These horror flicks deserve more than one thumb up! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re hollering at the horror movies that don’t get the appreciation they deserve. We may be delving into some significant plot twists here, so a spoiler alert is now in effect.
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00:00 "This beautiful moment is upon us. Tonight is the night our faith is made real."
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're hollering at the horror movies that don't get the appreciation
00:11 they deserve. We may be delving into some significant plot twists here, so a spoiler
00:16 alert is now in effect.
00:18 "Then we can have some fun. Enjoy it."
00:25 20. Possessor True to its title, this story revolves around
00:29 an assassin named Tasha Voss, who possesses people. After controlling their bodies to
00:34 kill her targets, Voss forces them to take their own lives to return to her own. However,
00:39 her latest host refuses to comply, trapping Voss and his body as their lives collide.
00:44 "See if she can fight her way back and finish the job."
00:48 "There's already a degree of permanent damage. The longer she stays in, the greater the risk
00:53 to her brain."
00:54 Possessor would have been a great action film, but it chooses to convey the horrors of losing
00:59 control instead. Whether it's Voss' point of view or her hosts, there's always a sense
01:03 of terror brewing in each scene. By its conclusion, this psychological thriller will have you
01:08 feeling paranoid about everything around you.
01:11 "Where's your lovely girl? Can't you remember? No, that wasn't me."
01:22 19. Mandy It wouldn't be a Nick Cage film if his character
01:25 didn't go off the rails. If that's your thing, then watching his Mandy character, Red Miller,
01:31 go absolutely nuts will be a welcome sight. After a demonic cult sacrifices his girlfriend,
01:37 Red goes on a roaring rampage of revenge. "They lit her on fire! They were widow, hippie
01:46 types! Whole bunch of 'em!"
01:50 Filled with gory visuals and so much blood that you might forget what other colours look
01:55 like, it's a violent experience from start to finish. Mandy's no-holds-barred content
02:00 is hard to stomach, and the film knows it. Although the brutality is unrelenting, the
02:05 antagonists' twisted minds have a scary quality of their own.
02:09 "She burned brightly, Mandy. Don't you think?"
02:15 Mandy is loud and proud of its premise, and there's a definite thrill in buckling up
02:19 for this ride.
02:20 18. The Voices This part comedy, part horror is as messed
02:25 up as it is funny. Ryan Reynolds plays Jerry, a man with schizophrenia whose hallucinations
02:30 get the best of him. Convinced that his pet dog and cat talk to him, Jerry is motivated
02:35 to kill. "No you're not. I've killed things on purpose, Jerry. There's no shame in it.
02:41 It's instinct. The only time I've felt truly alive is when I'm killing."
02:45 Weirdly enough, you can't help but feel bad for the character, as his list of crimes is
02:49 a result of severe loneliness and bad luck. Added to the horror aspect is the deliberately
02:54 happy and optimistic tone of the movie. "Are my pets gonna be okay?"
02:57 "You betcha." "Sing a happy song, sing a happy song. Why
03:02 don't you sing along, sing a happy song."
03:06 The filmmakers seem to want you to feel uncomfortable, as Jerry's fragile state of mind, through
03:10 the years, threatens to wreak havoc.
03:13 17. Green Room "And don't ask me."
03:16 "You shouldn't make it any worse." "We sit and we wait."
03:19 "And we die?" "Not if you sit and you wait."
03:24 Getting trapped anywhere is awful, but what if you're trapped with a gang of murderous
03:28 neo-Nazis out to get you? Green Room follows the harrowing experience of a rock band in
03:33 this situation. After witnessing a murder, the main characters have to figure out a way
03:37 to escape. That's easier said than done, since the place is crawling with men with
03:41 savage intentions. "Okay, stand back."
03:44 "You got it." "Here we go."
03:52 Although there are several action sequences, it largely leans towards a horror setting.
03:57 Green Room combines a stifling feeling of claustrophobia with a foreboding sense of
04:01 doom. With a story that moves at a quick pace and racks up a notable kill count, it's a
04:06 film that never lifts its foot off the gas.
