Le Manoir du Diable, the first horror movie on record, was made only one year after Arrival of a Train, the first film ever. That’s about 125 years of film, which means there’s 125 years worth of horror for fans to choose from. The sheer quantity of horror movies produced in that amount of time is almost incalculable, which for a cinephile is hell because it’s impossible to see them all. There are hundreds of thousands of movies and if you don’t know where to look, you’re bound to miss some good ones. Because of the numerous subgenres within subgenres, the VHS boom of the ’80s, and the constant stream of new shit being released every week, combing through the entire history of horror is a daunting task. This list was made to shine a light on a select few you might not have seen that I think are worth your time.
Welcome back to 100 Overlooked Horror Movies You Need to See.
100. The Resurrection of Michael Myers Part 1 (1987) and Part 2 (1989)
One of the great things fan films were able to offer before studios turned into nostalgia factories, was pop culture mash ups that could never exist due to copyright issues. Batman: Dead End is beloved because it’s the only time we’ll ever see Batman, Joker, a Xenomorph and the predator in one movie. Something about watching characters that could never occupy the same space finally together taps into that childlike feeling of playing in a sandbox with all of our toys. You could have the Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles team up with Batman and Spider-Man to fight Megatron, Skeletor, Cobra Commander and the Terminator.
The sky is the limit, which is exactly the mind set of the director of the fan films The Resurrection of Michael Myers parts 1 & 2. The first part involves people running around a building trying to avoid Michael Myers, zombies (for some reason) and a inexplicable Freddy Krueger cameo. Since it’s only 25 minutes long, it’ll be over before you realize nothing makes sense. The sequel involves Michael Myers stalking a hospital but this time, he isn’t alone. The gangs all here in this one. In addition to Haddonfield’s favorite, there’s also Leatherface, Jason and a zombie for some reason. It’s complete and utter insanity. Together, they run about 45 minutes which is great because if it was any longer, it would be the greatest movie ever made.
99. Frank & Zed (2020)
Frank & Zed is a truly unique and innovative film that pushes the boundaries in the world of horror-comedy. Directed by Jesse Blanchard, this independent film is a labor of love that took over six years to complete. The result is a visually stunning and highly entertaining experience cinema-goers have rarely seen before. The story revolves around two unlikely friends, Frank and Zed, who are both monsters living in a medieval village. Frank is a gentle giant, while Zed is a zombie with a penchant for violence. Together, they form an unlikely bond and try to live peaceful lives despite the constant threats from the villagers who want to destroy them.
What sets this film apart is its unique blend of practical effects and puppetry. The entire movie is done using intricate, handmade puppets, which gives it a distinct visual style reminiscent of classic horror films like The Dark Crystal. The level of detail and craftsmanship that went into creating each character is truly impressive, and every movement and expression feels incredibly lifelike. It’s a rare horror-comedy that strikes a careful balance between the two genres. The horror elements are genuinely gruesome and visceral, with plenty of blood and gore, but they are tempered by the dark humor that permeates throughout the story. The comedic moments are cleverly woven into the narrative, providing much-needed relief from the intense and often disturbing visuals. There should be more horror films starring puppets but since Frank and Zed pretty much nailed it, it’s going to be even longer before we see anyone attempt it again.
98. In The Highest of Skies (1977)
Not so much a recommendation, but more of a challenge. In The Highest Skies isn’t a good movie. It suffers from poor coverage (it’s a claustrophobic movie set in an elevator and the director decided to go with a bunch of wide shots, which makes the action feel crowded and hard to make out), repetitive music cues, bad acting and its attempts at satire fall flat on its face but none of that matters. The fans of hardcore cinema show up for one reason: to be shocked and being shocked is the only thing this film has on its mind. A clergy-appointed gathering of twelve people, whose ranks include a priest, a teenage girl, some businessmen, and several nuns are all stuck in an elevator and after hours of desperation and starvation kick in, the inhabitants of the elevator turn feral. Rape, attempted murder, wonton sex, rampant brutality, and cannibalism are just some of the events that transpire. It’s not pleasant but if you’re a fan of grotesqueries (no judgment), add this one to the list. You won’t be disappointed.
