When you think of horror movies I’m sure the same few pop in mind- Nightmare on Elm Street, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th or, unfortunately, Saw (1-25). But there is a whole wide world of pure horror awesomeness out there for you to enjoy and we’ve narrowed it down to the top 10 obscure ones!
1) Shivers
This 1975 Canadian horror film had a few alternate titles: The Parasite Murders, Frissons and They Came from Within.
Can you guess what this movie’s about?
Set with the backdrop of a residential building/island filled with corporate ladder climbers, family starters and one mad scientist, this movie juxtaposes slivers of their relatively bland lives with the chaos that starts upstairs in Dr. Emil Hobbes suite. Prepare to get a little squeamish once the parasites are introduced- one scene had me plugging the drain of my sink every shower, just in case- but if you’re expecting all out gore and muck move on. This film wins on the grimy, slimy side of the Horror scale.
2) Let the
Right one in
I’ll be honest; I did not like this movie at first. I walked away from it feeling a strange mix of boredom and exhilaration. In the end exhilaration won. Let me explain:
This Swedish film
came out in 2008 and is based off a novel of the same name. It’s said this
story was the author’s first foray into the horror genre and I think it shows,
in the best way. Did he go straight for the blood, guts and sensuality that
afflicts most straight-from-the-mold vampire flicks? No. He focuses on *gasp*
relationships. And the child actors are actually children (not Glee highschoolers
with actual ages 20-30) which is hard to believe given the scenes of actual
gore.
Because it focuses
on the relationship that develops between Oskar and his new mysterious new
neighbor Eli it starts off slow, especially if you aren’t expecting a character
based plot. So I started off being disappointed but the movie picks up its
creep and gore factor toward the middle of the movie when Eli…comes out of her
shell.
The last scene of this movie is spectacular. Don’t want to spoil it so that’s all I’m going to say. If you’ve seen the US remake of this, title Let Me In, tell me what you think in the comments.
3) Joy
Ride & Jeepers Creepers 
I’m putting these 2 together because the overall atmosphere of both are
very similar and can best be described as Hitchcock like tension. In both our protagonists
are being chased by something bigger, badder, maybe even smellier yet smarter
themselves. In Joy Ride 2 brothers and a
love interest are stalked by a semi truck driver with a grudge (that truck
driver, by the way, is voiced by Ted
Levine the “Put the lotion in the basket” guy).
In Jeepers Creepers a brother and sister pair are stalked by a Creeper
demon who rises every 23rd spring to feast on body parts. Choosing
his victims carefully by smell he eats the ones that have features he likes. These
parts are then regenerated into the demon’s body. And with this pair he smells
something he likes.
These 2 movies both came out in 2001 and are great examples of horror meant for that 14 to mid 20s crowd that is both scary and actually has substance!
4) Descent
I refused to see this movie for the longest time because I mistakenly believed it was The Cave, which I had no interest at all in seeing. Don’t make the same mistake I did! This is definitely one worth seeing. This British film takes place in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina where 4 friends begin exploring an unknown cave system where things go wrong almost immediately. Between the expected jolts and scares the viewer is submerged into the psyche of one explorer in particular, Sarah, who in the past year lost both her husband and daughter in a horrific car crash. While dealing with the demons of this claustrophobic world she must face her own misgivings making her an unreliable witness towards the end of the movie, adding to the tension.
The filmmakers originally planned to cast both male and female parts but instead cast all women, going against horror film conventions and, inadvertently, created just the right combination of friendship, betrayal, forgiveness and acceptance all in the backdrop of man eating creepy crawlies.
5) High Tension
I can easily spoil this one so here are some keywords to entice you: 2 girls, road trip, French horror film, love, fence post wrapped in barbed wire, serial killer, family, cornfield, music, hiding in the closet (no, R. Kelly is not there), straight razor, psychopath, hospital, Achilles heel….I think that’s everything.
6) Evil dead series
Here’s
one to lighten up the mood. The Evil Dead series has a very solid cult
following, and for good reason. While not the scariest movies in the world this
series gives a nod to horror in a comedic way that at the time was very
controversial for its violence and gore. The first movie of the series The Evil
Dead was not slated to be a comedy but something about possessed trees
attack kids in the woods made the audience laugh. The next two, Evil Dead II
and Army of Darkness, are strictly horror comedies. Man with chainsaw for hand,
oh hahaha! There’s also Bruce
Campbell and boy, if
chins could kill…
7) Rec
While movies like
Paranormal Activity have recently made shooting horror films with night vision
cool again (cause everyone has forgotten all about The Blair Witch Project) , there was one
that many argue did it best and that film is Rec. You may know it by its
American remake title of Quarantine but Rec
is the original from Spain. Let’s be honest, most remakes suck but I can honestly
say Quarantine is an exception mostly because it followed the original step by
step, line by line. And when you do that you can’t lose.
Rec follows Angela, a television reporter and her cameraman Pablo who are
shadowing a fire department working the skeleton shift. What started out as a
very non-newsworthy night quickly shifts into a terrifying ordeal where both
Angela, Pablo, the firemen and residents of an apartment complex find themselves
quarantined without any excuse. The reason soon becomes evident as the screams
from the upstairs attic make their way downstairs with astonishing speed. Much
like Let the Right One In the last few scenes of this movie will keep
you perched on the edge of your seat, gnawing your nails wanting to look away
and scream at the same time!
8) The Hills Have Eyes (the 2006 film)
I like both version
of this film so I’m going to recommend the latest version just for the effects
it offers. Follow a family travelling from Ohio to California that find themselves in the middle of nowhere (typical) surrounded by mutants that want
to take everything they have- even their lives. There’s one scene where a girl is trying to scream but
can’t that stays with me. I felt my throat tighten up as if I were getting
ready to scream for her, anything to calm this one scene that is both gruesome
and suspenseful. THAT is a from a combination of great editing, lighting,
action, terror and planning that is not found very often in new age horror
films. Let me know in the comments
which scenes impacted you.
9) House of 1000 Corpses & The Devil’s Rejects
These 2 are from
DjLethal who likes these movies for their “good music, good characters, good cinematography” and calls them “dark
and gritty”. I think those are pretty good adjectives for 2 movies directed by Rob Zombie himself. Think of
the story lines as Texas Chainsaw Massacre meet The Hills Have Eyes meet Rob
Zombie!
10) The Thing
This 1982 film can technically be called a science fiction
horror film, starring Kurt Russell and taking place at an American Antarctic
research station involving both danger savvy dogs, shape shifting ETs and
frigid deadly cold. Oh, and there’s a flamethrower. Of course I had to find one
with a flamethrower! Watch as these researchers grow more and more suspicious
of each other as a parasitic ET slowly gobbles them up one by one then spits out a
replica. Combat that with the desolate landscape of the
Arctic and you’ve got yourself an oldie but a goody.
Want more? Check out these sites for more horror bests!
25 Best Zombie Movies | 20 Top Horror Films | Scariest Movies of All Time | Top Rated Horror Titles (IMBD)
Let the Softsquatch Team know which movies were your favorites. Got any that we missed? Add them below!