Fear is a hugely subjective feeling, which is why the genre that places so much emphasis on it, horror, is extremely varied. Studies have tried to quantify it in the past, utilizing heart rate spikes and variance to examine jump scares as well as slow burn dread, with movies such as Sinister and Skinamarink finding their way to the top of the list. However, what science cannot account for is the days after seeing a particularly terrifying movie, the way it follows you home and manifests in your dreams. There is a distinction between horror movies with loud jump scares that are bound to affect even the most hardcore fans and a movie that is likely to frighten anyone.
The movies on this list tap into different fears that thrive on their tangibility and realism. They offer a peek into elements of the world that feel as though they could actually happen and are never separated from actuality by exaggeration and theatrics. From home invasions to entrapment, these movies will either heighten pre-existing fears or introduce anxieties you have never even considered. They don’t end when the credits roll, instead, they crawl under your skin and deep into your sub-conscious, ready to re-enter the forefront of your mind whenever you find yourself on your own.
10
‘The Hitcher’ (1986)
The Hitcher sees Rutger Hauer give one of the most unsettling performances of his career as John Ryder, a hitchhiker who is stalking and taunting Jim (C. Thomas Howell). The movie itself uses a limited cast and setting to hone in on the foreboding presence of Ryder and create the fear that he is always one step ahead of Jim. Hauer gives an unshakable performance that is sinister in its hidden mania. He is never exaggerated when on screen, yet his cold-blooded nature is evident in his actions. It makes Ryder impossible to understand and even harder to defeat.
One sequence in particular is sure to haunt any viewer and immediately sets the callous tone of the movie. The scene in question sees Jim relieved that he has escaped Ryder, as he drives behind a family car. The tone is immediately more playful, as two kids wave at Jim, and he is lured into a false sense of safety. Then, the mood shifts when Ryder appears in the back of the car and smiles at a suddenly helpless Jim. This bleakness is unforgiving throughout the whole movie, making it a truly terrifying watch.
9
‘Longlegs’ (2024)
Longlegs may have suffered from its intentionally sinister marketing, with one pre-release clip showing lead Maika Monroe’s heart rate increasing the first time she saw Nicolas Cage in costume. However, there is no denying it is one of the most psychologically tormenting movies of the 2020s. Following FBI agent Lee Harker (Monroe) as she attempts to uncover the truth behind a number of murder-suicides, Longlegs uses unsettling visuals to create a slightly off-kilter viewing experience.
The movie utilizes hidden details to unnerve the viewer, with director Osgood Perkins encouraging viewers to look into the dark corners of each shot even if they don’t like what they find. This atmosphere only serves to heighten the eventual reveal of Longlegs (Cage), who breaks all the stereotypes of serial killers portrayed in the media. He is weird and unnatural, and it leaves his appearance in the movie feeling abnormal and counters the otherwise eerie, slow burn tone. The combination of existential dread partnered with the unexpectedly erratic performance of Cage creates an instantly terrifying modern horror classic.
8
‘The Farm’ (2018)
The Farm creates a terrifying situation out of the hidden every day by spotlighting the hidden cruelty of meat production. Following a pit-stop at a shady-looking roadside diner, a young couple is kidnapped and end up trapped in a farm where the produce is human meat. The movie uses grit and realism to create fear, treating humans as if they were livestock to heighten the shock value.
Although The Farm struggles to break through its vapid characters, there is something so harrowing about the senseless violence and how detached the workers are from the pain they are causing. At one point, a woman is no longer deemed as useful for the farm, and the way she is so methodically cut apart for her meat and organs is some of the most difficult viewing for even the most strong-stomached movie fans. It is extreme cinema at its grittiest, and whilst it might not be the best movie, it is certainly one of the most unsettling.
7
‘It’ (2017)
Bill Skarsgård has proven himself to be one of the finest character actors of this generation, from embodying Count Orlok in the recent Nosferatu to taking on the legacy of Eric Draven in the remake of The Crow. However, his scariest role came in Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of It, where Skarsgård became the iconic killer clown Pennywise. Clowns are already one of the most common fears in society, yet the mania of Pennywise seems to elevate this fear to new heights with Skarsgård given an incredibly physical performance.
The fear in It isn’t limited to Pennywise, as Derry is a town plagued with pain and guilt. The setting presents these cold undertones that pulse through the whole movie, and whilst the jumpscares in which the dancing clown appears make your heart rate soar, there is an ever present feeling of discomfort that is impossible to shake.
