Summary
- World cinema horror movies explore social themes using fantastical elements.
- Foreign horror classics like Under the Shadow offer embedded cultural narratives.
- Films like Ju-On: The Grudge exemplify spine-tingling horror over jump scares.
While world cinema has never enjoyed the commercial success that English-language movies have, its influence on Western artists and filmmakers is substantial. Nowhere is this more true than in horror, with darkly macabre tales of ghosts, demons, and vampires.
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Many of these movies have pushed horror to new and disturbing places while using the genre's fantastical elements to explore social or political themes. Often blending auteur filmmaking with crowd-pleasing popcorn scares, many of these movies are horror classics, created by some of the world's top filmmakers and enjoyed as much as they are studied. From the cursed folklore of Japan to the supernatural entities of Spain, world cinema offers audiences timeless tales of dread that stay with viewers long after the credits roll.
10 Under The Shadow
The Psychological Horror Of The Unknown
Under the Shadow
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 7, 2016
WHERE TO WATCH
- Director
- Babak Anvari
Under the Shadow is a highly underrated psychological horror movie that would be the UK’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Oscars. Set in Tehran during the War of the Cities, where Saddam Hussein’s regime bombed the Iranian capital, the film follows a mother and her daughters' struggle as they become haunted by a malevolent Djinn.
As the ever-present supernatural horror looms over the characters’ heads, the film creates a tense atmosphere of characters living on borrowed time. Themes of war, oppression, superstition, and paranoia are explored in the movie, while the central cast give terrific performances throughout.
9 Ju-On: The Grudge
A Definitive J-Horror Release
Ju-On: The Grudge
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 25, 2003
- Runtime
- 92 Minutes
- Director
- Takashi Shimizu
Alongside the horror classic, Ring (1998), Ju-On: The Grudge defined the J-Horror subgenre and would influence Japanese culture in movies and video games. The chilling tale of cursed spirits haunting anyone who enters their house was a genuinely terrifying vision of horror that few had experienced.
With some terrifying sound design and a deeply unsettling performance by Takako Fuji as the malevolent spirit Kayako Saeki, Ju-On: The Grudge is a film that stays with the viewer long after finishing. While many Western horror films resort to cheap jump scares, The Grudge is a masterclass in true spine-tingling horror.
8 Raw
A Vibrant & Bloody Feast
Raw
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- March 15, 2017
- Runtime
- 99 Minutes
- Director
- Julia Ducournau
This fantastic coming-of-age tale from France follows Justine as she begins her first semester at veterinary school. A lifelong vegetarian, Justine is at first shocked by the school's brutal hazing rituals and partying lifestyle. However, it's not long before her hidden appetites start to emerge.
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Raw is a vibrant, blood-soaked story of self-discovery, family, and cannibalism, with brilliant performances from its central cast and stunning cinematography. It was critically acclaimed on release, winning several awards. This is a must-watch movie for all horror fans.
7 Audition
An Extreme Cinema Classic
Audition
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- March 3, 2000
- Runtime
- 115 minutes
- Director
- Takashi Miike
This highly influential horror movie became an international cult hit for its shocking and graphic sequences. Its notoriety brought greater attention to modern Japanese cinema and would go on to influence numerous movies, including Saw (2004) and American Mary (2012).
The film follows a middle-aged widower who asks his film producer friend to stage fake auditions for him to find a potential new girlfriend. However, the woman he finally chooses holds a sinister secret. While Audition’s slow-burning psychological horror may not be to everyone's taste, the film’s dramatic climax is one of cinema's most memorable and frightening endings.
6 The Orphanage
An Atmospheric & Spooky Tale
The Orphanage
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- December 28, 2007
- Runtime
- 105 Minutes
- Director
- J.A. Bayona
This atmospheric ghost story from Spain is a superb horror movie with strong performances from its central cast. The film follows Laura, an orphaned girl, who, now an adult, returns to her former orphanage to reopen it as a facility to help disabled children.
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However, soon after arriving, Laura’s young son starts to communicate with a mysterious new friend. The Orphanage is a wonderful companion piece to Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone and offers all the classic haunted house tropes with a tender and emotional core narrative.
5 The Devil's Backbone
A Heart-Breaking Horror Story
The Devil's Backbone
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 20, 2001
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
- Writers
- Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz
Blending spine-tingling horror, emotional storytelling, and political allegory, The Devil’s Backbone is a Spanish horror classic. Set in the final year of the Spanish Civil War in an orphanage run by the Republican Loyalists, the film follows Carlos, an orphan who is haunted by the ghost of a recently deceased boy.
The film won several awards and cemented Del Toro as a visionary, up-and-coming director. The film highlights Del Toro’s skill at balancing story and scares, with some hauntingly memorable moments and character-driven storytelling.
4 [Rec]
A Found-Footage Classic
[REC]
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- November 23, 2007
- Runtime
- 78 Minutes
- Director
- Jaume Balagueró
While the short-lived found-footage subgenre would quickly become stale from over-saturation, this fantastic and tense offering from Spain would be the style's high point.
Set almost entirely in a single apartment block, Rec follows a news crew following a team of emergency workers, who find themselves quarantined in the building they came to help. With fantastic performances, a dark and atmospheric setting, and plenty of monstrous scares, Rec uses the found-footage style to its advantage, bringing viewers right into the action while slowly revealing the mystery of the characters’ situation.
3 Train to Busan
An Action-Packed Zombie Epic
Train to Busan
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- July 20, 2016
WHERE TO WATCH
- Runtime
- 118 minutes
- Director
- Yeon Sang-ho
This fantastic zombie epic from South Korea became an international hit and kickstarted a successful franchise, which includes animated and live-action sequels. The film follows a divorced dad, Seok-woo, on a journey with his young daughter to visit her mother in Busan.
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However, their journey soon turns to disaster as hordes of zombies attack their train. The film follows several characters, now stuck together on the train, as tensions and panic rise. Train to Busan is an emotional, tense, and action-packed zombie movie that is a must-see for all genre fans.
2 Ring
An Iconic Horror Classic
Ringu
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 31, 1998
- Runtime
- 95 Minutes
- Director
- Hideo Nakata
Ring is a highly influential Japanese horror film that helped popularize the J-Horror subgenre worldwide. Its bleak, almost oppressive atmosphere permeates every frame, while Sadaka, the movie's ever-present, but rarely seen antagonist, has become an icon of horror cinema.
Based on the novel, Ring, by Koji Suzuki, the film follows journalist Reiko as she investigates a series of strange deaths involving a mysterious videotape. However, she soon discovers the truth behind the legend after seeing the cursed video herself. Ring is a slow-burning movie that has few real jump scares. However, its unsettling soundtrack, tense atmosphere, and unfolding mystery easily hook viewers from the start to its dramatic finish.
1 Let The Right One In
A Timeless Coming-Of-Age Vampire Tale
Let the Right One In
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- December 12, 2008
WHERE TO WATCH
- Runtime
- 114 minutes
- Director
- Tomas Alfredson
One of the most original and unique vampire movies ever made, Let the Right One In is a twisted love story between a young boy and a vampire girl. Set in Sweden in 1982, the film follows 12-year-old Eli. Savagely bullied at school and with no other friends, Eli finally befriends a strange girl he meets at night who helps him overcome his fears and fight back at the bullies tormenting him.
Let the Right One In is a beautifully crafted dark coming-of-age tale that would become a worldwide cult hit. Winning numerous awards, the film delves into themes of identity, friendship, belonging, and human nature.
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