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The Best Horror Movies You’ve Never Heard Of

Rachel Wayne
7 min readNov 1, 2020

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It’s scary how many horror movies come out each year that immediately fade into oblivion — yet they enjoy broad releases and overly excited followings (looking at you, Ari Aster’s oeuvre!). These films regurgitate the themes of classic horror and science fiction, and while some, such as The Witch, are worthy contenders, die-hard horror fans like me are eager to find some fresh blood (so to speak).

Thankfully, the past few decades have yielded some hidden gems, all with unique concepts and genuine scares. To me, the best horror films strike a good balance between premise and creepiness. They feature tense character dynamics, subtle themes, and plots that aren’t contrived or silly. Without further ado, here are five films meeting these qualifications.

Note: I’m limiting this list to North American/UK films, but there are many more wonderful horror movies available if you dive into the world of European, Asian, and Central/South American cinema!

Talk about a claustrophobic thriller!

As Above So Below

Movies such as Indiana Jones and The Mummy play up the spooky elements of tombs and supernatural bogedies, but those are ultimately hero stories. In truth, searching for hidden treasure in underground tombs would be downright terrifying. As Above So Below recognizes this, and shows no mercy as it pits its characters against…

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Rachel Wayne
Rachel Wayne

Written by Rachel Wayne

Artist/anthropologist/activist writing about art, media, culture, health, science, enterprise, and where they all meet. Join my list: http://eepurl.com/gD53QP

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