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Various horror things I have watched that aren't "all about jumpscares" in no particular order, just scrolling back through my browsing history;
let's get some of the big obvious prestigious ones you probably already know about out of the way first:
Lovecraft Country:
Has it's issues but you know, they're trying and listening to feedback and learning. it's about what you expect in a luxuriously budgeted elritch HBO series
Lovecraft Country:
Has it's issues but you know, they're trying and listening to feedback and learning. it's about what you expect in a luxuriously budgeted elritch HBO series
The Twilight Zone:
True to the spirit of the original, great variety and a diverse A-list cast of recognizable talent
True to the spirit of the original, great variety and a diverse A-list cast of recognizable talent
Hereditaary:
I feel like it's 9/10's of an outstanding movie that didn't quite know how to end itself, but it has one of the most viscerally upsetting moments I've seen in a movie in years that just made me feel that dread like you've fucked up and nothing can fix the problem
I feel like it's 9/10's of an outstanding movie that didn't quite know how to end itself, but it has one of the most viscerally upsetting moments I've seen in a movie in years that just made me feel that dread like you've fucked up and nothing can fix the problem
Get Out: They say the difference between a twist and a "tweest" that no one really likes is that a legitimately good twist makes everything that's happened up to the point of the reveal mean something different, and Get Out is a perfect example of that
Us:
Us was definitely more of a divisive movie than Get Out, but it was more interpretive and didn't hand you a neatly wrapped literal ending the same way Get Out did. It says a lot more metaphorically about class, privilege, "worthiness", etc
Us was definitely more of a divisive movie than Get Out, but it was more interpretive and didn't hand you a neatly wrapped literal ending the same way Get Out did. It says a lot more metaphorically about class, privilege, "worthiness", etc
Midsommar:
A lot of the same uncomfortably sincere human emotion you expect from Ari Aster, set almost completely in broad daylight, full of uncomfortable atmosphere and commentary on white supremacist recruitment tactics.
A lot of the same uncomfortably sincere human emotion you expect from Ari Aster, set almost completely in broad daylight, full of uncomfortable atmosphere and commentary on white supremacist recruitment tactics.
Okay, now that we have the ones everyone knows about out of the way;
The Selling:
A horror-comedy about a hard-on-his-luck real estate agent trying to sell an obviously, antagonistically haunted house while he helps his mother get through her chemotherapy
The Selling:
A horror-comedy about a hard-on-his-luck real estate agent trying to sell an obviously, antagonistically haunted house while he helps his mother get through her chemotherapy
Starfish:
Kind of a dreamy, sad, surreal apocalyptic movie about a woman trying to hunt down mix tapes her best friend hid before committing suicide, that she believes to be the key to stopping an onslaught of interdimensional monsters that have wiped out humanity.
Kind of a dreamy, sad, surreal apocalyptic movie about a woman trying to hunt down mix tapes her best friend hid before committing suicide, that she believes to be the key to stopping an onslaught of interdimensional monsters that have wiped out humanity.
Blood Quantum:
@tripgore's masterpiece that's been years in the making, A zombie apocalypse in a world where Native people have an immunity to the zombie virus that settlers don't, and what that means when everyone starts descending on reserves looking for a safe haven.
@tripgore's masterpiece that's been years in the making, A zombie apocalypse in a world where Native people have an immunity to the zombie virus that settlers don't, and what that means when everyone starts descending on reserves looking for a safe haven.
Rhymes For Young Ghouls:
As long as we're on the subject of @tripgore's movies, maybe not necessarily a "horror" in the sense most people use the word but certainly horrific, a story about the abuse of Native children at the hands of the residential school system
As long as we're on the subject of @tripgore's movies, maybe not necessarily a "horror" in the sense most people use the word but certainly horrific, a story about the abuse of Native children at the hands of the residential school system
Spiral:
Potentially a very frustrating watch depending on what you want out of your horror movies, but kind of harkens back to the Rosemary's baby setup of "a marginalized person being gaslit by a community of cultists".
Potentially a very frustrating watch depending on what you want out of your horror movies, but kind of harkens back to the Rosemary's baby setup of "a marginalized person being gaslit by a community of cultists".
Horror and Hamsters:
Okay listen this is exactly what it says on the package, they show you an anthology short and then they show you some completely g-rated b-roll of hamsters with goofy voiceovers.
Okay listen this is exactly what it says on the package, they show you an anthology short and then they show you some completely g-rated b-roll of hamsters with goofy voiceovers.
Body Melt:
Listen I don't even know what the fuck to say about this movie, but if you like weird goofy lowbrow troma-style body horror in the vein of stuff like Toxic Avenger you'll probably enjoy it.
Listen I don't even know what the fuck to say about this movie, but if you like weird goofy lowbrow troma-style body horror in the vein of stuff like Toxic Avenger you'll probably enjoy it.
The Life Peddler:
I am 90% sure I read this premise as a creepypasta years ago, but it's a pretty economically executed bittersweet story about a loving elderly couple bargaining memories of their years together for the good health to live a little longer with each other.