97. Masks (2011)
Any director who tackles a Giallo nowadays automatically deserves major props. It’s a genre that died long before Argento (and his less talented contemporaries) drove it into the ground. Directors Bruno Forzani and Hélène Cattet received immediate undying love from legions of Giallo fans for attempting to bring it back with Amer and The Strange Color Of Your Body’s Tears and while they were definitely the most successful at trying to resuscitate that cinematic corpse, director Andreas Marschall should also get his due for being right there with them with Masks. The film follows the story of Stella, a young art student who joins an elite theatre group, led by the charismatic and enigmatic Edward Lamont. As Stella becomes more involved with the group, she discovers their dark secrets and, in typical fashion, realizes no one can be trusted. Praised for its atmospheric cinematography, unsettling visuals, and psychological horror elements, Masks not only nails the tone of old-school Giallo but, like the best of the genre, explores themes of identity, art, and the blurred boundaries between performance and reality. It offers a unique and surreal cinematic experience for horror fans who appreciate psychological thrillers.
96. The Wild Hunt (2005)
You would think LARPing would be the subject of more movies, but outside of a handful of them such as Role Models and Knights of Badassdom, Hollywood seems to have no interest. This is weird because it’s a great setting for a meet-cute between two fantasy-obsessed but socially awkward nerds or a ragtag group of “losers” that need to band together to win the LARP tournament for some reason and in doing so, find the confidence to embrace their extreme nerdiness. It has unlimited potential for comedy, action, and as Alexandre Franchi proved, horror. The Wild Hunt is about a live-action role-playing game that takes a dark turn when one of the participants can no longer differentiate between fantasy and reality. The film follows Erik Magnusson, a young man who reluctantly joins the game in order to win back his ex-girlfriend, Evelyn. As the game progresses, Erik becomes increasingly unhinged, leading to dangerous and unpredictable consequences. The Wild Hunt explores themes of escapism, obsession, and the blurred boundaries between fantasy and reality. It highlights the power of immersive storytelling and the potentially dangerous consequences of losing oneself in a world of make-believe.
95. Milk and Serial (2024)
Unless you spend countless hours scrolling through Facebook feeds or YouTube shorts, chances are, you’ve never heard of Curry Barker or Cooper Tomlinson. They’re two comedians that make bite sized content whose punchlines often involve awkward interactions or insidious implications. Curry is often confused by something Cooper said (the amount of times he’s been confused by the word “come” cannot be understated) or Cooper is creeped out by Curry being a weirdo. And weirdo is an understatement. Often times, he’s serial killer levels of creepy, which makes sense why he decided to make a horror movie.
He’s shockingly good at delivering eerie lines with no life behind his eyes. The film follows two roommates and social media influencers, Milk and Seven (Barker and Tomlinson), who push the boundaries of their pranks to increasingly dangerous levels. The pranks become so elaborate and fucked up, you start to question whether what you’re seeing is real or the game of a madman. Curry Barker made this film for 800 dollars and it’s as tense and well acted as any horror film I saw this year. He managed to tell a compelling story that had me riveted in about an hour for a handful of dollars. Blumhouse should be embarrassed.
94. Creatures from the Abyss (1994)
Filled with over-the-top performances, questionable dialogue, and a plot that can be charitably described as predictable (a group of young people go on a scuba diving expedition and accidentally stumble upon an underwater research facility. What they encounter there are mutated creatures created by a mad scientist conducting experiments), Creatures From The Abyss (aka Plankton) is a low-budget brain melter that has to be seen to be believed. From the insane special effects to the campy tone and the utterly bizarre dialogue, Creatures From The Abyss hits every target it’s aiming at. It just happens to be aiming at all the worst (in the best way) targets. This isn’t so much a recommendation for horror fans as it is for lovers of WTF cinema. This should have as big a cult following as Miami Connection or Deadly Prey or The Room or Troll 2. It’s on that level of “what the fuck am I watching?” but unlike those films, it at least knows it’s fucking terrible and embraces it. It’s not trying to be bad intentionally like Sharknado or Samurai Cop 2, it’s just made by a madman who gives no fucks.
