Horror films can really be anything, which is more of a reflection on us as people and less on movie studios. It’s wonderful our fears can manifest themselves in such a variety of sub-genres but there’s nothing quite like dread.
A sensation unlike any other that’s filled and festering with the open wounds of our biggest fears and insecurities, just waiting to bubble and pop over the edges, and swallow any human bold enough to believe they’re immune.
All horror films are good but there’s just something so special about the films that take time to strain the strings on whatever that weird instrument is called that’s in every horror film (it’s called an Apprehension Engine, and it’s cool as hell), only letting them snap and whip off precisely when it’s time.
And that’s when people’s skin begins to metaphorically melt, exposing who they really are, or something sinister makes an appearance, changing everything. Slow burn horror films often come with a message or a lesson, and they always take their time to get it right.
These are the best slow burn horror films to watch if you’ve got the breath and heartbeats to spare.
The Lodge
The Lodge is a cold and lonely tale, even though it’s the story of a family that’s supposed to be enjoying Christmas at a beautiful and remote cabin.
The Lodge is a cold and lonely tale, even though it’s the story of a family that’s supposed to be enjoying Christmas at a beautiful and remote cabin. It focuses on Grace, Richard, and the latter’s two kids from a prior marriage, a marriage that ended in divorce but ultimately leads to the suicide of Laura, Richard’s ex-wife, when he informs her of his intentions to marry Grace.
And it’s Laura’s suicide that splashes across the family, like an echo across a canyon, at the start of the film, setting off a chain of events that you’ll probably wish moved just a little bit faster.
The Lodge is at the top of its genre and, if you watch one film on this list, make sure it’s this one. Riley Keogh’s doomed and drained performance is a masterclass in what it looks like to have your entire life cave in around you.
Do not miss one of the best horror films available on Hulu before the service’s upcoming exclusive Hellraiser (2022) comes to the service this October.
Calibre
Calibre starts off in such a routine and relaxing way; two friends, Marcus and Vaughn, are traveling on a little holiday together.
The trip is to celebrate the long friendship the two men have enjoyed but also the news of Vaughn and his fiancee both expecting a child.
The hunting trip in the Scottish Highlands is meant to be light and fun but things take a very sinister turn once Marcus and Vaughn find themselves on a wide search in the woods with nearly everyone from the small town, searching for two people the two mistakenly killed while hunting.
Calibre shows just how far people will go when they love someone, even when it feels impossible to pull the trigger on your fears.
Shutter Island
Shutter Island is absolutely magnetic until the very end.
Martin Scorsese directed and helped bring this spellbinding period piece to life and it shows; from the clear nods to Hitchcock to the portrait-perfect characters, who all feel like they have hundreds of pages of backstory, regardless of screen time.
Taking place in the mid-'50s, Shutter Island follows a U.S. Marshal, named Ed “Teddy” Daniels, and his partner, Chuck Aule, (played by Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo respectively) as they explore and uncover the secrets of a criminally insane asylum. The film has a few twists but Shutter Island holds strong on repeat viewings, in part from how well the layers of story sit together, but also from strong acting performances all around and an absolutely enthralling soundtrack, consisting of classic music from the time.
Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary’s Baby is one of the most terrifying films ever made, especially within the subtext and themes.
It follows a new couple, a man and a woman with child, counting down the days in their New York City apartment but the delivery ends up being more horrifying than the mother (played by Mia Farrow) was ever expecting.
On the surface, Rosemary’s Baby is scary. The couple, Rosemary and Guy, begin to suspect their neighbors across the hall are involved with witchcraft and cults. And Rosemary’s pregnancy just doesn’t seem to be going right, even though she’s putting all of her time and energy into seeing that it does, including her doctor’s appointments. It won’t be long before the impending dread and unraveling sense of suspicion, which you’ll hope are both misplaced, begin to pull on the spot between your throat and spine.
And that will be when you’ll know exactly what it’s like living in a world that only sees you for your body and what it can generate for capitalism and provide to the christian church.
Ingrid Goes West
Ingrid Goes West isn’t even officially considered a horror film but here at GameSpot, we know horror, so this colorful, bubblegum-pop nightmare is on the list, and we’ll tell you why.
Ingrid Thorburn (played perfectly by Aubrey Plaza) is a woman struggling with her sense of identity and her place in the world. She doesn’t really know who she is or where she’s going. Recently released from a mental hospital after crashing the wedding of an Instagram influencer, Ingrid quickly becomes captivated by another influencer, before using money from her late mother’s passing to move to the same area.
Ingrid begins stalking her new target, an influencer named Taylor Sloane (played by Elizabeth Olson), carving out and copying her style and interests. What follows is an exploration of what effects a parasocial and chronically online culture can have on a person, and Ingrid Goes West goes to some pretty big and dark places, especially for a "Comedy Drama."
Vivarium
Alright then, time for something a lot more grim. Vivarium is bleak and offers no remorse, and that fits pretty well within the film’s message and story it tells.
Vivarium has a simple structure that can be disarming if you’re not careful, like the best Twilight Zone episodes. The story follows a couple and wow, they’re so happy at the beginning. Tom is this cute handyman, full of life and happier than any of us have ever seen Jesse Eisenberg, and Gemma (played by the lovely Imogen Poots) is a bubbly and happy school teacher, and then things change.
This is not a ‘relationships are bad’ movie so you can abandon that thought entirely. These two people care about each other and you can see it in their eyes. They don’t change anything. Life doesn’t even really change them. Life changes.
The couple casually meets a real estate agent to look at a house (I know, I know. You gotta suspend your disbelief sometimes though!) before becoming trapped in a neighborhood of identical houses.
Vivarium slowly buckles and twists, like an old, bitter tree in the wind, until the very end, when it becomes increasingly clear what purpose this couple and their child were always going to serve.
In a world that isn’t driven by line graphs and landlords, Vivarium might feel a little more like a silly nightmare, but there’s just no separating the themes of Vivarium from the path that humanity has been condemned to for longer than anyone can know.
Green Room
Green Room stars a group of punk rockers that don’t get an encore or second chance after righteously antagonizing a white supremacist audience with their electric performance.
Green Room is the story of Pat, Sam, Reece, and Tiger, a group that make up the punk rock band, the Ain’t Rights. Low on cash but also near the end of their pacific-northwest tour, they end up booking a last-minute gig that switches their tune for the worse.
After witnessing a murder backstage, the four are trapped in the back, isolated until everyone can figure out what the next step is. The bar owner, played by Patrick Stewart in what may be his most menacing performance, escalates things when he insists that everything be handled by the bar and witnesses, seeing no need to involve the authorities.
Green Room masterfully manages to dial up the tension from start to finish, making it a must-watch for anyone looking to be boiled at the edge of their seat.
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