I am 90% sure I read this premise as a creepypasta years ago, but it's a pretty economically executed bittersweet story about a loving elderly couple bargaining memories of their years together for the good health to live a little longer with each other.
The Shed:
Kind of feels like a grown-up Are You Afraid of the Dark episode or something, a sullen, bullied teenager has a vampire trapped in his shed and he's trying to figure out what he's supposed to do about that.
Kind of feels like a grown-up Are You Afraid of the Dark episode or something, a sullen, bullied teenager has a vampire trapped in his shed and he's trying to figure out what he's supposed to do about that.
End-Trip:
I don't know if I actually liked this movie or not but it was unique enough that I remembered it. A disjointed non-linear story about a ride share trip that spirals off the deep end.
I don't know if I actually liked this movie or not but it was unique enough that I remembered it. A disjointed non-linear story about a ride share trip that spirals off the deep end.
Scare Package:
Personally this one was too meta for me, but I feel like if you want something that feels kind of like.... cabin in the woods style satirical comedy-horror but way more indie you'll like it
Personally this one was too meta for me, but I feel like if you want something that feels kind of like.... cabin in the woods style satirical comedy-horror but way more indie you'll like it
Exhibit A:
A found footage horror movie that separates itself from the genre by having nothing to do with anything supernatural, and just documenting a father spiraling out of control as he digs himself into a financial pit he won't admit to his family
A found footage horror movie that separates itself from the genre by having nothing to do with anything supernatural, and just documenting a father spiraling out of control as he digs himself into a financial pit he won't admit to his family
The People Under the Stairs:
A Wes Craven classic that isn't quite as well known as some of his other big blockbusters, kind of a plucky-youth-VS-the-system movie that made a lot of tongue-in-cheek commentary on racism, classism, and gentrification
A Wes Craven classic that isn't quite as well known as some of his other big blockbusters, kind of a plucky-youth-VS-the-system movie that made a lot of tongue-in-cheek commentary on racism, classism, and gentrification
Ravenous:
Beloved cannibalism classic, you'll never get the image of Robert Carlyle chasing Guy Pierce through the forest to a soundtrack of peppy colonial flute music out of your head.
Beloved cannibalism classic, you'll never get the image of Robert Carlyle chasing Guy Pierce through the forest to a soundtrack of peppy colonial flute music out of your head.
Holiday Hell:
Super corny holiday anthology movie in which Jeffrey Combs tries to peddle pawnshop items by telling the spooky stories behind them.
Super corny holiday anthology movie in which Jeffrey Combs tries to peddle pawnshop items by telling the spooky stories behind them.
Sexy Evil Genius:
Sort of like... Scott Pilgrim reimagined as a psychological thriller. A group of people who realize they all dated the same woman are gathered at a bar for a reason they need to deduce by trying to line up their histories with her.
Sort of like... Scott Pilgrim reimagined as a psychological thriller. A group of people who realize they all dated the same woman are gathered at a bar for a reason they need to deduce by trying to line up their histories with her.
Crush the Skull:
This one might be a little jump-scarier than the others by virtue of being a "trapped in a slasher dungeon" style movie, but it's a refreshing take on the genre by virtue of the characters just... behaving like they actually want to use logic and escape
This one might be a little jump-scarier than the others by virtue of being a "trapped in a slasher dungeon" style movie, but it's a refreshing take on the genre by virtue of the characters just... behaving like they actually want to use logic and escape
Crazy as Hell:
Psychological thriller about a therapist haunted by the death of his daughter treating a patient who claims to be Satan. Mostly carried by Eriq La Salle (who also directed) hamming the hell out of every scene he appears in
Psychological thriller about a therapist haunted by the death of his daughter treating a patient who claims to be Satan. Mostly carried by Eriq La Salle (who also directed) hamming the hell out of every scene he appears in
Pet Sematary II:
I feel like not a lot of people watched this one because they were like "yeah, I got it" from the first one, but it really is one of the most delightfully unhinged @RealClancyBrown performances this side of the Kurgan
I feel like not a lot of people watched this one because they were like "yeah, I got it" from the first one, but it really is one of the most delightfully unhinged @RealClancyBrown performances this side of the Kurgan
Come To Daddy:
Elijah Wood's character tries to visit his estranged father and everything goes completely off the rails
Elijah Wood's character tries to visit his estranged father and everything goes completely off the rails
Inside:
Kind of a Misery-esque story of a man with a habit of spying on strangers who ends up trapped with a family who come to believe he is their dead son, divinely returned to them, and in need of reconditioning to remember who he is.
Kind of a Misery-esque story of a man with a habit of spying on strangers who ends up trapped with a family who come to believe he is their dead son, divinely returned to them, and in need of reconditioning to remember who he is.
Home Sweet Hell:
Kind of a dark-comedy suspense about a schmuck who falls for a secretary using an extramarital affair to grift him, and finds out his wife is willing to commit any number of murders to maintain the veneer of happy upper middle class suburban life.
Kind of a dark-comedy suspense about a schmuck who falls for a secretary using an extramarital affair to grift him, and finds out his wife is willing to commit any number of murders to maintain the veneer of happy upper middle class suburban life.
