Why do images of humans walking on all fours, especially bent over backwards (and speed up) creep people out so much? Horror directors have used this particular trope to great effect for years. Horror film experts note that images in which the human body is shown in an unnatural way always seem to have a deep and unsettling impact on us.
Think of blacked-out eyes, heads turning too far to the side, or fast jerky movements. Out of all the creepy images of the human body in horror movies, few (if any) are more disturbing than the dreaded spider walk sometimes referred to as 'crab walk'. Here’s an overview of the use of the spider walk in films, beginning with The Exorcist.
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The infamous scene of a possessed girl named Regan spider-walking down the stairs and then doing lewd things to the houseguests was filmed using a real contortionist, but it never made the final cut of the movie when it was first released. Director William Friedkin did not like the quality of the scene because you could see the wires that suspended the contortionist.
The Exorcist crab walk was included in later versions of the film when, with the help of CGI, the wires were removed from the shots. Some horror experts argue that the spider walk scene should never be included because it’s the only instance when Regan leaves her room.
Here's the famous The Exorcist spider walk scene:
In the Mouth of Madness is John Carpenter’s strange and disturbing film about a Stephen King-like horror writer whose fictional monsters seem to come to life and start wreaking havoc on the world. This film is famous for a scene with a girl who walks on all fours, and as a bonus, her head is twisted around too.
Here's the spiderwalk scene:
No overview of disturbing horror movie spider crawling would be complete without The Ring's famous TV scene. The image of Sadako crawling out of the TV and then creeping across the floor on all fours has been identified by many horror fans as one of the most terrifying horror movie images ever.
Here's the famously creepy Ring crawling TV scene:
In The Unborn, A young woman is haunted by a dybbuk, an evil spirit that has taken possession of the body of her great uncle, who died as a boy in the Holocaust. He was her grandmother’s twin, and poor grandma gets the scare of her life in a nursing home when one of the other residents (a paralyzed elderly man) begins to chase her, crawling on all fours with his head upside down.
Read next: The 21 creepiest serial killer quotes and the stories behind them
This movie also features a dog with an upside down head too, but the most iconic scene is definitely this staircase scene:
A legion of angels come to Earth to bring about the Apocalypse and wipe out the human race in this 2010 horror flick. Strange things begin happening to people…including a bunch of creepy crab-walking.
An old lady undergoes a demonic transformation and begins crawling on the ceiling, and a possessed ice cream man’s arms and legs lengthen as he starts scrabbling on all fours after people.
Both scenes are pretty creepy, but our favorite is definitely the old lady crawling on the ceiling scene - here's the clip:
In The Last Exorcism, a young girl who is suspected of being possessed is filmed by a documentary crew out to expose a preacher accused of faking exorcisms. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the girl really is possessed by demons, as evidenced by her being creepily bent over backwards in a barn.
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Here's the possessed barn scene:
In this 2013 Guillermo del Toro produced film two little girls who find themselves alone in an abandoned house in the woods, and are protected & raised by the malevolent spirit of a dead woman.
The girls, especially the younger one, are feral from lack of human contact. They also take on the creeping on all fours movements of the entity called Mama. Here's the creepiest spider walk scene in the movie:
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]]>How do you find the best paranormal movies on Netflix?
Choosing a favorite from all of the ghost movies on Netflix is hard, but here’s a list of some recent entries in the genre to get you started. After your done with the article, make sure to check out our limited edition horror clothing!
Loosely based on a true story about real-life murdered twins, the ghosts in this movie are the spirits of a pair of murdered twin girls. Years ago, their father was found guilty for a murder he didn’t commit, leading the young heroine of our story to uncover the ugly truth behind what really happened in the town of Silver Falls years ago.
A dreamy and atmospheric haunted house tale that centers on a young hospice nurse who is brought in to care for a mysterious old woman in her creepy house. The twist in this thoughtful and clever film is that the old house is perhaps even more haunted by upcoming deaths than the ones that have already happened.
Based on the real-life story of a young American priest who trained as an exorcist in Rome, The Rite stars Anthony Hopkins as a famous exorcist who works with the young priest on a case involving a possessed pregnant girl who was raped by her father. One of the big problems with being an exorcist? The demon might end up inside of you.
Set in 1920s England, a young writer who exposes paranormal hoaxes investigates stories of a child’s ghost haunting a boarding school in this British film. She uncovers a lot more supernatural activity going on than just the ghost of one boy…including how her own troubled past is intertwined with the school’s ghosts.
This documentary-style movie is about a girl who, with the assistance of a documentary filmmaker, investigates the strange behavior of her mother, who underwent an exorcism some years earlier. Is the mom mentally ill or possessed? Perhaps a hint is that there’s a contortionist in the film’s credits by the name of Pixie Le Knot, so you know what that means.
Definitely the most famous movie on our list, most people are already familiar with the plot of Insidious, which revolves around a young boy who acts as a kind of portal to another world populated by demons and evil spirits. Even if you’ve seen it before, Insidious still has some of the best jump scares in recent horror movies.
Looking for even more scares? Be sure to check out some of our creepiest horror shirts, guaranteed to get you noticed…like our limited edition, hand drawn Friends Horror Shirt!
Images via IMDb.
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Any list of the ten best horror movies you should see before you die is bound to provoke lots of conversations, disagreements, and even flat out fights among horror film fans. The bottom line…no one can claim to have created the definitive list, but it sure is fun trying. Here are ten of the all-time great scary movies you should see before you die. Want even more “best of” lists curated by your friends at Serial Killer Shop? Check out our blog posts on must-see ghost movies, classic British horror, and great horror films that not everyone has seen.
This is the horror film that kicked off the “found footage” genre that continues to be so popular today. The premise involves a group of three kids who take their video camera into the woods to see what they can see. They want to record evidence of the Blair Witch Incidents, which have become something of a local legend in the community. A whole lot of running and screaming and shaky video footage later, they find more than they bargained for. The makers of The Blair Witch Project created a novel approach to horror moviemaking that made a big impact with audiences.
Stephen King may not have been totally thrilled with Stanley’s Kubrick’s take on his classic horror novel The Shining, but most film critics and fans agree that this movie stands among the very best horror films of all time. Is there another horror move that has more memorable scenes, images, and quotes than The Shining? We can’t think of any that even come close…thanks in large part to Kubrick and the amazing performances by Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and the other cast members.
Shot in the Tennessee backwoods by up-and-coming horror filmmaker Sam Raimi for a mere $350,000, Evil Dead introduced the world to actor Bruce Campbell, the Necronomicon, and a non-stop carousel of gory violence inflicted by (and on) a succession of young people-turned-demons. If you love outrageous gore and classic overacting, this is the movie for you. The plot centers on five college kids who unleash a world of trouble from the basement of their cabin in the woods. When incantations summon forth demons, it’s Ash to the rescue!
The presence of Zombieland later on this list makes it mandatory that we include the man and movie that revolutionized the zombie genre--George A. Romero and his Night of the Living Dead. The plot involves a group of people trying to survive the night in a farmhouse while being attacked by zombies. While the gore factor might seem tame these days, at the time it was revolutionary. Romero’s masterpiece (and it certainly is that) incorporates tight editing and the kind of clever social commentary rarely found in today’s movies. Don’t watch another zombie flick until you pay homage to the master.
Normally, we don’t suggest you see a remake over the original but, in this case, we’ll make an exception. With The Fly, David Cronenberg created a fascinating tale (sometimes disgusting, often funny, and also surprisingly moving) of a scientist (a great Jeff Goldblum) who experiments with teleportation technology. But when a fly gets into the chamber, their DNA gets mixed, and things go terribly wrong. Where this movie succeeds is in creating characters we genuinely care about, which is unusual, but a welcome change, for the horror genre.
This surreal exploration of a man’s fear of pending parenthood put director David Lynch (creator of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks) on the map. If you like your movies with linear plots, well-defined motives, and nice little scenes that make perfect sense, you can skip the cult classic Eraserhead. Except you should watch it, just to see what one director’s unique vision can do. Shot in atmospheric black-and-white during Lynch’s tenure at the American Film Institute, this movie has unsettled, puzzled, and downright disturbed moviegoers for decades.
Along with the television series The Walking Dead, Zombieland helped give new life to the zombie genre. This horror comedy has a great cast--Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and a hilarious cameo by Bill Murray pretending to be a zombie. This funny, gory road trip is always entertaining. When the zombie apocalypse breaks out, Columbus (Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Harrelson) join forces for survival, but everything goes awry when they meet a pair of untrustworthy sisters. Grab your Twinkies and watch it now!