04:10 16. The Entity Whoever says that you shouldn't fear the
04:13 unknown clearly hasn't seen this movie. In The Entity, Carla Moran is terrorized by an
04:18 invisible being. Haunted by something she can't explain, Carla begins to lose her grip
04:22 on reality. "Then it is time for you to see a good psychiatrist."
04:25 "I can't afford it." "Oh yes you can. Betty Rivers, I happen to
04:28 know, she goes over to the walk-in clinic at the university and payment is whatever
04:32 you can afford." "I hate the thought of it."
04:34 Why this entity latched onto her isn't explained. However, this adds to the film's fear factor,
04:40 as Carla's relentless torment has an additional layer of mystery. The film leaves us in a
04:44 constant state of paranoia, just like the protagonist. It's a devastating and painful
04:49 portrayal of suffering that hits much harder than anticipated.
04:53 "You won't appear. You won't appear because you're a devil out of hell. And you're afraid.
05:02 You'll wait till I'm alone, won't you?"
05:06 15. Dog Soldiers 1987's Predator remains popular for blending
05:11 sci-fi with survival horror. Dog Soldiers is in the same vein, but instead of a killer
05:15 alien, we get a pack of werewolves. A squad of soldiers is in for the fight of their lives
05:21 when hunted by a group of lycans. "It won't make any difference. They won't
05:26 die." "Yeah, well, this gives me a better peace
05:29 of mind, sir." "You want peace of mind? Run for your lives
05:32 before they tear your legs from under you." As their numbers dwindle, the possibility
05:35 of a complete bloodbath looks inevitable. And while it's mainly on the scary side, some
05:40 moments of dark comedy diversify Dog Soldiers' appeal. The movie is also effective at making
05:45 us care enough for the characters to root for them.
05:48 "When I found you out there tonight, I truly believed you were the best chance I had of
05:52 getting out. But now we have no chance." Of course, being the gore-fest it is, we recommend
05:58 you don't get too attached. 14. Sinister
06:03 Fans have seen Ethan Hawke in romances like Before Sunrise and gritty action thrillers
06:07 like Training Day, but the actor arguably shows better range as hapless writer Ellison
06:12 Oswalt. "And Daddy?" "Yes?" "Are you gonna write a really good book
06:17 this time so we can go home?" "I'm gonna write the best book that anyone's
06:21 ever read." The character lands himself way over his head,
06:25 sitting on the wrong side of a terrifying pagan god called Bagul. Sinister is a wonderful
06:30 throwback to classic haunted house horror films, complete with a creepy backstory that
06:34 unravels over time. Much like Ellison, we watch with bated breath as Bagul's plans come
06:40 to light. "A deity? What kind of deity?"
06:43 "A very obscure one, dating back to Babylonian times, named Bagul."
06:49 The movie contains both subtle imagery and shots that will have you shrieking, as certain
06:53 scenes dole out jump scares like there's no tomorrow. Sinister isn't revolutionary, but
06:59 it gives horror fans exactly what they want with heart-thumping effect.
07:03 13. The Exorcist 3 For a franchise's third entry, few films
07:09 get as original as this. The first Exorcist remains a staple of the genre, so it was always
07:14 difficult to follow in its footsteps. Here, Lieutenant Kinderman investigates a series
07:19 of murders that connect to the Gemini killer. What's the catch? Said killer is supposed
07:24 to be dead. "The Gemini is dead."
07:27 "No, I am not! I'm alive! I go on! I breathe! Look at me! Look at me!"
07:36 The film blends the original's paranormal outline with elements from the whodunit genre,
07:40 as the characters face off against an otherworldly villain. Along with the mystery, the use of
07:45 freaky visuals and consistent scares make it a well-rounded experience.
07:49 "I believe in murder. I believe in pain. I believe in cruelty and infidelity."
08:00 The Exorcist 3 dares to be different, crafting a unique identity that still acknowledges
08:05 its legacy.