Rememory:
Peter Dinklage-lead suspense film about a man who steals a device that can record people's memories to try to get to the bottom of a mystery surrounding who murdered the man who invented it.
Peter Dinklage-lead suspense film about a man who steals a device that can record people's memories to try to get to the bottom of a mystery surrounding who murdered the man who invented it.
The Mandela Effect:
A grieving father becomes obsessed with the concept of the Mandela Effect, wondering if he could use it to rewrite history in a way that could reunite him with his daughter
A grieving father becomes obsessed with the concept of the Mandela Effect, wondering if he could use it to rewrite history in a way that could reunite him with his daughter
Main Street Meats:
Not exactly like... Birdemic-bad, but that family of bad. If you like to watch movies like Birdemic and Sharknado for fun you will probably enjoy this movie
Not exactly like... Birdemic-bad, but that family of bad. If you like to watch movies like Birdemic and Sharknado for fun you will probably enjoy this movie
Fresh Meat:
A FANTASTIC cannibal comedy lesbian romance movie about a violent street gang that tries to hide out in the home of an upper middle class Maori family, only to find the patriarch (Temuera Morrison) is a member of a secret high-society cannibal cult
A FANTASTIC cannibal comedy lesbian romance movie about a violent street gang that tries to hide out in the home of an upper middle class Maori family, only to find the patriarch (Temuera Morrison) is a member of a secret high-society cannibal cult
Bloodsucking Bastards:
Vampire Office comedy starring an almost-unrecognizable clean-shaven Pedro Pascal as a boss converting his office drones into vampires to make them more driven and efficient
Vampire Office comedy starring an almost-unrecognizable clean-shaven Pedro Pascal as a boss converting his office drones into vampires to make them more driven and efficient
100 Bloody Acres:
Australian horror-comedy about two brother running a fertilizer business that secretly adds mulched up human bodies they salvage from car accidents to the mix
Australian horror-comedy about two brother running a fertilizer business that secretly adds mulched up human bodies they salvage from car accidents to the mix
Abattoir:
Honestly a pretty unique premise for a horror movie, a crime noir style story about a reporter trying to follow the lead of a man who appears to be dismantling houses where tragic events occurred, to save and relocate only the rooms people died in
Honestly a pretty unique premise for a horror movie, a crime noir style story about a reporter trying to follow the lead of a man who appears to be dismantling houses where tragic events occurred, to save and relocate only the rooms people died in
The House Invictus:
This is a really brutal movie that needs trigger warnings for pretty much everything, but I think it's important to include because people don't give a lot of press to Black directors outside of Jordan Peele trying to use horror to make social commentary
This is a really brutal movie that needs trigger warnings for pretty much everything, but I think it's important to include because people don't give a lot of press to Black directors outside of Jordan Peele trying to use horror to make social commentary
Monday at 11:01 AM:
This one is very made-for-TV. I think it's aiming for Twin-peaks surrealism but kind of lands on the Goosebumps version of that, but it's still the kind of thing I'd probably watch at a Halloween sleepover with my pals when I was 16
This one is very made-for-TV. I think it's aiming for Twin-peaks surrealism but kind of lands on the Goosebumps version of that, but it's still the kind of thing I'd probably watch at a Halloween sleepover with my pals when I was 16
Afflicted:
This is actually a pretty interesting approach to a found footage monster movie in that at one point I actually paused it and looked it up online to make sure I wasn't watching an actual documentary about a guy with a terminal illness before it went off the rails.
This is actually a pretty interesting approach to a found footage monster movie in that at one point I actually paused it and looked it up online to make sure I wasn't watching an actual documentary about a guy with a terminal illness before it went off the rails.
The Fare:
This one is actually less of a horror or thriller and more like a Strange Tales Sci-Fi romance. I actually think this movie has the potential to be very popular and relevant to a lot of people's interests right now, but to explain why would ruin the ending.
This one is actually less of a horror or thriller and more like a Strange Tales Sci-Fi romance. I actually think this movie has the potential to be very popular and relevant to a lot of people's interests right now, but to explain why would ruin the ending.
Coherence:
Kind of a trippy sci-fi thriller about a dinner party trapped in recursive universes, trying to figure out if all of the guests are in the same version of reality they started out in like a fever dream
Kind of a trippy sci-fi thriller about a dinner party trapped in recursive universes, trying to figure out if all of the guests are in the same version of reality they started out in like a fever dream
Anyone Home?:
This one kinda utilizes the unfortunately overdone "the horror is mental illness" trope, but it's worth throwing out there because it stuck with me, a bipolar single mother going off her meds as she crumbles under the pressure of her unrealistic expectations
This one kinda utilizes the unfortunately overdone "the horror is mental illness" trope, but it's worth throwing out there because it stuck with me, a bipolar single mother going off her meds as she crumbles under the pressure of her unrealistic expectations
Oats Studio Vol 1:
Just one of the best horror anthologies ever made, I can't recommend it enough. A collection of short films by the same people who brought you District 9 and Chappie
Just one of the best horror anthologies ever made, I can't recommend it enough. A collection of short films by the same people who brought you District 9 and Chappie
Society:
Just one of the most balls-to-the-wall gross-out body horror social commentary films out there. Like if the monsters in They Live were a fleshy melting orgy cult or something
Just one of the most balls-to-the-wall gross-out body horror social commentary films out there. Like if the monsters in They Live were a fleshy melting orgy cult or something
Tusk:
You know what, I fuckin' love this movie, not even "ironically", the atmosphere is great, the body horror is legitimately unsettling, and Michael Parks approached this role with all the professional sincerity of a man who's been honing his craft since the 1960's.