Unlike most of the movies on our list, Event Horizon has a pretty low 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Many of the movie’s fans would beg to differ on that one. The plot involves a spaceship, the Event Horizon, which has mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Seven years later, members of a rescue mission track the Event Horizon’s distress call, find the lost ship, and discover that some very strange things have been going on. Not all critics loved it, but it’s a must-see for sci-fi horror fans.
Though subsequent franchise entries were of varying quality levels, the original Hellraiser, written and directed by Clive Barker (his directorial debut), presents an unforgettable world of horrifying supernatural creatures and events…all unleashed when unwitting humans start tinkering with an antique puzzle box. Even people who have never seen the movie are no doubt familiar with Pinhead, the leader of the demons called Cenobites.
Last but not least on our list: Insidious, a favorite of many fans of supernatural horror…and the jump scare! A young boy falls into a mysterious coma after a trip to the attic of his new home, and his desperate parents seek out the help of a paranormal expert when other strange things begin happening in the house. Turns out the boy has the powers of astral projection and horrifying demons and tormented lost souls are able to enter our world through the boy.
There you have it…our list of 10 must-watch horror movies. Ask us on a different day and you might get a different answer, but for now, we’ll stand by our picks! Hope you’ll be inspired to watch something new to you…or revisit an old favorite. Don’t forget to check out our collection of horror shirts featuring hand-drawn images of classic horror movie images, including three movies on the list--The Shining, The Fly, and Hellraisier.
Images via IMDb.
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Watch The Exorcist by yourself and you'll likely end up turning on every light in the house, expecting to find demons lurking in the shadows. Once you learn about The Exorcist true story, you may have even more trouble sleeping. The Roland Doe exorcism was a real-life event that inspired William Peter Blatty to write The Exorcist. Psychologists even coined the term “cinematic neurosis” after the release of the movie, for people plagued by the terrifying thought that they might become the subject of a demonic possession themselves. If you're losing sleep due to cinematic neurosis, you might want to spend those sleepless nights checking out the Serial Killer Shop horror collection to kill some time.
The true story of the Roland Doe exorcism goes back to the late 1940s in Cottage City, Maryland, a small, quaint community on the Anacostia River not far from Washington, D.C. The boy in our story goes by the name of Roland, which was a pseudonym used in documentation to protect the boy's identity. The boy lived in a home with adults, he had no siblings and there were no other children in the house to play with when he was young.
Many of the other children who went to school with him described him as quiet, withdrawn, and unpopular. He wasn't very athletic, but he was a good student who loved to learn. One of his favorite people to spend time with was his Aunt Harriet, who was also a spiritualist.
In the big book of things you should never do in a horror movie, his Aunt Harriet introduced Roland to a Ouija board when the boy showed interest in the game. Could this introduction to Ouija have possibly opened the gate to another world and allowed a demon to enter his body?
Things were relatively normal for Roland until the death of his Aunt Harriet in 1949. After she died, the family began to note strange occurrences in the house. Furniture started to move on its own, objects would levitate or fly across the room, and strange noises kept the family on edge.
As the disturbances continued, they also got worse. It started with some scratching on the walls that sounded like water. Then the noises turned into thumping and footsteps. At one point, a portrait of Jesus Christ hanging on the wall began moving and banging against the wall. The occurrences only happened when Roland, who was 14 years old at the time, was nearby.
The family turned to their pastor for help and guidance. The pastor was a Lutheran by the name of Luther Miles Schulze, who just happened to have an interest in parapsychology. Schulze corroborated the claims of unusual activity that the family was experiencing, and he told the parents they should consult with a Catholic priest who was familiar with exorcism.
The boy was "treated" by more than one priest and in differing locations. One of the most famous instances was the attempted exorcism by Edward Hughes, who conducted the exorcism at Georgetown University Hospital. The exorcism was never completed. The boy was able to escape the restraints during the exorcism and lash out at the priest's arm with a bedspring from the mattress.
The exorcism was halted and the family made contact with a Catholic priest who was also a professor at St. Louis University, Raymond J. Bishop. Being the academic he was, Bishop kept a daily log of the events that transpired while working with Roland.
Raymond J. Bishop, the real exorcist, sought the assistance of a priest by the name of William S. Bowdern, who was an associate of College Church. With the goal of gathering evidence for the archbishop, they traveled to Roland’s home where they observed a shaking bed, strange guttural voices coming from the boy, flying objects, and his extreme aversion to anything religious or sacred in nature. After reporting the findings, the exorcism was allowed to continue with the support of the church authorities.
The duo conducted the exorcism at The Alexian Brothers Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The hospital was later torn down and destroyed in 1978, so it's no longer around for those who want a glimpse of the original exorcism location. A total of 48 people were reported to witness the exorcism.
After learning how the first exorcism unfolded, the priests decided to make detailed preparations for the next exorcism. A priest by the name of Walter Halloran was called to assist Bowdern in the psychiatric wing of the hospital. Another priest by the name of William Van Roo was available to assist in the exorcism as well. The boy was strapped to a bed to prevent injury to himself and others, but the preparations weren't enough to keep the boy calm during the ritual. As you'll soon find out, there was no small amount of violence that erupted from within this boy's little body.
The second and final exorcism took place on Easter Monday in 1949. Having completed their preparations, the priests began the process of exorcising the demon from the boy in a secluded room in the hospital. During the exorcism, Halloran noted that words and marks began to appear on the boy's body. At one point, he saw the word "evil" materialize. The word "hell" is also said to have appeared on the boy. The portion of the exorcism where the saints are called upon resulted in a violent shaking of Roland’s mattress.
The Litany of Saints portion of the rite was one of the most harrowing for the priests, but they continued on with the exorcism. While no priest had an arm sliced this time, Halloran's nose was broken by the boy. The exorcism took a total of eight minutes, and when it was over the boy said in a tone that signified relief, "He's gone!" Other reports indicate that the boy said, "It's over. It's over." The room where the exorcism took place was sealed off to prevent further access.
Bishop's diary was reportedly left at the hospital. The diary was found in 1978, just before the building was destroyed. The diary became the starting point for a book titled Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism by Thomas B. Allen. The book contains the contents of the diary, and it provides the most complete account of an exorcism in modern times.
The book was not without controversy, and Exorcist author William Peter Blatty wanted to recount the details of the exorcism in a new book. Blatty contacted Bowdern for assistance, but Bowdern declined, stating that he didn't want to help because he feared that the exorcism "would be most embarrassing, and possibly painfully disturbing to the young man." He noted that he conducted the exorcism at the direction of Archbishop Joseph E. Ritter, who later became a cardinal, and he wanted to keep the case discreet.
Still, the discovery of the diary offered more insight into the plight of Roland and the priests as they attempted to exorcise the demon within. The details in the diary are meticulous and comprehensive, and it will serve as a good starting point for anyone who wants to learn about what happened during the exorcism of a boy in 1949.
After the exorcism, the boy reportedly went on to live a normal life. Writer Thomas B. Allen attempted to protect the boy's true identity by giving him the aliases Robbie Mannheim or Roland Doe. The Mannheim family didn't experience any additional problems, and they returned home to resume their lives.
The boy grew up to live a happy life and he later became very successful, getting married and having children. Fifty years after the exorcism took place, Robbie Mannheim reported that he could not remember the possession and has no idea what it was like to be possessed. The experience would most likely scar anybody for life, but it seems that along with the exorcism of the demon, traumatic memories were wiped away as well.
The Exorcist tells a tale so compelling and disturbing that it gets to the very roots of our deepest fears. It's a story about losing control of ourselves, which is something most of us dread. The film was one of the very few horror movies to have won an Oscar, and it took away the awards for Best Writing and Sound. The Exorcist is a haunting movie that plays on our greatest fears. Whether or not you believe in spirits, ghosts, or demons, it's a film that gets under your skin and stays with you forever.
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The finest classic horror novels combine the best of both literature and horror to create a spellbinding reading experience. A few select authors laid the groundwork for many of the modern horror writers we read today. From Mary Shelley to Stephen King, the style of classic horror books may have changed over the years, but the main goal remains the same—to present a darker version of reality that makes us look at the human experience in new ways. Whether the books contain ghosts, monsters, or some other representation of evil, the best horror writers can frighten you and make you think at the same time. Check out this list of 5 must-read classic horror books, and be sure to visit our other articles on more great horror books and classic horror short stories, too.
Perhaps one of the most widely-known modern horror novels, Stephen King’s The Shining was first published in 1977. One of his early works, the novel was inspired by a trip King and his wife Tabitha took to Colorado’s Stanley Hotel, which was to become the tale of Jack Torrance. A recovering alcoholic attempting to write a book, Torrance takes up residence at the fictional Overlook Hotel as the off-season caretaker.
