Maybe it's just because Halloween is on the horizon but lately my movie-watching has been leaning towards the dark and terrifying - just a fun grab-bag of zombies, demons, vampires, and curses. So below is a list of the best of the frightening flicks I've watched recently (and less recently) listed in order of scariness.
Not really a horror but also not a movie. Why am I even including it? Because Wednesday Addams as portrayed by Jenna Ortega is iconic? Because I just love a goth girl? Either way it's in. This is more of a mystery draped in horror trappings but is perfectly spooky and more than a little camp. Scare factor 1/5, Gore factor 2/5.
Speaking of over the top gore, being torn apart by a coked up bear does not look fun and yet... this movie leans heavily into the ridiculous, and comedy abounds (as do eviscerations, traumatic amputations etc). Cocaine bear, the tale of a bear who discovers a package of cocaine and goes on a rampage is very much not taking itself seriously and neither should you. Extremely loosely based on a true story. Scare factor 2/5, Gore factor 4/5.
M. Night Shyamalan dials up the creepy in this tale of a family holiday that goes very, very wrong. There's something not right about the beach near the fancy resort our protagonists are staying at, as one by one themselves and the other beachgoers start to age rapidly and succumb to various ailments, with every attempt to leave resulting in them losing consciousness. With cinematography, and framing of shots that's off-putting and disorienting, Shyamalan amps up the feelings of disquiet and the beach becomes a sort of shorthand for life, love, and death with most of the action taking place across a single day. If the rest of your life was only 24 hours what would be most important to you? Scare factor 2/5, Gore factor 2/5.
Another spooky girl... but unlike Wednesday Addams this one has teeth (literally). Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (the directors of the latest outing in the Scream franchise), Abigail is "The usual suspects" meets "And then there were none" meets "Fright night". If over the top gore is your bag and you don't mind rolling your eyes a bit when people "split up while exploring a spooky house" then this is indeed a fun time. Scare factor 3/5, Gore factor 5/5 (I can only assume the fake blood budget on this movie was sizeable).
A solid horror offering that definitely makes me not want to go for a late night dip in the pool. Wyatt Russell is a former athlete with a debilitating chronic illness who thinks that some hydrotherapy might be just the thing so why not buy a house with a (cursed) pool? Russell seems to do a really good line in "all-American characters who are maybe not entirely safe", and Kerry Condon (who plays his wife) does an American accent that is impeccable - I had no idea until I was watching the DVD extras that she's Irish. Scare factor 3/5, Gore factor 2/5.
Joel and Ellie - two traumatised people thrown together in a broken world in which a strain of cordyceps has found a way to survive in the human body with devastating results. Zombies are always terrifying but this 8 episode series is a masterclass in tense and gut-wrenching television. A second series is due in 2025. Scare factor 4/5, Gore factor 4/5.
A fund manager in Seoul accompanies his young daughter on the train to see her mother in Busan. THINGS DO NOT GO WELL (mainly because of the zombie apocalypse). Not a relaxing watch by any means - this is high anxiety, edge of the seat stuff and I was an emotional wreck by the end of it. Yes, it's in Korean so there are subtitles but YOU WON'T CARE. Great performances, excellent pacing, and the highest of stakes. Highly recommended. Scare factor 5/5, Gore factor 5/5.
So. Many. Jump scares. This film had me feeling anxious pretty much the whole time and very, very creeped out by the end to the extent I can't actually look at the DVD cover without a chill going up my spine and had trouble falling asleep as I was jumping at shadows. Sosie Bacon is excellent as a therapist who witnesses a troubled patient commit suicide and proceeds to unravel over the course of the film as she is haunted by a malevolent force. Very effectively creepy (with also something to say about trauma and how we paste inauthentic smiles on to hide it). A sequel comes out in New Zealand cinemas on 17 October. Scare factor 5/5, Gore factor 4/5.
Find more
- Horror movie titles in the library catalogue (DVD and streaming)
- Frightening flicks list - A mix of classics and newer films (with gore rating)
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