You know what, I fuckin' love this movie, not even "ironically", the atmosphere is great, the body horror is legitimately unsettling, and Michael Parks approached this role with all the professional sincerity of a man who's been honing his craft since the 1960's.
Dead Ringers:
If I say this is a movie about Jeremy Irons playing two identical twin gynecologists, directed by David Cronenberg, you can probably imagine what you're getting yourself into.
If I say this is a movie about Jeremy Irons playing two identical twin gynecologists, directed by David Cronenberg, you can probably imagine what you're getting yourself into.
Deadtime Stories:
I've only ever actually seen the second volume so I can't speak to the first but I mean, it's Anthology Horror by George A Romero, it's campy and ridiculous.
I've only ever actually seen the second volume so I can't speak to the first but I mean, it's Anthology Horror by George A Romero, it's campy and ridiculous.
Don't Leave Home:
This one feels a lot like a story you'd see on a NoSleep forum, very atmospheric, plays with themes of Urban legends and reclusive painters, I could see the whole thing play out as an audio fiction.
This one feels a lot like a story you'd see on a NoSleep forum, very atmospheric, plays with themes of Urban legends and reclusive painters, I could see the whole thing play out as an audio fiction.
High Moon:
I didn't actually like this movie very much but the tag line "A gunfighter from the old west returns from the grave to stop a blood thirsty werewolf motorcycle gang from terrorizing a small town." set my expectations up really high
I didn't actually like this movie very much but the tag line "A gunfighter from the old west returns from the grave to stop a blood thirsty werewolf motorcycle gang from terrorizing a small town." set my expectations up really high
Satanic Panic
Cult comedy about a pizza delivery girl who accidentally wanders into a group of devil-worshippers led by Rebecca Romijn, looking for someone to sacrifice.
Cult comedy about a pizza delivery girl who accidentally wanders into a group of devil-worshippers led by Rebecca Romijn, looking for someone to sacrifice.
Tammy and the T-Rex:
Does this count as horror? I mean I guess you can watch it on Shudder. Basically the director had two weeks to write a movie that used a robotic t-rex they temporarily had access to so he made up a story about mad scientists putting Paul Walker's brain in it.
Does this count as horror? I mean I guess you can watch it on Shudder. Basically the director had two weeks to write a movie that used a robotic t-rex they temporarily had access to so he made up a story about mad scientists putting Paul Walker's brain in it.
We Are Not Cats:
This is kind of an uncomfortable arthouse film about two people with trichophagia who bond and fall in love over their shared compulsion until they nearly die of Rapunzel syndrome
This is kind of an uncomfortable arthouse film about two people with trichophagia who bond and fall in love over their shared compulsion until they nearly die of Rapunzel syndrome
The Unseen:
An interesting take on the Invisible man genre of film, a man presumed to be a deadbeat dad who abandoned his family turns out to be suffering from an affliction causing him to become invisible and trying to hide it from them.
An interesting take on the Invisible man genre of film, a man presumed to be a deadbeat dad who abandoned his family turns out to be suffering from an affliction causing him to become invisible and trying to hide it from them.
Decay:
Psychological thriller about a middle aged groundskeeper who accidentally ends up with a dead young woman in his basement, and starts to imagine she's his friend as he tries to hide her from the authorities.
Psychological thriller about a middle aged groundskeeper who accidentally ends up with a dead young woman in his basement, and starts to imagine she's his friend as he tries to hide her from the authorities.
Monsters:
A three-season TV show that ran from 1988-91 of standalone monster stories of varying tones and subjects, an absolute love letter to practical creature effects and starring a ton of recognizable celebrities before they were famous.
A three-season TV show that ran from 1988-91 of standalone monster stories of varying tones and subjects, an absolute love letter to practical creature effects and starring a ton of recognizable celebrities before they were famous.
The Neon Demon:
Sort of like a... Neon witchy occult Hollywood supermodel thriller
Sort of like a... Neon witchy occult Hollywood supermodel thriller
Perfect:
This movie is uh... kind of weird and surreal and I zoned out for most of it and didn't follow it at all, but @MartinSensmeier shows up at some point and I'll watch basically anything that he's in.
This movie is uh... kind of weird and surreal and I zoned out for most of it and didn't follow it at all, but @MartinSensmeier shows up at some point and I'll watch basically anything that he's in.