6
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
The dual meaning behind Hannibal Lecter having an old friend for dinner is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl, and it doesn’t even scratch the surface of what makes The Silence of the Lambs so sinister. Not only does it feature two completely distinct yet equally terrifying antagonists, but it also highlights the way psychopathic minds work, given unfiltered access to the inner workings of its murders.
Anthony Hopkins gives an Oscar-winning performance, and the way he is able to show the fluttering between his brilliant mind and his ruthless urge to kill and consume is incredibly disturbing. The movie broke the mold of what audiences expected from a horror villain, and crafted a grounded, slow-burning mystery with graphic violence and unexpected turns. It never relies on jump-scares, but still manages to alarm the viewer on numerous occasions throughout its runtime.
5
‘Misery’ (1990)
Fan culture is at its peak, and the rise of social media has meant it has never been easier to keep up with your favorite pop culture icon. However, no matter how much access fans have, no-one has ever been as scarily obsessive as Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) in Misery. After rescuing her favorite author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan), from a snowstorm, Annie slowly helps him recover. Yet, this all shifts when she finds his manuscript and realizes he has killed off her beloved character, Misery Chastain.
Annie’s methods of torture to force Paul to rewrite the book get increasingly unhinged as the movie progresses, with one scene so graphic that actors pulled out of the project. However, it is the way Bates flips from aggression to forced sweetness in such an erratic nature that makes her performance feel incredibly suffocating for the audience. The viewer is trapped in the same way as Paul and the resulting movie is a claustrophobic nightmare.
4
‘Antiviral’ (2012)
The name Cronenberg immediately rings alarm bells, as the viewer knows they are in for gruesome body horror. However, Antiviral is from the sick mind of Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg. The movie sets itself in a near-distant future, where individuals buy pathogens from celebrities as a way to gain a sense of closeness. The initial medical horror is at the extreme end, and anyone with a phobia of needles will find it difficult viewing.
Yet, the movie becomes more challenging as a thought experiment, as we see protagonist Syd (Caleb Landry Jones) become increasingly sick after injecting himself. This is when the truth of the movie hits the viewer, and you begin to examine how a society could have descended into such a practice. From striking visuals to moral obscenities, Antiviral is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
3
‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)
Everyone knows how The Sixth Sense ends, and if you don’t, consider this your warning. At first, the ending is a huge shock and recalibrates the whole viewing experience for the viewer. However, when it is allowed to sit for a second, the truth of Bruce Willis being face to face with his own mortality in such a viscerally heartbreaking way is some of the most upsetting viewing within horror. It presents a new type of fear, and reframes the concept of death within the genre.
However, The Sixth Sense still manages to bring in some more classically disturbing elements, from school corridor jumpscares to an unsettling tale of Munchausen by proxy. Centered on the tender performance of Haley Joel Osment, who shows the grip of fear throughout, The Sixth Sense is an unsettling masterpiece.
2
‘The Strangers’ (2008)
The one thing more scary than violence in a horror movie, is violence without motive. The Strangers is the single most upsetting example of this, showing a vicious home invasion orchestrated merely because the residents were in the house. The movie never begins to over explain its concept, the fear comes in the unknown entities attacking and the unpredictability of their movements. They don’t want anything, and they don’t have an end goal, which adds this relentlessness to the movie and a feeling of total helplessness.
The Strangers uses the perceived safety of the home environment to create the most terrifying interpretation of mundanity and protection. There is something so invasive about the way the faceless killers enter the house, it is disruptive even though viewers are prepared for a horror movie to unfold. It creates a real sense that the setting is transferable, this could be any house on any street, and therefore it could be yours – that thought alone is enough to make anyone check their door locks twice.
1
‘Funny Games’ (2008)
At its core, Funny Games is a criticism of mindless violence and the viewers’ hunger for blood and gore. With the use of fourth wall breaks, the movie lets you know that there is nothing that can save the captives and the antagonists are in total control. One of these examples is particularly absurd, but to give it away would be criminal. There is this incredible juxtaposition between the fear of the family being held and the cockiness of their two captors.
Although Funny Games is a remake, both versions are equally disturbing. The US adaptation, which is shot for shot, has incredible performances from Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet, who control the narrative and consequently the audience. Through their direct contact with the audience, the movie breaks down optimism in horror and questions viewers’ bloodlust when the family are begging for help. Funny Games is a brutal story that is so matter of fact, the viewer forgets their impartiality. You feel involved and responsible, and that truth is terrifying.
Funny Games
- Release Date
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March 14, 2008
- Runtime
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111 minutes
