Is it just me, or do you feel like horror movies are always undervalued as well? Have you never wondered how can films fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath; inspiring not only an intense physical reaction but also cerebral experiences?
Maybe the aversion some viewers may have to the horror genre is a fear of losing control- having to shy away in fright, embarrassing themselves. A lot of people simply don’t want to lose control, no matter what. The irony is, that horror, is a genre in which each filmmaker has to assert his or her utmost control over the material, and has to perfectly calibrate the storytelling so that we as the audience can lose it. The trick is – extreme control of the screenplay so that the audience can lose control.
What makes the 120 minutes of nail-biting anxiety combined with blood and gore inviting to some people? The answer lies in the brains of horror enthusiasts. Yes, studies have shown that people who enjoy scary movies are more sensitive to dopamine, or the reward hormone. It is the exact reason why some people engage in activities like skydiving and bungee jumping. Experiencing adrenaline-spiking scenarios without actual threat is a fix that many people enjoy, making horror movies so popular.
On a related note, horror movies also explore representations of genuine fears. For example, Frankenstein deals with the power of science to alter the laws of nature and gets in touch with the socially constructed fear of the evil powers of science. At the same time, people also enjoy horror movies to see how the protagonist weathers the obstacles to their survival.
Exploring the horror genre is not for the faint-hearted. Sometimes it is a thinly veiled supernatural creature, otherwise, it is an ancient demon or merely an unhinged human being that raises the viewer’s heartbeat. Based on the execution of the story or the well-timed jump scares, horror movies can quickly veer from bone-chilling and eerie to tacky and almost comical. Nonetheless, there have been movies in the horror genre that were applauded for their brilliance by horror enthusiasts and others equally. Here is a list of some of the scariest movies ever made. Fair warning, the following content contains spoilers.
The Shining(1980)
Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, Stanley Kubrick crafted a masterpiece that even non-enthusiasts found this horror film intriguing. When a family moves to The Overlook hotel as the father picks up the job of the winter caretaker, they do not know the horrors awaiting them.
When it turns out that the resort hotel does not favor people, The Shining starts feeling evil. There are bloody cadavers, imaginary friends, elevators filled with blood, and everything else one could ask for in a haunted house movie. Jack Nicholson’s deranged Jack Torrance and the terror induced by Room 237 in the hotel make the movie deserving of its popularity.
In a nutshell (no pun intended), while the story appears on the surface to be about ghosts and insanity, it actually deals with issues of child abuse, immortality, and duality.
In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo is on their way home, picking up a distress call from a distant moon. Upon investigation, they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature and realize that it wasn’t a distress call, but a warning. One of the eggs from the colony is disturbed, and what follows is a survival battle against an alien lifeform. Ridley Scott presents nearly unbearable suspense in this excessively gory tale of a mysterious lifeform on some random interstellar moon.
The film is a study of terror. It may not be as action-packed as the other films in the series but it brings the claustrophobia of being hunted to a new level.
Being one of the cult classics, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist has the generic creepiness and viscerally shocking scenes that the fans of the genre anticipate. The movie tells the story of 12-year-old Regan, the daughter of a popular movie star, and the sudden changes in her demeanor. She goes from a happy child to screaming obscenities, speaking in inhuman voices, and having violent seizures.
Her mother seeks the aid of Father Karras who exorcises the demon possessing the child. The story unfolds as Regan is engaged in an intense struggle with the spirit possessing her. At the same time, Father Karras fights his own battles, and the viewer is left expecting the result of the tense confrontation between good and evil.
A major reason why The Exorcist is the best horror film ever made is that the subject matter was treated with dignity and respect. Too many horror films are made today that just don’t try, it’s as if they give up halfway through and fall into self-parody and amusement.
Sarah embarks on a caving expedition to recover from the trauma of losing her husband and child a year ago. Along with her friends, Sarah descends into a large cave in North Carolina and soon ensues a gritty tale about desperation, isolation, and survival. The sextet of women realizes that they are not the only beings in the cave system when they notice strange cave paintings. As they suffocate miles under the surface of Earth, something smells at their scent. Things take an even worse turn when the girls discover that they are now entrapped with humanoid creatures, thirsty for their blood.
Even the heaviest Martin Scorsese movies are infinitely rewatchable, but Shutter Island is one of the few that feels like it shapeshifts before your eyes during repeat viewings. The film masquerades as a dark and stormy crime thriller in order to disguise the psychological horror that’s churning below the surface, you may find that this pulp-fest is overshadowed by a twist ending that relies on the spellbound-level brain science of the story’s post-war setting.