93. Kuutamosonaatti (1988)
To avoid the furor of yet another scandal caused by one of her outbursts, fashion model Anni Stark takes leave from the fashion business and goes to Finland’s Lappland for a vacation. Little does she know that there’s a totally lunatic bunch of local hillbillies living in a nearby farmhouse. One of if not the first horror film from Finland, Kuutamosonaatti (aka Moonlight Sonata) is a grab bag of influences, including The Hills Have Eyes and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but whereas those films are gruesome, bloody affairs, this has more of a lite, silly tone. It’s billed as a horror comedy and while I’d say that’s accurate, don’t expect a ton of laughs or a winking tone. The bizarre dialogue (that’s supposed to be funny, I guess?), low-effort scares, and minimal body count keep it from being a true hidden gem but there’s still enough here to recommend. Rural Finland is beautiful to look at, the atmosphere at times is effectively creepy, the lead is naked a ton and there’s some legit great dog acting. If you’re tired of rewatching the same old horror movies and have a high threshold for mediocrity, Kuutamosonaatti is worth checking out.
92. The Spell (1977)
I think it’s fair to say that the director behind The Spell has most definitely seen Carrie. There is more than a passing resemblance to the De Palma classic but where this made-for-TV film differs, is that it shifts the perspective from the bullied girl with budding psychic powers, to her mother trying to keep her from turning into a malevolent witch. Since a lot of important business takes place offscreen, including virtually all of the main character’s relationship with the teacher who nurtures and directs her powers and much of the sub-plot about a best friend who was hexed, it has the feel of an extended pilot or proof of concept to pitch to networks for an ongoing show about a chubby loner (she’s not even that fat) who uses her powers to attack her bullies and her mom going after the coven trying to corrupt her daughter that never got picked up. It definitely feels truncated, not poorly written. The director clearly had to prioritize what was essential and what wasn’t and while it is a bit frustrating what got left on the cutting room floor, what remains is still solid. Since it’s a made-for-TV movie, the scares are damn near nonexistent but the director knows this and pivots away from disappointment by instead focusing on exploring themes of teenage angst, the desire for power, and the consequences of dabbling in the occult. It delves into the psychological aspects of the characters and their inner struggles, making it a thought-provoking and haunting film.
91. All Eyes (2022)
I predict that in the next five years, every protagonist in every horror movie will either be a podcaster, YouTuber, or streamer. Since those are the most popular careers for Generation Alpha, we’re about to get bombarded with a ton of movies about them. We’ve had a couple of great ones already (Deadstream is definitely a highlight), with All Eyes being one of the better examples. A disgraced podcast host (Jasper Hammer) who, after a public scandal, is looking for redemption. He gets an opportunity to make a comeback when a mysterious caller invites him to a remote farm with a bizarre proposition: to document the hunt for a creature that the caller believes is responsible for his wife’s death. As he arrives at the isolated farm, owned by a strange and grieving widower named Don (played by Ben Hall), he begins to suspect that there’s more to the story than he was told. The creature, described as a massive and dangerous entity lurking in the surrounding woods, becomes the focal point of their tense and eerie interactions. As the hunt progresses, the lines between reality and madness blur, leading to a tense and psychological showdown. Filled with twists and turns and unexpected moments, All Eyes does a lot with a bare-bones premise.
90. A Classic Horror Story (2021)
Five carpoolers travel in a motorhome to reach a common destination. They’re all going to the same spot but they’re all radically different people. One is an annoying YouTuber, one is a woman about to make an important life decision, one is a doctor who maybe harboring a secret. The film does a great job of setting up who they all are before it turns. While driving at night, they swerve to avoid a dead animal carcass and they crash into a tree. When they come to their senses, they find themselves in the middle of nowhere. The road they were traveling on has disappeared and there is only a dense, impenetrable forest and a wooden house in the middle of a clearing, which they discover has a woman locked in a cage inside. The group then has to decide whether or not to get involved. To reveal anymore of the plot is criminal, just know there’s a cult and shit gets surreal.