The hotel is located in the Colorado Rockies where a winter storm leaves Jack snowbound at the hotel with his wife Wendy and their son Danny. He struggles with writer’s block while dealing with supernatural forces that begin to test his sanity. Meanwhile, it turns out that Danny possesses psychic powers known as “the shining” which gives him the frightening ability to see into the hotel's grisly past. Jack slowly descends into madness at the Overlook, ultimately leading to a climax of paranoia and fear.
First published in 1890, the original text by Oscar Wilde was edited to remove content deemed offensive by his first publisher. Over the years, various versions of the work were released, some with added material to compensate for the loss of original text. In 2011, Harvard University Press finally published the original manuscript as Wilde intended.
The story revolves around Dorian Gray, a wealthy young man in Victorian England. He has a portrait of himself painted and wishes that the picture would age and bear the marks of life instead of himself. In fact, Gray seeks to sell his soul to make this happen. After an incident with a rejected lover in which she commits suicide, the picture begins to exhibit degradation and Gray understands his wish has been granted. Following in the footsteps of his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he becomes a hedonistic monster, indulging in womanizing and opium use all while his portrait bears the scars.
People all over the world are familiar with the legendary story of Ebenezer Scrooge. It has been published multiple times and adapted into stage plays, musicals, and countless television and theatrical film releases. Published in 1843, it was written by Charles Dickens as an examination of the era's Christmas traditions as well as an allegory for British society of the time.
Scrooge, a self-obsessed miser, finds himself on Christmas Eve complaining about the season and treating those around him with cruel disdain. He's depicted as a man with no regard for those in need, even his own employee, Bob Cratchit.
Soon, he finds himself visited by the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley warns him that he will be visited further by three more ghosts. With each ghost, Scrooge gets glimpses of his own past, present, and future. Each time period proves to be disturbing, as Scrooge must learn hard lessons about both himself and society.
While A Christmas Carol is not the scariest story compared to some other horror novels, it still stands as one of the all-time classics of the genre.
Setting the standard for Gothic horror, Dracula is an 1897 novel by Bram Stoker. Dracula, while not the first story written about vampires, is by far the most famous, published a number of times and adapted into film, radio, television, and stage. It also spawned countless spin-offs and sequels, as well as lines of toys and video games.
Stoker tells the story of Count Dracula, a vampire aristocrat from Transylvania, and his attempt to move to England in the 1890s. Told through a series of letters, log entries, diaries, and newspaper articles, Dracula follows a number of people as they band together to fight Count Dracula and prevent him from bringing his reign of evil to his new home. The different parts of the tale focus on different characters, each describing their experiences and eventually coming together. Joined by the vampire hunter Van Helsing, the group finds a way to kill Dracula while suffering casualties along the way.
Mary Shelley's masterpiece may be the most famous of all horror novels ever written. She was only 18 when she began the novel and it was published for the first time in 1818. The inspiration for the novel comes from real-life events she experienced in Germany where she was told stories of alchemists’ experiments from centuries before.
Frankenstein is the story of its namesake, Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a reanimated being from the dead tissue of others. The Creature, as it is called, is a giant at eight feet tall, with yellow eyes. Frankenstein flees but eventually meets his tortured Creature again. At its request, the scientist creates a female companion but destroys it before it is brought to life. The Creature eventually kills Victor's wife and the creator pursues it all the way to the North Pole, dying in the quest to save humanity from the evil he brought to the world.
Classic horror novels like Dracula and Frankenstein are early precursors to many horror movies and television shows loved by fans to this day. These books set the standards for modern horror stories created today. Although the style of horror writing has evolved over the years, the essential elements remain the same. Haunted houses, ghosts, vampires, monsters, and supernatural experiences remain the basis of modern works by authors such as Clive Barker and R.L. Stine. Proof that people of all eras love to be frightened by a good scary story.
Inspired to read some of these classic novels? You can also wear some of the iconic horror characters from the books on a shirt. How about a Frankenstein shirt, or maybe that famous “Here’s Johnny” moment from the film version of The Shining?
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Movie taglines evolved along with posters and trailers as an advertising method to entice moviegoers into wanting to see a movie. Over time taglines, especially horror taglines, became almost as famous as the movies themselves. Writers pride themselves on creating memorable taglines. Test your memory of horror movie taglines – how many of these do you know? Also make sure to check out Racks And Razors for more horror film talk!
*Answers are at the bottom of the post.
1. Who will survive and what will be left of them?
2. It takes all kinds of critters to make farmer Vincent’s fritters.
3. Some houses are born bad.
4. Whoever wins…we lose.
5. His story will touch you, even though he can’t.
6. It never forgives. It never forgets.
7. To avoid fainting keep repeating: it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie.
8. Fear is a place.
9. Man is the warmest place to hide.
10. Sometimes dead is better.
11. If this one doesn’t scare you, you’re already dead!
12. This summer, go to hell.
1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; 2. Motel Hell; 3. The Haunting; 4. Alien vs. Predator; 5. Edward Scissorhands; 6. The Grudge; 7. The Last House on the Left; 8. Session 9; 9. The Thing; 10. Pet Sematary; 11. Phantasm; 12. The Devil’s Rejects
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The true story behind the making of the horror film The Evil Within is fascinating enough to deserve a movie of its own. Now available on DVD and VOD, The Evil Within is the product of the obsessive work of the late Andrew Getty, grandson of J. Paul Getty and one of the heirs to the Getty fortune. Filming began in 2002, and the movie is only being seen now, 15 years later.
Getty, who passed away in 2015, wrote and directed the movie, which is based on a series of disturbing nightmares he himself experienced. The movie spent many years in post-production, with Getty reportedly obsessing over every frame of the film. He poured millions of his own money into the movie and turned his home into a post-production studio. Those close to the project say that the film eventually bankrupted him.
Getty died at the age of 47 from the complications of many years of methamphetamine abuse…a hemorrhaging ulcer to be exact. The movie itself has been described by critics as a meditation on the horrors of addiction coming from the mind of an addict himself.
The plot centers on one very creepy mentally disabled young man who is ordered to kill people by a demonic creature that appears to him in dreams…and in his own reflection in the mirror. The film is full of hallucinatory, nightmarish images that are hard to forget.
Critics note that the film can best be described as the passion project of a dedicated--but amateur--filmmaker, so fair warning to horror fans ready to dive in. Interested in checking it out before you watch? See the trailer now:
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What upcoming horror movies are on your radar this year? The anticipation of the release of a new horror movie that’s getting a lot of buzz grows even stronger when the official movie trailer gets released. Here are some trailers for upcoming horror movies that are sure to get you excited to go to your local multiplex and experience the full scare:
Alien Covenant (May 19): Ridley Scott directs this latest addition to the Alien storyline. A colony ship called Covenant is on its way to a far-off planet when they discover a world that seems like heaven but of course is anything but paradise.
The Void (April 7): A small town cop brings a mysteriously injured guy to the local hospital, which soon becomes surrounded by creepy figures in white robes outside. Inside, as you’ll see in the trailer, lots of gory stuff starts to happen.
Here Alone (March 31): A woman who survived a killer virus that took her family lives alone in the woods fighting off zombies. Then she meets up with a seemingly uninfected couple…but can she trust them?
Life (March 24): Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds star in this sci-fi horror movie about a group of space station astronauts who discover that a sample taken from Mars contains one very strange and frightening alien life form.
Nails (Feb. 20 (Ireland)): Already released in Ireland where it was produced, Nails tells the story of a woman, paralyzed and helpless after an accident, who becomes convinced that an evil entity called “Nails” is out to get her.
The Belko Experiment (March 17): A group of people who think they are working for a non-profit are trapped in an office building and told they must kill a certain number of their fellow hostages or they will all die. When heads literally start exploding, they realize this game is for real.
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Some of the best fiction comes in the form of the short story, and well-crafted horror short stories definitely rank high on many lists of best short fiction. It’s not easy to create the perfect creepy story in just a few pages, but some talented authors have mastered the horror short story. Here are a few classics that are guaranteed to keep you up at night long after you finish reading them. Click the images to see more on Goodreads.
“Gabriel-Ernst” (Saki, aka H.H. Munro)
Saki was a master of horror short fiction and “Gabriel-Ernst” (written in 1909) is one of his best. In just a few pages, this very short and very atmospheric story tells the tale of Gabriel, a strange feral boy found in the woods who has a taste for flesh.
“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (Richard Matheson)
A man looks out of the window of a plane and sees a gremlin on the wing, and isn’t sure if it’s real or if he’s losing his mind. If this plot sounds familiar, it’s because the original 1961 short story by horror writer Richard Matheson was adapted by both the old Twilight Zone TV show and the Twilight Zone movie.