Suspiria:
A witchy ballet cult classic, watch any version of it, they're all good. The kind of movie you might want to watch, and then read a plot synopsis on to sort out what you just saw, then watch again.
A witchy ballet cult classic, watch any version of it, they're all good. The kind of movie you might want to watch, and then read a plot synopsis on to sort out what you just saw, then watch again.
Butterfly Kisses:
I love the premise of this movie because it sounds so authentically like a playground story little kids would come up with, like "keep your eyes open for ten minutes without blinking and the monster will see you and sneak closer until you can feel his eyelashes"
I love the premise of this movie because it sounds so authentically like a playground story little kids would come up with, like "keep your eyes open for ten minutes without blinking and the monster will see you and sneak closer until you can feel his eyelashes"
Patchwork:
Horror-comedy about three women who wake up Frankensteined into one body, trying to piece together their respective memories of the previous night to figure out what happened to them.
Horror-comedy about three women who wake up Frankensteined into one body, trying to piece together their respective memories of the previous night to figure out what happened to them.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark:
Really, the story in this movie is clearly for 12 year olds, but the effects elevate it to the scariest movie those 12 year olds have probably seen in their lives. Which makes it true to the spirit of the books.
Really, the story in this movie is clearly for 12 year olds, but the effects elevate it to the scariest movie those 12 year olds have probably seen in their lives. Which makes it true to the spirit of the books.
Creepshow:
The Shudder revival of this series is great, it's such a love letter to practical effects
The Shudder revival of this series is great, it's such a love letter to practical effects
The Baby:
I mean, the tagline says it all, I guess. Sort of a 70's psychological thriller about a social worker assigned to the case of an "adult baby" whose family she suspects has been abusing and intentionally infantallizing him.
I mean, the tagline says it all, I guess. Sort of a 70's psychological thriller about a social worker assigned to the case of an "adult baby" whose family she suspects has been abusing and intentionally infantallizing him.
Antrum:
Mockumentary about a "cursed lost film" from the 1970's, alternates between footage of the supposed cursed film and documentary style interviews of people discussing it
Mockumentary about a "cursed lost film" from the 1970's, alternates between footage of the supposed cursed film and documentary style interviews of people discussing it
We Go On:
One of the more unique takes on "Sceptic offering a cash prize for proof of life after death" I've seen, it's got some really great characterization that I think makes it stand out, the main character has a really sincere, believable relationship with his mom.
One of the more unique takes on "Sceptic offering a cash prize for proof of life after death" I've seen, it's got some really great characterization that I think makes it stand out, the main character has a really sincere, believable relationship with his mom.
The Void:
Eldritch cult horror about a night shift skeleton crew trapped in a hospital full of strange creatures, surrounded by hooded figures
Eldritch cult horror about a night shift skeleton crew trapped in a hospital full of strange creatures, surrounded by hooded figures
Mayhem:
Play on a rage zombie formula in a Dredd-style tower-attack, Steve Yeun is a lawyer in a building quarantined over an outbreak of rage virus, trying to fight his way to the top floor to kill his shitty boss as long as he can't be held liable for murder.
Play on a rage zombie formula in a Dredd-style tower-attack, Steve Yeun is a lawyer in a building quarantined over an outbreak of rage virus, trying to fight his way to the top floor to kill his shitty boss as long as he can't be held liable for murder.
Take Shelter:
Michael Shannon is plagued by apocalyptic hallucinations driving him to make doomsday preparations his family can't afford, while his wife and therapist worry his behaviour is related to a family history of paranoid schizophrenia.
Michael Shannon is plagued by apocalyptic hallucinations driving him to make doomsday preparations his family can't afford, while his wife and therapist worry his behaviour is related to a family history of paranoid schizophrenia.
Nightmare Cinema:
Solid horror anthology MC'd by Mickey Rourke as "The Projectionist"
Solid horror anthology MC'd by Mickey Rourke as "The Projectionist"
Dude Bro Party Massacre III:
You know I thought this movie was going to be Too Much but it turned out to be Just Enough.
You know I thought this movie was going to be Too Much but it turned out to be Just Enough.
The Taking of Deborah Logan:
Found footage style documentary about an old woman with "alzheimers" who turns out to be possessed. I feel like I've seen a million variations of this type of movie, but this one landed the execution in a way they didn't.
Found footage style documentary about an old woman with "alzheimers" who turns out to be possessed. I feel like I've seen a million variations of this type of movie, but this one landed the execution in a way they didn't.
Body Bags:
John Carpenter Horror Anthology CLASSIC
John Carpenter Horror Anthology CLASSIC
Bugs: A Trilogy:
Three short stories that do very different takes on the theme of "bugs", I particularly liked the Bedbugs one.
Three short stories that do very different takes on the theme of "bugs", I particularly liked the Bedbugs one.
Southbound:
Anthology series by the crew that made V/H/S, I really like the tone of this one, it's kind of got "Silent Hill In the Desert" vibes.
Anthology series by the crew that made V/H/S, I really like the tone of this one, it's kind of got "Silent Hill In the Desert" vibes.
