On this page, Edward Hyde recomends you horror movies.

It feels to me that we are in the middle (or hopefully just the beginning) of a horror movie renaissance. As of writing, four of the eight films showing at the (tiny) cinema in my (tiny) hometown are horror movies. That's not bad for what has always felt to me like quite a niche genre. This newfound popularity over the last few years seems, in part, due to A24 Films (and more specifically Ari Aster and Osgood Perkins) producing and releasing high quality horror movies that seem to have reached a wider than normal audience.

This brings me endless joy. I feel horror movies have been largely under-rated, often disregarded as nothing but endlessly serialised slasher flicks, low budget jump scares, or pointless gore (looking at you Human Centipede). I have always felt that equating jump scares to horror is akin to tickling someone and calling it comedy. A good horror movie (in my subjective opinion) can utilize the mystery and otherworldliness afforded by the genre as an avenue to explore topics or themes in a way that might not otherwise be possible. The blood and gore are just a fun extra.

More than once I have been asked "why would you watch something that makes you scared?". I normally respond, why would anyone ride a roller-coaster? There are plenty of incredibly sad movies out there, why would anyone want to watch something that makes them cry? Many horror movies (or at least the ones I like) often revolve around a central mystery, or hint at the possibility of deeper lore. I find this tends to draw me into a movie, makes it feel like I am actively participating instead of just passively observing. Many are used as a lens to view, or are allegories for, cultural or societal issues. Some are works of art and some are just great fun-house rides.

In the end though, I just like horror movies. I don't feel that I (or anyone else, for that matter) really owe anyone a justification for enjoying the things that I enjoy.

And in that spirit, here are a bunch of movies I like and would like to share with people. I encourage you to watch nearly all of them, and where relevant, I've tried to state why you might not what to. I've structured these blurbs less as reviews, and more of an indication of the general vibes so you can decide for yourself what you'd like to see. They are presented in the order in which I thought of them. Hopefully there is something in here you've never heard of before and that you completely fall in love with. Nothing would make me happier.

P.S. As I'm sure you'll notice, this page is a work in progrees. Updates as they come.

Skinamarink (2022)

100 min
Writer / Director : Kyle Edward Ball

Kyle Edward Ball has long been making analog horror shorts (Bitesized Nightmares on YouTube), but this is their first feature film, shot on location in the house they grew up in. One of my favorite films of the past few years.

Two young children are trapped alone in their house after all the doors and windows disappear, while something waits for them in the shaddows. Long, slow, and mysterious, this film is best watched alone, after midnight, in an empty house. It does ask a bit from its audience, and I wouldn't recommend it to those of you short on attention.

Analog horror (if the concept is new to you) takes the less-is-more approach by obscuring what you can see with the fuzzy edges of worn out VHS tape recording or the scanlines of an old CRT screen. By implying, instead of showing, and letting your mind fill in the blanks, analog horror can be far more effective than its typicly zero budget should alow for.

For more, try Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, and of course, Kane Pixles' The Backrooms.

Triangle (2009)

99 min
Writer / Director Christopher Smith

A Dark Song (2016)

100 min
Writer / Director Liam Gavin

The horror equivalent of hard-sci fi, A Dark Song takes the act of performing a magical ritual completely seriously, and grounds it in such a way that it feels like it could be happening in a house down the street from you, right this very second.

A woman and a (rather awful) man she hires on the internet, seclude themselves in a remote house and, over the course of a few grueling months, meticulously conduct a rite that will let her talk to her dead child.

Writer / director Liam Gavin went on to direct a few episodes of The Haunting of Bly Manor, but sadly doesn't seem to have had the chance to make any more films. I would like to have seen more of what he could do.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

86 min
Writers / Directors : Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi

As a Kiwi, by law I must recommend that you watch What We Do in the Shadows. Dripping with sharp, self-deprecating wit and a hapless earnestness, What We Do in the Shadows takes vampire lore and turns it into a tourist advertisement for New Zealand. Come and visit us, we won't bite unless you ask us nicely.

Color Out of Space (2019)

111 min
Director : Richard Stanley
Writers : H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Stanley, and Scarlett Amaris

The Empty Man (2020)

137 min
Director: David Prior
Writers : David Prior and Cullen Bunn

The Endless (2017)

111 min
Writers / Directors : Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Lacking purpose in life, two brothers (played by creators Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead) return to the cult they were raised by to discover more about a mysterious videotape.

