Genre labels aren’t perfect, and there are some truly terrifying movies that most people don’t count as horror. Movies with more prominent sci-fi, action or fantasy elements are often forced into a box, but this discounts how they can leave their audience feeling disturbed and scared. Any movie can have horror elements, no matter what genre people tend to classify it as.
Often, movies that aren’t listed as horror can be particularly disturbing, simply because audiences are less wary of being scared. Crime movies or sci-fi movies in particular have the opportunity to develop deep stories that are laced with darkness. The fact that they are not packaged as horror movies also means that they can take the story in a natural direction without having to hit the tropes of horror movies that audiences have come to expect. Some of the scariest and most disturbing horrors are in disguise.
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The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Psychological drama
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Yorgos Lanthimos
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October 27, 2017
Each of Yorgos Lanthimos’ movies can be identified by the same disquieting atmosphere. Even his more comedic movies, viz The favorite And the lobster, Can be extremely restlessThanks to Lanthimos’ choice of music, color and shot angles. The killing of a sacred deer Take this atmosphere to another level, and Lanthimos unnatural, inhuman characters play out his strange story.
The killing of a sacred deer Features Barry Keoghan as a teenager who tries to avenge his father’s death by forcing the surgeon responsible to kill a member of his own family. He possesses some mysterious supernatural powers, and he uses them to create a phantom illness for every member of the family. The killing of a sacred deer is so unnerving and enigmatic that it seems for a while that Martin’s hold over the family is purely psychologicalAnd that their illnesses are a result of a shared delusion.
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Jurassic Park (1993)
Sci-fi, action
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June 11, 1993
Many of Jurassic ParkThe most memorable scenes are masterpieces of tightly choreographed horror. Steven Spielberg showed a natural feeling for horror with Jaws And some of his other early movies, and he brought that experience to Jurassic Park. The scene with the raptors stalking their prey in the kitchen and the moment the T. rex finally emerges in the middle of a thunderstorm are just two examples of Jurassic ParkS terrifying side.
thematic, Jurassic Park Shares a lot in common with a seminal work of sci-fi horror: Frankenstein. Both stories show the consequences of humanity trying to subvert the natural order and cheat death. In both cases, the creators see their creations turn against them. The Jurassic World Movies have a few scares, but they’re generally more action-oriented, and the horror scenes lack Spielberg’s flair. Jurassic World Rebirth Will continue the franchise in 2025, but it will likely continue the trend.
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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Fantasy, musical
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Mel Stuart
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30, 1971
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Jack Albertson, Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrom, Denise Nickerson, Julie Dawn Cole
A big reason for Roald Dahl’s continued popularity as a children’s author is that he does not talk down to his readers. His stories can get pretty dark, and Hollywood has often tried to take the edge off by subtly changing them. 1971s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Has some cheerful music and a happy ending, but it doesn’t hide the terrifying nature of Dahl’s story. As Charlie and the other Golden Ticket holders are escorted around the factory, they meet one terrible fate after another..
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Has been compared to a slasher movieStarring Wonka as a twisted killer who leads his victims through a macabre maze. It also shares one key idea with horror movies: that the characters are undone by their own faults. Augustus Gloop falls prey to his own devouring, while Veruca Salt’s entitled nature causes her downfall. Strangely, some of the scary scenes in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are unrelated to the ways in which the children leave the tour. For example, the scene from Tunnel of Terror shows the passengers on Wonka’s boat experiencing their biggest fears in a psychedelic, feverish swirl.
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No Country for Old Men (2007)
West, crime
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Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
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November 21, 2007
After a brief hiatus spent directing their own projects, the Coen brothers are reuniting for a horror movie. Their new movie will be their first out-and-out horror film, but the directing duo still managed to sneak some scary moments into their other movies. From the jump scare impact of Chad’s death in Burn after reading To the overwhelming terror of the impending tornado in a serious man, The Coen brothers have shown that they know horror. However, none of their movies are consistently scary like No Country for Old Men.
Javier Bardem’s masterful performance as Anton Chigurh breathes life into a detached psychopathic killer. As he roams the desert with an air of invisible danger, he takes on an almost mythical quality as the seeker of death. What is even more terrible is the moral chaos of No country for old people. The Coen brothers do a great job of interpreting Cormac McCarthy’s novel for the big screen, and they drive home his idea that humanity’s narrow view of justice provides false comfort in an unjust and unjust world.
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
fantasy
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Alfonso Cuarón
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May 31, 2004
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Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Timothy Spall, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Alan Rickman
The Harry Potter Movies gradually get darker as Harry and his friends grow up. The biggest leap forward comes in the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. From the color palette to the story, The Prisoner of Azkaban Looks a lot more like a horror movie. The first two Harry Potter Movies can get a little scary towards the end, with the reveal of Voldemort and the Basilisk, however The Prisoner of Azkaban Has moments of horror peppered throughout.
