Horrors to Creep You
As an adult during Halloween, trick or treating is pretty much a no go unless you have kids of your own. But for everyone else dressing up and asking neighbors for candy is sure to get more than a few quizzical and suspicious glances. So what else can one do on the scariest night of the year? A scary movie marathon of course. Yet if you’re tired of the usual big studio offerings then here is a list of some of the best, horror-filled movies you might not have heard of.
Raw
A vegetarian veterinary student is forced to eat meat during a hazing ritual, and her subsequent violent allergic reaction soon turns into animalistic hunger, sheer bloodlust, and an embrace of carnality in all its forms. If large amounts of gore are right up your alley, then Raw is highly recommended. The movie contains some of the most gut-wrenching gore and bloody elements that it will make Freddy Krueger wince. However this flick is not just about its blood and guts, but also contains a compelling story that explores the human appetite and how we stop at nothing to satiate it. Lead actress Garance Marillier is perfect as a timid vegetarian who quickly takes control of her appetites, sexual and otherwise.
Daniel Isn’t Real
Burdened by childhood trauma and his mother’s schizophrenia, college freshman Luke resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel. Daniel helps Luke with his confidence and romantic prospects before revealing he has his own independent, violent motives and may not be a figment of Luke’s imagination at all. This movie is perfect for fans of psychological horror films like The Invisible Man or the classic American Psycho. As the titular Daniel, the Terminator’s son Patrick Schwarzenegger is equal parts terrifying and enticing, and the ending, while a bit over-explained, ties everything together nicely.
The Wailing
In this unbelievably tense supernatural thriller, a foreigner’s mysterious appearance in a quiet, rural village causes suspicion among the locals, suspicion which quickly turns to hysteria as the townspeople begin killing each other in brutal outbursts for seemingly no reason. As the investigating officer watches his daughter fall under the same savage spell, he agrees to consult a shaman for answers, unknowingly escalating the situation into something far more dangerous. Arguably one of the best supernatural horrors in quite some time, The Wailing is jam-packed with mind-bending twists and deadly demonic rituals. Prepare yourself for an intense film that will leave you reeling when the credits roll.
Bone Tomahawk
In a small western town, several of the residents go missing and are feared to have been kidnapped by a cannibalistic tribe who live in vast caves deep in the desert lands. Originally thought to be Indians, the tribe is actually a spoiled bloodline known as troglodytes, vicious killers who prefer human meat over all else. Determined to find the townsfolk, Sheriff Franklin Hunt enlists a team of gunslingers to risk their lives by confronting the remorseless cave-dwelling maneaters. Bone Tomahawk delivers a unique western take on the horror genre and some of the scenes are guaranteed to make your stomach churn.
A Tale of Two Sisters
This supernatural horror film from Kim Jee-woon is inspired by the ancient Korean folktale “Jangha and Hongryun”. Set in an isolated lakeside house, it begins with two young girls, Su-mi and Su-yeon, returning home after a period of hospitalization following the death of their mother. In the meantime, their father Mu-Hyun has married Eun-joo, whom the girls obviously despise. Strange, violent visions begin to disturb Su-mi and she becomes convinced that Eun-joo is keeping a dark secret from the family. As with most horror films from the East, A Tale of Two Sisters creates a deranged and disturbing setting that will haunt you for weeks. Although a Western remake called “The Uninvited” exists, it’s best to stick to the original if you want your scares to be truly terrifying.
The Golden Glove
Writer-director Fatih Akin’s film is based on Heinz Strunk’s 2016 historical crime novel of the same name, which dramatizes the life of German serial killer Fritz Honka. Honka prowls the nightlife of Hamburg’s St. Pauli district in the 1970s, killing and dismembering the women who followed him back to his apartment and leaving their corpses to rot behind his wall. The Golden Glove is both a character study of real-life serial killer Fritz Honka and a grim period piece. Be warned, this is not for those with a weak stomach as the film probes Honka’s disturbing mind and explores what makes a person a serial killer and what terrifying lengths they can go to if left unchecked.
Audition
Controversial Japanese director Takashi Miike creates this unnerving horror film about a widowed TV producer auditioning prospective wives. In his search, one candidate particularly stands out, a lovely ex-ballerina dressed in white. The widower cannot believe his good fortune until he starts looking more closely at his potential bride-to-be. Her details don’t quite check out, she has a number of ugly scars on her legs, and he learns that people in her life have a habit of disappearing. When he discovers a man trussed up in her living room with his tongue and feet lopped off, he concludes that she is perhaps not the woman of his dreams. Audition does an excellent job to heighten the terror as the audience discovers the true secrets behind the woman in white.
Summer of ’84
Four suburban teens, Davey, Woody, Farraday and Eats, suspect their policeman neighbor Mr. Mackey is secretly the serial killer known as The Cape May Strangler. Despite their parents’ dismissal, the group spends the summer of 1984 investigating his suspicious behavior until they find themselves in real danger. For fans of the 80’s classic The Goonies, Summer of 84 will feel very familiar. However unlike the innocent adventure, The Goonies find themselves on, Summer of 84 features some truly horrific scenes thanks to the wonderfully portrayed antagonist. For 80’s nostalgia fans that felt Stranger Things needed more blood, violence and overall horror, then Summer of 84 is perfect for you.
