Creepy Movies to Curl Up to on a Stormy Night
This list is meant for any newcomers to the horror genre and veterans alike that would like a fright on those dark and stormy nights. I tried to concentrate on movies that are creepy, atmospheric, and suspenseful as opposed outright gore-fests. At this time they are in no real order of importance. Hope you enjoy these films as much as I have. -AJC
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- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsRyo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiA widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.Unflinchingly brutal, shockingly bizarre, and disturbingly realistic....this Takashi Miike breakout is not for the weak of heart.
- DirectorHiguchinskyStarsEriko HatsuneFhi FanHinako SaekiThe inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.Bizarre Japanese possession film for the video game age of horror.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsCécile de FranceMaïwennPhilippe NahonBest friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.The premise of Texas Chainsaw Massacre has become one of the most overused and cliched; High Tension, however, takes this story to the next level. Beautiful and brutal visuals and multiple twists and turns in the plot will keep you glued to your seat until the very end.
- DirectorPascal LaugierStarsMorjana AlaouiMylène JampanoïCatherine BéginA young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.The deluge of French horror films lately has brought with it many films built only on shock value and American horror cliches-such as Sheitan and Frontier(s)- Martyrs, however, is not one of these. While it may be slow at points, it possibly one of the most original, artistic, and unflinchingly disturbing horror films to come out in the last few years. Definitely a must see for any genre fan.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsEllen BurstynMax von SydowLinda BlairWhen a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.It's easy to dismiss classics like this and watch newer versions with similar premises. There is no replacement for this film though; it burns horrific images into your mind's eye that will haunt you every time your eyes close. You can usually judge a film by its imitators, and The Exorcist didn't just warrant a few copycats, it spawned a whole new sub-genre of possession films. So, if you're just getting into horror or have only watched recent films: SEE THIS NOW! You won't regret it.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJessica HarperStefania CasiniFlavio BucciAn American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.This established Dario Argento as the master of the macabre that he is today. This film about a ballet student who travels to a private school in the Black Forest region of Germany to continue her studies. As she arrives, the monstrous secrets of the school begin to seep out. The from here on the story is a suspenseful, gory, and ingenious take on a fairy tale that I'm sure the Grimm brothers would have been proud of.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsDavid HemmingsDaria NicolodiGabriele LaviaA jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.As popular as Suspiria made Argento, I'd argue that Deep Red is a better film. This giallo follows a jazz pianist living in Italy who is witness to a murder and becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the identity of the murderer-an identity hidden in his own memory. While this doesn't have the supernatural allure that Suspiria does, its plot twists and dramatic kill scenes will definitely interest anyone that is into more modern slasher flicks. Also, for fans of Saw, look for a doll that is very similar to Jigsaw's puppet towards the middle of the film-coincidence, I think not.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.Wrong Turn, High Tension, House of 1000 Corpses, Wolf Creek, and numerous other hillbilly horror films owe their success to this gritty masterpiece. It's grainy footage and true-to-life characters make you believe, as the intro claims, that this is a true story. And, really this is based very loosely on the "mass murderer" Ed Gein who was also the basis for Norman Bates and Buffalo Bill.
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDuane JonesJudith O'DeaKarl HardmanA ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.The reason that Night of the Living Dead shows up on so many horror fans' top ten list isn't because it is the first zombie movie-White Zombie with Bela Lugosi predates it by over 30 years. The reason is because it melds science fiction and horror while exploring the brutality inherent in human nature. As horrifying as Romero's zombies are-even today the blood and gore is disturbing-it's humans that are the real monsters. So, if you love the deluge of zombie films and movies that have come out recently and have yet to see this, be sure to set aside an hour and a half to pay tribute to this horror legend.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsBill PullmanPatricia ArquetteJohn RoseliusAnonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.Watching Lost Highway reminds me of The Talking Heads because this really is a road to nowhere but man what a ride. This surrealistic film mixes genres such as drama, film noir, horror, and romance and will leave you questioning your own existence by the end. While this isn't a horror film per se, it has more than enough atmosphere, creepy characters, and scares to keep a die hard fan interested. However, if you need a story with a story line that you can make sense of at the end, look elsewhere: after years of watching this over and over again I'm still trying to make sense of this one.