“The Langoliers” (Stephen King)
What’s a “best of” horror list without Stephen King? He’s written a lot of short horror, by many fans would choose this novella as one of the best. A group of airplane passengers fly through a “time rip” and are terrorized by a bunch of monsters who eat the past called the Langoliers.
“The Dunwich Horror” (H.P. Lovecraft)
Interested in learning more about the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft? “The Dunwich Horror” is a good place to dive in. A mysterious entity has taken up residence at a Massachusetts farmhouse. With the death of its “keeper”—the unusual Wilbur—the entity breaks free and terrorizes the town of Dunwich.
“Vital Signs” (Emily Walker)
A sociopath named Vlad works for the Russian mob, harvesting and selling human organs on the black market. How does he get his victims? Let’s just say you might want to think twice before calling 911 and getting into an ambulance after you read this story.
“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (M.R. James)
British author M.R. James was a master of the classic ghost story and this is one of his best. Published in 1904, it tells the tale of a professor who finds an antique whistle in an old ruined building and, of course, blows it, summoning one very terrifying ghost.
“Chivalry” (Neil Gaiman)
The popular novelist Neil Gaiman is also a talented short story writer. “Chivalry” is a fun read, more humorous than horrifying. An old woman just happens to buy the Holy Grail at a thrift shop and is then visited by the spirit of Sir Galaad, a Knight of the Round Table, who wants it back.
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Can a three-minute film with no dialogue be scary? The answer is 100% Yes! ... If it comes from the creative minds of filmmaker David F. Sandberg and his wife, actress Lotta Losten. Sandberg is definitely a horror director to put on your watch list...both for his full-length movies and ingenious, well-crafted horror shorts.
Sandberg is the writer and director of the acclaimed full-length film Lights Out, which happens to be based on one of his super-creepy short films. He is also the director of the upcoming Annabelle 2, the next entry in the Conjuring franchise.
You can watch Sandberg’s innovative short horror films, often featuring his wife, on his addictive Vimeo channel. Be sure to check out the short version of Lights Out, and his other horror shorts like Coffer and Attic Panic. These short films perfectly capture the essence of horror (no dialogue required) and leave you wanting more!
Can't wait to watch? Check out Coffer now!
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Whenever movie awards season rolls around each year, horror fans have come to expect that their favorite movies will get snubbed by the Academy Awards…not to mention the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Directors Guild Awards, etc. But is this really true? Are horror films always overlooked by the Hollywood types who hand out awards? The good news is that horror movies have actually won quite a few big awards over the years. Here’s some Oscar-winning horror you can put on your watch list.
The Exorcist
Few horror movies have earned more Oscar nominations than The Exorcist. This film won for Best Writing and Sound, but it was nominated in many of the major categories: Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, and Cinematography…to name a few, but not all, of its nominations.
The Silence of the Lambs
This movie won big at the Oscars, so big that it joined a very small group of movies that won for virtually all of the major categories. The wins? Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Writing. It was also nominated for Editing and Sound. The Silence of the Lambs is pretty much the only horror movie to win Best Picture.
Jaws
Jaws was a phenomenon when it came out in the 70s, driving millions of people off the beach and into the movie theater. Its popularity didn’t stop the Academy from recognizing the good filmmaking behind the blockbuster. While Jaws lost Best Picture to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it did win for Music Score, Film Editing, and Sound Mixing.
Aliens
While the original Alien film did earn a win for Best Visual Effects and a nomination for Production Design, the 1986 sequel had an impressive 7 nominations and 2 wins. Aliens won for Best Visual Effects and Sound Editing and was nominated for Best Actress, Music, Editing, Sound, and Production Design.
Black Swan
Was Black Swan a horror movie? The question has been debated, but many film experts do put it in the same psychological horror category as movies like Psycho, The Haunting, and Altered States. Natalie Portman won the award for Best Actress, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, and Editing.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The noted director Francis Ford Coppola was behind this retelling of the classic vampire story. While he didn’t get a nod, the movie did win a not too shabby 3 Oscars: Best Costume Design, Makeup, and Sound Editing. It was also nominated for Best Production Design.
Images via IMDb.
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Does your idea of a relaxing evening always include a horror movie or two? Is Halloween pretty much the only holiday you even care about? Does the idea of lying around on a beach bore you to tears? If you answered “Hell, yeah!” then you’re the perfect candidate for a horror-themed vacation. There are plenty of famously ghoulish places you can travel to for a quick weekend getaway or a full-on grand tour of horror. Here are just a few suggestions for your next horrifying vacation.
St. Louis Cemetery No.1, New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a trip to New Orleans? Take a break from the food, drink, and music at what is probably the most famous cemetery in the United States. St. Louis Cemetery No.1 was founded in the late 1700s and is the oldest existing cemetery in the city (St. Louis 2 and 3 are also quite old, but newer than #1). It’s known for its labyrinth of above-ground vaults and tombs, and is the final resting place of famous (and infamous) residents. You need to be on an official tour to enter, so you can’t just wander in. Advance reservations are suggested.
Jack the Ripper Sites, London, England
London has lots of very creepy places to visit, including the Tower of London, Highgate Cemetery, and the Greenwich Foot Tunnel (a scary old tunnel under the Thames that connects Greenwich with the Isle of Dogs). But no trip to London is complete without a Jack the Ripper tour. There are lots of guided walking tour of the East London sites of Jack the Ripper’s famous murders. Most travel experts recommend the Jack the Ripper tour from the London Walks company. It’s a nighttime tour run by a noted Ripper historian and hits all of the key locations.
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining after he and his wife spent a lonely night in a near-deserted Stanley Hotel back in 1974…the day before it was closing down for winter. King thought that this sprawling old hotel, dramatically nestled in the Rockies, would make the perfect setting for a ghost story. He even dreamed about his young son being chased through the hallways, terrified. The Stanley is a must-visit for horror fans planning a trip to the Denver/Boulder area. Even if you don’t stay at this grand old Colorado landmark, you can still book tours—including spooky night tours—and learn about The Stanley’s haunted history.
The Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo, Italy
Located on the Italian island of Sicily, this fascinating historic site is world-famous for its hundreds of well-preserved mummies. Originally a practice reserved for the Capuchin monks, having your body embalmed, dressed, and put on display here became something of a status symbol for the locals as well. The catacombs are open to the public, although photography (and touching!) is prohibited. Because this is a religious place, visitors are asked to behave in a courteous manner. Not much to ask in exchange for the privilege of touring this unique and macabre place.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Locations, Round Rock, Texas
If you’re a fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, then you need to make a pilgrimage to Round Rock, Texas (near Austin) to celebrate all things Leatherface. You can tour the original Leatherface house, the gas station, the cemetery, and Quick Hill from the 1974 film. You can also visit several locations from the sequels. Texas Chainsaw Tours will pick you up from your hotel, take you on a personalized and private one or two day tour (depending on what you want to see), and then drop you back off at your hotel. The tours are run by Tim Harden, noted Chainsaw expert.
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Your 10 year old niece might think Hello Kitty is the best pop culture import from Japan, but you know better. Japanese horror movies, commonly known as J Horror, have become fan favorites in the West. What is it about J Horror that makes it so memorable and disturbing? Critics say that J Horror is just as influenced by elements of Japanese myth and legend as it is by classic American horror movies. Here are just a few essential J Horror films…and why they work.
Ringu (The Ring)
No list of J Horror is complete without The Ring, a movie that is a modern twist (complete with haunted technology) on the classic Japanese ghost story. Japanese folklore is full of ghosts and evil spirits, including one scary female ghost called Yuki-onna (Snow Woman) who is pale, has long black hair, and dresses in white. Sadako, the Ring’s iconic female figure, is a perfect representation of this classic ghost.
Ju-on (The Grudge)
As in The Ring, ghosts also play an important role in The Grudge. The film is centered on the traditional belief that if a person is murdered or dies in extreme circumstances, their tortured spirits will put a curse on the place where the tragedy happened. The title itself can be translated as “curse” and the ghosts in the film can be viewed as ghosts in Japanese folklore called Onryo, the spirits of people who died tragically and continue to haunt the place of their suffering.
Toire no Hanako-san (School Mystery) and Shinsei toire no Hanako-san (Hanako of the Toilet)
A Japanese urban legend tells the story of the ghost of a young girl who haunts school restrooms (specifically the third toilet stall). If you knock three times and ask if she’s there, she will reply that she is. The origins of the urban legend are murky, usually she is a schoolgirl who was killed or committed suicide. The Hanako legend has been covered in many movies and other mediums like anime. The plots of School Mystery (1995) and Hanako of the Toilet (1998) are different, but they’re both centered on kids who encounter this bathroom spirit.
Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water)
Dark Water has the obligatory tortured ghost (the spirit of a young girl who was drowned) plus another classic element utilized by J Horror—water. Experts note that ghosts and spirits are often associated with water in traditional Japanese folklore. Dark Water is full of flooding, dirty water, and overflowing bathtubs, taking this element even further than the Hanako school toilets and the well in The Ring.
Images via IMDb
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A lot of horror fans wouldn’t watch a romantic movie if you paid them. But if you like a little love and romance with your horror, then you know that there are actually some great movies out there that manage to combine classic horror with a love story that won’t make you cringe. So grab your Valentine and watch one of these romantic horror movies on V-Day.
The Fly (1986)
The good news is you’ve met the love of your life and he happens to be a brilliant scientist doing exciting cutting-edge research. The bad news? The man of your dreams morphs into a repulsive human-fly mutant after a scientific experiment goes wrong. Director David Cronenberg skillfully combines gross-out horror with a genuinely heart-wrenching love story.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Young love takes a surprising twist in this highly-regarded Swedish vampire movie. An awkward young boy becomes interested in his new neighbor, a strange girl who just happens to be an ageless vampire. She saves him from bullies by brutally killing them, and he may be the perfect choice to be her next caretaker.
Spring (2014)
In the mood for some romantic body horror? Then check out this movie about a guy who falls in love with a young woman on a trip to Italy. She happens to have two different-colored eyes, but that’s the least of her issues. An immortal mutant, she must get pregnant every 20 years and use the embryonic cells to survive. Guess who she chooses this time around.
The Hunger (1983)
What do you do if your lover is an immortal vampire queen who promises you eternal life in exchange for a bite on the neck, but then all those years catch up with you and you start to age rapidly? If you’re David Bowie in The Hunger, you consult a sexy young gerontologist and the three of you form a unique love triangle.
Red White & Blue (2010)
This dark movie will make you appreciate your boring significant other like never before. The lives of 3 damaged people become dangerously intertwined after a promiscuous young woman meets a military veteran with a scary past. Their relationship gets complicated when a past sexual partner seeks revenge on her for giving him HIV. Payback was never so gruesome.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Francis Ford Coppola’s faithful retelling of the original vampire tale, this movie follows Count Dracula to London where he becomes obsessed with a young woman he thinks is the reincarnation of his Transylvanian love from centuries earlier. Can he defeat her jealous fiancé and the vampire hunter Van Helsing to have her forever?
Images via IMDb.
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It takes a lot of people to make a horror movie…producers, screenwriters, designers, editors, actors…but the one job that takes on the greatest importance is director. It’s the director who is credited with being the visionary of a film crew, the one most responsible for the overall artistry and creativity of a movie. That’s why horror fans are always interested to discover new and talented young directors…ones who can take a sometimes tired genre and create something surprising and exciting. Here are a few fan and critic favorites.
Mike Flanagan
Fittingly for a horror director, Flanagan was born in Salem Massachusetts. He has directed (not to mention edited and written or co-written) several recent critically acclaimed horror films, including Oculus, Hush, Absentia, Before I Wake, and Ouija: Origin of Evil. Next up is an adaptation of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game.
Karyn Kusama
Kusama directed 2009’s horror comedy Jennifer’s Body. While that film’s reception was mixed, the reviews and fan reactions to 2015’s chilling The Invitation have been overwhelmingly positive. Next up…the highly anticipated horror anthology movie XX (featuring work by Kusama and other female directors) due out in February 2017.
Robert Eggers
The writer-director of The Witch got his start as a theatrical production and costume designer before making the switch to film, which definitely explains the memorable visuals of the movie. Horror fans will be excited to hear that his next project will be a remake of the classic 1922 horror movie Nosferatu.
Lucky McKee
Horror fans have been keeping an eye on Lucky McKee for a while now. Previous films include The Woman, The Woods, All Cheerleaders Die, and the unique cult favorite May. Up next…Misfortune.
Adam Wingard
This horror director has been prolific since he directed his first horror short at age 19. He has gone on to direct several notable recent horror films, including You’re Next and Blair Witch. More horror projects in the works include Death Note, to be released in 2017, and the recently announced I Saw the Devil.
Jennifer Kent
An Australian actress who turned to directing after being inspired by the controversial director Lars von Trier, Kent’s first full-length horror film, The Babadook, generated a huge amount of attention and praise. Film fans are looking forward to the release of 2017’s The Nightingale, a dark drama set in remote Tasmania in the early 1800s.
Images via IMDb.
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Looking to catch up on some horror movie watching during the cold days of winter? Now is the perfect time to check out new films, re-watch old favorites, or watch some classics you may have missed the first time around. Here are some of the more interesting horror movies released in the last few years that you can stream on Netflix right now.
Under the Shadow
A unique supernatural horror story set in 1980s Tehran, this film tells the story of a little girl who fears evils spirits called “Djinns.” Her mother begins to realize that these legendary entities might be more than just the product of her daughter’s imagination.
We Are What We Are
The American remake of a Mexican original (which is available on DVD), this film follows a strange family—a domineering father and his two daughters—with a family tradition of cannibalism that they are determined to keep going.
Bad Milo
If you like a little dose of humor to go along with your horror, then Bad Milo is for you. A seemingly normal guy begins to experience stomach pains when he gets upset. Turns out a creature living in his intestines is the source of his troubles.
Dark Was the Night
A small rural community begins to experience some strange goings on when people’s pets and other animals start disappearing, and strange hoof prints appear around town. Could this mysterious creature be the legendary Native American Wendigo?
Last Shift
Abandoned mental institutions aren’t the only frightening places to get stuck in…how about a creepy old police station? A rookie cop comes face to face with the spirits of an evil cult leader and his followers that haunt the station house.
Contracted
Here’s a horrifying premise…a woman is raped by a guy who just had sex with a corpse that had a bio-hazard tag on its toe. She gets sick and thinks she got an STD. Could it be she contracted something that’s turning her into a walking corpse herself?
We Are Still Here
A couple moves to a new home after their son dies in an accident. The woman believes the spirit of her son is in the house, so they contact spiritualists to figure out what's happening. Turns out there’s a whole lot of haunting going on their creepy house.
Images via IMDb.
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The start of a new year is always a time to look back on last year’s best books, movies, and TV shows. The critics and fans have weighed in on what they think are the best horror movies of 2016. There are bound to be some arguments and disagreements, of course, and we all have our own personal list of favorites. Here are some of the horror films singled out by many people as among the best of the year. What were your favorites?
Hush
With a classic horror plot—a young deaf-mute female writer who lives in an isolated house bravely battles a creepy masked man out to get her—Hush is a stylish thriller that has made many critic and fan 10 best lists.
Baskin
A surreal and shocking Turkish horror movie called Baskin got a lot of attention in 2016. A group of police officers find themselves in a gruesome, nightmarish world that just might be Hell.
The Eyes of My Mother
A disturbing and graphic horror film with lots of hard to watch gore (good thing it’s in arty black & white), this movie follows a girl named Francesca whose past traumas turn her into quite a torturer and killer.
Don’t Breathe
The tables are turned on a group of thieves who think robbing a wealthy blind man will be easy. They get way more than they bargained for as the blind man (not to mention his dog) turns out to be more of a dangerous adversary than a helpless victim.
The Witch
No 10 best list seems to be without this notable film, singled out by many critics as not just a great horror movie, but a great movie period. A creepy supernatural thriller set in Puritan times, The Witch features some genuinely powerful witches and one very evil goat.
10 Cloverfield Lane
John Goodman stars in this sci-fi thriller about a woman who finds herself in an underground bunker, told by its residents that they are survivors of an alien attack that has contaminated the earth. Is she the victim of an abduction or was the planet really taken over by aliens?
They Look Like People
Not as well-known as some of the mainstream horror movies, this independent psychological thriller has made several best lists. A troubled man prepares for the apocalypse when he becomes convinced that demons will arrive and possess the people around him.
Images via IMDb.
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If you’re a fan of horror movies and TV shows, chances are you also like a good scare in your reading material, too. What horror fiction should you add to your “To Read” list? Here’s a list of some of the most highly-rated and popular horror books to check out (not including Stephen King, because that would be too easy) for anyone with a taste for the twisted.
Animosity, James Newman
A horror writer discovers the body of a murdered child in his suburban neighborhood. Although he’s cleared by the police, his suspicious neighbors assume he’s the killer and set out to make his life miserable.
