Summary
Horroris considered to be the most profitable genre of film. Low budget horror movies, such as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, have gone on to become classics of the genre. Despite horror’s profitability on the big screen, not every horror film has been a hit with fans and/or critics.
The horror genre also has a tendency to be exploited by filmmakers to deliver cheap thrills for a quick profit and thus can often be judged harshly than other cinematic outings. Whether overlooked, underappreciated or simply not reaching the wider audience it deserved, here are just a few horror movies that are much better than their reception would suggest.
10Saw 2
Saw 2 is often remembered as the beginning of Saw’s downward spiral towards torture porn and convoluted storytelling. As Officer Eric Matthews, played by Donnie Wahlberg, corners Jigsaw himself John Kramer, played by Tobin Bell, he soon discovers that his son has been caught in one of Jigsaw’s traps and desperately attempts to save him.
The movie does mark the series shift towards gore and torture, however this film gets a lot more right than the many sequels that followed. It features a lot more of Tobin Bell’s John Kramer, as well as, a high stakes cat and mouse narrative with arguably the best plot twist in the series to date. Saw 2 is an enjoyably wild ride for gore hounds and one of the very few Saw sequels that’s worth your time.
9Spring
Whilst filmmakers Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have found success by directing episodes of Moon Knight andLokiforMarvel, much of the pair’s lower budget existential horror outings have been criminally overlooked, especially their horror romance masterpiece Spring.
It follows a man, played by Lou Taylor Pucci, who loses everything and flees to Italy where he meets a mysterious woman, played by Nadia Hilker, blending horror, sci-fi, romance and comedy into a one of a kind experience. Boasting atmospheric cinematography, naturalistic acting, a thought-provoking plot and genuinely funny dialogue, Spring needs to be on your radar, horror fan or not.
8Malignant
James Wan is the king of studio horror, having created three major horror series in Saw, The Conjuring and Insidious. It is a shame that the same love from horror fans wasn’t extended to Wan’s most recent horror offering Malignant.
The film tells the story of Madison, played by Annabelle Wallis, who begins to experience visions of gruesome murders that turn out to be shockingly real. Most notable for its outlandishly divisive twist, the film offers much more that is to be commended. From its campy tone, excellent action sequences and distinctive visual style, Malignant is arguably Wan’s best work to date, just as long as you roll with it.
7The Empty Man
Horror movies usually stick to somewhere between 80-100 minutes, this is not the case with David Prior’s urban legend horror movie, The Empty Man. Over two hours in length, the film follows a former police officer, played by James Badge Dale as he investigates the disappearance of a girl after she seemed to summon the titular demon.
Reminiscent of The Wicker Man, whilst remaining very much its own, The Empty Man is an ambitious thriller that is as unnerving as it is absorbing. The film does ask alot of its audience, and you get what you put into it, but if you’re after a more intellectually stimulating experience, The Empty Man is an ambiguous mystery you’ll want to unravel.
6The Night House
Grief is a common theme explored in horror films with recent hits such as Hereditary and Midsommar, exploring the theme to great effect, this being said, David Bruckner’s The Night House is a lesser appreciated film that deserves to be remembered alongside these new classics of the genre.
The film follows a recently widowed teacher, played perfectly by Rebecca Hall, who begins to uncover dark secrets surrounding a house her recently deceased husband built. Anchored by Hall’s career best performance, The Night House has its head and heart working in harmony to deliver a haunting experience that will resonate deeply with some. Eerie, heartbreaking and thought-provoking, The Night House is a hidden gem of a movie that should be hidden no more.
5Before I Wake
Known more for his TV offerings such as, The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and the recently released The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan has also brought horror to the big and small screen with fantastic films like Ouija: Origin of Evil and Gerald’s Game, but arguably one of his best works is also his most overlooked, Before I Wake.
The film follows a couple, played by Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane, who adopt a young boy, played by Jacob Tremblay, who they soon discover can bring both his dreams and nightmares to life. Creepy, scary, but most importantly, heartfelt, Before I Wake explores its themes beautifully whilst delivering on the frights you’ve come to expect.
4Terrifer
Whilst its sequel, Terrifer 2, became one of 2022’s most profitable films and is the superior film in the ongoing Terrifier series, the original deserves much more attention and praise than it got as it is debatably the scarier of the two films.
Impressively made on a mere $35,000, filmmaker Damien Leone doesn’t waste a penny as he delivers a film with shockingly good production value. With a simple narrative filled with dread soaked atmosphere and shocking amounts of gore, Terrifer is a film that gets under your skin and introduced the world to the newest horror icon in David Howard Thorton’s Art the Clown.
3Relic
Mental health is a major theme of many horror films, and although the depiction has a reputation of being insulting and simplistic in older films, more recent films such as Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook or Natlie Erika James’ Relic utilize the genre to explore and analyze mental health conditions in respectful, nuanced and deeply terrifying ways.
Relic follows a mother and daughter Kay and Sam, played by Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote respectively, as they visit the home of their elderly matriarch, Edna, played by Robin Nevin, as she begins to behave in increasingly strange and unsettling ways. Exploring dementia’s effect on an individual as well as their loved ones, Relic is smart horror that will leave you in tears.
2Hush
Horror is infamous for its conventions and stereotypes, however it’s the subversions of these that keep the genre interesting and Hush is a perfect example of this. Written by the husband and wife team of director Mike Flanagan and star Kate Siegel, Hush perfectly turns the home invasion genre on its head.
Following a deaf and mute woman, played by Kate Siegel, who is stalked by a psychopath, played by John Gallagher Jr, in her secluded home, Hush delivers creepy spooks and nail-biting tension in inventively entertaining ways. The pair continue to work today, but Hush is easily the best of their combined efforts.
1Mandy
There is no other actor like Nicolas Cage. The eccentric actor’s peculiar style has lent perfectly to some roles and Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy finds Cage delivering one of his best performances to date in a film that equally matches his energy.
Cage plays Red Miller, a logger who seeks violent revenge on a cult after they destroy his peaceful life with his girlfriend, Mandy, played by Andrea Riseborough. A visually striking psychedelic thrill ride full of demonic bikers, a heavy metal soundtrack and an axe wielding Nicolas Cage on LSD, Mandy is a trip like no other that needs to be experienced.
