There is nothing to fear but fear itself, and maybe ghosts and supernatural baddies, too, because those irrational beings defy logic and realism. That's why they're a common sight in most horror films and are usually associated with that genre of movies. However, threats that do follow reality or the laws of science (to a certain degree) are also present and tend to be more menacing.
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Because if anything, they represent an experience closer to reality compared to ghosts, meaning they could happen to just about anyone. As such, horror movies that don't rely on ghosts, demons, or supernatural phenomena are also plentiful. In fact, they even dominate the top echelons of horror cinema.
Updated November 6, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Horror films that don’t use jumpscares and tired tropes as crutches for actual tension-building are becoming more and more common as the industry has evolved, but a vast majority of new horror films still rely on a supernatural explanation for unexplained events. Some movies keep the viewer thinking there must be something supernatural going on to explain the events, only to pull the rug at the last second to reveal it was all human malice at work, while others don’t try to pull the wool and work within reality’s framework to tell stories that can chill to the bone. The breadth of human experience is still unexplored, and depravities one can fall into often make for better stories than something entirely fictional.
16 Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
IMDb Rating: 6.2
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- Director: Halina Reijn
- Run Time: 1h 35m
- Release Date: 15 September 2022
Bodies Bodies Bodies is, first and foremost, a whodunit film that takes place at a vacation party, so those who still can't get enough of Among Us or films with similar premises will be delighted at this modern experiment. It involves a group of adults in their 20s— all of whom are rich and somewhat despicable.
Sure enough, the party was drug and alcohol-fueled, and the calmest part was when they started playing a "find-the-killer" game. It was fun, but then the lights went off, and someone's eyes were gouged out, and another one was killed. It's a more dynamic and modern take on the whodunit formula, perfect for younger audiences.
15 Scream (2022)
IMDb Rating: 6.3
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- Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
- Run Time: 1h 54m
- Release Date: 14 January 2022
A horror film for both millennials and zoomers alike, Scream is a continuation of the epic slasher saga perpetrated by the Ghostface mask killer. As usual, it takes place in a small town, and the new targets are teenagers in an attempt to resurface the deadly secrets of the town's gruesome past.
The film follows the original's plot from 25 years ago, meaning it's somewhat of a reboot or remake but with contemporary twists. While they're at it, viewers can also resort to a Scream series marathon just to remind themselves that even something as mundane as kitchen knives are a serial killer's preferred weapon.
14 X (2022)
IMDb Rating: 6.5
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- Director: Ti West
- Run Time: 1h 45m
- Release Date: 18 March 2022
Despite being a 2022 film, X from director and writer Ti West offers an experimental approach. The film is set in 1979, during the era when most adult videos favored permed and hairy actors and actresses. The film follows a group of adult entertainment stars who chose a remote provincial farmhouse in which to shoot their "film."
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Everything seemed to be going well and well, wild, until people started disappearing and screaming out of fear instead of pleasure. Turns out the local farm owner had a huge and spine-chilling secret hidden within his farm, and it just so happens that the adult entertainment stars were wholly unwelcome. It's a refreshing change of scenery from the typical hot teenager trope.
13 Nope (2022)
IMDb Rating: 6.8
- Director: Jordan Peele
- Run Time: 2h 10m
- Release Date: 22 July 2022
One of Jordan Peele's most recent films is quite a head-scratcher as it combines multiple genres and tropes, including horror and mystery. Like most of his horror films, Nope also leaves behind tons of symbolism and metaphors for film critics to chew into as soon as the credits have rolled.
The funny thing is, the story is quite simple. A couple of siblings were forced to inherit and save their failing horse ranch after their father's untimely death. But their life has proven to be a lot more difficult after they find out that their ranch is infested with a huge alien who feeds off of their horses.
12 The Menu (2022)
IMDb Rating: 7.2
- Director: Mark Mylod
- Run Time: 1h 46m
- Release Date: 18 November 2022
The Menu is a slow-burn film where the viewer is never given enough information to figure out what exactly is going on. The motivations of almost all of the main cast are shrouded in mystery, only revealed in small chunks as the story progresses and the pieces fall into place. It’s as much a mystery as it is a horror film.
