17 Terrifying Horror Movies You've (Probably) Never Seen
Sure, like us, you're a big fan of horror movies. Halloween is your Christmas, we get it. But we bet that, also like us, there are few scary movies you probably haven't seen. Here are a few hidden gems guaranteed to give you day terrors.
'Dead of Night' (1945)
Before "The Twilight Zone" or the movie "Magic," this horror anthology film gave us the definitively creepy relationship between a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) and his dummy. It's the standout segment of stories told to a man who has a recurring dream of impending horror -- if he can only remember what it is.
'Eyes Without a Face' (1960)
This poetic (but shocking) French horror film -- about a disfigured girl whose father tries to build her a new face from those of women he abducts -- was years ahead of its time. (And yes, it did inspire the Billy Idol song of the same name.)
'Shivers' (1975)
Horror master David Cronenberg's first thriller is every bit as visceral as his later films. It plays like a twisted version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," in which a parasite turns an entire high-rise apartment building into sex-crazed predators intent on infecting everyone they see.
'Suspiria' (1977)
If you haven't seen any films by Italian horror director Dario Argento, start with this operatic, blood-drenched chiller. It centers on a young ballerina who discovers her prestigious German ballet school is home to a coven of witches.
'Possession' (1981)
Isabelle Adjani won a César (the French Oscar) and Best Actress at Cannes for her role as a woman who tells her husband (Sam Neill) she wants a divorce. Soon after, her behavior becomes increasingly erratic and violent. One of the craziest horror movies you'll ever watch.
'Audition' (1999)
A modern Japanese horror classic, its last 30 minutes sent people fleeing the theater. Here, a widower sets up a fake movie audition to find a new girlfriend. He chooses the quiet Asami, but he has no idea who she really is.
'Ravenous' (1999)
Never saw this black comedy/indie cannibal western starring Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle? You're not alone, since critics didn't know what to make of this horror hybrid when it first came out. But you should watch it right now. Or else.
'Frailty' (2002)
One day, the father of two young sons (Bill Paxton, who also directed this gem) reveals he's been chosen by God to kill demons -- who look just like ordinary people. One of those traumatized sons grows up to be Matthew McConaughey, a Texas cop who's told his brother is the "God's Hand" killer that the FBI has been hunting.
'Session 9' (2001)
In this low-budget, deeply creepy thriller, a group of men are hired to clean the asbestos from an abandoned mental asylum. One of them begins listening to the therapy sessions on tape and, needless to say, it doesn't end well.
'Them' (2006)
You might have seen "The Strangers," about a terrifying home invasion, but did you know it's a remake of this possibly even more horrifying French film?
'Inside' (2007)
Among the new wave of French horror films is this bloody, viscerally disturbing entry about a violent woman who stalks the pregnant Sarah. Why? So she can take her unborn baby.
'Kandisha' (2008)
A brilliant criminal defense attorney's latest case involves a woman who claims she didn't kill her husband. So who did? it was Kandisha, an ancient spirit who avenges abused women. David Carradine and Saïd Taghmaoui ("Lost") co-star in this Moroccan horror film that won several film fest awards.
'The House of the Devil' (2009)
Ti West's homage to '80s horror movies is so perfectly retro, it feels like a classic you've just stumbled across. One night, during a full moon, college student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is hired to sit an unseen old woman at a creepy, isolated house. It slowly builds to one hell of a bloody ending.
'Jennifer's Body' (2009)
Yes, this film got terrible reviews, but like so many others on this list, it's worth a look. Megan Fox plays a Regina George-type who's not just 'high school evil" but "evil evil." She's a demon; a literal maneater who must be stopped by nice girl BFF Amanda Seyfried.
'Tony' (2009)
Turns out that nice quiet bloke down at the pub (Peter Ferdinando) is actually a sociopath in this British indie that's been compared to "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer."
'Thirst' (2009)
"Oldboy" director Park Chan-wook spins a very different kind of vampire tale in which a priest volunteers for a medical experiment that turns him into the living dead. He soon finds a companion who's far more bloodthirsty than he could ever be.
'Kill List' (2012)
Before "High-Rise," director Ben Wheatley directed this thriller in which two ex soldiers become freelance hit men for a mysterious new employer. Bloody Disgusting called it "the #1 Horror Film" of 2012. It's definitely the creepiest.
