Hidden Gems of Horror (Part One)

A weekly list of horror movie recommendations to celebrate Halloween.

by ELINOR EPPERSON
Contributor

Horror Movies for Non-Horror Fans

These are definitely horror movies, but they include elements moviegoers look for in other film genres. If you want to check out horror flicks but are hesitant, these movies are a good transition into the genre.

A Quiet Place / A Quiet Place Part II

2018 | PG-13  /  2020 | PG-13

Set a few months after the collapse of human civilization, “A Quiet Place” is about a family trying to survive an alien invasion and work through their grief. The movie is deathly quiet, with the family mostly communicating in sign language to avoid detection by the hostile, sound-sensitive invaders. The family has a lot of unresolved tension outside of survival, making the film a drama as much as a survival horror experience.

Its sequel picks up right after the events of the first movie (even though Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe have clearly aged more than a few hours), with the family now leaving their safe haven to find new shelter. “A Quiet Place Part II” delivers just as much tension and terror, along with some backstory and new characters (Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou). It lacks the same oomph as the first installment, but is nevertheless an engaging thrill ride.

Content warnings: Child death, violence, blood, disturbing injuries

Vanishing on 7th Street

2010 | R

News anchor Luke Ryder (Hayden Christensen) wakes up to a “28 Days Later” situation in this horror thriller set in Detroit. Most of the city’s inhabitants have gone missing and the only other survivors appear to be John Leguizamo, Thandiwe Newton and a couple children. They’re not sure how or why people keep disappearing–until the sun sets. 

Content warnings: Blood, flickering lights (almost constant), Hayden Christensen

Absentia

2011 | R

Directed by Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House,” “Midnight Mass”), “Absentia” is a tense modern-day fairy tale about a woman who must decide whether to declare her missing husband dead in absentia. With help from her born-again sister, she starts to learn more about her husband’s disappearance seven years earlier. The film cost a whopping $70,000 (most of it raised on Kickstarter) but uses its micro budget to create an eerie slow burn that will have you checking behind your shower curtain whenever you brush your teeth.

Content warnings: Blood, brief gore, insects, jump scares

Carnival of Souls

1962 | PG

Fans of “The Twilight Zone” will enjoy this vintage horror classic. “Carnival of Souls” follows Mary Henry, the sole survivor of a deadly car crash who tries to move on with her life. When she arrives in a new town to play organ at a local church, she finds she is being followed by ghastly visions and is oddly drawn to the abandoned carnival grounds outside of town.

Be sure to grab the 1962 version of this movie; the 2005 remake is resplendent with blood and gore (and isn’t as good).

Content warnings: A car crash, men who can’t take “no” for an answer.

See “hidden gems:”

• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

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