I'm in a horror mood lately, and I'm looking for recommendations for good horror films I may not have seen before. Feel free to suggest all sub-genres, eras, and non-english films.

Any good ones you'd recommend?

EDIT: I put all of the recommendations here into a convenient list. Let me know if I missed anything.

  • Thirst (2009)

  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1979)

  • C.H.U.D. (1984)

  • Ravenous (1999)

  • Society (1989)

  • The People Under the Stairs (1991)

  • The Wolf House (2020)

  • His House (2020)

  • Dog Soldiers (2002)

  • Martyrs (2008)

  • Fear No Evil (1981)

  • The Babadook (2014)

  • The Orphanage (2007)

  • Devil's Backbone (2001)

  • Motivational Growth (2013)

  • The Tunnel (2011)

  • Planet of the Vampires (1965)

  • Lemora (1973)

  • Cyclone (1978)

  • Possession (1981)

  • Cure (1997)

  • Killing Spree (1987)

  • Pontypool (2008)

  • Hollywood 90028 (1973)

  • Baby Oopsie (2021)

  • Revealer (2022)

  • Train to Busan (2016)

  • Call Girl of Cthulu (2014)

  • Pandorum (2009)

  • The Wailing (2016)

  • Compliance (2012)

  • The Descent (2005)

  • A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

  • Teeth (2007)

  • The Invisible Man (2020)

  • Hush (2016)

  • Sleep Away Camp (1983) CW: Transphobia

  • Shredder (2003)

  • Cherry Falls (2000)

  • Street Trash (1987)

  • Castle Freak (1995)

  • From Beyond (1986)

  • Blood Rage (1987)

  • Ms. 45 (1981)

  • The Color Out of Space (2019)

  • The Devils (1971)

  • Shutter (2004)

  • Juan of the Dead (2011)

  • Rubber's Lover (1996)

  • 964 Pinocchio (1991)

  • House (1977)

  • Altered States (1980)

  • Tales from the Hood (1995)

  • May (2002)

  • The Loved Ones (2009)

  • Censor (2021)

Not obscure, but still good: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Fly (1985), Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Cabin in the Woods, The VVitch, Midsommar, Us, Candyman (remake), Get Out, Jacob's Ladder, 1408, Let the Right One In. Misery, The Ring

Also, here are some of my own recommendations:

  • Candyman (1992) - It's been awhile since I've seen this one, but I saw it as a kid and I've been at least a little scared of bathroom mirrors ever since. I guess there was a remake, but I haven't seen it.

  • Blood Diner (1987) - A pretty hilarious and silly 80s comedy/horror about cannibalism and summoning demons. It's 80s, so might have some objectionable stuff that I don't remember.

  • Begotten (1989) - A silent film about God committing suicide and Mother Earth giving birth to humanity who later murder her. Or something. It's been awhile since I've seen it, but I can say it's pretty fucked up.

  • The Death King (1990) - One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen, but very well done for a low-budget film. Massive CW on this one, but worth watching if you are in the right headspace.

  • John Dies at the End (2012) - A comedy horror about a drug that causes people to travel through dimensions. Loved it when I first saw it, though I'm not sure it's super obscure.

  • Atomic Cafe (1982) - A documentary about nuclear war. Not intentionally horror, but terrifying nonetheless.

  • Bacurau (2019) - A Brazilian leftist horror film about wealthy foreigners who come to a poor town to hunt the people there for sport. This was GREAT and I recommend this one above anything else I posted here. Seriously, you should watch this as soon as possible.

  • Mabbz [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    there was a movie i saw a long time ago called "motivational growth" about mold that grows in a shut-in's apartment and convinces the tenant to change is life.

    Not sure if it's horror or not, or even if it exists because it might have just been a surreal fever dream i had

    can't remember if it's any good though

    • MaoTheLawn [any, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      reminds me a bit of that Love Death And Robots episode “The Day The Yogurt Took Over”

    • Ziege_Bock [any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Oh damn, Cure and Pontypool are sick, you might just have good taste, gonna watch the other two.

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I've never seen any of these, so I'll definitely check them out. Much thanks.

      • GrouchyGrouse [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        There is a certain scene in Pontypool that unsettled me more than a lot of other "big name" horror movies

  • corgiwithalaptop [any, love/loves]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Baby Oopsie is a more recent one thats pretty fun. Demonic doll story with an unconventional lead that the writers do a good job of turning into a badass, and they dont make any jokes at her expense about appearance.

    Revealer - in 80s Chicago, a stripper and religious fanatic are stuck at a club together during a zombie outbreak. My partner's friend is the lead in this one. It's...not great, but decent enough drunk slop if thats your vibe. Not a lot of action, more of a character study.

    Train to Busan - another zombie flick. If you haven't seen it, this one is a must for the genre. Zombies on a train in South Korea.

    Call Girl of Cthulhu - C-movie, but one of the more fun Lovecraftian stories out there, and does a great job of stuffing itself with references. Haven't watched this one in a long time, but I recall really enjoying it! Not sure how it holds up 10 years later.

    Lastly, worth checking the Scaredy Cats YT channel - its a lefty that does ~10 minute horror movie reviews exclusively (on this channel, at least), and there's plenty covered that are lesser known!

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Also never seen any of these, though I have heard great things about Train to Busan. Thanks for this. I'll look into these.

      • corgiwithalaptop [any, love/loves]
        ·
        2 years ago

        That one would probably be the easiest to find, if you're gonna stream and not yarrrr

        But probably also the easiest if you just pirate it. I'd wager itll have the most seeders

  • HoChiMaxh [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Society (1989) is a fun flick by the producer of Re-Animator about the ownership class being a monster race that collectively feed on the working class by a grotesque ritual called shunting. Definitely some fun stuff.

