There’s no better month than October, as far as horror movies go. The oldies are made available again and revisited, and clever producers do their best to release their latest horror movies. Every year, we celebrate as if it were the first time, and horror movies are always at the top of every Halloween celebration.
Yet, have you ever given thought to the fact that there are literally hundreds of horror films you don’t know about? Luckily, we always do, and in the spirit of sharing during our favorite season, we’ve decided to share with you some truly underrated horror movies. So, ye who enter, beware, for in the following picks, you will find surprisingly effective horror films you didn’t know existed and could actually make you lose one night’s sleep. Or two, if you’re a little jumpy.
These are some underrated horror movies you can stream today with a Prime Video subscription.
10 Red State (2011)
- Release Date
- September 23, 2011
- Cast
- Michael Parks , John Goodman , Melissa Leo , Michael Angarano , Kyle Gallner , Nicholas Braun , Kerry Bishé , Stephen Root , Matt Jones , Kevin Alejandro , Ralph Garman , Anna Gunn , Kevin Pollak , Betty Aberlin , Jennifer Schwalbach Smith , Patrick Fischler , Damian Young , David Marciano , Kaylee DeFer , Ronnie Connell , Alexa Nikolas , Cooper Thornton , James Parks , Haley Ramm , Elizabeth Tripp , Molly Livingston , John Lacy , Catherine McCord , Deborah Aquila , Joey Figueroa
- Main Genre
- Horror
In Red State, three pretty naive teenagers respond to a call after a woman offers them group sex. When they arrive, and Sarah drugs them, they wake up as victims of a conservative church and a pastor with an extremist vision of hatred. As they attempt to escape, they become witnesses to the reach of an evil priest who has convinced the entire town that Rapture is ahead.
Kevin Smith’s Underrated Experiment in Horror
Red State is Kevin Smith’s middle finger to everyone who said he couldn’t make a serious horror movie. It’s a terrifying experience that doesn’t enter the supernatural territory it plays with, but it’s still an unsettling piece that, considering today’s political conditions, has become much more relevant. Michael Parks’ performance as Pastor Abin Cooper is anything but ordinary and will give you nightmares.
9 Hell House LLC (2015)
In Hell House LLC, a group of young friends decide to rent an abandoned hotel in a small town so they can put together a haunt attraction during Halloween. Told in the form of a mockumentary, the film narrates the fateful events leading up to opening night and the ordeal that resulted after they opened a portal to Hell itself.
The film was scary enough to launch an entire franchise that’s still going on today. Hell House LLC is generic when it has to be, but the simplicity of its premise is what allows its director to do his best with very little. It’s claustrophobic and jumpy, and it features the most horrible clowns you will ever see in modern cinema. Yes, even Pennywise and Terrifier‘s Art the Clown could be beaten this time.
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8 Dave Made a Maze (2017)
Dave Made a Maze follows a 30-year-old who decides to do something when his girlfriend leaves for the weekend. Always accused of being a good-for-nothing, Dave builds a cardboard fort, and when Annie returns, she realizes Dave has outdone himself. There’s an entire universe, and like all ecosystems, it also harbors something evil.
The Genius of a Truly Bizarre Film
Bill Watterson’s indie darling is a perfect example of a genre mashup that doesn’t limit itself to its visual style. There’s a story in Dave Made a Maze, and the film exposes themes of mental health and depression, but the director won’t make it easy for you. Instead, you must navigate a hellish cardboard maze with enough monsters to keep you awake at night. Saying the film is an achievement in creativity is a huge understatement.
7 The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
The Taking of Deborah Logan tells the story of a crew of filmmakers who decide their next subject is Deborah, a lady showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s and who lives with her daughter. When Deborah begins showing unexpected signs of aggressive and bizarre behavior, the crew becomes the witness to something that’s taken over Deborah, and it isn’t a neurodegenerative disease.
Perhaps in retrospect, it might seem like The Taking of Deborah Logan utilizes a very real condition to trivialize a horrific situation and turn it into a horror film, but the found footage film doesn’t beat around the bush in getting to its supernatural elements. At first, it’s just unsettling, but seeing where Deborah is eventually taken will make your skin crawl.
6 Saint Maud (2019)
- Release Date
- October 9, 2020
- Director
- Rose Glass
Maud is a private nurse whose real name is Katie. Recently, she couldn’t save a patient, and after the event, she became very devout and decided to change her name. As she begins working for a bedridden former artist, Maud begins experiencing several events that put her to the test. But her love for God is just too strong.