The film features tight pacing and a riveting storyline to keep viewers hooked and places extreme emphasis on revealing key information in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. A celebrity chef has invited a group of special guests to his private island for a gathering where none may leave. Figuring out why he’s doing what he’s doing is the question and answer takes a full 107 minutes to be told.
11 Barbarian (2022)
IMDb Rating: 7.5
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- Director: Zach Cregger
- Run Time: 1h 42m
- Release Date: 9 September 2022
Barbarian toys with one of the most common fears among this generation of youth who love to stay in Airbnb vacation spots. It's about a woman who booked a stay at one of the said Airbnb's, but to her surprise, there was a double-booking mistake, and she now had to share her stay with a stranger.
There were plenty of violent and scary events that could have taken place, but to the woman's surprise, they did not involve the stranger she was with. Instead, something more sinister and horrifying in the Airbnb's basement. It's worth watching alone for the premise; the film eventually spirals into something more nightmarish that would likely put its viewers off Airbnb for a while. Oh, and it's also a perfect movie to watch during an Airbnb stay, of course.
10 Saw (2004)
IMDb Rating: 7.6
- Director: James Wan
- Run Time: 1h 48m
- Release Date: 2 December 2004
The Saw franchise is one of the premier examples of a horror story told without the crutch of ghosts or a supernatural being. The film tells the story of Jigsaw, a mysterious figure who captures and traps people from all walks of life into intricate escape rooms of his own making, tells them the rules of the game, and leaves them be to either find the route to freedom or die in the process.
Jigsaw almost never kills with his own hands, making sure that any punishment the prisoners face is always self-inflicted as they try to find a way out, making him one of the few horror film antagonists who don’t deal in violence directly. A major pull of the Saw franchise is the sheer brilliance of Jigsaw, the puzzle rooms he designs, and the plans within plans that ensure that even after he is caught and killed, the trials of the unworthy are never over.
9 The Invisible Man (1933)
IMDb Rating: 7.6
- Director: James Whale
- Run Time: 1h 11m
- Release Date: 13 November 1933
Speaking of original ideas, an invisible man with a god complex is enough of a plot for a horror movie itself. That's why modern retellings such as Hollow Man and a similarly titled The Invisible Man (2020) will never run out of style. 1933's The Invisible Man, for that matter, was the first film adaptation to explore man's hubris and a tendency for psychopathy.
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It starts off with a scientist who was able to make himself invisible. The cost, however, was his sanity and morality as he became a murderous outcast. Back then, seeing some pants or clothing move without anyone wearing them was a cinematic marvel on its own.
8 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
IMDb Rating: 7.7
- Director: Don Siegel
- Run Time: 1h 20m
- Release Date: 5 February 1956
By today's standards, a movie with a title like this would have been a joke or parody movie, but back then, it's actually all the rage when it comes to horror. Invasion of the Body Snatchers deals with a "what-if" question from science fiction, as in, what if aliens started taking over in the most subtle way possible?
What if the alien was the person next to you? Ever thought about that? Well, that's what the protagonists of Invasion of the Body Snatchers deal with on a daily basis. It begins when a doctor finds out that the population of his small town is gradually being replaced by emotionless alien doubles. It's one of the most original ideas Hollywood kept recreating over the decades.
7 Get Out (2017)
IMDb Rating: 7.8
- Director: Jordan Peele
- Run Time: 1h 44m
- Release Date: 24 February 2017
Get Out is one of the latest titles here to honor Hollywood with its novelty and freshness. This horror movie is a play on racism and suddenly makes a quick descent into Invasion of the Body Snatchers territory in one of the most unique plot twists in contemporary horror.
Get Out follows the story of an African-American man who agreed to meet the parents of his Caucasian girlfriend. Initially, everything seemed fine until the girlfriend's dark family secrets start rearing their ugly heads. Anyone who hasn't seen it is surely in for a surprise and a lesson in being judgemental.