Spooky Lovecraftian vibes with the nicest cultists you've ever met, and a believably dysfunctional brotherly dynamic. The central mystery realy drew me in.

This movie is a direct continuation of the directors previous film Resolution (2012), where the creators only had a cameo. While it's not necessary to have watched Resolution first, there are a lot of nods and winks to it in The Endless, and it does expand a lot on the lore. Resolution is a bit rough around the edges due to its low budget, but still worth a watch if The Endless leaves you wanting more.

The House That Jack Built (2018)

152 min
Director : Lars von Trier
Writers : Lars von Trier and Jenle Hallund

Mad God (2021)

83 min
Writer / Director : Phil Tippett

Antiviral (2012)

108 min
Writer / Director : Brandon Cronenberg

In a society utterly obsessed with celebrity, Syd March works for a company that sells celebrity viruses to fans who want to feel closer to the ones they obsess over. Syd runs a side hustle infecting himself so that he can sell bootleg virus' on the black-market, and gets himself caught up in an assassination attempt.

At times feeling more like a spy thriller or detective film, the body horror and surreal imagery pushes this film firmly into the horror category. The tiny slice we get of this strange society hints at a much larger, fully fleshed-out world, and the characters react to the bizarre events in a way that suggest that, for them, this is just a Tuesday.

Possessor (2020)

103 min
Writer / Director : Brandon Cronenberg

Se7en (1995)

127 min
Director : David Fincher
Writer : Andrew Kevin Walker

Is Se7en a horror film? I'm gonna say yes. The religiously inspired serial killings are pretty horrible, and I really wanted to add this film to this list. If you haven't seen it, you should.

A film so good it killed off the detective noir genre, least their film was compared to it. David Fincher masterfully creates an oppressive and overwhelming city that feels like it's right outside your window. In every scene, the hustle and bustle of a million nameless inhabitants can be heard in the background, as ever present as the rain.

An amazing cast and a story that kicks like a mule, there's a reason I'm still quoting this film 20 years after its release.

Smile (2022)

115 min
Writer / Director : Parker Finn

Smile 2 (2024)

127 min
Writer / Director : Parker Finn

Starry Eyes (2014)

98 min
Writers / Directors : Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer

"I kinda feel like I'm selling my soul already, so it might as well be for something I love."

The Thing (1982)

109 min
Director : John Carpenter
Writers : Bill Lancaster and John W. Cmpbell Jr.

Longlegs (2024)

101 min
Writer / Director : Osgood Perkins

Osgood Perkins knocks it out of the park with Longlegs, the best detective noir film since Se7en. Unlike Se7en's grounded, yet intensely nihilistic, serial killings, Longlegs takes a supernatural approach. "Half psychic" FBI agent Lee Harker discovers a series of clues linking seemingly random murders to what appears to be an attempt to summon the devil.

The dark, brooding atmosphere deepens as Harker gets closer and closer to unraveling the mystery, and something else gets closer and closer to engulfing her into it. So many cool wee details to pick up on on the re-watch.

Nicolas Cage plays an utterly terrifying villain, without really doing anything too different from any of his other roles.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

123 min
Director : Jim Jarmusch
Writers : Jim Jarmusch and Marion Bessay

Jim Jarmush does vampires! If you have seen any of his other films, you will be prepared for the slim, meandering plot and slow paced cinematography, but his style zeroes in on the

Midsommar (2019)

148 min
Writer / Director Ari Aster

Beau is Afraid (2023)

179 min
Writer / Director Ari Aster

Ari Aster (a name you'll see a lot on this page) introduces me to social-anxiety horror, a genre I'd not encountered before. No monster, no magic, no blood and gore, just people. A terrifying and overwhelming amount of people. For those of you with social anxiety, this will be the scariest movie on this list.

Over a grueling 3 hour run-time, we are plunged into Beau's relentlessly stressful world, one that is both extremely thorough in its disregard for his mental and physical wellbeing, while simultaneously being completely indifferent to his existence. The anxiousness you might feel while walking alone down a busy street is exaggerated to a fever pitch while Beau tries to make it to his overbearing mothers funeral after her bizarre death.