A Fine Example of Religious Horror
Saint Maud gets a bit unsettling when Maud becomes an overzealous fanatic who will stop at nothing when trying to prove her point, but director Rose Glass (in a very interesting directorial debut) decides to play with our doubt. It’s not clear whether Maud is “high” enough on her views to make her see things that aren’t there, but the movie transcends to a bloodcurdling confirmation that’ll make you afraid of any kind of fanaticism. Forever.
5 Three… Extremes (2004)
In Three… Extremes, three horror directors showcase their very distinct styles in a memorable horror anthology you will never forget. The stories are of Kyoko, a novelist whose nightmares are profound and eerie enough to disturb her existence, a movie director and his wife at the mercy of a creative killer, and Mrs. Li, who finds the secret to eternal youth at the highest cost.
The Best Horror Anthology You’ve Never Seen
Three… Extremes is a direct sequel to another anthology named Three. Nevertheless, the release schedule was all messed up, and American audiences instead saw this one as the first film in the series. That might actually have been a good thing, because with Three… Extremes, you’re getting the best of the bunch. Three horror takes by three Asian directors showing their best at making horror. The segment by Fruit Chan, Dumplings, was released as a theatrical feature, but Cut by Park Chan-wook is undoubtedly the most underrated.
4 The Returned (2013)
In The Returned, the entire world has already faced the worst: a zombie virus has killed millions, but now humans have found a cure, or at the very least, a temporary serum that, when injected into those infected, can suppress the symptoms. Kate, a doctor, has decided to stock up on doses for her husband Alex, but soon, she starts to run out of the serum.
The Serious Zombie Film You Didn’t Know You Needed to See
The Returned is an odd duck of a film. It never ridicules its setting with explosive set pieces that exploit the horror element that’s always associated with zombies. Instead, it stays within its grounded premise and delivers the drama necessary to connect with its characters, who, as morally questionable as they are, are just trying to survive, the same way anyone would.
3 Horror in the High Desert (2021)
- Release Date
- March 27, 2021
- Director
- Dutch Marich
- Rating
- Cast
- Suziey Block , Eric Mencis , David Morales , Tony Williams Ogden , Errol Porter
- Main Genre
- Horror
Horror in the High Desert is yet another fake documentary, this one focusing on the disappearance of Gary Hinge, a vlogger who vanished when he went hiking in the Nevada desert. At first, no one knows what could have happened to Gary, but soon, a very important clue emerges: a severed hand holding a video camera that contains Gary’s encounter with something otherworldly.
One of the Scariest Horror Movies in Recent Years
While it does expand on some relatively irrelevant aspects about Hinge, the buildup is worth enduring because it pays off. In the same way most found footage films work, Horror in the High Desert is a presentation of its climax, the reveal of what happened to the hiker who dared to step into the dark and turn on his camera. Does it work? Absolutely. Is it worth the hassle? Yes. Will you sleep after watching it? Very unlikely.
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2 The Lie (2018)
- Release Date
- September 6, 2018
The Lie follows Jay and Rebbeca, Kayla’s divorced parents, as they face the horrific act of Kayla murdering Britney, one of her friends. The circumstances are weird, but Rebbeca, a fearless attorney, decides to cover up for Kayla, who progressively reveals facts that could explain everything. However, Kayla ultimately shows that nothing is as it seems.
A Lie With a Valid Purpose
Veena Sud’s collaboration with Amazon and Blumhouse is full of twists and turns that flow into an unforgettable third act. While critics weren’t so kind to it upon release, the film inevitably makes you think of how far people will go to defend their children. Mireille Enos and Peter Sarsgaard are impeccable in the film as Rebbeca and Jay, respectively. Joey King as Kayla will make you distrust the actress the next time you see her in a movie. Yes, she is that good in this horror thriller that not many people took the time to watch.
1 The House at the End of Time (2013)
The House at the End of Time is the story of Dulce, a woman who has spent 30 years in prison for a murder she claims she didn’t commit. Her husband died under mysterious circumstances, and she’s convinced there’s a spirit roaming the house, and it could be her dead husband. However, in this very old house, there’s a bigger secret that’s much more important than the ghosts who show up every once in a while.
An Underrated Foreign Horror Film You Have to See at Some Point
Venezuela doesn’t usually spew out horror films, but The House at the End of Time is a good indicator of how the country’s sense of folk horror can be transported to the big screen. Also, the script is courageously directed towards a fantasy storyline that mixes well with the spooky story about the presence of ghosts. Trust us when we say you will never guess where this small foreign horror film goes with its mind-bending conclusion.