Brain Damage:
Cult Classic about a sassy talking parasyte named Elmer who induces euphoric hallucinations in his hosts' brains.
Cult Classic about a sassy talking parasyte named Elmer who induces euphoric hallucinations in his hosts' brains.
You Might Be The Killer:
Satirical horror comedy about a man calling his horror aficionado friend to talk him through a Situation at the summer camp he's working at and begins to realize he is probably the one killing everybody.
Satirical horror comedy about a man calling his horror aficionado friend to talk him through a Situation at the summer camp he's working at and begins to realize he is probably the one killing everybody.
Excision:
This feels kind of like the shock-gore movie John Waters might make if John Waters was in the business of making shock-gore movies. YMMV depending on your taste in this kind of thing, but the ending haunted me in a way I haven't felt since Hereditary.
This feels kind of like the shock-gore movie John Waters might make if John Waters was in the business of making shock-gore movies. YMMV depending on your taste in this kind of thing, but the ending haunted me in a way I haven't felt since Hereditary.
Good Neighbours:
Canadian dark-comedy suspense that's hard to explain without giving away the whole plot, but basically three neighbours get tangled in an increasingly difficult situation with each other over while a serial killer runs amok in the neighbourhood.
Canadian dark-comedy suspense that's hard to explain without giving away the whole plot, but basically three neighbours get tangled in an increasingly difficult situation with each other over while a serial killer runs amok in the neighbourhood.
Splinter:
Unique take on the concept of a zombie-style parasite outbreak, where people become infested with splinters that protrude through their flesh and puppet their lifeless bodies in search of more hosts.
Unique take on the concept of a zombie-style parasite outbreak, where people become infested with splinters that protrude through their flesh and puppet their lifeless bodies in search of more hosts.
Paperhouse:
Dark British fantasy about two children in a hospital who discover they can share a dream world by way of a house one of them has drawn in the waking world
Dark British fantasy about two children in a hospital who discover they can share a dream world by way of a house one of them has drawn in the waking world
Mandy:
Nic Cage off the chain in a surreal, drugged-out blood-soaked rampage. Plenty of people have sung better praises for this movie than I can in 280 characters
Nic Cage off the chain in a surreal, drugged-out blood-soaked rampage. Plenty of people have sung better praises for this movie than I can in 280 characters
The Colour Out of Space:
More unhinged Nic Cage, but possibly ironically less surreal and easier to follow.
More unhinged Nic Cage, but possibly ironically less surreal and easier to follow.
Jacob's Ladder:
I know everyone knows about this movie already, but if you haven't seen it, watch it, it's one of the most culturally relevant horror movies ever made. And frankly, it's just a beautiful movie.
I know everyone knows about this movie already, but if you haven't seen it, watch it, it's one of the most culturally relevant horror movies ever made. And frankly, it's just a beautiful movie.
aiight, I'm tapped out. Anyway this list isn't by any means organized or definitive, I've just been watching up to 35 horror movies a week on Prime since the quarantine started and those were the most memorable highlights of my watch history to get y'all started.
Fuck it, Lightning Round;
Return of the Living Dead:
Possibly my personal favourite zombie movie, well known to genre fans but fairly unknown to the layman considering how influential William Stout's designs and the conventions they added were in every zombie movie onwards
Return of the Living Dead:
Possibly my personal favourite zombie movie, well known to genre fans but fairly unknown to the layman considering how influential William Stout's designs and the conventions they added were in every zombie movie onwards
Braindead/Dead Alive:
Peter Jackson made this back when he specialized in delightful cult classic horror movies and I'm gonna be honest with you, I like it more than all of the LotR movies combined.
Peter Jackson made this back when he specialized in delightful cult classic horror movies and I'm gonna be honest with you, I like it more than all of the LotR movies combined.
Fido:
This is barely a horror movie but it's about zombies and I love it. A spiritual successor to Night of the Living Dead, a little ticky-tacky 60's community in a world where the zombie plague happened, but they got it under control and monetized it.
This is barely a horror movie but it's about zombies and I love it. A spiritual successor to Night of the Living Dead, a little ticky-tacky 60's community in a world where the zombie plague happened, but they got it under control and monetized it.
The Dead Don't Die:
A little obnoxiously meta at points, but overall feels almost like a zombie movie composed entirely of character actors, that opted out of including any of the heroes.
A little obnoxiously meta at points, but overall feels almost like a zombie movie composed entirely of character actors, that opted out of including any of the heroes.
