The month where horror reigns is upon us. Though for true horror buffs no special month is necessary to watch your favorite scary film. Especially, if they’re underrated horror movies. For them, the excitement of Halloween is similar to the enthusiast scaling his home and adding hundreds of lights, reindeer and Santas. For horror fans, Halloween is Christmas. But presents come in the form of scary movie festivals, and horror movie marathons. Scouring the internet for older, lesser known horror DVD’s is like tracking down a coveted toy or gift. And something new is not necessarily more desirable.
In many cases, a rare, vintage find or hidden gem can be the ultimate gift under the metaphorical tree.
For all the connoisseurs and newbies, here is a list of some highly underrated horror movies. And some thrillers too. Some obvious, others less known. Either way, they’re worth a view for Halloween month.
13 underrated horror movies and thrillers
- Black Christmas. In many ways, the quintessential horror movie; a standard template for so many to follow. The 1974 slasher directed by Bob Clark started it all. Phone calls from inside the house, girls being stalked, and other horror movie trends we still see today. Although it’s technically a Christmas movie, it makes a great Halloween movie too.
- The Blob. There are some great kill scenes in this 80’s horror remake.
- Don’t look now. One of the creepiest movies you will ever see. This film is chock full of scary scenes, and yet I rarely hear horror lovers talk about it.
- Jaws 2. The sequel is obviously lesser known than it’s predecessor. But, it’s not a bad film. In some small, ways, maybe even a little better than the original.
- Creep. No matter how big a horror fan or un-phased you are, this movie helmed by the Duplass brothers, features an introduction to ‘Peachfuzz’ that will potentially leave you up at night.
- The Mist. The 2007 movie starring Thomas Jane is somewhat of a hidden gem, even though it’s based on a famous Stephen King novel. An intense ending makes it one of the more unique, underrated horror movies out there.
- Sleepwalkers. Sleepwalkers is more cult classic than lesser known horror. But its still on the list, as far as underrated horror movies go. It’s got some great horror scenes, and funny dialogue. Plus, the ability to still hold up after all these years.
- The strangers. It’s easy to put the Strangers in the category of forgotten but fun horror movie. And while it’s not on a top ten list, there are some quieter moments that make this 99 flick chilling, and downright terrifying.
- Fallen. One of the more underrated films on the list. Fallen classifies as more of a thriller, with some horror ideas thrown in. However, the Denzel Washington driven movie still holds up in originality and substance. I don’t see it spoken about, or on many best of lists often, but in rewatching it, it really should be.
- The skin I live in. A sexy thriller that can classify as horror in some ways. Though it’s not the first thought, as far as underrated horror movies go, there are aspects to this film that are quite horrific. In fact, downright terrifying, even if more in spirit than actual gore or frights. This one is more of a mental scare, but an underrated one all the same.
- The Devils Advocate. The 90’s thriller is highly underrated. Chills, and some mental mind F’s make this worth a watch if you’ve never seen it. It also has some top notch Al Pacino soliloquies. Now, what’s better than that.
- The Witches. Now that the 1990 movie is getting a remake, more people are talking, or learning about it. When you think of Halloween movies, The Witches is typically not in the rotation. Yet the film, based on the much darker Roald Dahl book has enough scares to qualify for membership in an annual Halloween horror movie marathon. There’s no gore. But a classic scene with Angelica Houston (which I won’t spoil) is enough to give you bad dreams for weeks to come.
- Monsters. You may not have heard of this movie from 2010. Its star, Gareth Edwards also wrote and directed the film which takes place some time after the crash of a NASA probe in Mexico. The crash caused the appearance of giant octopus like monsters. When a duo tries crossing through their area to get back to the United States, the action ensues.
How many of these underrated horror movies do you know?
Which are your favorite?
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