I'm not sure why I like this film. By all rights I should cringe away from it. I think it makes me feel seen, like it expresses something I've been unable to. I'm Leonardo DiCaprio, sitting up and snapping my fingers at the screen. Yes, that's it! That's what I mean!

Heretic (2024)

91 min
Writers / Directors : Scott Beck and Bryan Woods

Hereditary (2018)

127 min
Writer / Director Ari Aster

Another great offering from A24, Hereditary made the bold choice of making almost no sense on the first watch. However re-watching the film, armed with fore-knowledge of the plot, the painstaking amount of foreshadowing and build up is on full display.

As an aside, Toni Collette is an amazing actress; I've absolutely hated every character I've ever seen her play, and I hope that she would take that as the complement it is.

The Ninth Gate (1999)

133 min
Director : Roman Polanski
Writers : Arturo Pérez-Reverte, John Brownjohn, and Enrique Urbizu

Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)

92 min
Writer / Director : Takashi Shimizu

When I first saw this film, I must have been 15 or 16. It was the first film festival I'd ever been to and I'd been gorging myself on a new world of weird and wonderful films unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I was enraptured.

And then I saw The Grudge. Hands down, the scariest film I've ever seen in my life.

Right from the beginning, I was gripped with an oppressive, isolated feeling I couldn't name. The eeriness of the sound design wound me up like a spring and the first jump scare almost killed me, that creature with the face of death and the voice of a house creaking at midnight. That creature that was everywhere, waiting for you in any safe space you could think to hide in, spreading slowly outwards, engulfing all it came in contact with.

I found out afterwards that other people had started walking out quite early into the runtime. It hadn't even occurred to me that that was an option, frozen as I was to my seat. By the end, I was one of the few people still left in the cinema. On more than one occasion since, I've tried to watch it again, but the residual fear from that first viewing hasn't let me get more than ten minutes in.

Honestly, I don't know if I recommend it or not. I don't even know if you'll find it scary. I only saw it only the once, a long long time ago, and I wasn't prepared for it in the slightest. If I saw it for the first time now, well into my 30's, would it still have the same effect on me? I don't know. But I don't think I'll ever see it again. If you decide to give it a go, you should tell me about it sometime.

The Ring (2002)

95 min
Director : Gore Verbinski
Writers : Ehren Kruger, Kôji Suzuki, Hiroshi Takahashi

As contentious a statement as this may be, I preferred the 2002 American remake to the original Japanese Ringu (1998). Ringu was rougher, maybe, harder for me to grasp, whereas The Ring drew me in with it's tighter production.

Predestination (2014)

97 min
Directors : The Spierig Brothers
Writers : The Spierig Brothers and Robert A. Heinlein

Weather or not this is a horror movie depends, I guess, on what you find horrifying. It's hard for me to talk about what I like about this movie without spoiling the plot, and I hate spoilers so I try to avoid inflicting them on others.

In a densely written time-travel plot, Ethan Hawke is a temporal agent sent back in time to prevent a terrorist attack by a mysterious perpetrator. While it starts off a bit slow, it sets the ground work for a story that spirals out into an utterly unique concept. This snake eats it's own tail in the way that only the most well thought out sci fy can.

Ok, it's totaly not a horror, but you should go watch it, because no one I know is interested and I want to someone to talk to about it.

Sinister (2012)

90 min
Director : Scott Derrickson
Writers : Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill

Nosferatu (2024)

132 min
Director : Robert Eggers
Writers : Robert Eggers, Henrik Galeen, and Bram Stoker

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

100 min
Writer / Director : Jane Schoenbrun

Possum (2018)

85 min
Writer / Director : Matthew Holness

An uncomfortable viewing experience, Possum examines the life and social interactions of an anguished man as he returns to his childhood home. The main character Peter is haunted by a past only hinted at, the gross uncle living in his house, and his bizarre puppet, the titular Possum.

The film is fragmented and disorganised, reflecting Peters mental state. What events are literal, metaphorical, or a mix of the two, is open to interpretation. Possum examines the fear and stigma associated with mental illness by implicating the audience. Our lack of understanding of Peters history and what he is experiencing leads us to mistrust him, furthering his victimisation.

