There’s a lot of different ways in which horror movies can convey their goal of getting a person’s blood boiling. Some opt for jump-scares, others rely on violence and gore. One of the more terrifying elements of a good horror movie is the ability to build a sense of dread and instilling an ill feeling inside the viewer - that’s where the films in this list come in.
Horror movies that build tension slowly, where you never know what’s around the corner are often the ones that have a lasting effect on audiences. Sometimes, they’ll use a combination of the above aspects to make for a truly horrific viewing experience. The list below covers 10 of the most unsettling horror movies of the last decade.
The Witch (2015)
Witches have appeared in horror movies for as long as horror movies have been around, often portrayed as caricatures rather than terrifying evil beings. In comes director Robert Eggers with his take on the lore in 2015’s The Witch. The film is set in 1600s England, an era rife with fears of black magic and witchcraft plaguing the land, and follows a family as they start to psychologically unravel after being subject to strange occurrences.
The Witch is a slow-burn horror film that oozes creepiness right from the start. The atmospheric period setting adds an extra element of terror and the events that take place in the film will have audiences feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster’s breakout hit film Hereditary shook audiences to their core when it released in 2018. Another horror where a family is at the center, though this time the theme revolves around grief and dealing with loss, as the family turns to the supernatural as a coping mechanism. As expected, things don’t fare well down that path, as the family begins to experience some disturbing events.
Hereditary’s biggest strength is in its ability to draw the viewer in and become emotionally attached to the characters, only to be shocked time and time again by some distressing twists. It’s a whirlwind ride of a horror film with excellent performances that expertly promotes unease from its audience.
The Invitation (2015)
Dinner parties can be an uncomfortable affair, but none more so than the one in Karyn Kusama’s mystery-horror film, The Invitation. A man is invited to a dinner party by his ex-wife and her new husband, and everything feels friendly and fine until we slowly discover that there may be a hidden agenda.
The conversational dialogue is what drives The Invitation, which is not something you would usually associate with a horror film. Such is the genius of this film in that it can build suspense and tension through words and character mannerisms alone. The ending is so devastating that you may need to follow this up with a comedy to fix your mood.
The Ritual (2017)
This Netflix horror film follows the story of four friends who go camping in a Swedish forest in remembrance of their deceased friend. They’ll soon find that the forest is hiding a secret of its own, one with devastating consequences. We too are made to join this group on their journey through paranoia and fear as the eerie forest closes in on them.
The Ritual does an excellent job of building the sense of impending doom within the vast, creepy forest our protagonists find themselves in. The rising tension amongst the characters in the film, along with the claustrophobic effect the forest has on them makes for some anxiety-inducing viewing. The film’s opening scene is an unsettling one that hooks you in and sets the stage for what’s to come.
Suspiria (2018)
A remake of the 1977 Dario Argento classic Giallo horror film of the same name, Suspiria follows a young ballerina who enrolls in a world-class dance school in Berlin, led by a sinister headmistress. The school and its teachers are harboring a deadly secret that causes our protagonist to question her own sanity once things take a turn for the worse and people end up dead (in disturbing fashion).
Suspiria is all-levels wicked with a spine-chilling element of the macabre. We’re made witness to some gruesome deaths during the course of the film as the mystery behind the school begins to unravel. It’s a slow-burn horror that features a ghastly ending that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
Goodnight Mommy (2014)
In Goodnight, Mommy, two young male twins begin to suspect their mother isn’t who she claims to be after returning home from surgery following a devastating accident, requiring her face and head to be bandaged up while she recovers. The boys don’t recognize her as the mother they once knew, and begin to put her through some hard-to-watch hell.
Another slow-burn horror film where we know something is not quite right, and we’re forced to sit through some stomach-churning moments of violence as the mystery unfolds. The scariest part of this film is the guessing game - not knowing if there is any validity to the boys’ actions, or if they’re just shockingly mistaken.
Mother! (2017)
Darren Aronofsky’s paranoia-inducing horror-thriller film Mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence as the recently pregnant wife of a famous writer (Javier Bardem), when their idealistic lifestyle is turned upside down after a stranger (and later, his wife) unexpectedly arrives at their secluded home, causing tension between the couple.
Mother! is a film that split audiences upon its arrival in 2017, but if there’s one thing that’s unanimous, is that it’s a terrifying film. It’s a multi-layered film with themes covering religion, celebrity and the relationship between nature and nurture.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ films have all been peculiar, to say the least. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is no different and really aims to test the audience’s spirit as we follow the story of a surgeon who takes a teenage boy with a sinister side under his wing following the death of his father. The relationship slowly begins to turn sour and the surgeon is forced into some precarious positions.
The highlight of the film is the performance of Barry Keoghan, who plays the disturbed teenager. That says a lot considering he’s in the company of Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. Keoghan exudes an innocence that’s filled with depth beyond his years. His placid nature is off-putting and we never know when, or if, he’s about to snap. It’s a visceral viewing experience with a morbid ending that will leave you astounded, in the worst (or best, if you love horror) of ways.
Hounds of Love (2016)
Hounds of Love is a little Australian nail-biting horror-thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. In it, a teenage girl is kidnapped by a husband and wife team of serial killers, who lock her up and submit her to torture. The teenager’s only chance of survival is to use her cunning to turn the depraved killers against each other.
The most terrifying thing about this film is that the events that occur are all very plausible. There are no fictional horror elements in this film, making it that much more chilling.
Ghostland (2018)
Also known as Incident in a Ghostland in some territories, this film places at the top of the list as the most disturbing. A mother and her two young daughters inherit a house and on their first night become victims of a home invasion by a group of murderous intruders. They make it through the ordeal, but not before being dealt with some significant psychological damage. Sixteen years later, the mother and daughters are reunited at the house when some horrific truths come to light.
Ghostland is a complex film that’s often hard to watch. It will require the viewer’s full attention to understand the nuances of the narrative while having to deal with the unnerving terror on display. It’s a film for horror purists and people that want to be challenged and have their horror-movie fortitude tested. It’s not easily forgotten, even though you may wish you could after watching it.