Dark Matter, Michelle Paver
An expedition to the Arctic in the 1930s turns terrifying for a young British man named Jack, who ends up stranded with the huskies as winter descends…but is he really all alone out there?
Heart Shaped Box, Joe Hill
An aging rock star with a passion for collecting creepy things buys a “ghost” in an online auction. A box containing a dead man’s suit…and spirit…arrives at his house to shake things up for him.
The Bleeding Season, Greg F. Gifune
A group of childhood friends suspect that a deceased member of their group just may have been a twisted serial killer. Could they really never have known that their friend had such a dark and evil nature?
Come Closer, Sara Gran
A Manhattan woman begins to hear creepy scratching and tapping sounds in the walls of her apartment. When other disturbing things start to happen to her, she realizes that she is experiencing a demonic possession.
Tagged: The Apocalypse, Joseph M. Chiron
In the dystopian future, humans are “tagged” with implanted computer chips by the government. Oh, and people are also turned into terrifying zombies after undergoing a new “anti-aging” procedure.
The Troop, Nick Cutter
A Boy Scout troop goes into the Canadian wilderness for a fun weekend. Then a very strange man comes crashing into their camp. He was infected by parasites in a science experiment gone wrong, and the troop faces the gruesome consequences.
The Beast of Barcroft, Bill Schweigart
A man moves into a seemingly normal suburban town, only to discover that not only does he live next door to the rat-infested house of a hoarder, but then his dog is attacked by a mysterious creature…the “beast” of Barcroft.
Book images via Goodreads.
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Horror movies rely on something called “tropes” more than any other film genre, even romantic comedies. What’s a trope? Simply defined, it’s a plot device or character type that is commonly known and familiar to the audience watching the movie. Are horror tropes always stale and overused? Many times they are, but in good hands, tropes can be effective and even surprise you if they are presented in a new way. Here are some classic examples:
The Scary Cat
Sure cats are cute, but every horror fan knows they have a sinister side, too…what with the way they sneak up on you, can see in the dark, and associate with witches…to name just a few creepy cat qualities that have been used over the years. Movies with “cat scare” tropes include The Uncanny, Pet Sematary, Strays, Cat’s Eye, Uninvited, and of course Cat People.
Telephone Evil
There was a creepy Twilight Zone episode called "Night Call" that scared the crap out of your parents when they were little. It involved a telephone line that fell on a grave. Guess who started called his old fiancé? Unknown callers on the other end of the phone can be really scary, just check out Halloween, When a Stranger Calls, Scream, and The Ring.
What’s in the Mirror?
Mirrors are great horror tropes because there’s nothing scarier than seeing someone (or something) creepy over your shoulder while you’re looking in the mirror. When you turn around it may or may not be gone! There are tons of horror movies with the “mirror scare.” Check out Candyman, Oculus, The Shining, Paranormal Activity 3, and even the music box in The Conjuring.
The Indian Burial Ground
The Indian burial ground is such a classic horror trope that it’s been appropriated by comedy shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park. Many people think Poltergeist is the classic Indian burial ground movie, but it’s actually just a regular cemetery. What horror films DO feature the dreaded Indian burial ground? Try The Amityville Horror, The Shining, and Pet Sematary.
Abandoned Hospitals and Mental Institutions
The creepy ruins of abandoned hospitals, and especially abandoned mental hospitals, are the perfect setting for a horror movie. The souls of people who have been tortured, suffered, and died in these places can’t ever be at rest until some intrepid investigators discover buried horrors from the past. Check out Grave Encounters, Session 9, The Hospital, and Boo.
Sex = Death
…Especially teenage sex! What’s more tempting to a serial killer than a couple of teenagers making out in the woods or in a car parked in a remote spot? A lot has been written about this particular trope, from theories that it’s some kind of moralistic warning to the audience, or commentary on the sexual fantasies of murderers. Whatever the reason, the “sex = death” trope is a very common one. See: Don’t Look Now, Friday the 13th II, American Psycho, Cabin Fever, and It Follows.
Science Gone Wrong
A brilliant scientist has a great idea about how to improve the human race. Sometimes he’s just evil but usually he has the best intentions….and then the scientific experiment goes very wrong and monsters are unleashed on the earth. The lab experiment gone wrong trope has been around for decades, just ask Dr. Frankenstein. Besides Frankenstein, check out The Fly, The Human Centipede, 28 Days Later, Splice, and Re-Animator.
Images via IMDb.
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Now that 2016 is almost history, what do horror fans have to look forward to watching in 2017? Next year’s crop of horror movies looks promising, with some intriguing new entries as well as—you guessed it—some horror franchise sequels and remakes. Here are a few upcoming horror films the critics have tagged as worth looking for in the coming year.
Saw: Legacy (October)
Despite promises that Saw 3D was going to be the last movie in the Saw franchise, Saw will be back for the 8th installment in 2017. Filmmakers are pretty secretive about the plot, although there are a few teasers out there, especially about the potential return from the dead of John Kramer, aka Jigsaw.
Patient Zero (February)
The popularity of the zombie apocalypse genre continues in 2017 with the film Patient Zero. The world has been decimated by a viral pandemic. The undead victims, called “the infected” by survivors, have a more complicated master plan in mind than just a little brain-eating.
Keep Watching (March)
A new entry in the popular home invasion genre, this film features three strange villains named Mysterious, Creator, and Terror. The home invaders imprison a family and make them play a horrifying game of “kill or be killed”…streaming live to an audience of millions.
Get Out (February)
A satirical horror movie by Jordan Peele that’s bound to stimulate some discussion, Get Out tells the story of a young black man who visits the estate of his rich white girlfriend, only to discover that black people have gone missing from this sinister place over the years.
The Dark Tapes (Early 2017)
It’s likely that the popularity of Black Mirror inspired this horror anthology film. Four inter-related paranormal stories are told in found-footage style. Ghosts, demons, aliens, and all sorts of supernatural beings are terrifyingly captured on film.
Insidious: Chapter 4 (October)
Demonologist Elise Rainier will be a central figure in the latest Insidious installment. Plot details are sketchy but teasers indicate that Elise may or may not be dead in this one, and that she’ll be joined by a character named Aubrey and—quite possibly—the Lipstick Faced Demon.
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George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead premiered back in 1968, shocking audiences and pretty much becoming an instant cult classic horror film. Zombie movies and television shows are more popular than ever, but the zombie horror movie genre goes back decades before Night of the Living Dead. The concept of the undead in folklore, as well as in literature, existed way before movies came on the scene. What are some of the early zombie movies before Night of the Living Dead? Here’s a short history:
White Zombie (1932)
Generally thought to be the earliest zombie film, White Zombie, starring Bela Lugosi, is the story of a man who enslaves people by turning them into zombies, including a pretty young woman lured to Haiti for just this purpose.
King of the Zombies (1941)
A plane crashes on a Caribbean island during World War II and the survivors end up at the spooky mansion of a mysterious doctor. They soon discover that the doctor is turning people into zombies…for the German war effort, of course.
Voodoo Island (1957)
Boris Karloff stars in this movie about a rich guy who wants to develop an island rumored to be cursed by zombies. He hires a myth-buster to prove the rumors false. Zombies turn out to be the least of their problems on this weird island.
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)
The Drake family has been cursed for 200 years because of evil deeds done by their ancestors. A Swiss doctor and a tribal witch doctor—both undead victims of the Drakes—seek revenge on the family over the generations.
The Curse of the Doll People (Munecos Infernales) (1961)
A Mexican entry in the zombie genre, this movie is about a group of men who steal an idol from the temple of a voodoo priest. Bad idea, as he sends zombies called “doll people” after them as punishment.
The Last Man on Earth (L’Ultimo Uomo della Terra) (1964)
This joint Italian-American movie starring Vincent Price is notable for being an adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend. Price plays Dr. Robert Morgan, the last man on earth after a plague has turned everyone else into vampire-like zombies—or almost everyone else, as he discovers when he meets a mysterious woman.
Movie images via IMDb.
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Horror fans pride themselves on their encyclopedic knowledge of horror films, but hey, we can’t watch them all, and sometimes a good one falls through the cracks. We’ve gathered a few horror movies that fans and critics have labeled as “underrated” and definitely worth watching…good enough reason to check them out and decide for yourself. You never know when you’ll discover a new favorite.
The Orphanage (2007)
A Spanish horror film (El Orfanato) about a former orphanage that seems to be haunted by the spirits of its deceased child residents…including a boy with a deformed face covered by a very creepy sack.
My Soul to Take (2010)
An urban legend tells of a serial killer who vows to return from the dead to kill the children who were born on the night he died. What’s the real reason why these kids are starting to disappear now?
