Every horror film can't be a masterpiece,
but beyond all those crappy sequels and the straight-to-DVD dreck, there are a few films
we'd describe as pretty much perfect. From stories about Satanic cults to films
about possessed parents, these horror movies are practically flawless. What's more tragic? Choosing your own destruction, or being destined
to fail? That's the question at the heart of Hereditary. Hailed as the scariest movie of 2018, Hereditary
is certainly frightening, and it features one of the most twisted endings in horror
history. But the film offers a lot more than scares
and screams. It's a disturbing examination of family life,
the corrosive power of grief, and the crippling power of mental illness. "Mom, what are you doing?" Yes, the film features seances, spirits, and
what might be the creepiest cult ever committed to celluloid. Yes, the movie will keep you checking your
ceiling for months to come. And yes, that scene involving a sketchbook
and a fireplace will cause your jaw to hit the floor. However, the real power of Hereditary comes
from the sense of foreboding that lingers over the entire film. Just like Toni Collette's character builds
miniature dolls and tiny rooms, it sometimes feels like our lives are being manipulated
by unseen forces. Hereditary seems to suggest that no matter
how hard you try to escape your past, the traits you inherit will haunt you forever. If you've ever watched a slasher film, you
know that only virgins get out alive. If the monster catches you getting intimate,
he'll introduce your face to Mr. Knife. But writer-director David Robert Mitchell
decided to play with that old cliche in It Follows, a horror film where having sex can
kill you... but it can also keep you alive. This 2014 film involves a young girl who contracts
a supernatural STD. Unless she passes it along, she'll be killed
by a shapeshifting monster. "Never go into a place that doesn't have more
than one exit. It's very slow but it's not dumb." If she dies, the creature will hunt down the
guy who gave it to her…and so on and so forth. It feels like an actual urban legend, but
this film is scarier than any Creepypasta. That's because the movie monster is one of
the most terrifying in recent memory. You can't reason with It. You can't outrun It. Like death, It just keeps coming. You don't know when. You don't know how. But rest assured, It will stagger into view
sooner or later. It's as inevitable as growing old, and as
relentless as time. Directed by Jennifer Kent, The Babadook revolves
around a single mom named Amelia who's dealing with the death of her husband, plus her extremely
troubled six-year-old son. Amelia has been trapped in her grief and depression
for a while, and things only get worse when the Babadook enters the picture. The demon is first introduced to us in the
pages of a pop-up book, and he's the personification of Amelia's depression. As she plunges deeper into emotional darkness,
the Babadook grows stronger and stronger. Much like The Shining, The Babadook wants
you to discuss its cryptic ending and try to figure out what's real and what's not. Is there a literal evil spirit trying to possess
Amelia? Is it symbolic of her pain? The best thing about The Babadook is that
the answer is yes and yes. "You're not my mother." "What did you say?" "I said, you're not my mother!" "I am your mother!" Horror-comedy is tough. So many would-be chillers wind up stumbling
over their own goofiness. But Sam Raimi, the man behind the Evil Dead
franchise, is a master at blending fear and fun. Still, not enough horror fans appreciate Drag
Me to Hell. That's a shame, because this 2009 film is
pitch perfect when it comes to melding dark humor with genuinely disturbing horror. "You shamed me." The plot follows a young woman who's been
cursed by a vengeful old witch. In three days, Christine will be dragged to
hell, and until then, she'll be haunted by a powerful demon. This simple plot lets Raimi indulge all his
gross-out horror urges, from eyes popping out of cakes to wormy corpses. It's a grotesque, ghoulishly fun romp that
even includes a foul-mouthed, incredibly fierce old goat. But Raimi pulls no punches when it comes to
the scares, and Drag Me to Hell features one of the most frightening endings you'll ever
watch through your fingers. Take Ridley Scott's cold directing style and
Sigourney Weaver's badassery, and you've got the freakiest sci-fi movie ever made. Released in 1979, Alien is a truly terrifying
experience. Everything you see on-screen, you can just
about feel on your skin. No matter how you slice it, this is basically
a perfect horror film. Everything in Alien is just so viscous and
violent, and the alien design is... well, it's out of this world. The Xenomorph feels like something that could
exist in real life, and the film brilliantly exploits our deep-seated fear of parasites. The idea of a creature crawling around your
innards is truly disgusting, so when the alien pops out of Kane's chest, it's still one of
the most visceral horror scenes ever filmed. But aside from all this monster talk, let's
not forget about Weaver as Ellen Ripley. "Help me…” While she became an icon in the sequel, Ripley
establishes herself as a big-time monster hunter in Alien. Long story short: She's a horror hero for
the ages. Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street is
a masterpiece of surrealist horror. It's about a supernatural serial killer who
gets you in your sleep, and as the film goes on, Craven blends the dream world with reality,
leaving you to wonder where waking life ends and the nightmare begins. "No running in the hallway." With his ratty sweater and demonic glove,
Freddy Krueger is one of the most frightening monsters to ever haunt the silver screen...