Although alluring for all age groups, the movie’s central mystery may feel a bit cheated by its contrivances. The Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane has an eerieness to it every time you watch the film. What once seemed like a puzzle with an easy solution blurs into a tragedy with no escape. On a list full of indelible ghost stories, few characters are more painfully haunted than DiCaprio’s “Teddy,” a man who’s been trapped in a prison of his own trauma for so long, he can no longer bear to live with himself. It’s hard to imagine a fate much scarier than that.
Originally titled Låt den rätte komma in, this Swedish film isn’t your typical horror film. It’s subtle, and can even be slow for some viewers. The film follows an intimate story of a bullied 12-year-old, Oscar, and the vampire, Eli, he befriends. Oskar soon falls in love with Eli, who can’t stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back but when he realizes that Eli needs to drink other people’s blood to live he’s faced with a choice. How much can love to forgive? The movie is set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982 and follows a unique color pattern, different from what is usually shown in modern and digital horror films.
This Bruce Willis-starring feature is creepy enough without its final act jaw-dropper, with the actor as a sheepish child psychologist palling around with a terrified young kid (Haley Joel Osment) who comes armed with one of modern cinema’s most indelible catchphrases: it’s hard to beat “I see dead people,” and who would want to try?. What a pair they make, and Shyamalan skillfully guides the film so it seems as if they’re working towards one conclusion, before veering into an entirely different one that’s as jarring as they come. It’s a film that begs for an instant rewatch, all the better to pick up all the tiny, terrifying clues that Shyamalan has laid out along the way.
The first installment of The Omen trilogy still holds up as one of the eeriest movies of all time. It tells the story of an innocent young boy who, unbeknownst to himself and everyone around hi, including his diplomat father and his wife, just might be the Antichrist. Preferring mood and atmosphere over shock and awe, and boasting some genuinely chilling scenes, including grisly death sequences, by hanging, decapitation, and impalement, and a famously foreboding Oscar-winning score; the film presents a scenario that would be any parent’s worst nightmare. The Omen, treats its subject seriously, which adds to its believability. The pale-faced Harvey Stephens as the devil child is sufficiently sinister. The film spawned two sequels and a 2006 remake that should be avoided, at least not without seeing the original first.
Jonathan Demme introduces the story with the FBI rookie Clarice Starling being assigned to interview Hannibal Lecter as a part of an ongoing investigation. In order to find the serial killer Buffalo Bill, Starling has to get in touch with the imprisoned cannibal and psychiatrist Hannibal. As the investigation proceeds, Starling falls into a whirlwind of unsettling information such as women being skinned, victims being fed sphinx moths, and nightmares about slaughtered lambs. Even though the movie has faced much backlash for its portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community, Silence of the Lambs still is revered as one of the best psychological thrillers ever made. In fact, Hannibal Lecter received so much attention that the character found itself featured in spinoffs.
While I personally don’t find zombies scary, this particular zombie horror is absolutely terrifying. Set 28 days after a viral epidemic ravages Britain, the film follows survivors struggling to make sense of the aftermath, while seeking safety. Moving beyond the typical zombie thrills and onto something even more horrifying, the film presents a gripping representation of a hideously virulent and incurable sickness that leaves its hosts in a permanent and appalling state of aggression, filled with incredible rage.
The film questions whether this kind of blinding, violent fury is something that already exists inside us, and the virus simply brings it out. The fact that the film is shot on consumer-grade digital video cameras gives the film an effective grit and grime, and a necessary realism, although it’s not without moments of surreal beauty. What’s maybe scariest about this film is that the scenario it presents isn’t at all unrealistic.
Based on Ira Levin’s novel on modern-day witchcraft and demons, Polanski has made a brilliant movie that has a sense of unthinkable danger. The viewer is introduced to the couple, Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse, who moves into an apartment in New York City with an unsavory reputation. Through her pregnancy, Rosemary believes that her child is not of this world. When their friendly yet odd neighbors seem to have plans for her baby, elements of a sinister conspiracy start forming. Adding Rosemary’s strange dreams, the ghastly history of the apartment, and a lot of unpleasant noises to the mix, the movie becomes one that can truly keep you up at night.
Insidious is a gripping story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident in the attic. This endless sleep forces them to explore the paranormal, and rediscover the past; as they search for the key to getting their son back once and for all. Insidious has a lot of really intense moments that scare, and then grab hold of you. It’s not entirely made up of make-you-jump scenes, which it does have, but scenes with genuine horror!
The makers of Insidious took a risk by trying to do something original, and it worked here for them. Without giving anything away the movie does not just talk about what’s scary or show the aftermath of something going on in a room that you can only hear until it’s over and the door magically unlocks. Insidious shows you what’s scary, and quite often reminds you what’s there and waiting in the dark.