May (2002)
This odd film is about an eccentric woman who was tormented as a child. When adult relationships don’t go as planned, she decides to build a new friend out of…um…parts.
Death Bell (2008)
A Korean film (Gosa) about a group of advanced students from an exclusive high school who begin to get killed during the worst Saturday study session ever.
Cropsey (2009)
This chilling documentary explores the truth behind an urban legend surrounding Staten Island’s notorious Willowbrook Mental Institution. “Cropsey” was supposedly a murderous escaped mental patient who went after children. When children really start to go missing, the filmmakers investigate the real boogeyman.
The House at the End of Time (2013)
A horror movie from Venezuela (La Casa del Fin de los Tiempos) about a woman who lives in a creepy old house. She is imprisoned when her husband is found murdered there. Decades later she returns to the house when she gets out of prison to try to solve the mystery of what really went on there.
Malevolence (2003)
Bank robbers on the run hold a woman and her daughter hostage in an abandoned house. They don’t know that they are about to encounter a crazy serial killer who happens to live right nearby.
Images via IMDb
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Horror fans all have their favorite genres of horror movies, and we can vividly remember our first experiences of being truly scared by movies as little kids. What’s your scare of choice? Horror movies have explored all our deepest fears over the years…and some themes keep getting repeated over and over. Why are certain types of horror films so disturbing? Film and psychology experts have weighed in on this topic before. Here are some interesting theories.
Disturbing Images
Thinking back to the movies that gave us nightmares when we were little, almost all of them had some sort of disturbing visual image that haunted us long after we saw the actual movie. There are all sorts of disturbing images: monsters, ghosts, demons and serial killers, as well as deformed or disfigured humans and animals. Experts say that the morbid, can’t-look-away curiosity we used to get from carnival side shows is still with us…now we get that satisfaction from horror movies.
The Unseen and Unknown
Fear of things we can’t see (What’s down the stairs in that dark basement?)—or don’t know (Do ghosts really exist?)—have been used by horror filmmakers for years. It’s no accident that so many scary scenes are filmed in the dark. Psychologists point out that humans have been scared of the unseen and unknown for thousands of years. Our ancestors were afraid of animals lurking in the dark outside the light of their fires. And we still have even deeper fears, like what happens after you die.
Anticipation
The feeling of anticipation that something bad is about to happen is one of the most commonly used (or overused) plot devices in horror movies. A victim is walking down a dark hallway and we know the monster, killer, etc. is just behind the closed door that she’s about to open. The tension builds until it becomes almost too intense. Creating a feeling of anticipation and dread is one of the most effective ways to make the audience tense and uneasy.
The Thrill of the Scare
The “jump scare” is one of the classic elements used to make a horror movie genuinely terrifying…if it’s done correctly. Nothing produces a stronger physical effect on our brains and bodies than a sudden, unexpected visual shock…often accompanied by a loud noise. A well-executed jump scare can work in any horror genre…slasher, paranormal, etc. Horror fans know the drill: your tension is built up, then released, and then comes the scare. The trick these days is to make it truly shocking.
Movie images from IMDb.
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Say the words “animal horror movie” to most horror fans and they’ll probably just roll their eyes. There’s a good reason for that. A lot of horror films featuring animals—especially older movies—can be more laughable than scary. Are there any genuinely scary animal horror movies out there…and not just the ones that kept you awake at night when you were a little kid? Here are some animal horror movies that you may not have heard of, which horror experts recommend checking out:
Of Unknown Origin (1983)
Peter Weller plays a guy who buys an old New York brownstone. Alone in the house while his family is away, he becomes obsessed with killing one strange rat that lives in his basement…pretty much destroying his house and his sanity in the process.
Long Weekend (1978)
An Australian couple and their dog go on a camping trip and commit all kinds of obnoxious acts against animals and nature. The animals have had enough and begin taking their revenge on these annoying humans.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
No, it’s not Jaws, but the sharks in this movie have had their brains enhanced by scientists at an isolated research lab. The smart sharks decide to band together and kill the humans who messed with Mother Nature.
Willard (1971)
Check out the original Willard before you watch the remake with Crispin Glover. An awkward young man saves rats destined for the exterminator and they become his pets. They’re led by one very smart rat named Ben, who may or may not be his friend.
Monkey Shines (1988)
Directed by George A. Romero, this film has a frightening premise. A quadriplegic man gets a cute little service monkey named Ella who’s supposed to be his helper. But Ella was the subject of some brain experiments and begins to understand and act out the man’s darkest thoughts and fantasies.
Black Water (2007)
Another Australian film (based on a true story), Black Water follows a group of people who decide to tour a remote swamp and are attacked by a huge crocodile that capsizes their boat, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere with a very hungry crocodile.
Images via IMDb
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Vlad was a harsh ruler who subdued unrest by impaling his enemies on giant spikes. But one of the most notorious historical serial killers was another royal—who also happened to be a woman—the so-called “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Bathory.
Born in—yes—Transylvania in 1560, Bathory was a noblewoman who married a Hungarian Count and moved to a castle called Csejthe in Hungary. Bathory was supposedly taught the finer points of sadism by an aunt, and pretty much turned the castle into a giant torture chamber.
Historians believe that her exploits started with the sadistic torture of servant girls. She would put needles under their fingernails, pour cold water on them outside in winter, sew their mouths shut, and cover them in honey so insects would attack them. After the Count’s death (it’s thought that while he may have participated in the sadism, he also kept her under control), she really got going and the torture turned to murder.
Up next: 18 Serial Killer Documentaries You Need To Watch
As the torture evolved into murder, her victims continued to be young girls from the peasant class. She had village girls abducted so she could torture and kill them at the castle. It’s said she enjoyed biting chunks of flesh off the girls’ bodies and faces. Before the girls were killed (often by burning), she also supposedly had them cook their own flesh and make them eat it.
Where did the name “Blood Countess” come from? One theory says that when blood was drawn during the course of torture, she would drink it, fueling rumors of vampirism. Another theory says that she began to notice the positive effects of victims’ blood on her skin, and then began bathing in their blood as a beauty ritual.
Her killing spree went on for years, mostly ignored by local officials because she was a powerful woman. She finally was brought to justice because she began kidnapping and killing the daughters of wealthy and prominent families.
In classic serial killer fashion, the castle was full of captive tortured girls and the mutilated bodies of dead victims. She and her assistants were tried for 80 counts of murder in 1611. She was sentenced to confinement in a cell-like room of the castle, and died in 1614.
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Advances in special effects in the 1980s had a strong and lasting impact on horror movies, particularly in the rise of the so-called “body horror” subgenre. What’s body horror? Body horror films play into our fascination with some of the more disgusting aspects of the human body. Interested in seeing what a decomposing corpse looks like? How about what your guts look like when they’re torn out of your body? Or maybe you just want to know what it really must be like when a human transforms into a fly or a werewolf. Whatever sparks your curiosity, there’s a body horror film for you.
Slither (2006)
A parasitic alien comes to earth and starts infecting everyone in the grossest ways imaginable. This horror comedy takes pleasure in the over-the-top gore and invites viewers to join in on the slimy fun.
Hellraiser (1987)
Clive Barker’s classic film introduces viewers to a group of otherworldly, mutilated creatures called Cenobites (the most famous being the iconic Pinhead) who take sadomasochism to new extremes.
Taxidermia (2006)
It doesn’t get much stranger than this notorious film which tells the story of three generations of one bizarre Hungarian family. Disgusting and tough to watch, don’t plan on eating dinner before…or after…seeing it.
Cabin Fever (2002)
Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever is about a group of friends who go to a cabin in the woods and contract a truly disgusting flesh-eating virus. Hey, what’s that sore on your body, anyway?
Eraserhead (1977)
A horribly mutated baby features prominently in the nightmarish world created by David Lynch in this black and white cult classic. Oh, and...chicken dinner, anyone?
Leviathan (1989)
A mysterious creature attacks a group of undersea explorers, taking over their bodies and mutating them into leech-like monsters with a taste for human blood.
Thanatomorphose (2012)
In this graphic Canadian film, a young woman’s body begins to decay, and she tries to patch her falling-apart body together with first aid supplies. Warning: the decomposition progresses in extreme ways and is very hard to watch.
Re-Animator (1985)
In this cult horror comedy, two medical students figure out a way to bring the dead back to life with a reagent. Chaos ensues as the reanimated corpses go on a murderous rampage, and can’t be stopped even when decapitated.