Phantom of the Paradise:
Not really any more of a "horror" movie than Rocky Horror is, but directed by Brian De Palma right before he made Carrie and full of a lot of stylistic experimentation he went on to use in the latter. Plus a killer Paul Williams soundtrack
Not really any more of a "horror" movie than Rocky Horror is, but directed by Brian De Palma right before he made Carrie and full of a lot of stylistic experimentation he went on to use in the latter. Plus a killer Paul Williams soundtrack
Santa Clarita Diet:
Another zombie/revenant/vampire-inspired TV show that was tragically cancelled before it had the chance to say everything it had to, a delightful suburban horror comedy about a loving couple trying to deal with the wife's zombie affliction on the fly
Another zombie/revenant/vampire-inspired TV show that was tragically cancelled before it had the chance to say everything it had to, a delightful suburban horror comedy about a loving couple trying to deal with the wife's zombie affliction on the fly
In the Mouth of Madness:
John Carpenter's take on a Lovecraft-style story in which Sam Neill plays a freelance insurance investigator sent to look into claims that popular horror author's books are driving people insane
John Carpenter's take on a Lovecraft-style story in which Sam Neill plays a freelance insurance investigator sent to look into claims that popular horror author's books are driving people insane
Beyond the Sky:
A documentary crew tries to interview alien abductees to poke holes in their stories and ends up learning more than they bargained for. Honestly, this is another movie I only watched because @MartinSensmeier was in it hahaha
A documentary crew tries to interview alien abductees to poke holes in their stories and ends up learning more than they bargained for. Honestly, this is another movie I only watched because @MartinSensmeier was in it hahaha
The Fourth Kind:
I haven't seen this movie in a long ass time, but I remember thinking it was one of the more unsettling takes on "alien abductee interviews" I'd seen
I haven't seen this movie in a long ass time, but I remember thinking it was one of the more unsettling takes on "alien abductee interviews" I'd seen
We Need To Talk About Kevin:
This might just be a "me" thing, but this movie hit my very personal horror weak point for massive damage of "what happens if you have a child that you do not love"
This might just be a "me" thing, but this movie hit my very personal horror weak point for massive damage of "what happens if you have a child that you do not love"
Rock and Roll Nightmare:
I have to include this because it’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life.
I have to include this because it’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life.
Rabbits:
A David Lynch film featuring a family of rabbit people going through the motions of a sitcom, but with completely disjointed nonlinear dialogue. Occasionally the devil appears in a cigarette burn and speaks in tongues. It's on youtube!
A David Lynch film featuring a family of rabbit people going through the motions of a sitcom, but with completely disjointed nonlinear dialogue. Occasionally the devil appears in a cigarette burn and speaks in tongues. It's on youtube!
Alice:
Not strictly "horror" but may as well be. The first feature-length film from Czech dadaist animator, Jan Svankmajer, that reimagines Alice in Wonderland as a wordless surrealist fever dream populated by stop-motion taxidermy animals and skeletons.
Not strictly "horror" but may as well be. The first feature-length film from Czech dadaist animator, Jan Svankmajer, that reimagines Alice in Wonderland as a wordless surrealist fever dream populated by stop-motion taxidermy animals and skeletons.
Adding some entries to this because we're getting closer to Halloween;
The Mortuary Collection:
Absolutely stellar, gruesome anthology collection MC'd by @RealClancyBrown as a spooky funeral director that just went up on Shudder recently
The Mortuary Collection:
Absolutely stellar, gruesome anthology collection MC'd by @RealClancyBrown as a spooky funeral director that just went up on Shudder recently
Death Becomes Her:
This is one I took for granted that "everyone already knows", then realized a whole generation missed it. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn are catty divas fighting over Bruce Willis, who "murder" each other after taking the same immortality potion
This is one I took for granted that "everyone already knows", then realized a whole generation missed it. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn are catty divas fighting over Bruce Willis, who "murder" each other after taking the same immortality potion
The Revenant:
Not the Leonardo DiCaprio one, a 2009 indie "zombie" movie that I wanted to include because it's... sort of like the college dudebro version of Death Becomes Her? Tensions mount between two bffs over zombie powers jealousy and a fight over the same girl.
Not the Leonardo DiCaprio one, a 2009 indie "zombie" movie that I wanted to include because it's... sort of like the college dudebro version of Death Becomes Her? Tensions mount between two bffs over zombie powers jealousy and a fight over the same girl.
The Ritual:
Just my most absolute favourite creature design in modern cinema. Absolutely stellar, I feel like they made this monster for me, personally.
Just my most absolute favourite creature design in modern cinema. Absolutely stellar, I feel like they made this monster for me, personally.
Cube:
There's a proud tradition of low budget Canadian cinema that stretches a whole movie out of one set, and Cube is one of the best-known examples of that. Group of people trapped in a deathmaze of cube-shaped rooms, some filled with traps, shuffling and rearranging every hour
There's a proud tradition of low budget Canadian cinema that stretches a whole movie out of one set, and Cube is one of the best-known examples of that. Group of people trapped in a deathmaze of cube-shaped rooms, some filled with traps, shuffling and rearranging every hour
Pontypool:
Another one-room Canadian flick, also a radio play. Interesting take on a "Zombie" story, the infection scrambles (anglophone) speech and drives people into a murderous fury in frustration, so the only way to protect yourself from infection is not speak in English.
Another one-room Canadian flick, also a radio play. Interesting take on a "Zombie" story, the infection scrambles (anglophone) speech and drives people into a murderous fury in frustration, so the only way to protect yourself from infection is not speak in English.
Ginger Snaps:
I feel like this movie needs to be on the list because like 75% of the lesbians in my life say watching it when they were 13 made them realize they were gay.
