the six women who descended into the cavern become trapped.

The smart, savvy and athletic women try to find a way out with no luck. Along the way, the ladies discover little clues that indicate people once lived in the cave. More than an hour into the movie, they are abruptly introduced to those who still dwell within.

What's most frightening about "The Descent" is the effective use of darkness. While the cave creatures have adapted to the black, the girls can't see what is attacking them in the depths of the cavern. They must rely on their instincts to survive.

"'The Descent' really played to the intelligence of the audience. It was amazing," Shultz says.

"Drag Me To Hell" (2009)

If campy horror/comedy is your bag, then "Drag Me To Hell" is the best horror film since "The Evil Dead." Otherwise, you'll probably hate it.

Director Sam Raimi made his return to horror legend status with "Drag Me To Hell," a film about a loan officer who's cursed to living hell by an old woman.

"Raimi is the master of making gross-outs funny and the humor dark," Shultz says.

Almost every critic gushed over "Drag Me To Hell," but it didn't live up to everyone's expectations. Some felt the comedic aspects really clashed with the film's premise.

"I really can't recommend it," says Karina Montgomery, critic for Cinerina.com. "Despite the fact that I support the idea of comedy horror, I do generally ask that it contain at the very least either comedy or horror."

"Paranormal Activity" (2009)

Just like "The Blair Witch Project," this scary little indie film that could has made big bucks. We're talking more than $63 million. Not bad, considering it was made for $15,000.

And just like "The Blair Witch Project," this film was fueled by guerilla advertising and word of mouth from college town screenings.

And just like "The Blair Witch Project," this film was shot with a handheld camera. There's something eerie about those little handheld cameras that make scary movies seem more realistic. It works well in "Paranormal Activity" when a couple uses one to document a demon that continues to pester them at night.

The zombie movies

In "Night of the Living Dead," the zombies were slow and easy to avoid. "28 Days Later" and "Dawn of the Dead" resolved those issues. In both films, the zombies were infected with uncontrollable rage, making them much more frightening.

But on a deeper level, those films (and "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland") placed heavy emphasis on character and human relationships. According to Friend, zombie movies have been successful because of how relatable they are.

"Between disease, war, economic crisis and general turmoil there is a lot for people to feel uncertain and scared about. A zombie takeover taps those fears without making one confront them directly," Friend says. "Plus, to paraphrase Mickey Rourke in 'Sin City,' I love zombies. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad."