Best Indie Horror
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- DirectorsJesse HollandAndy MittonStarsMichael LaurinoAnessa RamseyAlex Draper1940: the entire population of Friar, New Hampshire walked up a winding mountain trail, leaving everything behind. 2008: the first official expedition into the wilderness attempts to solve the mystery of the lost citizens of Friar.I found the music terrifying, and the characters engrossing. Underrated journey to the heart of nowhere.
- DirectorsJustin BensonAaron MoorheadStarsPeter CilellaVinny CurranEmily MontagueA man imprisons his estranged junkie friend in an isolated cabin in the boonies of San Diego to force him through a week of sobriety, but the events of that week are being mysteriously manipulated.Currently my favorite horror film. I've watched it at least a dozen times, and I notice new details on every fresh viewing. Both the leads are immensely likable, and their bond anchors a gripping narrative that can never really be resolved, oddly enough. Written by Justin Benson, who I regard to be a horror genius.
- DirectorRob ZombieStarsSheri Moon ZombieMeg FosterBruce DavisonRadio DJ Heidi is sent a box containing a record--a "gift from the Lords". The sounds within the grooves trigger flashbacks of her town's violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the Lords back to take revenge on Salem, Massachusetts?I confess I love Rob Zombie and for me, this is his best by far. Visually stunning.
- DirectorHerk HarveyStarsCandace HilligossFrances FeistSidney BergerAfter a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.Possibly the most beautiful horror film to look at. Wonderful black and white stock and an achingly eerie soundtrack. Not to be missed.
- DirectorWilliam CastleStarsGlenn CorbettPatricia BreslinEugenie LeontovichThe brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California."Abrahams died tonight- Screeamming!"
William Castle's homage to "Psycho" proves unsettling, centering on the rage of a woman revealed to have been "raised as a boy." She seeks revenge on all involved and exacts it with resentful, murderous malice. This is all quite horrifying. This film was recommended by my friend and horror expert T-Bone. - DirectorJohn Erick DowdleStarsStacy ChboskyBen MessmerSamantha RobsonIn an abandoned house in Poughkeepsie, New York murder investigators uncover hundreds of tapes showing decades of a serial killer's work.Should be better known. Serial killer horror that makes you think. Think of horrible, horrible things. Low on gore, high on good narrative.
- DirectorSean HoganStarsBilly ClarkeJack GordonJonathan HanslerAt the house of their target, two hit men bide their time waiting for the kill, only to find death already arrived in the shape of black magic, devilish spirits and the occult.Criminally overlooked gem featuring strong acting and a good creepy story. Psychologically crushing.
- DirectorBlair EricksonStarsKatia WinterTed LevineMichael McMillianJournalist Anne Roland explores the disturbing links behind her friend's sudden disappearance, an ominous government research chemical, and a disturbing radio broadcast of unknown origin.Wonderful performance by Ted Levine.
Levine: "You don't scare very easily, do you?"
I loved the details, especially the mysterious "short wave radio" emissions. - DirectorSebastián SilvaStarsMichael CeraJuno TempleEmily BrowningA naive young tourist's road trip across Chile with friends turns into a waking nightmare.Innovative filmmaker Sebastian Silva shot this film concurrently with "Crystal Fairy" and both star Michael Cera. I loved both films and I think this one was meant to be the "horror version" of the first film. Realistic dialogue and narrative make this film a must see for fans of psychological horror.
- DirectorDaniel StammStarsPatrick FabianAshley BellIris BahrA troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.Underrated. A good story and I happened to love the ending, which I understand puts me in the minority. The lead is a good actor, which lends crucial verisimilitude to the story. It seems like it could actually happen.
- DirectorsMatt Bettinelli-OlpinDavid BrucknerTyler GillettStarsCalvin Lee ReederLane HughesAdam WingardWhen a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for.Can't get enough, and "Resolution" writer/director Justin Benson will be presenting a segment in the upcoming VHS 3.
- DirectorsSimon BarrettJason EisenerGareth EvansStarsLawrence Michael LevineKelsy AbbottAdam WingardSearching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his house and find a collection of VHS tapes. Viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be dark motives behind the student's disappearance.Even better than the first, and look for "Resolution" writer/director Justin Benson's segment in the upcoming VHS 3.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsAna TorrentFele MartínezEduardo NoriegaWhile doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...Torture snuff thriller that benefits greatly from a plausible narrative and realistic acting from the two leads.
- DirectorHampton FancherStarsOwen WilsonSheryl CrowDwight YoakamAimless Vann Siegert takes a bizarre turn in life and becomes a serial killer, tracking down the miserable, the self-destructive and those who otherwise seem willing to die.Should be better known. An intriguing peek into the mind and manners of a special kind of serial killer. He really is a "minus man."
- DirectorHenry MillerStarsWillem DafoeScott SpeedmanDon HarveyA psychological thriller based on the concept of anamorphosis, a painting technique that manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas.Everyone complains about the ending, but I didn't mind it. A subtle performance by Willem Dafoe and a truly original idea saves this film.
- DirectorGeorges FranjuStarsPierre BrasseurAlida ValliJuliette MaynielA surgeon causes an accident which leaves his daughter disfigured and goes to extreme lengths to give her a new face.My friend Shams believes this should be at the top of the list- indeed it is a terrifying horror classic.
- DirectorTi WestStarsSara PaxtonPat HealyKelly McGillisDuring the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel's haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.Best of Ti West and I think all his films are good. The film isn't just a vehicle to deliver scares, it is centered on the interesting relationship between the two leads.
- DirectorJim SonzeroStarsKristen BellRick GonzalezChristina MilianWhen their computer hacker friend accidentally channels a mysterious wireless signal, a group of co-eds rally to stop a terrifying evil from taking over the world.A bit of a guilty pleasure, since I recognize this is no masterpiece of horror. That said, however, the "ghost in the machine" premise is excellent, though this film is not as good as "Kairo," the Japanese original.
- DirectorE. Elias MerhigeStarsAaron EckhartBen KingsleyCarrie-Anne MossA mysterious serial killer is preying on other serial killers and one FBI agent suspects there may be more to the vigilante than the obvious characteristics.In my view, the best film about a serial killer. Ben Kingsley is phenomenal.
- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsChristian BaleJennifer Jason LeighAitana Sánchez-GijónAn industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity.Another Brad Anderson tour de force. Almost as good as his "Session 9."
An emaciated Christian Bale reprises the part of Raskalnikov in this re-imagining of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment."" - DirectorEduardo SánchezStarsAdam KaufmanCatherine ManganBrad William HenkeFifteen years ago, a group of men's lives were forever changed by a strange occurrence. Now, the same group of men will spend a night together - in terror.The first film that "Blair Witch Project" co-director Eduardo Sanchez made after the seminal found footage film. And what a great movie it is. Almost all of it takes place in a household garage, where a guy and his friends torture an alien, but it's not at all clear who will come out on top. Fresh and original.
- DirectorWilliam CastleStarsOscar HomolkaRonald LewisAudrey DaltonA mysterious and cruel Baron, whose face has become frozen in a horrifying grin, demands that a prominent London physician apply experimental treatments on him to restore his face.
- DirectorJohn PoliquinStarsRichard HarmonShawn C. PhillipsJennica FultonA film student who is obsessed with the movie Grave Encounters sets out with his friends to visit the psychiatric hospital depicted in the original film.The sequel is better. Worth it alone for the "Hotel elevator" scene.
- DirectorScott DerricksonStarsEthan HawkeJuliet RylanceJames RansoneA controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.One of my favorite films. Intricately plotted and fiendishly gruesome, this movie stands up to multiple viewings. A supernatural serial killer yarn. Does it get any better than this?
- DirectorTom ShanklandStarsStellan SkarsgårdMelissa GeorgeAshley WaltersA calculating killer coerces a detective to pay for his previous mistakes.Underrated. Excellent performances by two A-list leads, Stellan Skarsgård and Melissa George. This film created its own genre: the "torture noir."