and that's because when you fall asleep, he becomes your god. Just like an actual dream, there are no rules
in Freddy's world. And when the dreams start bleeding into the
real world, that's scary surrealism at its finest. Everyone's scared of getting sick. Nobody wants to look in the mirror and see
something they don't recognize staring back. That's why The Fly packs such a punch. Directed by David Cronenberg, this 1986 remake
finds Jeff Goldblum playing eccentric scientist Seth Brundle, a man who's morphing into a
hideous insect. Throughout the course of the film, body parts
fall off Brundle's body. He twitches, shakes, and vomits all over his
food. His humanity is rotting away, and the insect
is taking over. "No, no," Cronenberg has said the movie is an allegory
for AIDS, but the metaphor also works with everything from drug addiction to aging. The human body can't last forever. That's why The Fly is sure to linger in your
mind for many years to come. As a wise woman once said: "Be afraid. Be very afraid." There aren't any vampires or werewolves in
The Silence of the Lambs. Instead, this Oscar-winning thriller is about
real-life monsters. Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill are terrifying
because they could actually exist. When Lecter stares straight into the camera,
you're looking into the eyes of a genuine demon... a monster you might actually meet
on the street. "What is your worst memory of childhood?" "The death of my father." Jonathan Demme's movie is steeped in Gothic
horror. Hannibal's dank cell and Buffalo Bill's dungeon
look like lairs you'd find in an Edgar Allan Poe story. The acting matches the lurid style, with Anthony
Hopkins giving an electrifying performance as the world's most charming psychopath. Jodie Foster provides the perfect counterbalance
as Clarice Starling: The character is gritty and ambitious — inexperienced, but strong. Of course, murderous cannibals will always
be pretty scary… but the real horror is the film's depiction of a woman living in
a male-dominated world. Demme uses his unique camerawork and incredible
composition to show Starling surrounded by intimidating dudes, from squaring off with
a roomful of cops to her nightmare showdown with Buffalo Bill. But she never backs down... and her deathly
dance with Hannibal makes for one of the most twisted relationships ever seen on the big
screen. Plenty of horror movies provide blood and
guts… but few horror movies actually move you. When it comes to tragedy, there's no horror
film quite as upsetting as Brian De Palma's Carrie. Underneath all the pig blood and - powers,
Carrie is ultimately a story about a lonely soul — an outsider who's bullied so badly
she finally breaks. "We're all sorry, Carrie." "They're all going to laugh at you," "Trust me, Carrie, you can trust me…" Sissy Spacek gives one of the best performances
in horror history as Carrie White, starting off as a terrified teen, morphing into a happy
girl with a great big smile, then turning into a wide-eyed telekinetic killer. De Palma is at the top of his game here. He creates a high school world that feels
like something out of a dream…before it explodes into a full-blown nightmare. The prom bloodbath is ingenious in its editing
and camerawork, with the director using every trick in the book — from slow motion and
split screens to lighting techniques straight out of Italian giallo films. The result is a movie that's horrific to watch
— because of the fright factor and the loneliness at the heart of its titular character. Horror fans love to debate which movie was
the first real slasher film. Was it Bay of Blood or The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre? Perhaps it was Black Christmas? Whatever gory flick got things started, Halloween
introduced slasher films into the mainstream. Released in 1978, this brutal little thriller
laid the groundwork for every masked killer movie that's come since, but few films have
managed to capture the evil essence of the original. The moment you hear the Halloween theme, you
want to look over your shoulder to make sure someone isn't stalking you. Then there's the chilling visuals, like the
iconic point-of-view tracking shot of Michael Myers' first kill. Who can forget those brief glimpses of Michael
as he sets his sights on Laurie Strode? It's all so simple, yet it touches upon something
primal. At the end of the day, Halloween is all about
the man in the mask. He's the personification of evil, and cinema's
biggest bogeyman. No matter how many times you kill him, he
keeps coming back for more. And so do we. Rosemary's Baby is a masterclass in building
suspense and unease. "You're lying! You witches!" But instead of using mystery to create tension,
director Roman Polanski lets us know something devilish is happening pretty much right off
the bat. Mia Farrow plays Rosemary Woodhouse, a woman
who gets pregnant after a darkly trippy night that she can't quite remember. Soon after, it becomes clear that something
wicked is growing inside her womb. Meanwhile, her intensely creepy neighbors
refuse to leave her alone. "What does your hubby do?" "He's an actor." "I knew it, I said to Roman yesterday… he's
so good-lookin'." At first, Rosemary doesn't understand what's
happening, but the audience sure does… yet the lack of mystery never detracts from the
suspense. In fact, it makes it even more unbearable. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review: "When the conclusion comes, it works not because
it is a surprise but because it is horrifyingly inevitable." And what a conclusion it is. "What have you done to it? What have you done to its eyes?" "He has his Father's eyes." The haunted house is a classic horror archetype. Cinema is full of spooky homes, from The Amityville
Horror to Poltergeist. But few have captured the creeping dread and
terrible sadness of living in a ghostly home like The Orphanage. The story follows a woman named Laura who
buys an old orphanage with the hopes of using it to help disabled children. But when her own son disappears in its darkened
corridors, Laura suspects there might be evil spirits at play. The movie takes its time, jarring you with
disturbing images of a creepy kid wearing an unsettling mask. And as Laura searchers for her son and digs
deeper into her past, she learns that history is full of ghosts, always haunting the present,
and sometimes asking for help. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
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