The U.S. remake of the Korean horror movie Geoul Sokeuro follows former NYPD detective Ben Carson who is hired to work as night watch for the remains of the Mayflower Department Store that was partially destroyed by fire many years ago. Ben sees weird images in the mirrors, but due to the lack of credibility of his past, his ex-wife Amy believes he has hallucinations as a side effect of his medication. When Angie is found brutally murdered in her bathtub, Ben discovers that there is an evil force in the mirror that is chasing him and jeopardizing his family.
The plot which is interesting although a little predictable, has a good rhythm and the tension grows in its intensity as the movie moves along. Personally, the movie freaked me out just enough to take down all the mirrors I owned.
When Emily Rose dies as a result of her exorcism, and the priest who performed the exorcism is charged with her murder; Scott Derrickson’s well-executed and well-researched, multi-layered film works both as psychological horror and a gripping courtroom drama. What I liked about the horror element is that even though there are a few jumps, it does not derail ridicule. The director doesn’t overdo any violence, blood, scary faces, and whatever. There is a lot of silence which leaves the viewer in a heightened state of suspense desperately wondering what will break the silence. The exorcism scenes are quite chilling. The courtroom sequences raise some interesting questions about scientific reasoning versus the unknown and unexplained. I was impressed that it didn’t become one of those God versus Science movies.
In the year 2047, a group of astronauts investigates in an attempt to salvage the long-lost starship “Event Horizon”. The ship disappeared mysteriously 7 years ago on its maiden voyage and with its return comes even more mystery as the crew discovers the real truth behind its disappearance and something even more terrifying. This is actually one of my favorite horror movies. It is smart, scary, and yes, even a little disturbing at times. While some of the ideas behind science are absurd, the cast does a good job in their roles, and the setting for the movie is dark, creepy, and perfectly done. I highly suggest renting this gem and enjoying it for what it is; it definitely is one of the better horror movies of the late 90s.
I liked the structure, design, and vibe of this movie. It’s basically a ghost-haunting movie, where two sibling kids that move like a spider Gollum, especially the younger one that gets found in a small house in the woods; are taken in by their father’s twin brother and girlfriend. Macabre events soon make the new guardians suspect that a supernatural evil force named Mama has attached itself to the girls.
Kate and John Coleman in an attempt to rebuild their troubled marriage after the loss of their baby, adopt 9-year-old Esther, from the St. Marina Orphanage. Initially enchanted by the well-behaved Esther, Kate soon begins to feel that Esther is manipulative and possibly even psychologically damaged. The nuns at the orphanage inform her that Esther has a troubled and mysterious history. Kate delves further into Esther’s past and discovers she is not what she seems to be. There are plenty of shocks and also some laughs and Esther’s “secret” is, surprisingly, original.
Don’t let the trailer fool you into thinking this is just another “evil kid” movie. It's really much more than that. This is definitely one of the better horror films to come along these days.
Sharon wakes up every night screaming about “Silent Hill”. Her adoptive mother Rose takes her there in an attempt to understand more about what the child has been having nightmares about. Right at the edge of the town, crashes the car, and knocks herself unconscious, only to awaken to a missing Sharon. The film follows Rose as she searches the fog- and ash-blanketed town for her beloved daughter. Based on an eerie and frankly speaking rather disturbing video game, this film adaptation is bravely made by Christophe Gans beautifully portraying haunting visuals of the abandoned city.
The eerie mood of Silent Hill justifies it as a nightmarish place – a fog-enshrouded hell that shifts between two modes- barren ashen daylight and a gruesome decaying state with fiery embers, demons and enhanced by chilling (and very sudden) sound effects. It’s strangely fascinating, surreal, and above all frightening.
Interestingly, horror is one genre that has seen an immense transformation with the passing of time and incorporated changes to make the old tropes even scarier. Be it gore, ghosts, or ambiguity mixed with a charming villain, a well-crafted horror movie always leaves the viewer wanting more. Recently, horror movies have also addressed racial and social issues, such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out, and dystopian themes, like in 28 Days Later. It is safe to say that the genre is undergoing another wave of change like it did in the 70s.
With the success of streaming platforms, horror movies produce huge turnovers, and it is no wonder that filmmakers are getting more creative to join the fad. From the classic monster movies of the 50s like Dracula to psychological thrillers of the 70s, slasher hits of the 80s, and the current techno-horror thrillers, makers of horror films always keep their audience exactly where they want them — on the edge of their seats and on the toes. Horror films have always held their place in the industry, and that does not seem to change anytime soon.
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