With horror movies collecting more artsy stories and filmmakers, fans might want to learn which are overhyped and which are actually brilliant.
There has been a recent resurgence with artsy and avant-garde entries in the horror genre. With films likeThe BabadookandThe Shape of Watertaking home some serious acclaim, it's actually quite impressive to see how far the genre has come from the fright-fests of yesteryear.
RELATED:10 Scariest Revenge Movies Thatll Have You Sleeping With The Lights On
While some artsy horror flicks are ingenious, others either come off as pretentious or overstay their welcome. After all, gore and gimmicks do not a good horror movie make. So the question is when is being artsy in a horror flick expressive and when is it just being excessive?
Nosferatuwill always be a titan of the horror genre and a pinnacle of its history. But those expecting something akin to Bela Lugosi's immortal performance as Draculawill be somewhat bewildered. It is, unfortunately, now more of an acquired taste.
For starters, it's a silent movie that might deter some viewers. Second, while its German expressionism presentation can result in some eerie and unsettling imagery, the over-the-top pantomime can also be a tad goofy at times.
Lovecraftian horror can often be a hard subject to bring to film but if there was ever a flick that came shockingly close, it'sThe Void.The horrors of evil cults, other dimensions, and the terror of inner space are fully realized in this John-Carpenter-Inspired flick.
RELATED:10 Horror Movies From 2020 That Were So Bad They Were Good
The fear of the unknown is one that plagues many moviegoers, and this freaky flick plays with that notion tremendously before assaulting the viewer with ungodly terrors. Lovecraft would be proud.
LikeNosferatu, Suspiriawas a titan in the genre, particularly bringing focus to the Giallo films of Italian cinema. But some modern audiences might be a tad confused upon viewing it today.
Gore is the name of the game in this twisted tale of dancing, demons, and witchcraft. But those trying to follow the plot with Dario Argento's psychedelic visuals might find it a bit perplexing. Still, the scenes with the skylight and the pianist's murder are chilling to behold.
If anything,Crimson Peakis an underrated gem, but that's probably due to the poor marketing campaign that tried to bill it as a supernatural slaughter-fest rather than a gothic fairytale. It has its gore, its gruesome ghosts, and its body count, but behind that lies a truly beautiful story.
RELATED:10 Horror Movies You Didnt Know Were Based On Real World Stories & Folklore
The film is certainly one of Guillermo del Toro's classics, and the story, set pieces, and spirits are like something out of a book by Edgar Allen Poe. The words "hauntingly gorgeous" certainly spring to mind.
Jordan Peele is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant horror directors of the 21st century, but his follow-up to his Oscar-winningGet Outmight be a little hard to swallow for some. It's the deeper and more psychological elements of the narrative that dock it down a few pegs.
The idea of evil doppelgangers is scary enough on its own, not much extra is needed. But the backstory of a secret experiment taking place in tunnels underneath the US is a bit excessive.
The Witchis a different kind of scary, and that's putting it lightly. Watching this historical horrorshow is a mix of a traditional monster movie with sacrilegious cinema. One of the titular witch's first victims is literally a baby, and things only get much more gruesome from there.
RELATED:10 Great Indie Horror Movies That You Never Heard Of (& Where You Can Watch Them Today)
Those expecting something out ofThe Cruciblewill be shocked and horrified at just how twisted this film gets in its storytelling, its presentation, and its scares. The dialogue might need subtitles at times, though.
Robert Eggers might have spellbound the horror-hounds withThe Witch,but his follow-up film,The Lighthouseoften toed the line between creepy and confusing. Granted, the performances from both Willem Dafoe and Robert Patterson were certainly Oscar-worthy, but the plot is absolutely confounding.
When viewers need to consultvarious theories and speculation to get a straight answer out of the plot, the ambiguity is a bit overdone. Madness and isolation are great tropes for the genre to explore, but the audience doesn't need to bemaddened, too.
It might be animated, it might be a film with a young audience, butCoralineis a stop-motion nightmare that deserves a spot next to the likes ofItandA Nightmare on Elm Street.As artsy and eccentric as it is, it never fails to leave even many adult viewers with a case of the shivers.
RELATED:10 Great Horror-Themed Animated Films, Ranked
Just as unsettling and disturbing as Neil Gaiman's original novel,Coralineplays with the archetypes of haunted houses, creepy dolls, and black cats to turn it into something truly terrifying. Perfect for introducing young fans into the genre.
Hereditaryis a frightening feature, that much is undeniable. But its confusing plot and heavy reliance on guttural expressions of grief can cause more than a few viewers to lose interest. It can certainly take a few viewings to get the complete story, but not without the want of carnage.