While I highly rate this film, it is in no way one I would recommend to everyone, and I feel that not knowing what you're in for would be detrimental to your viewing experience. If it sounds interesting, give it a go, but you might need to go for a nice walk in the sunshine afterward.

Vivarium (2019)

97 min
Director : Lorcan Finnegan
Writers : Garret Shanley and Lorcan Finnegan

Opening with a cuckoo bird tricking a sparrow into raising it's young, Vivarium asks what if you were the sparrow?

A young couple attempting to buy their first home are trapped in an endless, empty suburbia, and are forced to raise what looks like a child after it appears on their doorstep.

I love movies like this, ones that take an interesting idea and work it through to its logical conclusion. It feels complete and fully formed, like a good short story.

Very tightly written and directed, with very believable acting form Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, every scene feels like its right where it needs to be.

It follows (2014)

100 min
Writer / Director : David Robert Mitchell

The impetus for It Follows was a recuring nightmare writer / director David Robert Mitchell used to have of being relentlessly stalked by slow moving figure, and the film retains this dream-like feeling. What time period the film is set in is obscured; the characters dress in vaguely retro clothing but drive contemporary cars. They watch TV on old CRT monitors but read e-books on futuristic hand-held devices. Some scenes are shot close and personal while others are distant, the conversations unheard as though observed from the other side of a pane of glass.

While I'm sure many a Youtube video has been made about how to escape the monster, the feelings of inevitability and uncertainty, the themes of sex and alienation are what makes the film so compelling. An extended metaphor for the anxiety of adolescence.

Bug (2006)

102 min
Director : William Friedkin
Writer : Tracy Letts

All My Friends Hate Me (2021)

93 min
Director : Andrew Gaynord
Writers : Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton

Social anxiety horror

Annihilation (2018)

115 min
Director : Alex Garland
Writers : Alex Garland and Jeff VanderMeer

One of my (many) favourite films, Alex Garland did an amazing job of adapting Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, translating the otherworldliness of his neo-Lovecraftian writing (pretentious? Moi?) to the big screen.

A group scientists depart a secret military base to explore past The Shimmer, a strange boundary isolating a remote area of nameless American coastline that is steadily advancing outwards. Invoking feelings of loneliness, isolation, and strange beauty, the party explores this strange wild world and grapple with their slowly deteriorating mental and emotional state.

I read (and loved) the books after I saw the film, and I think that's the order I'd recommend. Annihilation was originally meant to be a series, and much of the plot and world building was skipped, leaving plenty more to be discovered in the books if the film honked your horn.

The Substance (2024)

141 min
Writer / Director : Coralie Fargeat

That it took me this long to remember to put The Substance on this list goes to show how much great horror there is out there right now. The hype is not only real, but well deserved. This movie is the evil twin of 2023's Babie.

An aging TV fitness instructor (Demi Moor) becomes her own replacement (Margaret Qualley) when she discovers a miracle drug (or Substance?) that lets her spend every second week of her life as a younger, fitter, more attractive version of herself, but only if she follows a very clear set of rules.

This is one of the reasons horrors is such a great genre. The Substance explores societies obsession with the physical appearance of women and the pain and suffering this causes when these expectations are internalised. By parting from reality it can magnify these issues, exaggerate them to the point of ridiculousness. The pornographic cinematography forces the audience to be complicit, highlighting the social issues the film addresses. I don't think the point would hit quite as hard had this been anything other than horror.

The final scene (you;ll know when you see it) felt a little tacked on at first, but in retrospect, it was the perfect send-off for an amazing film.

Oddity (2024)

98 min
Writer / Director : Damian Mc Carthy

A stoic psychiatrist (psychologist?) and his new girlfriend butt heads with the psychic twin sister of his recently murdered wife in their creepy old Scottish mansion. A mysterious thriller that plays with what you know and what you think you know. Is what's happening magic or madness? Something or nothing? Plot or paranoia?

Damian Mc Carthys second feature film after 2020s Caveat (currently high up on my to-watch-list) is masterfully directed, never quite giving you enough information to piece things together, while invoking dread with every shot. I look forward to seeing what he come out with next.

(Weird aside: One-eyed actor Tadhg Murphy who plays the scary one-eyed man in the beginning of the film has had many prosthetic eyes made for him by artist Bobby Fingers, including one that lets him pay for drinks using his face).