10 Horror Movies That Were Genuinely More Sad Than Terrifying

All the best horror films have a keen understanding of emotions and the ways in which they can harness them to create fear in the viewer. It is not uncommon to find them using elements traditionally found in drama and fusing them with the less grounded approach that horror movies allow. This can lead to more metaphorical approaches to real human drama, sometimes leading to even more exposed portrayals of human issues that are more sad than scary.

True horror can be found in human emotions, and the best of the genre are able to use them for more revealing portraits of humanity. Often, the greatest horror directors and writers manage to use darker places than most to tell truly remarkable stories. Whether it’s body horror greats like Cronenberg or legends like Carpenter, there will often be entries in the genre that deal more heavily with the emotions at play than actual horror. Like it or not, there is horror in sadness, and these films display that horror more than most.

10

The Fly (1986)

Directed by David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg is no stranger to horror films that focus on emotion, his best entries in the genre often focusing on the more cerebral side of horror. The fear in his films is never as simple as a masked killer, and The fly is no exception to this rule. It follows a scientist’s gradual metamorphosis into a fly after an experiment goes wrong. His changes are slow at first and initially seem beneficial, but it is the woman he loves who begins to become afraid.

As the changes become more disturbing and the sickening effects of Chris Walas’ creatures begin to take hold, the film reveals how truly frightening this can be. Despite this, though, it’s the scenes that follow Jeff Goldblum as her partner that reveal the true sadness in her change. It’s one of Geena Davis’ best films, and her lack of control over the horror that befalls her partner is truly terrifying to watch. The film features some of the best body horror ever put on screen, but it’s the fear of loss that makes this watch so captivating.

9

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Ghost stories often detail experiences of grief and loss.its concept is closely linked to both emotions. The Devil’s Backbone is no exception to this rule, its story revolves around both themes. It follows a child’s experience of being taken to an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War and the ghost he encounters in the hallways. It’s a powerful film, and Del Toro manages to maintain a suppressive and menacing atmosphere throughout.

As the film unfolds, it becomes clearer just how dark the stories behind each person trapped within the walls of the orphanage are. Marisa Paredes and Eduardo Noriega are especially tragic figures in history, one who gave everything to the children at the orphanage and the other willing to take everything from them. It’s violent and often horrific, but it’s the light you can see inside the children that only makes them sadder as they try to survive the horrors of the man and the legends.

8

Razor (1984)

Directed by Russell Mulcahy

When describing the plot of Razor, It would be easy to believe that this might not be such a sad story. The threat of a giant pig roaming the Australian outback may not inspire fear in everyone, but Mulcahy makes sure it does within the first five minutes. Opening with the titular pig charging through the walls of a house and killing a child in his wake, the viewer is subjected to seeing the child’s grandfather being questioned and his credibility ruined for telling the truth.

The film is full of beautiful and surreal images which act as a backdrop for violent actions precipitated by the isolation of the hinterland. The film has numerous scenes that are difficult to watch and features several moments that reveal the horror of humans and animals. It’s a violent, harsh look at what can occur in such an isolated environment, and a truly cruel observation at what it inflicts on the characters and the viewer.

7

The Addiction (1995)

Directed by Abel Ferrara

It doesn’t take much deduction to determine what a vampire movie titled The addiction may be alluding. The film follows a college student as she begins to experience her slow transformation into a vampire and feels an uncontrollable thirst for blood. Abel Ferrara uses the history of vampirism to address ideas of drug addiction and longinglooking at vampirism more as an addiction to vice than to blood. It was this approach that made it one of the best vampire films of the 1990s.

The film closely follows Lili Taylor’s vampire, examining her eventual descent into addiction and her various attempts to quit. Because the film pays so much attention to Taylor and her pursuit of prey, it never feels so much like a horror film as it does an examination of a vampire’s desire. She hurts the people around her and drags them into her addiction, where they may never be able to breathe again. It is the guilt she feels, however, that truly confronts the sad horror of succumbing to addiction.

6

Altered States (1980)

Directed by Ken Russell

Very similar to Cronenberg’s The fly, Altered States is a film about losing yourself and how it affects the people around us. The film follows a scientist investigating a hallucinogen he received from a Native American tribe, carrying out tests in sensory deprivation tanks. As he conducts more and more experiments, we are forced to watch those around him being pushed away or drawn too far into his dangerous and obsessive tests.

