The Best Horror Movies to Watch in the Dead of Winter – Lifehacker

Gif: Let The Right One In

They say revenge is a dish best served coldand the same goes for horror movies. What makes winter the perfect backdrop for a horror movie? Well, take a look at the Shining or Misery, where winters harshness renders our protagonists powerless and unable to escape their killers. Below, a few of our picks for the best horror movies to watch on a cold winter night, in case youre suffering from a severe bout of cabin fever.

Remember early 2000s star, Josh Hartnett? Well, hes back and we have the vampire masterpiece, 30 Days of Night, to thank for it. If Twilight vampires had an opposite, itd be the ones in this movie; they are terrifying and intelligent. (They even have their own language and use it to communicate with one another.) The premise is this: A herd of vampires takes over a tiny, cold Alaskan town that goes dark for a monthand thats all you really need to know. Watch it if you hated Twilight and enjoy a little gore.

Another vampire movie on this list, the Swedish Let the Right One In was an unexpected, critical hit when it first came out. The plot goes like this: two pre-teen neighbors meet and develop a friendship. As it turns out, one of these kids doesnt seem to eat, cant enter a home without an invitation, and, well, you probably can guess the rest. Chloe Grace Moretz later starred in an American remake which mostly stayed true to the original, though the Swedish winter backdrop is a hell of a lot eerier. Watch it if you want something a little less scary than your standard horror flick.

No, not that Frozen (though the idea of hearing Let It Go one more time does scare us). In this horror flick, three young people get stuck on a ski lift at an isolated mountain, suspended several hundred feet in the air. There are no masked killers or vampires, just a bunch of people trying desperately not to die. We get it: A movie about people stuck in a chair may not sound all that interesting, but trust us, its excellent. Watch it if youre not big on gore but dont get queasy at the thought of standing on a tall building.

Dead Snow, by all accounts, is the weirdest zombie movie youll ever watch, which is saying a lot. Its a Norweigan film set around Nazi zombies that have suddenly arisen and are in search of a treasure that once belonged to them. Seven students attempt to defend themselves from the vengeful zombies and, well, youll have to watch the rest. This ones for audiences who can stomach a good amount of gore (trust us).

Directed by John Carpenter of Halloween fame, the Thing is the ultimate winter sci-fi horror story. Set at a camp in Antarctica, a group of American researchers takes in a dog being chased and shot at by a helicopter. Without giving away the entirety of the plot, that dog turns out to be an evil alien who wreaks havoc on the camp. Watch it if you like any of the Alien films or any 80s horror flick, for that matter.

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The Best Horror Movies to Watch in the Dead of Winter - Lifehacker