Demonic entities, creepy cults, psychological breakdowns, and massive amounts of mutilation are all great horror ingredients. But when they're stuffed in a plot that's easy to get lost in, they kind of lose their luster.
Perhaps no horror film in history has been studied and reinterpreted more than Stanley Kubrick'sThe Shining.Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, few films have even come close to reaching this flick's notoriety.
Despised by the author but loved by critics and film scholars, the tale of Jack Torrance's descent into madness inside a haunted hotel has terrified thousands with its use of spectacle, scale, and psychological horror.
NEXT:10 Terrifying French Horror Films, Ranked by IMDb
Next WandaVision: 10 Ways The Series Impacts MCU Phase 4
Follow this link:
5 Artsy Horror Movies That Are Overhyped (& 5 That Are Actually Brilliant) - Screen Rant
- The 30 best classic horror movies of all time - Entertainment Weekly News - March 16th, 2024
- The 23rd Spring, Is Jeepers Creepers Coming Back To Michigan? - 102.5/104.9 The Block - March 16th, 2024
- Winnie The Pooh Horror Movie Dominates The Razzie Awards - 106.3 The Groove - March 16th, 2024
- This Underrated Blumhouse Horror Movie Is Unlike Any Other Creature Feature - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- 13 Horror Movies Where Everyone Dies by the End - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- Willy Wonka Experience Villain The Unknown Gets Its Own Horror Movie - TMZ - March 8th, 2024
- The 13 Scariest Horror Movies Streaming on Peacock: Alien, Leprechaun, The Exorcist: Believer and More - Syfy - March 8th, 2024
- Every Horror Movie Releasing in March 2024 - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- 10 Scariest Movies That Have Won Oscars - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- The 10 Best New Horror Movies To Watch in March 2024 - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based on Viral Willy Wonka Experience Coming Soon - Bloody Disgusting - March 8th, 2024
- Where To Watch Imaginary: Showtimes & Streaming Status - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Immaculate: Eveything You Need to Know About Sydney Sweeney's Upcoming Horror Movie That Will Give You ... - FandomWire - March 8th, 2024
- The 20 best horror movies on Peacock - Entertainment Weekly News - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based on the Willy Wonka Experience Villain, The Unknown, Now in the Works - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- Melissa Barrera's Scream 7 Replacement Actually Sounds Better Than Fighting Ghostface Again - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Shaitaan' Movie 2024 Filming Locations: Shooting Spots Of The Horror Flick - TRAVEL + LEISURE INDIA - March 8th, 2024
- The Horror Movie Franchise With the Most Sequels Ever Is One You've Never Heard of - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- Jimmy Fallon asked people to ruin a horror movie by adding a single word to its title - Upworthy - March 8th, 2024
- The Absolute Best Horror Movies on Hulu - CNET - March 8th, 2024
- Willy Wonka Experience creepy character 'The Unknown' handed role in new horror movie - The Mirror - March 8th, 2024
- The Best Sea Monster Movies, Ranked - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- The Borderlands Movie's Scary Behind The Scenes Drama That Has Us Worried - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- Netflix Just Quietly Added the Best Holiday Thriller of the Decade - Inverse - February 28th, 2024
- The 20 best scary movies streaming right now - Entertainment Weekly News - February 19th, 2024
- Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked - New Scary Movies to Watch - Rotten Tomatoes - February 19th, 2024
- 'Only Murders in the Building' Adds Molly Shannon to Season 4 Cast - Yahoo Eurosport UK - February 19th, 2024
- Why Lindsay Lohan Refused to Kiss Charlie Sheen in "Scary Movie 5" - Best Life - February 19th, 2024
- 15 Best Scary Movies To Stream - Screen Rant - February 11th, 2024
- Eight Skin-Crawling Scary Films That Don't Have Any Jump Scares In Them - Digg - February 11th, 2024
- David Cronenberg names some of the scariest movies ever - Far Out Magazine - February 11th, 2024
- 12 Horror Movies That Will Give You the Biggest Jump Scares - Collider - February 3rd, 2024
- TAROT's Trailer Brings the Iconic Cards to Life and Things Get Weird - Nerdist - February 3rd, 2024
- Review: Baghead - Is the Movie as Scary as it Looks? - Blazing Minds - February 3rd, 2024
- Natasha Lyonne Says James Woods Hit On Her As A Teenager While Filming Scary Movie 2 - 106.3 The Groove - February 3rd, 2024
