I am a lifelong horror addict. I spend probably too much time watching and reading horror. I tried to squeeze as much horror related stuff as I could into my BA. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am about that spooky life. As a result people ask me for movie recommendations all the time. Since I have had a lot of spare time lately I finally compiled an actual list of film recommendations and favourites. They range from must see classics to guilty pleasures to the best indie and foreign films of the 21st century.
It should go without saying that some of these are incredibly disturbing and difficult to watch. I tried to include trigger warnings for particularly sensitive material, I have memory issues so I can’t remember all the details of every film. However I do not include warnings for gore and extreme violence, as it is a fairly consistent thing across the genre. If you see a film listed here that warrants a TW but doesn’t feature one, feel free to comment and let me know. I also always love horror recommendations.
Last updated Oct 2018.
*Bolded films are my personal favourites, films with a star are my top recommendations*
It Follows (2017)
Psycho (1960)*
- realistic horror
- black & white
- based off of the 1959 novel Psycho by Robert Bloch
- directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Repulsion (1966)*
- realistic horror, psychological horror
- black & white
- directed by a terrible, terrible rapist who doesn’t deserve to be named
Rosemary’s Baby (1967)*
- satanic horror, hollywood horror
- directed by the same terrible, terrible rapist who doesn’t deserve to be named
- TW: features sexual assault
Kuroneko (1968)*
- supernatural horror, foreign film (Japan)
- black & white
The Devils (1971)
- realistic horror, historical horror, foreign film (Britain)
- based off of the 1952 novel The Devils of Loudon by Aldous Huxley, which dramatizes an actual historical event
- stars Vanessa Redgrave
The Exorcist (1973)*
- exorcism/possession horror, satanic horror
- based off of William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel The Exorcist
- stars Ellen Burstyn
- directed by William Friedkin
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)*
- slasher film
- directed by Tobe Hooper
Eraserhead (1977)*
- surrealist/experimental horror, independent film
- black & white
- directed by David Lynch
Hausu/House (1977)
- horror comedy, supernatural horror, foreign film (Japan)
Suspiria (1977)*
- giallo film, supernatural horror, foreign film (Italy)
- directed by Dario Argento
Rabid (1977)
- sci fi horror, body horror, Canadian film
- directed by David Cronenberg
Alien (1979)*
- sci fi horror
- starring Sigourney Weaver
The Shining (1980)*
- supernatural horror, psychological horror, hollywood horror
- based off of the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King
- directed by Stanley Kubrick
The Thing (1980)*
- sci fi horror
- based off of John W. Campbell Jr.’s 1938 novel Who Goes There?, in turn inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 novella At The Mountains Of Madness
- stars Kurt Russell
- directed by John Carpenter
Possession (1981)*
- surrealist/experimental horror, possession/exorcism horror, foreign film (France/Germany)
- stars Isabelle Adjani & Sam Neill
- TW: features domestic abuse
The Fly (1986)*
- sci fi horror, Canadian film
- based on George Langelaan’s 1957 short story “The Fly”
- staring Jeff Goldblum & Geena Davis
- directed by David Cronenberg
Hellraiser (1987)*
- supernatural horror, body horror, foreign film (Britain)
- written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart
Dead Ringers (1988)*
- realistic horror, body horror, Canadian film
- stars Jeremy Irons
- directed by David Cronenberg
Pet Semetary (1989)
- supernatural horror
- guilty pleasure
- based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel Pet Semetary
- directed by Mary Lambert (female director)
Repulsion (1966)
The Necropolitan 