If you’re one of those people who checks out a film’s Letterboxd score before watching it, you’ll notice a lot of five star and two star reviews. The film is deservedly divisive. There’s a thing in it that you’re either going to love or hate, there is no in between. The people who love it, really love it and the people who hate that key plot point and think it ruins the movie still agree the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. I’m definitely in the former camp. I think it’s a creepy as fuck horror movie that rivals any film in its genre in terms of visuals and I think that “thing” (I’m really trying to skate around it) is ingenious.
89. Afflicted (2013)
Due to the fact that there are so many of them, found footage movies have the hardest time standing out from the million or so that exist. It’s a genre so oversaturated, that merely being okay is a death sentence. They either need to be great, unique or awful to get eyeballs on it and Afflicted is definitely the first two. The film follows two best friends, Derek and Clif, as they embark on a year-long trip around the world. Derek, who has been diagnosed with a serious brain condition, wants to live life to the fullest while he still can. However, early into their journey, Derek has a mysterious encounter that leaves him with strange and terrifying symptoms. Unlike many found-footage films, Afflicted makes good use of the format to enhance the narrative rather than relying on it as a gimmick.
The use of handheld cameras, GoPros, and other POV devices feels natural given the premise of the film, which begins as a travel blog. The transition from documenting a fun trip to chronicling Derek’s nightmarish transformation is handled well, with the camera work maintaining a sense of realism and immediacy. The film also avoids the common pitfalls of the genre, such as excessive shaky cam or illogical camera use, keeping the action clear and engaging. Much like Hardcore Henry, the camera work will constantly having you wondering, “how the fuck did they pull off that shot?” But unlike that movie, it doesn’t over stay its welcome or make you nauseous while watching it.
88. Sea Fever (2019)
Sea Fever is Ridley Scott’s Alien, John Carpenter’s The Thing and the work of H.P. Lovecraft but set on a boat made for a plate of ham sandwiches. This movie is drunk in love with the things it’s borrowing from. It doesn’t want to copy, it wants to assimilate. Some movies scream their influences from the rooftop, others quietly let the DNA of their cinematic ancestors seep into their bloodstream. Sea Fever is the latter. It’s not homage, it’s osmosis. You don’t watch Sea Fever to be surprised; you watch it to see what happens when you toss paranoia into a fishing trawler with a cast that has no business being this good. Siobhán (Hermione Corfield) is a socially awkward marine biology student who joins a small crew of blue-collar fishermen who, in true genre fashion, are one “last big haul” away from doom.
They don’t trust her, she doesn’t trust them, and that unspoken tension gets tested when their boat is trapped by a massive unseen creature that leaks parasitic nightmares into the water supply. It’s the classic “strangers stuck together with something they don’t understand” story, only this time the monster isn’t chomping heads—it’s infecting minds and bodies. It’s slow-burn horror, and whether you find it hypnotic or dull depends entirely on your patience for whispered maritime arguments and staring contests with infected pupils. But when it hits, it hits with a queasy, “what would you do?” morality. Self-preservation battles duty, isolation fights against responsibility, and paranoia spreads quicker than the parasite itself.
87. Penda’s Fen (1974)
Folklore was born from cautionary tales meant to protect children. It’s not enough to tell a child not to go into the woods because a wolf could eat them, you have to tell them a witch lives in there. Warning them of the dangers of drowning isn’t as effective as stories of water horses that’ll steal them and drag them into a watery abyss. The monster could be utterly ridiculous as long as the threat feels real to a child. And after a while, after generations have used the same tactic to protect their young, the monsters begin to become real. Adults start to believe, which inevitably leads to genuine fear of forces they don’t understand. That fear leads to paranoia, and then soon, the adults have as many superstitions to protect them as the children they were originally trying to safeguard. Folklore is nothing more than ghost stories that carry actual weight.
There are people in this world that truly believe if they don’t follow specific rules in specific areas, something bad will happen. Something bad involving a supernatural entity they can’t explain. It may sound ridiculous but movies like Penda’s Fen do a helluva job making the seemingly ridiculous feel terrifying. One of the most haunting pieces of British television ever aired, Penda’s Fen is the kind of film that crawls under your skin and leaves you wondering if you just had a religious experience or a nervous breakdown. The film follows an asshole teen named Stephen who begins to have visions of angels and demons that are tormenting him for his wretched behavior. Eventually even the pagan King Penda himself appears to dismantle Stephen’s worldview piece by piece until he’s forced to confront the uncomfortable truth that the land he worships is older and stranger than he ever imagined.
86. Blood Diner (1987)
There’s a razor thin line between genius and garbage, and Blood Diner is the type of film too drunk in love with its own ridiculousness to even find it. Directed by Jackie Kong (a name that deserves to be screamed from grindhouse rooftops) this quasi-sequel to Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Blood Feast feels like what would happen if John Waters directed a Troma remake of Re-Animator after snorting a line of Fun Dip. The film revolves around two dimwitted brothers who resurrect their serial killer uncle (portrayed as a talking brain in a jar) to help him on his quest to revive an ancient Lumerian goddess named Sheetar. To do that, they open a vegetarian diner that doubles as a front for harvesting the “perfect body parts” from an endless supply of dumbass victims who apparently can’t wait to die.
Every frame of Blood Diner screams “what the hell were they thinking?”—but in the best way. There’s a naked kung fu fight. There’s a rock concert massacre that looks like it was choreographed by a cocaine-addled carnival barker. One character is an obvious dummy (not dumb, a literal dummy) which is never explained or elaborated on. The gore is cartoonishly excessive, the comedy is aggressively juvenile, and the tone feels like it was beamed in from another, more unhinged dimension. Blood Diner is the bastard child of midnight movie culture—too weird for the mainstream, too funny for hardcore horror purists, and too gleefully stupid to die. You don’t watch it because it’s good; you watch it because nothing else feels quite this alive in its insanity.
85. The Ship of Monsters (1960)
One of my ultimate goals is to do a top 100 Greatest Film Discoveries list. I’ve found many a gem worth highlighting and I want to compile a list of my favorites. The Ship of Monsters would be very high on that list. I saw one image from this film and knew I immediately had to track it down and when I finally did, it did not disappoint. This is a low-budget but high-in-entertainment cult classic. The story begins with two female aliens, Gamma (played by Ana Bertha Lepe) and Beta (played by Lorena Velázquez), who are sent from the planet Venus to find male specimens from various planets to help repopulate their home world, which has been depleted of men.
They end up on Earth, where they encounter a Mexican cowboy named Lauriano (Eulalio González, known as “Piporro”). What follows is a chaotic adventure involving romance, musical numbers, and a host of strange monsters. Now, when I said “aliens” and “monsters”, I hope you were picturing Sid and Marty Krofft quality but cheaper because if you weren’t, you’re going to be bitterly disappointed by their appearance. This movie is made with more passion and charm than money (aka money for effects and costumes), so if you’re not into charming no-budget sci-fi films, this may not work for you. If you value ambition and entertainment over budget, however, you just found your new favorite gem. For fans of Golden Bat, the ’66 Batman TV show, and Viy.
84. The Medium (2021)
Imagine The Exorcist by way of The Blair Witch Project but soaked in Thai folklore and you’d and The Medium. A documentary crew follows Nim (Sawanee Utoomma), a rural shaman who inherited her power from the goddess Ba Yan. She’s humble, grounded, and carries her faith like a family heirloom that’s too old to sell and too sacred to discard. Her rituals feel authentic, her faith unshakable. But the deeper we go into her family history, the more that faith starts to rot. Because this isn’t the story of a woman touched by the divine—it’s about a bloodline contaminated by something much older and meaner. When Nim’s niece Mink (Narilya Gulmongkolpech) starts acting strange, the film tightens like a noose.
At first, it’s all weird sleepwalking and casual blasphemy but it quickly escalates into something primal. Every possession scene feels less like spectacle and more like violation. Mink’s body becomes a battleground, and the “documentary” pretenses begin to crumble. By the time the cameraman stops trying to film and starts trying to survive, the movie’s already shed its skin and become something else entirely. The genius of The Medium is how it uses realism to destroy realism. The film doesn’t just want to scare you—he wants to erode your sense of safety. It’s ugly. It’s cruel. It’s a bit too long. But that’s the point. The Medium lingers like grief, infects like belief, and ends like a curse you were foolish enough to watch unfold.
83. The Curse of Kazuo Umezu (1990)
Technically a short by Western standards, The Curse of Kazuo Umezu is a 43-minute-long OVA (Original Video Animation) but since I have no idea how to classify those, I shoved it on this list, instead of the 100 Greatest Horror Shorts or the 100 Greatest Animated Shorts lists. I wrote those lists forever ago. That’s how long I’ve been waiting to recommend this movie. The Curse of Kazuo Umezu is a Japanese horror anthology that adapts the works of Kazuo Umezu, one of Japan’s most influential horror manga artists. Known for his eerie and unsettling stories, Umezu’s work has had a significant impact on the horror genre, and this OVA captures the essence of his dark imagination.
The first story follows a young girl named Miko, who moves into a new house with her family. She soon discovers that the house has a terrifying secret. With creepy imagery and an oppressive atmosphere, the story steadily builds to a horrifying revelation. The second story centers on a schoolgirl who has an intense fear of her closet. As the story progresses, her fear becomes increasingly justified, leading to a shocking and disturbing climax. Fans of Umezu’s manga will appreciate how closely the OVA sticks to the source material. The stories retain the same disturbing and grotesque elements that are characteristic of Umezu’s work, with minimal alterations to the plot or tone. This faithfulness helps preserve the unique flavor of his distinct brand of horror, which often blends the mundane with the macabre. If you’re not a fan of his manga, this is a great introduction to his work.
82. Tenderness of the Wolves (1973)
Despite being an acolyte of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Ulli Lommel is an absolutely atrocious filmmaker. His career is filled with nothing but unwatchable garbage but he did manage to produce at least one good movie. Tenderness of the Wolves is a semi-fictional account of Fritz Haarmann, a notorious German serial killer active in the 1920s. The film focuses not just on the gruesome details of the murders but also on the way Haarmann was able to operate with little suspicion from the authorities. His role as a police informant gave him a cover that allowed his crimes to go unnoticed for years. He used to lure young men with the promise of food, shelter, and affection, only to murder them in grotesque acts of violence.
Kurt Raab’s performance is central to the film’s disturbing atmosphere. His portrayal is restrained yet deeply unsettling, embodying a complex blend of menace and vulnerability. His subtle approach magnifies the character’s predatory nature while hinting at the loneliness and desperation beneath the surface. It’s a performance devoid of sensationalism; instead, it delves into the mundane horrors of a man who managed to hide his monstrosity in plain sight. The film itself is more about the psychology of the character and the complicit systems that allowed him to thrive, rather than just focusing on shock value. The cold, detached style, combined with Raab’s performance, creates an atmosphere of dread that lingers long after the film ends.
81. Good Manners (2017)
If Rosemary’s Baby and Beauty and the Beast had a lesbian baby raised on moonlight and melancholy, it’d grow up to be Good Manners. Set in São Paulo, the film follows Clara (Isabél Zuaa), a quiet, working-class nurse hired to look after Ana (Marjorie Estiano)—a wealthy, pregnant socialite. Their relationship starts as an arrangement and blossoms into something tender, something forbidden, something that feels like safety. But there’s something wrong with Ana’s baby. Something hungry. Halfway through, the film performs a transformation so bold it feels like it was designed to mirror a werewolf transformation. Slow at first but then bam. Out of nowhere, the person you were just talking to is now a werewolf.
What begins as a slow-burn romance about class and connection turns into a gothic fairy tale with teeth. The shift isn’t just tonal—it’s emotional alchemy. The directors don’t trade in jump scares or easy horror; they build an atmosphere so thick with empathy that when the blood finally spills, it feels like heartbreak. The werewolf metaphor here isn’t subtle, but it’s beautifully sincere. The monster isn’t evil—it’s inheritance. It’s the curse of motherhood, class, loneliness and a love that society says shouldn’t exist. The film’s violence is intimate, its tenderness unsettling. Even the full moon looks sad. Good Manners is a shapeshifter of a movie: part melodrama, part monster movie, all heart. It’s not interested in scaring you as much as it wants to break you, to show you that love, like the moon, has a dark side too.
Part 1 | 80-61
What are some of your favorite overlooked horror movies? Maybe they will show up later in the list!