- The Witcher's Freya Allan explains the challenges of filming her first horror movie Baghead: "You have to surrender ... - Gamesradar - January 26th, 2024
- The 5 Best Uses of Popcorn in Scary Movies - Dread Central - January 26th, 2024
- 5 Horror Films That Transformed The Genre - Study Finds - January 26th, 2024
- Kristen Stewart Wants to Star in Another Horror Movie in the Future - ComingSoon.net - January 26th, 2024
- Best Home Invasion Movies of All Time, Ranked - MovieWeb - January 26th, 2024
- Presence Review: Steven Soderbergh Tells a Ghost Story from the Ghosts POV. It Is Scary? Not Quite. But the Family Demons Lure You In - Variety - January 26th, 2024
- 55 best horror movies that are actually good and terrifying - Digital Spy - January 18th, 2024
- She is a Real Housewife, was in a scary movie franchise, is pals with Bethenny Frankel, has a Hilton connectio - Daily Mail - January 18th, 2024
- The Scream cast talk about the legacy of Scary Movie - Popverse - January 9th, 2024
- The 20 Best Horror Movies on Netflix: January 2024 - Vulture - January 9th, 2024
- Scream cast reveals their favorite scary movies - Popverse - January 9th, 2024
- Horror fanatics are 'desperate' to watch the first scary movie of the year Night Swim after trailer leaves the - Daily Mail - January 9th, 2024
- 20 Scariest Horror Movies That Are Too Disturbing to Re-Watch - Collider - January 1st, 2024
- Raging Grace review politicised critique of imperialism in horror movie form - The Guardian - January 1st, 2024
- 15 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time, According to Rotten Tomatoes - MovieWeb - January 1st, 2024
- The 19 Best Horror Films of 2023 Best Life - Best Life - January 1st, 2024
- The Best Horror Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer - Rotten Tomatoes - December 23rd, 2023
- This Is What Takes 'The Descent' From Scary to Terrifying - Collider - December 23rd, 2023
- 15 Best Horror Movies Of 2023 - Screen Rant - December 23rd, 2023
- 25 Best Horror Movies Created in the Last 5 Years - CBR - Comic Book Resources - December 12th, 2023
- 25 horror movies that were based on true stories - Yardbarker - December 12th, 2023
- The 30 best horror movies of all time - Gamesradar - December 12th, 2023
- Scary Movies In Theaters Now (2023/12/06)- Tickets to Movies in Theaters, Broadway Shows, London Theatre & More - Hollywood.com - December 12th, 2023
- What Is the Highest Grossing Horror Movie of All Time? - Collider - December 12th, 2023
- The 27 Best Horror Films of 2023 - MarieClaire.com - December 12th, 2023
- Upcoming horror movies: new scary films coming in 2023 and beyond - Gamesradar - December 12th, 2023
- 20 Best Horror Movies on Max (Formerly HBO Max): Dec. 2023 - Vulture - December 12th, 2023
- Scary Movie (2000) - Plot - IMDb - December 3rd, 2023
- The Best Horror Movies on Netflix - Rotten Tomatoes - October 16th, 2023
- The Best Horror Movies on Prime Video to Watch Right Now - October 16th, 2023
- From Psycho to a new crop of horror movies, the genre has some mommy issues - The Seattle Times - May 13th, 2023
- Months After Hulu Controversy, Mike Tyson Makes Major Move in the World of Cinema - EssentiallySports - April 8th, 2023
- Best Horror Movies of 2023 Ranked - New Scary Movies to Watch - March 31st, 2023
- Three cheers for the Moose: Everybody knows the name of beloved '80s sitcom star and 'Masked Singer' eliminee - Yahoo Entertainment - March 31st, 2023
- The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Ever - Rotten Tomatoes - February 26th, 2023
- Films Turning 10 in 2013: Oz the Great and Poweful The Croods Oblivion Labor ... - Latest Tweet by Pop - LatestLY - January 1st, 2023
- Family of slain Idaho student from Skagit County relieved to hear of suspect's arrest - KPIC News - January 1st, 2023
- The 50 Scariest Movies of All Time - Reader's Digest - December 24th, 2022
- 'Airplane!' and 'Scary Movie' director rips cancel culture in comedy ... - December 24th, 2022
- "I was a side piece and you're a str*pper": Nia Long spills tea about Regina Halls role in The Best Man: The Final Chapters - Sportskeeda - December 24th, 2022
- Mother says scary movie guy wanted to kidnap her child in Spains Castellon area - The Olive Press - December 16th, 2022
- The Daily Show To Replace Trevor Noah with Chelsea Handler, Kal Penn, Al Franken, Sarah Silverman & Leslie Jones - Television - December 8th, 2022
- 'Airplane!' and 'Scary Movie' director rips cancel culture in comedy: 'We don't want to try to educate' - Fox News - November 11th, 2022
- 20 Scary Horror Movies to Watch on HBO Max - Harper's BAZAAR - October 2nd, 2022
- Best scary movies of 2022 to watch for Halloween - Dexerto - October 2nd, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero