10 MORE Awesome Under-the-Radar Horror Movies

It’s criminal how many brilliant horror movies never get the attention they deserve.

Aftershock

And Soon the Darkness

Botched

On the one hand, there are so many horror movies released each year that it’s impossible to see them all, allowing some great ones to fall between the cracks. On the other hand, many horror fans are afflicted with a sort-of “mainstream tunnel-vision” that makes them blind to all but major studio releases (as if unaware that today’s most effective films are, for the most part, produced outside of Hollywood). It genuinely bothers me that more horror fans have seen Annabelle and Ouija than the films on this list—even though both of those examples received lackluster reviews.

The Cottage

The Devil’s Chair

Gut

Common laments in some of the horror groups I participate in are: “Why are there so few good horror movies produced these days?”, “Why are there so many remakes and sequels”, and “Why are there so few original ideas in horror movies?” If this is honestly how you feel about the current state of the horror genre, then you need to pay close attention to the films on this list.

Monsters

Shadow

Shuttle

None of these movies are particularly obscure and plenty of avid, adventurous horror aficionados will have seen many if not all of them. But if you find yourself disappointed with the state of mainstream horror cinema, craving something more compelling: This is what you asked for. Enjoy!

Aftershock (2012, Lopez)

As The Green Inferno continues to languish in Distribution Purgatory and Knock Knock makes the rounds on the festival circuit, it’s a good time to look back on Eli Roth’s horror filmography. Roth didn’t direct Aftershock, but he wrote it with director Nicolas Lopez and stars in the film as an American tourist in South America. Obviously, there’s an earthquake, followed by an aftershock, but these disasters are only some of the terrors viewers will endure. With tsunamis threatening eminent destruction, frantic hordes claw and tear their way to higher ground. It’s a situation that causes a complete and instantaneous social upheaval, as money is suddenly worthless, and only the truly fierce can hope to survive.

And Soon the Darkness (2010, Efron)

How this alarmingly effective Holiday Horror fell between the cracks is a mystery to me. Amber Heard (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Zombieland) and Odette Annable (Cloverfield, The Unborn) play a couple of Americans on a bike tour in South America who make the dubious decision to break from their larger group for a more intimate and exciting adventure. Annable excels as one of those carefree party-girls you just want to scream at for all the danger she puts herself in. A night of drunken debauchery in a remote village puts the duo on the radar of some dastardly human traffickers with dollar signs in their eyes.

Botched (2007, Ryan)

With elements of horror, heist, and black comedy, Botched is a film that will appeal to a much larger audience than your average fright flick. Starring Stephen Dorff (before he started making those annoying eCig commercials) as Ritchie, Botched has all the irreverent action of films like Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The film also features an incredible supporting ensemble cast of memorable and hysterical characters. Botched is full of scenes that will leave you asking yourself, “Wait—did that really just happen?!?” Think Oceans Eleven meets Hostel.

Crawl of Die (2014, Ward)

Films like The Descent and As Above So Below may stoke sensations of claustrophobia, but Crawl or Die ups this intensity ten-fold. Nicole Alonso rocks this film as Tank, a member of an elite security team charged with delivering a “package” (in this case, the last fertile human female) to a secure location on a distant planet so rebuild society. Unfortunately, a mob of insect-like aliens force Tank and her crew into a seemingly endless labyrinth of tunnels that become smaller and more confined as they progress. The tension becomes so palpable you can feel your chest tightening, as Tank pushes onward, eventually digging for safety like the victim of a live-burial.

The Cottage (2008, Williams)

Andy Serkis is famous for bringing humanity to inhuman CGI characters: Gollum from Lord of the Rings and Caesar from the Planet of the Apes franchise are the most obvious examples of his abilities. So it may surprise you to know that, when stripped of his motion-capture suit, Serkis is still a genuine thespian with unusual talent. Case in point: The Cottage, another madcap mix of horror, heist, and humor. A trio of inept kidnappers get more than they bargained for when their victim turns the tables—but this is just one element of this deeply nuanced and entertaining slasher. The Cottage will have you laughing up a storm, with a twist ending that’s totally to die for!

The Devil’s Chair (2007, Mason)

The Devil’s Chair often plays like an homage to Hellraiser; the titular chair is actually a portal to another dimension, a dark labyrinth of dank corridors and human decay (and of course, every labyrinth has its Minotaur). Chains dangle from ceilings as beams of light slice the darkness through boards and shutters. While the trip is relatively fast, transportation to this realm leaves a body torn and mangled. It’s an inescapable nightmare world, humid with blood and human suffering, inhabited by an festering evil. The Devil’s Chair delivers a devastating final twist that I guarantee you won’t see coming.

Gut (2012, Elias)

The writer/director known simply as Elias is an obvious devotee of David Cronenberg; his feature film Gut oozes slow-burn, psychological body horror, reminiscent of films like Crash and Dead Ringers.   In broad strokes: Gut explores the possible existence of underground purveyors of snuff films, but thematically, it’s a deeply nuanced study of male friendships and the crushing realities of adulthood.   When Dan (played by Nicholas Wilder) fears losing his intense bond with friend-since-childhood Tom (played by Jason Vail) he goes to unthinkable extremes to maintain his relevance.   Gorgeous Sarah Schoofs rounds out the cast as Tom’s wife, Lily, who, unknowingly, becomes an integral component of Dan’s deranged agenda.

Monsters (2010, Edwards)

Before he became uber-famous as the director of 2014’s Godzilla, Gareth Edwards wrote and directed an amazingly effective indie creature feature called Monsters. In the not too distant future, the entire northern portion of Mexico has become a quarantine zone, infested with gigantic aliens that seem somehow both aquatic and plant-like. Gareth not only wrote and directed Monsters, he shot the entire film on location—and without permits. Gareth also created all of the special FX and even edited the film himself. The result is an amazing piece of guerilla filmmaking that feels just as polished and profound as any major studio release. Even the dialog, which was mostly improvised, absolutely crackles and pops with infectious wit and energy.

Shadow (2009, Zampaglione)

Shadow is a vicious indie gem that most horror fans seem completely unaware of—and that’s a shame! The film stars Jake Muxworthy as David, an American war vet on a mountain biking excursion. But a chance interaction at a secluded pub finds David and a female biker pursued by a couple of backwoods hunters who want them dead at any cost. Shadow takes a shocking turn at the midway point that is completely unexpected, introducing one of the most underrated horror movie villains I’ve ever met: Mortis (played by Nuot Arquint) is a pale, hairless sadist who looks both vampiric and alien; his movements are so serpentine he practically slithers. Thematically, Shadow is a metaphor for the after-effects of war and delivers a powerful twist ending that lands like a gut punch. Fans of Holiday Horror will definitely want to check this one out.

Shuttle (2008, Anderson)

Shuttle proves that no matter how good your vacation was, it isn’t over until you make it all the way home. After a fun filled trip to Mexico, Mel (Peyton List) and Jules (Cameron Goodman) arrive at LAX anxious to unwind. Unfortunately, the driver of their airport shuttle has other plans for them that don’t include letting the women go home—ever. What should have been a short jaunt becomes an unimaginable nightmare of captivity and degradation—but their captor’s ultimate intensions are significantly more terrifying than sadism: This is Business.

What are your favorite under-the-radar horror movies that deserve to be appreciated by the masses? Sound off in the comments section!

See my first list of Awesome Under-the-Radar Horror Movies: Here.

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