Keen to have those grisly ghouls from every tomb close in to seal your doom? You’re only a mere mortal, so surely you cannot resist the evil of the thriller? Or, perhaps more accurately, the horror. Want to scare yourself half to death and don’t know where to begin? Well, you’ve come to the right place (or the wrong place, perhaps)
*evil laughter*
The VVitch
Synopsis: A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.
Why Should You Watch It: It still seems like hardly anyone has watched this film! You’re crazy if you havven’t vvatched it yet. It’s one of the best horror films of the last ten years and is deeply unsettling. VVatch as people totally unravel.
Annihilation
Synopsis: A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don’t apply.
Why Should You Watch It: I class this as horror because I am terrified by it. Alex Garland is really, very good at making those film things, hey? As a massive fan of Ex Machina, I was hoping this would have the same philosophical questions about what it means to be human without the cutting open bodies. It delivered on the former, but there’s definitely still skin being cut and, look – just watch this alright.
The Conjuring
Synopsis: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
Why Should You Watch It: The strap is that this is Not usually the kind of film that I enjoy, but this one just feels a little more polished than others of the same ilk. Some good performances by the leading actors, too. Has been widely lauded as one of the better horror films in recent times – and resulted in numerous follow ups – but the original remains the quality pick. Worth seeing if you haven’t watched before.
The Similars
Synopsis: On the rainy night of October 2, 1968, eight characters waiting on a remote bus station for a bus heading to Mexico City start experiencing a strange phenomenon.
Why Should You Watch It: Out of left field this one, a recommendation from a friend put me onto it and I was not disappointed. It largely inspired this post. It’s a great horror title that messes with you and your paranoia – of other people, of what lurks behind their facade, of being trapped. Tingles the old spine.
The Ritual
Synopsis: A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them.
Why Should You Watch It: A lot has been said about this one – I liked it – and I think the general idea behind it is very good, but maybe the execution is a little off. On a recent hike this movie kept running through my head, so that says something. Feel like cult status awaits it because it hasn’t been too well-received, critically.
The Gift
Synopsis: A young married couple’s lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband’s past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.
Why Should You Watch It: So underrated and with such a strong premise and cast. Aussie lad Joel Edgerton has such a fabulous menacing whimsy about him throughout the film and such a clear vision of how he wants the film to feel. He puts in a great performance and having written and directed it himself, the film has a cohesion to it that other horror films often lack.
The Babysitter
Synopsis: The events of one evening take an unexpected turn for the worst for a young boy trying to spy on his babysitter.
Why Should You Watch It: This one is one of those “it’s not incredibly good but it’s really not that bad” kind of films that is just an easy horror film to digest. It’s ~fun~. It’s the type of film you tell your friends about with a big, dumb grin on your face.
Honeymoon
Synopsis: A newlywed couple finds their lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night.
Why Should You Watch It: Why is this rated so poorly? It has the wonderful Rose ‘You Know Nothing Jon Snow’ Leslie and Harry Treadaway does an excellent job as her opposite. Doesn’t show its hand too early, which makes it all the more terrifying at its conclusion.
Creep
Synopsis: When a videographer answers a Craigslist ad for a one-day job in a remote mountain town, he finds his client is not at all what he initially seems.
Why Should You Watch It: Found footage films since Blair Witch haven’t really been able to capture, or even emulate, that suffocating tension as well as Creep does. That final scene. There’s not much like it. Yep, Paranormal Activity was good, but this is like a different level of unsettling. A different breed, even. Requires a little bit more leeway in the plot stakes than Blair Witch but ultimately this is a rewarding watch. The sequel is also on Netflix (and awesome!)
The Invitation
Synopsis: While attending a dinner party at his former home, a man thinks his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests.
Why Should You Watch It: Don’t go to a party at your ex-wife’s house. Don’t do that. That’s a bad idea. Oh, you’ve done it? You’re in the house? You’re at the party now? What could go wrong? Everything? Oh, right, of course. Everything. Wait, is this a horror film? Oh god it is a horror film. This is a nightmare. This is the worst. This can’t end well. Don’t go to a party at your ex-wife’s house.