08:06 12. The People Under the Stairs Contemporary viewers are aware of films like
08:11 Don't Breathe that deal with the consequences of ill-considered break-ins. However, The
08:16 People Under the Stairs delivered this premise decades earlier. When a boy and two burglars
08:20 trespass into a house, they're trapped with people who have resorted to feasting on humans.
08:26 Leaving isn't an option when there's no place to run. On the face of it, this film might
08:30 seem a bit out there.
08:31 "Further into the house. The only way here." "Papa's too big to follow and he's afraid
08:32 of what's in there." "I don't want in, I want out."
08:33 "Sometimes in is out." "I don't want in, I want out."
08:34 "I don't want in, I want out." "I don't want in, I want out."
08:35 "I don't want in, I want out." "I don't want in, I want out."
08:36 "I don't want in, I want out." "I don't want in, I want out."
08:42 But when You Learn is directed by Wes Craven, things make more sense. Similar to his other
08:46 works, Craven injects realism, comedy, and social commentary into a movie that still
08:52 scares up a storm.
08:53 "Get off my property!" "Just want to finish saying our peace, ma'am."
08:57 "Not only are you bad landlords, but ten times worse. You've stolen the tooling from
09:02 our community for your own sick needs." From unhinged characters to macabre humour,
09:07 it's a wild trip into the darkest layers of humanity.
09:10 11. Creep Found footage films are often associated
09:14 with blockbusters like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. In terms of tapping
09:19 into its full potential, though, few can compete with Creep. Unlike the aforementioned films,
09:24 this one doesn't have a supernatural spin. Instead, the creep factor comes from how easy
09:28 it is to imagine yourself in the protagonist's shoes.
09:31 "Aaron, if I tell you something, would you promise me you would never tell another living
09:36 soul? I need to get something off of my chest."
09:40 We follow videographer Aaron as he records Joseph, a strange man with increasingly erratic
09:45 behaviour. What begins as a casual arrangement turns into a harrowing ordeal for Aaron, as
09:50 Joseph gradually reveals his true nature. Despite a cast of only two actors, Creep is
09:55 as riveting as it gets. The film shows just how twisted a person can be, in more ways
10:01 than one.
10:02 "I will always love you. And you will always be my favourite. Of them all."
10:13 10. Orphan After dealing with a painful loss, Kate and
10:17 John adopt a girl named Esther. Sounds like your average feel-good movie, doesn't it?
10:21 That would be the case if Esther wasn't a deranged killer, and if she were a little
10:25 girl in the first place.
10:26 "I think there could be something wrong with Esther."
10:29 "What? What do you mean? You told us you never had any trouble with her."
10:34 "I didn't. But trouble does have a way of finding her."
10:37 Orphan works as a slow-burn psychological horror. The character's streak of sadism takes
10:42 several forms, whether it's killing people with hammers or tormenting her adoptive siblings.
10:48 The film sprinkles several hints about Esther's identity before the huge reveal, when its
10:52 climactic moments kick into overdrive.
10:55 "She only looks like a child. According to our records, Lena Clamor was born in 1976.
11:03 She's 33 years old."
11:04 Its eventual cult success led to a prequel a decade later, where we watch Esther's backstory
11:10 unfold.
11:11 9. The Wailing A 156-minute runtime is ambitious for a horror
11:17 film, and while The Wailing does make us wait for the payoff, the tension always remains
11:21 at its peak.
11:22 In this folk horror, the arrival of an unknown person triggers calamity in a small village.
11:28 "I was just about to leave, and I was burning up. Suddenly, I felt a fever and I was choking.
11:38 I thought I saw a man in a box."
11:40 The resulting panic leads to further problems for its inhabitants, as the shadow of a great
11:45 evil lurks over them.
11:47 The chilling cinematography, set design, and consistent thrills are all one of a kind.
11:52 When it doesn't have you chewing on your fingernails, you'll be contemplating its
11:55 themes.
11:56 "If that ghost gets you, that house will have three chickens. Just hold it in until
12:06 then."