The film is full of immensely experimental and surreal sequences who see William Hurt’s leadership pushed to the limits of his mind and body. Blair Brown’s performance as his ex-wife trying to pull him out of the changes he undergoes is truly moving. It’s an excellent exploration of the regression of the human brain and how changes can devastate our relationships.

5

Don’t Look Now (1973)

Directed by Nicolas Roeg

Even though it’s a horror film, Don’t look now is a film about grief and the effects of tragedy in people. After the accidental death of their son, a couple go to Venice for work, only to meet a woman who claims to have visions of her daughter. It’s how Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie play the anguished couple that makes the film so moving, at once able to reckon with their death and, at other times, completely unable to accept it.

The editing and camerawork emphasize the disorienting nature of grief and bring the viewer closer to the characters’ emotions. By lingering on fleeting moments and focusing more on the various shifting perspectives, the film manages to capture a unique side of pain that would never happen outside of a horror film. It’s a uniquely surreal and devastating take on grief that has only become more powerful with age.

4

Candy Man (1992)

Directed by Bernard Rose

A film heavily coded with themes of race and economic disparity, sweet man it’s an approach to horror that reveals a lot throughout its running time. Following a college professor’s investigation into an urban legend, the film takes her through the Cabrini Green housing project and forces her to confront the past traumas inflicted on the black community. The Chicago setting is unique and allows Virginia Madsen’s lead to move from her expensive apartment to the spooky, spray-painted concrete of Cabrini Green.

As the film continues, his investigation reveals the sweet man myth stems from a horrific act of violence committed against a black man in the 19th century. It’s a fascinating dissection of the ways in which white privilege can make Black people’s traumas seem more like folklore than reality, until they are finally exposed to something too horrible to even imagine.

3

Train to Busan (2016)

Directed by Yeon Sang-Ho

At first glance, it would be easy to assume that the more action Train to Busan it doesn’t feel as devastating as other horror films. It’s a fascinating and moving portrait of passengers trapped aboard a train full of zombies and their attempts to survive. The protagonist, played by Gong Yoo, is on a planned trip to make up for missing his daughter’s recital, so when the terror begins, it seems like the only way for it all to end is bad. It’s a horror film about fatherhood as much as it is about zombies.

It’s the relationship between father and daughter that makes the film so powerful, especially when Your desperate attempts to survive become increasingly dangerous. It’s not just their relationship, though, that makes the film so sad. Each character is well developed and has enough heart to make any death a horrible development. It’s a powerful story of survival and one that has maintained its strength.

2

Hereditary (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

If there are any scenes that the viewer can remember Hereditary, It is certainly the most traumatic and painful moment. Following a family after the death of their mysterious grandmother, Ari Aster’s masterpiece quickly delves into the initially subtle and then downright disturbing events that unfold. The film’s title quickly makes it clear that there is more than a simple haunting at play in the story, and it is this connection that makes it all the more disturbing.

The film reveals the traumas that linger and fester in the family’s historyto never show up until it’s too late to deal with it. Toni Colette’s stunning performance as a woman unsure about the mother she lost and trying to deal with a past she doesn’t know is sometimes hard to bear. It looks at the secrets that family members keep to themselves and how they can eventually harm those around them.

It’s a depressing watch, but as Ari Aster has proven time and time again, it’s his bread and butter. As frightening as King Paimon’s threat is, it’s the family and its problems that make it such a strong entry into the genre.

1

The Haunting (1963)

Directed by Robert Wise

Just like Shirley Jackson’s novel, Robert Wise’s The Haunting is a subtle but scary take on the haunted house gender. It follows a relatively simple plot, revealing the experiments led by a group of people brought together by a doctor to investigate a supposedly haunted mansion. The film’s subtle approach to horror allows the characters to present various themes related to mental illness and isolation.

The film’s protagonist, played with incredible warmth by Julie Harris, is someone who is still dealing with the trauma inflicted on her by a cruel mother and a hateful family. She comes home as an escape from the life she has been unable to live, having been tied down by her dying mother for years.

Although the story is clearly supernatural, screenwriter Nelson Gidding saw the story as a woman’s mental breakdown, which is exactly how the film reads. It’s a sad and haunting watch, one that only deepens as the years pass. It’s a unique horror film and proves that some themes can only be investigated through horror.