Think again if you believe you have watched every suspenseful and terrifying film there is. This list is your pass to an underrated realm of terrifying thrillers and unsettling horrors. These movies provide a new perspective on genres, from terrifying house invasions to terrifying dreams. I bet these movies will surely keep you on the edge of your seat.
Related: Top 25 Horror Films Of All Time
10. Hush (2016)
Maddie, the deaf protagonist, survival depends solely on her other senses and some serious quick thinking. A relentless killer intrudes into Maddie’s house and she has no way of communicating with the outside world. As her house is out in the middle of nowhere.
What makes ‘Hush’ stand out from the typical thriller? It’s all in the silence. This movie isn’t about loud jump scares or endless screaming matches. Instead, the quiet moments are what makes it so intense. ‘Hush‘ puts an underrated thriller twist on the classic home invasion formula, leaving you wondering how on earth Maddie will escape.
9. Pontypool (2008)
In the small town of ‘Pontypool‘, language itself becomes a weapon. It causes those infected to fixate on certain words until they literally start tearing each other apart.
Trapped inside a radio station, the characters begin to unravel as they struggle to make sense of what’s happening. It’s like watching a psychological thriller unfold in real-time, with each word carrying the potential to tip someone over the edge. Lastly, it serves as a dissertation into understanding why we comprehend what we can. In a world where the truth is frequently shrouded, it’s an underrated horror movie for modern times through and through.
8. The Ruins (2008)
This underrated film follows five springbreakers in Mexico who decide to do something adventurous. The group stumbles upon a hidden archaeological site, a remote Mayan ruin. Covered in creeping vines and steeped in mystery, the ruins are more than just a tourist attraction gone wrong.
The tension cranks up when a group of armed locals forces the clueless crew onto the pyramid after one of them touches the wrong plant. And by wrong, we mean these vines are blood-thirsty carnivorous plants. ‘The Ruins‘ is a chilling reminder that sometimes, curiosity really does kill the cat.
7. Happy Death Day (2017)
Tree Gelbman, a college student stuck reliving the same day over and over, only to be murdered each time by a masked killer. As Tree tries to unravel the mystery behind her untimely demise, she teams up with Carter, whose room she wakes up in after each death. ‘Happy Death Day‘ offers a fun, underrated spin on the horror genre that keeps you guessing until the very end.
The plot thickens when Tree discovers that a serial killer, who recently escaped from a hospital, might be the culprit. After several attempts to break the cycle, she learns that her roommate Lora is the true mastermind behind the chaos. Tree ultimately ends the loop by confronting Lora and taking decisive action.
In case you missed: Top 5 Korean Horror Movies To Watch On Halloween.
6. Noroi: The Curse (2005)
A paranormal expert and journalist named Masafumi Kobayashi investigates creepy encounters with a series of mysterious deaths. He mysteriously vanished while looking into a string of bizarre, seemingly unrelated occurrences.
What makes ‘Noroi‘ stand out in the J-horror scene is its intricate storytelling and unsettling atmosphere. As Kobayashi digs deeper, it becomes clear that something far more sinister is at play. It’s the malevolent spirit Kagutaba, whose dark influence seems to be at the center of all this chaos. It will definitely creep you up with a documentary-style narrative that feels all too real. Tip: It’s free on YouTube with English subtitles.
5. Re/Member (2022)
Asuka, a high school student who, along with 5 of her unlucky classmates, finds herself trapped in a twisted game of hide-and-seek with a menacing entity known as the “Red Person.” Every night at midnight, they’re forced to search for the scattered body parts of a murdered classmate. If they fail, the loop resets and they have to relive the nightmare all over again.
The group gets closer to uncovering the dark secrets of their school’s past and the true identity of the Red Person. ‘Re/Member‘ is a perfect underrated horror with a suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat experience.
4. Gonjiam: A Haunted Asylum (2018)
Ha-joon, the mastermind behind a popular YouTube channel called Horror Times, is hoping to cash in big by broadcasting a live exploration of the notorious asylum. If you’re into underrated found-footage horrors, then you must add ‘Gonjiam: A Haunted Asylum‘ to your list.
Joined by a group of six teens, Ha-joon sets up a night of terror, rigging the hospital with fake supernatural effects to spook his audience and the unsuspecting rookies in the group. But as the night progresses, it quickly becomes clear that the horrors of Gonjiam are far from fake. As the group ventures deeper into the asylum, they start to encounter real paranormal phenomena that can’t be explained away by Ha-joon’s tricks.
3. Street Trash (1987)
The plot kicks off with a couple of down-and-out winos who stumble upon some ancient liquor. After just one sip, they start to melt in the most grotesque and colorful ways imaginable.
This underrated horror spirals into a chaotic mix of subplots that include everything from Vietnam War vets to mobsters. It has a lot of tasteless jokes, including a scene where homeless people play catch with a certain severed part of the anatomy.
2. The Descent (2005)
After losing her husband and daughter in a tragic accident, Sarah joins her friends Beth and Juno for what was supposed to be a bonding trip in the Appalachian Mountains. But things take a dark turn when Juno, in a reckless bid for adventure, leads the group into an unexplored cave system instead of the safe, tourist-friendly one they had planned for.
Once inside, the women quickly realize they’re in way over their heads. The caves are claustrophobic, with no clear paths and an eerie sense that something is terribly wrong. And that’s before they discover that they’re not alone. As the group stumbles upon old, decaying skeletons and the remnants of past explorers, the real horror begins to unfold.
1. [Rec] (2007)
TV reporter, Ángela Vidal and her cameraman, Pablo, cover a routine night at a Barcelona fire station that quickly spirals into a living nightmare. What starts as a simple story about a trapped old woman turns into a claustrophobic fight for survival when a mysterious infection turns the residents into ravenous, bloodthirsty monsters. When the woman suddenly attacks and bites a policeman, Ángela and Pablo realize they’re in for much more than they bargained for.
As the situation escalates, the building is sealed off by authorities, trapping the residents – and the film crew -inside. The infection spreads rapidly, turning people into vicious, zombie-like creatures. Ángela and Pablo continue recording as they search for a way out, eventually discovering that the building’s penthouse holds the key to the terrifying outbreak. The final scenes are pure gold! A dark secret tied to demonic possession, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats until the very last second.
‘[Rec]‘ is literally the best found-footage movie ever, plus it’s available on YouTube for free!
