25 Modern Horror Films That Will Keep You Up All Night
Discover 25 horror films that break away from worn-out tropes and jumpscares, offering chilling, original stories that haunt long after the credits roll.
Without a single paranormal entity or jump scare, "The Coffee Table" manages to keep every viewer on the edge of their seat for 90 minutes. This claustrophobic black comedy revolves around a couple with marital issues who have recently had a baby. In an attempt to resolve their problems, they decide to furnish their home and buy a coffee table, which soon becomes the source of their worst nightmares.
Among all the subgenres of horror, home invasion is the most filled with clichés and commonplaces. In 2008, a film that is now considered a cult classic emerged to change all the rules, yet it still has no competition. "The Strangers" follows James and Kristen during their uncomfortable return to his childhood summer home after his wedding proposal was rejected, only to encounter even more distress from three masked assailants trying to end their lives.
Today, Mike Flanagan is hailed as the central voice of contemporary horror, and both critics and the public first saw this spark back in 2016 with "Hush," a psychological thriller that proved he had something new to add to the industry. The title revolves around a deaf and mute writer who retreats into the woods to write her next big success but is forced to make the best of her weakened senses when a masked killer appears and seeks to break in.
When it comes to crafting post-apocalyptic-themed productions, fresh narratives are essential to building worlds out of our imagination, and "It Comes at Night" features one of the most unique. As a contagious disease kills the entire planet, a man and his family adhere to very strict rules to survive in a home deep in the woods, but everything changes when desperate young intruders arrive seeking refuge.
Despite the common belief that Ari Aster was responsible for putting A24 on the map, it was the body horror film "Lamb" that solidified the production and distribution company's status as a place for innovative scripts to materialize. In this 2021 movie, a couple unable to conceive comes across a miracle to their prayers that is not exactly human, and could face incredible dangers for that very reason.
At the beginning of the millennium, Kiyoshi Kurosawa released "Pulse," a visionary production about the unease brought by technology that remains relevant today, sending chills down the spine with its eccentric filming techniques. The film is set in a Japan where people begin to go missing, and ghosts invade the living world through the Internet.
While Jennifer Lawrence is primarily known for her action and drama works, few actresses have delivered a performance as astonishing in horror as hers in "Mother!" Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film revolves around a married couple expecting a baby, whose tranquil life in their country home begins to be disrupted by chaotic events that cross all moral boundaries.
Praised as one of the central titles in the found footage category by expert critics, "Noroi: The Curse" not only employs a pseudo-documentary style of storytelling to gain credibility but also presents a mystery with a riddle that is complex to unravel. The movie first reveals that paranormal journalist Kobayashi went missing shortly after completing a filmed investigation, which is presented piece by piece, depicting what began as a compilation of strange noises and led to the enigmas of a demonic entity named Kagutaba.
The common places for filming in the found footage style tend to be dark woods or abandoned asylums, but what about a talk show? "Late Night with the Devil" deviates from the norm by first telling the story of a late-night interview program that went incredibly wrong due to paranormal forces, and then showing exactly how it happened, from the first to the last minute on air.
While the horror genre has included social commentary as a central subject since its beginnings, it is only in the last few decades that LGBTQ themes have taken center stage. "I Saw the TV Glow" stands out for its unique construction as an allegory for being transgender, and follows a teenager trying to survive in the suburbs when a classmate introduces him to a women-led young adult television show.
M. Night Shyamalan is a rock-solid guarantee of the unconventional, and "The Visit" is one of his most acclaimed takes on the subject. The title depicts the sinister secrets of a seemingly harmless elderly couple living in an isolated farmhouse as they try to reconnect with their estranged grandchildren. As is standard for the director, the plot twist is absolutely jaw-dropping.
Analog horror, a subgenre crafted and released exclusively on YouTube, seemed destined to remain confined to the video-sharing platform until its first big-screen attempt in 2022. With its cryptic narrative and non-traditional scares, "Skinamarink" shook cinemas with a seemingly simple story: Kevin and Kaylee are spending an ordinary night until the doors and windows of their house vanish, and their parents appear to be missing.
Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg, "Infinity Pool" demonstrates that creativity can sometimes be inherited. Set in the same vein of body horror crafted by The Baron of Blood, the picture centers on a writer and his wife vacationing in the fictional seaside country of Li Tolqa. After an accident, they discover the location's dark culture and the macabre penalties for those who commit crimes.
"Raw" is the debut masterpiece of Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducornau, showcasing the best of her directorial skills five years before she won the prestigious award. The plot centers on a young vegetarian's first year at veterinary school, where she tastes meat for the first time and develops a dangerous obsession. This body horror tale, told from a female perspective, gives its own answers to existential questions that lack exploration today.
Horror flicks about the patriarchy tend to present some constant clichés, and Alex Garland's "Men" arrived in 2022 to refresh the conversation and start from scratch. The film takes place in a dreamy countryside village, where a young widowed woman arrives seeking peace for her heart-wrenching grief, but only finds herself constantly disturbed by a group of men who all share the same characteristic.
The bond between a mother and her children is one of the most sacred relationships there is, and thus the genre constantly seeks to transfix it. However, few movies have gone as far as "Goodnight Mommy," where twins Lukas and Elias move to a new house following their mother’s face-changing cosmetic surgery and begin to wonder if she is really the woman they have known and loved since birth.
Folk horror has remained one of the most innovative genres since its origins, and its latest Argentinian entry further proves this, showcasing the rarely seen eeriness of South American rural myths. "When Evil Lurks" follows two brothers, Pedro and Jaime, who must stop a demonic sickness to expand and infect their whole town before it's too late.
Partially inspired by Sigmund Freud's theories on the uncanny, "Possum" has few rivals in its use of the psyche as the home of horror and puppets as a source of infancy fear. Upon returning to his childhood home, a children's puppeteer is forced to confront the traumas that his sinister stepfather cultivated in him since he was little, and a spider-like marionette seems to have much to answer for.
Horror mockumentaries are well-known for always featuring the most intense plot twists, but "Lake Mungo" goes many steps beyond. The story follows a family trying to come to terms with the loss of their daughter, and what they initially believe to be supernatural events surrounding her death hides something ten times more sinister. Just when it seems like it will be a cliché tale, the story takes a completely unexpected turn that aches the heart.
The prominence that Asian culture gives to local gods and goddesses has long been the subject of hit eerie pictures, and the Thai mockumentary folk horror film "The Medium" is the best recent example. It tells its story in a way that effectively mimics the reality of worship and exorcism in Thailand, making viewers question whether they are witnessing true events. The movie follows a documentary crew on their journey to Isan to interview Nim, a medium who claims to be possessed by the spirit of Ba Yan, a local goddess.
Far from relying on jumpscares, the idea that each person has an identical double they don’t know is absolutely terrifying in itself, and Jordan Peele understood that very well. "Us" follows the Wilsons on their vacation to Santa Cruz, which goes smoothly until they are held hostage in their own summer home by four strangers who are their exact doppelgangers.
Even in the best-rated genre movies, a frustrating cliché is characters making unwise decisions that put them at risk, yet still emerging unharmed. "Speak No Evil" gained widespread acclaim for going in the opposite direction, depicting the terrifying consequences faced by a family who meets another on vacation and decides to spend a few days with them despite barely knowing each other.
The originality of Brad Miska's 2012 horror anthology film captivated viewers worldwide, and since then, the concept has expanded into seven sequels. However, the first "VHS" chapter remains the best, showcasing the early talents of now-acclaimed directors such as Ti West and David Bruckner. It features stories ranging from a lake that revives the departed to a haunted house attraction that is not so fake as it seems.
In the realm of genre productions that offer social commentary, "History of the Occult" addresses the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 by employing elements of supernatural thriller and cosmic horror. The entire story unfolds in one night, during the final episode of a fictional 1980s Argentine television news program, in which the show's journalists try to expose a conspiracy linking their government to black magic practices.
Famous for breaking the fourth wall like no other, "Incantation" became the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror production and even sparked claims of a real hex associated with watching it from start to finish. Presented in a found footage style, the film tells the story of Li Ronan, a mother cursed after breaking a religious taboo, who asks the viewer's help in protecting her daughter from the consequences.