12:08 It didn't reach as large an audience as it deserved, but not many films have received
12:12 such glowing reviews as The Wailing.
12:15 8. The Serpent and the Rainbow
12:18 Zombie horror is a tried and tested subgenre that usually delivers, but sometimes the best
12:24 ones can slip under the radar.
12:25 Here, anthropologist Dennis Allen investigates a drug in Haiti that's turning corpses into
12:31 zombies.
12:32 "This drug, this is something totally new. We don't have anything that can put somebody
12:38 in, then back out of death."
12:41 Unlike films like World War Z and 28 Days Later, the path of destruction in The Serpent
12:46 and the Rainbow is more self-contained.
12:49 This smaller scale works to its advantage, as we get a better taste of its atmospheric
12:54 thrills.
12:55 While audiences are more equipped to handle scary material since its release, the film
12:59 still has the capacity for shock value.
13:02 Some scenes might not be for the faint-hearted, so be prepared before you check out this little-known
13:07 gem.
13:08 "Hold on a second. I'm not gonna leave that thing in one piece."
13:13 7. Bone Tomahawk
13:15 Speaking of flesh-eating villains, the bad guys here are still alive when they do it.
13:20 Starring Kurt Russell as Sheriff Franklin Hunt, Bone Tomahawk is a Western horror.
13:26 Hunt leads a rescue mission against cave dwellers with a taste for human flesh.
13:30 "What are they?"
13:32 "Troglodytes."
13:33 "What do they look like?"
13:37 The film does take its time getting to its action-packed premise, but viewers won't feel
13:41 any traces of boredom though, as Hunt's journey has a palpable sense of suspense.
13:47 By the time it really gets kicking, the movie morphs into a survival horror that will have
13:51 you at the edge of your seat.
13:53 "We'll make sure all this has value."
13:55 "Please do. I shall kill as many as I can."
14:00 Bone Tomahawk didn't make a dent at the box office, but many have since come to appreciate
14:04 it as an undiscovered classic.
14:07 6.
14:08 Drag Me to Hell
14:09 When you think of Sam Raimi, you probably think of the Evil Dead series, or the Spider-Man
14:13 trilogy.
14:14 Nestled within his filmography is this supernatural horror that ranks among the director's best.
14:19 Lone Officer Christine is cursed by a disgruntled woman, setting her on a path to damnation.
14:24 "Soon it will be you who comes begging to me."
14:30 With limited time in hand, Christine tries to figure out a way to save her soul.
14:34 Drag Me to Hell cuts a bleak outlook for the main character, although there are entertaining
14:38 moments of dark comedy.
14:40 In classic Sam Raimi fashion, grotesque visuals and ghastly faces are featured in abundance.
14:46 It's an all-round weird, trippy journey about Christine's descent into the deepest pits
14:51 of torture, and it doesn't skimp on the entertainment value.
14:54 "I think you might have my standing license."
14:57 "Liberty border."
14:58 "Because the envelope's kind of like the same."
15:01 "What's this from?"
15:02 "It's from the movie."
15:03 "Oh my god!"
15:04 "Oh my god!"
15:05 Number 5.
15:06 The Invitation
15:07 There are more dinner party horror movies than you probably realize.
15:11 While films like Ready or Not and You're Next are lauded, The Invitation deserves to
15:15 be mentioned in the same breath.
15:17 Initially starting off as a drama, it quickly switches tone to more sinister avenues.
15:21 "And then all of a sudden, we get invited to this lavish dinner.
15:26 You're all smiles, spewing out all this jargon with these two in tow.
15:30 Don't tell me that this is normal."
15:32 A party seemingly about sharing grief is revealed to be a set-up for murder.
15:38 Having been brainwashed by the twisted philosophy of a cult, the hosts plan to eliminate their
15:43 guests.
15:44 Even before this revelation comes to light, the film lands its scares through heightened
15:48 tension that inches towards the surface.
15:50 "I have to finish it.
15:53 We were chosen, remember?"