    The People Under the Stairs is a Wes Craven flick about a psycho landlord couple born into wealth who terrorizes a working class community by abducting children and storing them in the basement until they are ready to eat them.

    Not obscure, but if you haven't seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre yet it really is incredibly powerful and worth a watch. Breht from Rev Left Radio did a great Marxist film analysis episode with the guys from Hammer & Camera about it that I remember being really interesting so you could listen to that afterwards as a bonus.

    The Wolf House is a creepy flick about Colonia Dignidad, which is a great idea for a horror flick but is mostly a dwelling in the horror of CW

    spoiler

    SA predation.

    His House is an interesting newer Netflix flick about PTSD and being a refugee.

    Dog Soldiers is a pretty watchable low-budget flick about CHUD :england-cool: troops getting torn apart by a werewolf.

    Oh and I haven't seen Martyrs (2008), I've only read the Wikipedia entry but if you're Trueanon 👁️-pilled it sounds like the most disturbing depiction of the barbaric evil of the ownership class I've ever read. I saw someone mention it on r/trueanon in reference to that Belgian deep state CW

    spoiler

    child torture ring

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Great list! I'll definitely be checking these out. Also, I have seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it's been a long time.

    • GrouchyGrouse [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Dog Soldiers is a lot of fun, its cheesy but fun and the practical effects were great for the budget

  • euro_chapo [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Surprised nobody recommended Ravenous (1999) yet .

    It's a pretty good Civil War cannibal horror film directed by a Bri'ish lady who specialized in social drama movies and was only brought on late to the film, but made it surprisingly good, along with Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle. Gotta check it out, I mean it's a CIVIL WAR CANNIBAL HORROR FILM !

    Atun-Shei has a very Plinkett-like review (obvious Spoiler warning, DUH)

  • The_Walkening [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    C.H.U.D. is pretty good - it's about the abuse of the unhoused by the government and has an excellent dirtbag performance by Daniel Stern. And also one of the most realistically disgusting things I've ever seen. It' just beyond gross in context and even now is pretty bad. It's not even a special effect, really.

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I haven't seen this either, but looks good. I'll add it to my now extensive list of stuff to watch.

  • BerserkPoster [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    This isn't obscure but if you haven't watched The Fly (1985) it's horror film I watched recently that I thought was really really good although it's not really a classic type of horror film

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I have seen The Fly and loved it as a kid, but it's been a long time. I'll definitely add it to the list.

  • Ziege_Bock [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Thirst is a cool Korean vampire movie by the guy who did The Handmaiden.

    Ever see Invasion of the Body Snatchers? It's a trip. Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum. not really a slasher kind of horror, it's a cool movie where things progress from paranoia to dread seamlessly, and I generally think movies from the 70's and 80's just have way different aesthetics and vibes.

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Have not seen either of those. Will add them to the list.

  • RedDawn [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Have you seen the Babadook? The orphanage? I think these are on Netflix. Also the Devil’s backbone is a Guillermo del Toro flick that takes place in the Spanish Civil War, a sister film to pan’s labyrinth, which is also great though I’m not sure if any of these really count as horror, they’re more just spooky.

    • pooh [she/her, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Have seen none of those, but I've heard good things about Babadook. Also, I loved Pan's Labyrinth, so I'll check out Devil's Backbone as well.

  • happybadger [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtUlFe9epns

    The Devils (1971). Surrealist goth-Catholic horror. A 17th century cardinal wants to turn France into a theocracy. To solidify his power, he cultivates a plot against a renegade priest and works with a convent of nuns to have him accused of corrupting them in their dreams. This leads to an inquisition.

  • spicymangos51 [she/her]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Ooo I'll throw in a couple of my favorites

    Compliance (2012): think it's listed as a thriller but I found it frighting since it's based on a true story. Involves (cw: sexual assault)

    The decent (2005): claustrophobia + monsters, also found it interesting that there's different endings based on what country's release you got.

    A girl walks home alone at night (2014): Iranian, black and white film, found it fun and stylish (cw: does deal with sexual assault and drugs if I remember correctly)

    Teeth (2007): horror/comedy, thought it was a nice spin on horror films, and what they do with the heroine. (Cw: sexual assault)

    The invisible man (2020): very smart character, I really like horror movies that incorporate some thriller genre to it.

    Hush (2016): I liked the main character, I thought she came off competent, was a nice surprise.

    Sleep away camp (1983): I remember coming across this one because of it's ending. I enjoyed it, it's the 80's but had that memorable moment. (Cw: transphobia)

    Idk if you like campy movies: Shredder (2003): teen slashed movie, you snowboard=you die, laughed and had a great time with it.

    Cherry falls (2000): teen slashed movie, you've heard of the virgin survivor in horror movies, but this time being a virgin is what gets you killed! (Cw: transphobia maybe? Been number of years since I've seen it, there's a twist so I'll put this up just in case)

    • Somedumbbitch [she/her]
      ·
      2 years ago

      You should probably warn people that sleep away camp is really transphobic before recommending it on a site with like a 20% trans userbase.

      • spicymangos51 [she/her]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Updated it, wasn't sure if I should even mention the movie, but your right, thanks for looking out 👍

    • Coca_Cola_but_Commie [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I randomly watched Compliance when I saw it on one of the streaming channels and that movie is absolutely fucked.

  • ekjp [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

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