- DirectorMike MendezStarsDominic PurcellClare KramerJosie MaranAfter a night of drunken exploits, Allison, Harris, and Kira are chased and terrorized by the ghosts of a child pyromaniac, an ax murderer, and a rapist.I first saw this movie in 2006 at the 8 Movies to Die For horror festival and was blown away. Not only does this successfully use cliches of American horror films, it is also legitimately scary. It's about three friends who reunite at a funeral of their long time friend. They drink too much, and, to celebrate their friend's life, they dance in the graveyard. This leads to them being haunted by an unsavory band of ghosts whose graves they disturbed. If you're a fan of 50's horror like The House on Haunted Hill or The Haunting or even more modern ghost stories like Insidious and Paranormal Activity check this out; I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
- DirectorJames WanStarsRyan KwantenAmber VallettaDonnie WahlbergAfter his wife meets a grisly end, Jamie Ashen returns to his hometown of Ravens Fair to find answers. His investigation leads him to the ghost of a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw who seems to have ties to his entire family treeI feel like this is a commonly overlooked horror film by the writer and director of Saw and Insidious. Honestly, I think Dead Silence is scarier than both of their other films, but I seem to be in the minority. Anyway, if you've seen Wan and Whannell's more popular filmsand enjoyed them, you should definitely check this one out too.
- DirectorWilliam CastleStarsVincent PriceCarol OhmartRichard LongA millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife.This is one of my all time favorites: Vincent Price, haunted house, and floating heads on a black screen coupled with all manner of William Castle gimmickry. Now if only I could get an Emergo rig set up in my house for each time I watch this, I could die happy.
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonRose ByrneTy SimpkinsA family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.If you possession films like The Exorcist and Poltergeist, you'll love Insidious. While the story isn't all that original-it is basically a remake of Poltergeist-the plot twists, atmosphere, and scares in this film will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. It's not for the faint of heart, however: my wife still refuses to re-watch it with me since it gave her nightmares for a week the first time she saw it.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsMarisa ParedesEduardo NoriegaFederico LuppiAfter Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.This is a really well made, eerie Spanish ghost movie by Guillermo del Toro, director of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. Left in an orphanage in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, a young boy will only survive the horrors of the war if he can first survive a ghost haunting the bowels of his new home. But, is it really the ghost that he should be worried about?
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.This is the movie that really started it all for me. Maybe it is because the town I grew up in is so similar to Haddonfield, maybe it is the killer who is more of a force than a human, or maybe it was Carpenter's iconic theme music. Whatever it is, Halloween can not be overestimated in terms of horror films then or now. Also, I would argue that as a whole the quality of the Halloween sequels far surpasses that of all of the other horror franchises of the time such as Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., Child's Play, etc..
- DirectorMario BavaStarsMichèle MercierLidia AlfonsiBoris KarloffBoris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.
- DirectorMasayuki OchiaiStarsHiroshi MikamiRiona HazukiTomoko NakajimaA scientist realizes his dead wife is an organization of mitochondria bent on making a new species that will wipe out humanity.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.The film that began the Japanese horror craze. And it is still one of the hardest hitting, unique ghost stories out there.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian CoxA journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.This American version of this groundbreaking Japanese ghost story delivers good acting, a creepy atmosphere, and scares just as intense as the original. So, if you're not a fan of subtitles or you just love the original and want to see a different take on the same story, you'll want to check this out.
- DirectorJôji IidaStarsYôsuke EguchiMiwako IchikawaTakashi KashiwabaraA pair of hard-boiled Tokyo cops are investigating a gruesome murder: after killing the victim, the murderer cut his skull open and cooked his brain in a stew. As they try to track down the killer, they discover that, quite literally, everybody is a suspect. Will they bring the terror to an end, or will they become part of it themselves?This is one of my favorite Japanese horror flicks of the late 90's and early 2000's. It has a very similar premise to The Fallen with Denzel Washington, but with over-exaggerated violence, gore, and characters it's like watching a live-action anime, and I mean that in the best possible way.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsAna TorrentFele MartínezEduardo NoriegaWhile doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie HarrisClaire BloomRichard JohnsonHill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has assembled a team of people who he thinks will prove whether or not the house is haunted.
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsWallace FordLeila HyamsOlga BaclanovaA circus' beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra agrees to marry Hans the leader of side-show performers, but Hans' deformed friends discover that she is only marrying him for his inheritance. So they seek revenge.Todd Browning made this right after Dracula with Bela Lugosi. And, apparently it was too much for some people since it was reportedly banned in England, Browning's home, for 30 years. While the story is slow and moralistic for modern audiences, the use of real circus "freaks" and the climax are shocking even today.