From Harry’s first encounter with a Dementor, The Prisoner of Azkaban Establishes a baseline level of anxiety. Even when the story focuses on classes and personal drama, there is always the lingering threat that A serial killer is on the loose and there are nightmarish apparitions stalking the grounds at Hogwarts. Even whimsical inventions like the Marauder’s map facilitate some nail-biting moments, as Harry is followed by phantom footprints in the one place he usually feels safe.
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Zodiac (2007)
Crime
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March 2, 2007
Many of David Fincher’s best movies leave the audience with a sense of lasting dreadAlthough they are not pure horror movies. Se7en Dives into the twisted mind of a killer, Action Club Shows the danger lurking within seemingly ordinary people, and Gone girl is a dark commentary on the fragility of civil society. Fincher’s crime movies all provide immersive visions of criminality, highlighting the psychological effects on the victims and investigators. No one is as accomplished in this regard as Zodiac.
The real-life story of Zodiac Adds some extra weight to the story. In some scenes, Fincher deploys some classic tropes of the slasher genre, but this is no blood-soaked fantasy. Equally frightening are the scenes in which Robert Graysmith’s love investigation leads him into real danger. Zodiac Exploring one particular theory, examine how a fascination can become a deadly obsession. Graysmith, like the audience, becomes desperate for the solution to the riddle in front of him. Only when he finds himself trapped in a basement with the possible murderer, does he realize what he has done.
4
Under the Skin (2013)
Sci Fi
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Jonathan Glazer
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April 4, 2014
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Dougie McConnell, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Jeremy McWilliams, Scarlett Johansson, Kevin McAlinden
Jonathan Glazer Under the skin may have struggled at the box office, but it has since been recognized as a brilliant piece of slow-burn sci-fi. Scarlett Johansson stars as a mysterious alien with the appearance of a man who roams the Scottish countryside. When she meets a person alone, she traps them in an ink-black void. This could be another dimension, or simply a visual interpretation of death. This is not the only thing that Under the skin Pages open to interpretation.
Under the skin is structured like a slasher movie from the killer’s perspective. To add an extra layer of horror, the audience is never made aware of the reasons for the murders. Under the skin has been interpreted in many ways, with one prevailing theory suggesting that it is a revenge story about a woman killing people who try to objectify and otherwise take advantage of her. The ambiguity heightens the feeling of unhappiness.
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Sci Fi
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April 3, 1968
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Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack.
2001: A Space Odyssey Changed the sci-fi genre for good, but it also influenced many horror movies. The overwhelming cosmic chaos that underpins 2001 is echoed in movies like Alien And Close encounters of the third kind. The idea is that humans are an insignificant speck in a vast and uncaring universe. Other movies have embodied this evil idea in some kind of alien life form, however 2001 Does an effective job with strong visuals and a tremulous score.
2001The other key contribution to the horror genre is his exploration of artificial intelligence. The middle third of Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi masterpiece acts as a self-contained horror movie, with HAL eliminating the crew of Discovery One to protect his prime directive. HAL has a human voice, but no emotions or ethics. Equating the rogue AI to a cold-blooded psychopath is something that can be seen in dozens of more modern sci-fi movies. Few have had the same chilling impact as 2001.
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Predator (1987)
Sci-fi, action
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June 12, 1987
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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elfidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Shane Schwartz, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves
yet Predator Spending a good chunk of its opening act masquerading as a war movie, it reveals its true nature as a gripping sci-fi horror movie. The team of Dutch are trapped in the jungle, pursued by an alien hunter with an array of futuristic weapons. Predator Is like a slasher movie in some ways. Even the framing choices and the haunting music emphasize that the characters are being watched from afarAnd the explosions of Gore suit the genre perfectly.
Predator Shows the alien POV long before any part of his body. This establishes the fact that there is a threat in the jungle without giving the game away. It is a tried-and-tested rule of the horror genre that a monster is much scarier if the audience has not had time to see it. The Predator’s camouflage technology keeps it hidden, and the iconic creature design means that the effect doesn’t wear off when it finally removes its mask in the final showdown with Dutch.
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Aliens (1986)
Sci-fi, action
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July 18, 1986
The first Alien Movie is one of the greatest sci-fi horror movies of all time, but the first sequel of the franchise is often classified as action rather than horror. While it is true that Aliens Has more guns, fights and explosions than its predecessor, it still has a lot of scenes that recapture the visceral fear of the original. Part of what makes the first Alien So terrifying is that the xenomorph is so mysterious. Aliens is forced to use a slightly different playbook to deliver the same scares. The one big innovation is the Xenomorph Queen.
Aliens Makes a few fundamental changes that change the horror. for starters, Newt’s introduction is a simple but effective way to give Ripley something other than himself worth fighting for. With the stage set, James Cameron delivers a string of incredibly tense scenes. It takes about 45 minutes before the first sight of a xenomorph. Before that, the characters nervously crawl towards a mysterious signal, slowly believing more and more in Ripley’s ghost story.