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When you think of classic horror films, chances are American movies are the first to come to mind. But that doesn’t mean other countries don’t have their own unique take on horror. British filmmakers have been creating entertaining horror movies for decades…including some classic old black and white favorites. Planning on moving to an isolated English village anytime soon? Be sure to check out these must-watch British horror films before you do!
Village of the Damned (1959)
It doesn’t get much better than this classic British movie about a small English village that produces some very odd children with glowing eyes and strange powers…after the whole village mysteriously goes to sleep one day and all the women discover that they are pregnant soon after.
I, Monster (1971)
British horror legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star in this take on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. A doctor experiments with a drug that is supposed to release your inhibitions. Instead, the drugs release his dark and deadly alter ego.
The Day of the Triffids (1962)
Most of the earth’s population is blinded after observing a strange meteor shower. A London man whose sight is spared because his eyes were bandaged discovers that the world is now being taken over by space aliens in the form of mobile, flesh-eating plants.
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
A group of paranormal investigators go to the creepy Belasco House (aka Hell House) to determine if there’s life after death. The house is supposedly haunted by malevolent spirits, but the team soon makes some surprising discoveries about the house and its deceased owner.
Straw Dogs (1971)
Dustin Hoffman plays an American mathematician named David who finds himself very much the outsider when he moves to the remote part of Cornwall where his British wife is from. The rough men of the village start doing some nasty stuff to poor David and his wife…does he have the nerve to stand up to them?
The Devils (1971)
This Ken Russell film is based on the true life story of a 17th century priest who was executed for witchcraft after a series of supposed “possessions” occurred. Turns out a twisted (in more ways than one) nun has a lot to do with the accusations against him. This notorious film originally got an X rating for some pretty graphic content.
The Reptile (1966)
A husband and wife inherit a house in a village in Cornwall where the residents are dying from a mysterious “Black Death.” The curious newcomer digs up some corpses and discovers that they all have bite wounds on the neck. What sort of strange creature is attacking the locals?
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Writers and filmmakers have long been fascinated by the idea of what the future might look like. It rarely looks good. The future is more commonly imagined as a grim dystopia rather than an idyllic utopia. And no wonder…sci fi horror is the perfect vehicle to explore humanity’s darker nature, and to show how, if we continue on the path we’re currently on, we can ruin the world for future generations. Here are some of our favorite films about a not so rosy future world. Warning…some spoilers ahead.
Cloud Atlas
The film Cloud Atlas by the Wachowskis is based on David Mitchell’s brilliant novel of the same name. While the story spans hundreds of years from the past to the distant future, there are two subplots about the future that stand out as particularly grim. In “An Orison of Sonmi” we see how advances in technology lead us to view humans as very disposable commodities. In “Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After” we see the results of the collapse of civilization in the far distant future.
Never Let Me Go
The shocking and heartbreaking Never Let Me Go, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, has a similar theme to the Sonmi story in Cloud Atlas. In the near future, we meet a group of young people living a strange, isolated existence in a boarding school-type institution. We learn that they are in fact raised solely for the purpose of harvesting their organs and body parts for other people, and then they are disposed of when near death.
12 Monkeys
Bruce Willis plays a man named Cole who lives in a very bleak, grim future and is sent back to the past (our present day) to try to prevent a group of animal activists from releasing a virus into the world that will nearly destroy the human population and plunge the world into darkness. But do the leaders of the dystopian future society really want the virus stopped? Director Terry Gilliam’s unique vision helps make this an unforgettable cautionary tale.
Minority Report
This movie takes place in the year 2054, in a world where crime is eliminated by the use of “Pre-Cogs”—people who can see into the future and predict crime. When the Pre-Cogs predict that a leader of the “Pre-Crime” squad will commit a murder, he goes on a desperate quest to figure out what could be going on. Things get pretty crazy, especially when one of the Pre-Cogs issues a “minority report” of the crime that differs from the others.
Children of Men
In the year 2027, women have become infertile and a child has not been born for nearly 20 years, leaving society in a state of unrest and decay. Theo, the protagonist, meets a woman named Kee who has somehow gotten pregnant. They try to keep her pregnancy, and then the girl she gives birth to, a secret, fearing the authorities will take her away. Will the baby survive, and could she be the key to a new, better world?
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A great horror film rarely has a simple “happily ever after” ending where the hero and his girl walk off into the sunset after finally defeating whatever monster, slasher, alien, etc. has been after them. Everyone has their own personal favorite horror movie endings, but horror fans agree that the best endings give viewers a genuine scare, shock, or plot twist that they never saw coming. Here are some of the best. Oh, and of course…spoilers ahead!
Se7en
It’s hard to believe David Fincher’s disturbing and memorable serial killer film Se7en is 20 years old. Whenever you first saw it, it’s impossible to forget the notorious “head in a box” ending that caught so many viewers by surprise. Poor Brad Pitt…finding your pregnant wife’s severed head in a box seems like kind of a hard thing to get over.
Sleepaway Camp
This 80s slasher movie is not necessarily the greatest horror movie ever, but its shocking ending is a favorite among fans. Angela, traumatized by a childhood accident that killed her brother, goes off to summer camp, where a killer is on the loose murdering the kids. What’s the surprise? Not only is Angela the killer, she also happens to be her “dead” brother…raised as a girl after his sister died in the long-ago accident. The naked truth at the very end of the movie leaves no doubt that Angela is male.
Dark Water
In this Japanese horror film from the director of Ring, a mother and daughter move into an apartment where strange things start happening and a mysterious water leak appears on the ceiling. Turns out they are being haunted by the malevolent spirit of a drowned girl. The mother ends up sacrificing her life to save her daughter…but could it be that it was the ghost’s plan all along to get the mother to join her in the afterlife? Watch til the end and decide for yourself.
The Mist
This film is based on a Stephen King novella of the same name, but director Frank Darabont went with a famously darker ending than King’s original one. A mist containing strange creatures descends on a town and terrorizes the residents. King’s ending gives the reader hope that things might work out for the hero and the few remaining survivors. Darabont’s ending has the hero kill all of the survivors (including his son) to spare them from the creatures. Little did he know that if he just waited a moment longer, the Army would arrive to kill all the monsters.
[REC]
Have you seen the ridiculously scary ending to the Spanish found footage film [REC]? A pair of filmmakers find themselves trapped in a building with people who have a rabies-like virus that causes them to turn into vicious zombie cannibals. They find the original infected girl, who has been locked away and is looking pretty rough. The night vision camera records the cameraman being eaten by the girl. The last unforgettable shot is of the other crew member, a woman, being dragged into the darkness by the creepy screaming monster.
Spiral
This darkly atmospheric film is about a troubled and lonely young man named Mason who paints portraits of women and loves jazz music. His only friends seem to be his boss and a new female coworker. Who are the women in his portraits and what happens when his new friend sneaks a peak at her own portrait? Hint…some of the women in his life are real and some are figments of his imagination.
The Others
A woman named Grace whose husband went missing in World War II lives in a creepy old house with her equally creepy children. A group of mysterious servants turn up and the house shows evidence that it’s haunted. Grace discovers that the servants actually died 50 years ago. She also discovers an even more shocking fact. She killed her kids and then herself in a fit of psychosis, and the new residents of her house are the ones being haunted by the ghosts of Grace and her children.
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The Krampus has been a part of European folklore for centuries. What exactly is the Krampus and why is it so scary? Here’s an overview of the legendary figure.
The word Krampus comes from the German word for claw: krampen. Krampus can best be described as the anti-St. Nicholas. He is a devil-like creature with origins in pre-Christian Norse mythology. The Krampus is typically a scary-looking demon with brown or black hair, horns, cloven hooves, and a long pointed tongue.
He also makes noise with chains and bells that he carries around with him. Oh, and he also carries birch branches to whip naughty children with. Which brings us to the Christmas connection. Krampus comes to town on Krampus Night (Krampusnacht), which is the night before St. Nicholas Day (Nikolaustag) on December 6th.
Children would traditionally leave shoes or boots outside the door for St. Nicholas to bring them presents and sweets. If they were good, they’d get presents, if they were bad, Krampus would either leave them a lump of coal, hit them with his branches, or even cart them off to Hell in a sack. It seems that adults have been scaring kids into behaving themselves for centuries!
In some European countries in modern times, men who have had a few drinks dress up as the Krampus and chase people around the streets, in an event called Krampuslauf. Europeans also exchange Christmas cards with pictures of the Krampus, called Krampuskarten.
Sounds like a lot of fun, actually. But it’s not too surprising that the Catholic Church banned Krampus festivities for years. Thankfully, Krampus celebrations are making a comeback lately, and the movie Krampus proves that the Christmas Devil is going mainstream in the U.S.
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