15:55 It tackles its material with a deeply unsettling touch that will have you reconsidering your
16:00 own dinner plans in the future.
16:02 Number 4.
16:04 Hush Mike Flanagan has helmed popular features
16:06 like Doctor Sleep and The Haunting series.
16:09 Before they reached big-time success, Flanagan achieved critical acclaim with 2016's Hush.
16:14 Taking place over a single night, protagonist Maddie is stalked by a masked killer.
16:18 "I can get you anytime I want.
16:21 But I'm not going to.
16:25 Not until it's time."
16:26 Preying on Maddie's deafness, the villain hunts her for his demented pleasure.
16:30 Hush's creative direction enables us to perceive its events through Maddie's point of view.
16:34 The distinct atmosphere it creates connects us to both Maddie's struggles and her eventual
16:39 decision to fight back.
16:40 "There's only one ending he won't expect.
16:44 He can't run, hide, or wait.
16:50 What does that leave?"
16:52 In many ways thrilling and other ways empowering, Hush is a grippling tale of survival against
16:57 impossible odds.
16:59 Number 3.
17:00 In the Mouth of Madness Insurance investigator John Trent begins to
17:03 doubt his own existence after a series of bizarre incidents.
17:07 At the centre of it all is a horror novel called In the Mouth of Madness, which alludes
17:12 to the destruction of the world.
17:14 "When people begin to lose their ability to know the difference between fantasy and
17:19 reality, the old ones can begin their journey back."
17:25 The premise is hard to believe, but that's exactly the point.
17:28 With an unreliable narrator and framing device, everything that happens on screen is a giant
17:33 question mark.
17:35 Surreal and terrifying in equal measures, In the Mouth of Madness plays with the audience's
17:40 perception to leave us as hysterical as Trent is by the end of its run.
17:44 "This is not reality!
17:46 Not reality!
17:47 Not reality!"
17:48 "This is reality.
17:49 Hear that?
17:50 Reality!
17:51 Not reality!
17:52 Reality!"
17:53 Number 2.
17:54 Train to Busan There are more zombie apocalypse movies than
17:57 we can probably count, but how many take place on a speeding train?
18:02 At the onset of the outbreak, we meet several characters with various backstories.
18:08 "Dad only knows about himself.
18:15 So he's scared of mom."
18:20 By the end, we've grown to care for all of them, even though we know most probably won't
18:24 make it.
18:25 Thanks to these well-rounded characterizations, Train to Busan gets audiences invested in
18:30 its journey.
18:31 The real-time setting adds a degree of urgency.
18:33 While not as action-based as certain other zombie features, it does go full throttle
18:38 in places, with fast-paced sequences, multi-dimensional characters, and pure brutality.
18:44 It turns the genre's best elements into a winning formula of high-energy entertainment.
18:50 "You have to stay close to her, okay?
18:56 Busan is safe."
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19:15 1.
19:16 Trick or Treat Sometimes horror movies should just be about
19:19 scaring people.
19:20 Trick or Treat understands the assignment, using an anthology format that pays tribute
19:25 to Halloween.
19:26 "Putting on costumes, handing out treats.
19:29 They were started to protect us, but nowadays, no one really cares."
19:36 A demonic entity named Sam connects multiple stories taking place on the night in question.
19:41 Each deals with urban myths around the festivities, including werewolves, ghosts, and murderers.
19:48 Without a worldwide premiere, the film went mostly unnoticed upon release.
19:51 However, it's become a favourite for fans who have discovered it since.
19:55 "Trick or Treat."
19:58 So if you're in the mood for a delightfully spooky film that hits all the right notes,
20:02 look no further than Sam and his trusty lollipop.
20:06 And remember to keep the spirit of Halloween alive if you don't want Sam to come knocking.
20:11 Which horror movie do you think deserves more recognition?
20:13 Let us know in the comments.
20:16 "How are we supposed to know that you were really good at killing people?
20:22 Which is actually sort of weird, by the way."
20:25 Did you enjoy this video?
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