One Cut of the Dead
Director Higurashi and his film crew are shooting a Japanese low-budget zombie movie in an abandoned World War 2 army building rumored to have been a site of army experimentation. The movie becomes a documentary, however, when they are attacked by real zombies. Despite the chaos that ensues, Higurashi orders the crew to keep filming. It’s a unique take on the typical zombie movie and unlike some other horrors on the list, is genuinely funny, with some laugh out loud moments peppered throughout the disturbing violence. It’s weird, twisted, hilarious and downright messed up, but if you like your LOL’s with your zombie outbreak then One Cut of the Dead is brilliant viewing.
The Void
An overcurious detective discovers that his small town has a grotesque supernatural underbelly when he takes an injured man to the hospital. As the facility is surrounded by a mob of mysterious cloaked figures, he must protect helpless patients from night-shift doctors and nurses who have gone insane. The Void is a strange movie, with a sometimes confusing and hard to follow plot, yet it’s the visuals and the unique Lovecraftian horror that makes this a much watch. Containing some disturbing and downright nasty body horror, The Void is not meant for those with weak stomachs.
Little Evil
Gary has married the woman of his dreams and life is looking quite rosy. That is until Gary starts to suspect that his new stepson might be the antichrist. Unfortunately for Gary, his stepson is indeed pure evil as his beloved new wife was impregnated by the devil himself before they met up. The plot is ridiculous and can be seen more as a comedy horror than a pure out and out horror. Yet Gary, wonderfully played by Parks & Rec star, Adam Scott, and there are some truly amazing funny moments and he tries to deal with his evil stepson. Little Evil comes from the director of Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, and you can expect the same expert blend of horror with comedy in this hilarious flick.
Velvet Buzzsaw
Art agent Josephina discovers hundreds of eerie paintings when one of her reclusive neighbors dies. She ignores the warning left behind by the troubled, mentally ill man to destroy the paintings, instead of finding great buzz around them from her gallerist boss, an art critic and a curator. As these members of the Los Angeles art world elite try to profit off of the pilfered work, they begin to have supernatural experiences where the art violently comes alive to enact justice. With an all-star cast in Jake Gyllenhaal and Toni Collette, Velvet Buzzsaw offers a more refined horror experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very final frame.
Haunt
It’s winter, and Evan has moved into a home with a dark history when he meets Samantha, the mysterious girl who lives nearby, and claims that the house is cursed. Later, as the pair delve ever deeper into the supernatural mystery, it begins to appear that sinister forces are stirring in the darkened attic. When an enigmatic device appears to open a gateway to the afterlife, allowing sinister spirits to cross into the living realm, Evan and Samantha seek out the last living member of the home’s original occupants in an attempt to close the portal they should have never opened.
The Taking of Deborah Logan
A student producing a Ph.D. thesis film on Alzheimer’s disease begins documenting the lives of an afflicted mother and her daughter, only to discover that the true cause of the woman’s malaise is something far more malevolent. Although the found-footage-genre has become inundated with cheap and often terrible movies, The Taking of Deborah Logan puts a clever twist to the genre by capturing the everyday pain and terror Alzheimer’s patients and their families can face. The movie morphs from a heartbreaking film about dementia into a twisty-turny thriller quite quickly and provides some genuinely terrifying scares. Although sometimes the real-life issues are considerably scarier than the monster in the shadows.
The Midnight Meat Train
A photographer propelled to explore his dark side begins tracking a subway serial killer whose brutal butchery makes for the most nightmarish images ever captured on camera in director Ryuhei Kitamura’s adaptation of a short story by horror heavyweight Clive Barker. Leon Kaufman is just another struggling photographer in search of the perfect subject. Encouraged to explore the sinister side of humanity by a prominent art gallery proprietor who is set to display his upcoming debut, Leon goes against the wishes of his girlfriend, Maya, and begins stalking notorious serial killer Mahogany, whose sadistic murder spree has been making headlines all across the country. As Leon’s fascination with Mahogany gradually grows into an obsession, his descent into the killer’s putrid world of murder begins to corrupt his soul while simultaneously dragging his concerned girlfriend down a perverse path of darkness from which there is no return.
Lake Mungo
Shortly after the mysterious death of sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer, her family summons a psychic and a parapsychologist into their home and discovers that the secretive teen had been leading a double life. Alice was swimming in a local dam when she drowned tragically. Later, after her body is recovered and the coroner issues a verdict of accidental death, Alice is laid to rest and her family returns home to grieve in peace. The Palmer’s mournful silence is short-lived, however, when a series of strange occurrences in and around their home leaves them convinced that they are experiencing something supernatural. Seeking the advice of a psychic and a parapsychologist, who reveals that Alice had been keeping some profound secrets from her friends and family, the Palmers travel to Lake Mungo and begin unraveling the mystery of the troubled adolescent’s double life. A faux-documentary shot in the style of The Blair Witch Project and Diary of the Dead, Lake Mungo proves that the mysteries of the living don’t lie silent with the deceased.