I feel like this movie needs to be on the list because like 75% of the lesbians in my life say watching it when they were 13 made them realize they were gay.
Midnight Meat Train:
Clive Barker story about Bradley Cooper tailing a mysterious serial killer stalking subway passengers and tumbling down the rabbit hole explaining why exactly he needs all these bodies. Bonus points for just... committing to that title hahaha
Clive Barker story about Bradley Cooper tailing a mysterious serial killer stalking subway passengers and tumbling down the rabbit hole explaining why exactly he needs all these bodies. Bonus points for just... committing to that title hahaha
Naked Lunch:
David Cronenberg film where Peter Weller plays an exterminator who begins to believe that he's a secret agent in a world populated by giant talking bug people after being exposed to the hallucinogenic pesticide he uses on the job.
David Cronenberg film where Peter Weller plays an exterminator who begins to believe that he's a secret agent in a world populated by giant talking bug people after being exposed to the hallucinogenic pesticide he uses on the job.
Antiviral:
Another Cronenberg film, a future where celebrity obsession has escalated to the point that pathogens are harvested from famous people so their adoring fans can be infected by the same illnesses, and tissue samples are used to synthesize their “meat” for people to eat.
Another Cronenberg film, a future where celebrity obsession has escalated to the point that pathogens are harvested from famous people so their adoring fans can be infected by the same illnesses, and tissue samples are used to synthesize their “meat” for people to eat.
The Returned:
This movie has a very similar plot to Dead Rising 2 (zombies happened but infected people can keep it in check with medication and supplies are running low) but mostly I’m including it because they filmed it inside Science North and you can see the whale skeleton
This movie has a very similar plot to Dead Rising 2 (zombies happened but infected people can keep it in check with medication and supplies are running low) but mostly I’m including it because they filmed it inside Science North and you can see the whale skeleton
Creep:
Found Footage film about a videographer hired by an eccentric client who claims to have an inoperable brain tumor and wants to make a film to give his unborn son something to remember his father by, but the scenarios become increasingly uncomfortable and bizarre.
Found Footage film about a videographer hired by an eccentric client who claims to have an inoperable brain tumor and wants to make a film to give his unborn son something to remember his father by, but the scenarios become increasingly uncomfortable and bizarre.
Creep 2:
Some people argue this one is actually better than the first, a man approaches a failing vlogger outright telling her he is a serial killer and will let her interview him for her channel. She catches him off-guard by egging on all his attempts to be weird and scare her.
Some people argue this one is actually better than the first, a man approaches a failing vlogger outright telling her he is a serial killer and will let her interview him for her channel. She catches him off-guard by egging on all his attempts to be weird and scare her.
Mother:
I have such mixed feelings about this movie because on one hand the “metaphor” is so laughably unsubtle, but on the other I’ve never seen a movie capture the atmosphere of an inescapable, cacophonous fever dream like this. BIG uncomfortable gore warnings on this one.
I have such mixed feelings about this movie because on one hand the “metaphor” is so laughably unsubtle, but on the other I’ve never seen a movie capture the atmosphere of an inescapable, cacophonous fever dream like this. BIG uncomfortable gore warnings on this one.
It Follows:
I feel like this was the start of the “elevated horror” wave, as in, conceptually unique horror that made it to the mainstream. Supernatural shape-shifting creature stalks people at casual walking speed until they pass the curse on by having sex with a new target
I feel like this was the start of the “elevated horror” wave, as in, conceptually unique horror that made it to the mainstream. Supernatural shape-shifting creature stalks people at casual walking speed until they pass the curse on by having sex with a new target
The Mask/Eyes of Hell:
I have never actually seen this movie, but if you manage to track it down it has the distinction of being the first feature-length Canadian horror movie, kicking off the proud tradition that led to like 80% of the movies in this thread coming out of Canada.
I have never actually seen this movie, but if you manage to track it down it has the distinction of being the first feature-length Canadian horror movie, kicking off the proud tradition that led to like 80% of the movies in this thread coming out of Canada.
Soylent Green:
Okay I know EVERYONE already knows the twist in this, but have you ever actually watched the movie? It’s like a master class in economically staging unsettling, uncomfortable dystopian sci-fi atmosphere.
Okay I know EVERYONE already knows the twist in this, but have you ever actually watched the movie? It’s like a master class in economically staging unsettling, uncomfortable dystopian sci-fi atmosphere.
Parents:
Atmospheric dark comedy about a kid who begins to suspect his parents are feeding him human meat.
Atmospheric dark comedy about a kid who begins to suspect his parents are feeding him human meat.
Antichrist:
This film is uh... a lot. Personally I think it’s trying too hard to be Shocking Art and comes across as gratuitous. The people I meet who seem to like it the most are A) Serious Art Deciders and B) People who want to see Willem Dafoe’s dick.
This film is uh... a lot. Personally I think it’s trying too hard to be Shocking Art and comes across as gratuitous. The people I meet who seem to like it the most are A) Serious Art Deciders and B) People who want to see Willem Dafoe’s dick.
