As much aswe may love revisiting horror classicslikeThe ShiningorHalloween, sometimes we just want something new. Luckily, there’s a whole host of fantastic works of horror from all across the globe waiting to be discovered. We’ve gone ahead and done the work for you by unearthing a collection of scary movies that haven’t quite attained the popularity of Hollywood’s heavy-hitters. From France to South Korea and beyond, here are nine international horror movies every film buff should know.
9Séance (2001)
It’s fair to say that Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a master of Japanese horror. Though his films haven’t received as much international attention asRinguorJu-On: The Grudge, they are undeniably scary.Séanceis one of his greatest ghost stories, although its title is misleading: don’t expect much communication with spirits here. In this film, they’re more interested in plain old haunting.
8The Wailing (2016)
South Korea produced horror magic withThe Wailingfrom 2016. As a genre film, it’s fairly hard to classify. Is it a zombie movie? A ghost story?An occult folklore thriller? In a sense, it’s all three and more. Clocking in at more than two and a half hours,The Wailingtakes its time instilling dread in the audience, but the payoff is worth it. It can be thought of as a kind of horror epic, which is a genre we’d like to see more of.
7Vampyr (1932)
Yes, there are horror movies from the early 1930s that are worth your time today.Vampyrcomes from the mind of Danish auteur Carl Theodor Dreyer (director ofThe Passion of Joan of Arc). It’s one of the earliest surrealist horror films ever made, and its influence can be felt in the work of directors like David Lynch and Guillermo del Toro (see more from the British Film Institute). With its dream-like atmosphere, striking visuals, and impressive special effects,Vampyris a classic of international horror cinema.
Related:Underrated Horror Movies of the 1960s, Ranked
6Retribution (2006)
Another film from J-horror legend Kiyoshi Kurosawa,Retribution(as the title suggests) tells the story of a vengeful ghost clothed in bright red, and a criminal investigation into a series of bizarre murders. We won’t tell you how, but the ghost and the killings are intimately connected. At the very least, expect some serious scares while you piece it all together.
5Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
For those eagerly awaitingRobert Eggers’s upcoming Nosferatu movie, you may want to check outNosferatu the Vampyre, an earlier, lesser-known remake from German director Werner Herzog. Herzog takes the silent classic and makes it his own, retelling its iconic vampire story with his trademark experimental camerawork. The titular blood sucker is played by infamous German actor Klaus Kinski,who had a long working relationship with Herzogand was considered to be a menace to work with on set. Whatever his reputation, his performance is staggeringly good. It will be hard for Eggers’s lead actor to surpass Kinski.
4Pulse (2001)
The third Kiyoshi Kurosawa film on this list - he’s that good - isPulse, a technological horror masterpiece with some of the most frightening scenes in the history of the genre. Pulse explores themes of isolation, alienation, and communication in the early internet age (via Gizmodo). It’s a prescient film that showcases the potentially harmful effects of trading in real-world connections for electronic ones.
3Angst (1983)
With our enduring cultural fascination with serial killers, it’s a wonder thatAngsthasn’t achieved more popularity in the States. An Austrian film by documentary filmmaker Gerald Karl, Angst follows the perspective of “K,” a psychopathic murderer who embarks on a murderous journey just after being released from prison. Due to its brutality and nauseating camera movement, it can be a difficult film to watch. But horror fans will find in it a masterful study of the psychology of a serial killer.
Related:Scariest Body Horror Movies, Ranked
2Eyes Without a Face (1960)
This may come as a surprise, but France lays claim toone of the best early body-horror films:Eyes Without a Face(not to be confused with the Billy Idol song of the same name). When a mad doctor’s daughter has her face disfigured in a car accident, he takes desperate measures to give her back her beauty - even if it means grafting another woman’s face onto her own. Yes, he’s that kind of mad doctor.Eyes Without a Faceis a French horror gem that will make your skin crawl and your heart race.
1Don’t Look Now (1973)
For our final entry, we turn to English director Nicholas Roeg, who put out one of the best horror films of the 1970s withDon’t Look Now. Set in Venice, this elusive horror-thriller follows a church restoration expert, John, who lost his daughter in an accident. John is plagued by visions of a figure wearing a red coat not unlike the one his daughter was wearing when she died. A film full of séances, premonitions, hallucinations, and death,Don’t Look Nowwould be considered a horror classic if it had reached a wider audience.
