The best horror movies are the ones you don't understand.
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00:00Films are perfect for when you're after some surface-level entertainment.
00:04There is no simple pleasure quite as enjoyable as zoning out, laying back,
00:08and whacking on a movie that you don't have to pay full attention to,
00:11falling into some cheap laughs or easy scares for 90 minutes before getting on with your day.
00:16Sadly, though, there will always come a time when shoveling in snacks to
00:20baseless scary movie installments loses its sheen, and we become hungry for something that
00:25Doritos and Anna Faris just can't provide. Upsetting, but true. Never fear, though,
00:30as of course there is a world of cinema out there that veers in exactly the opposite direction.
00:35Instead of bumbling through their runtime with little to offer than some shiny,
00:39entertaining images, these films pride themselves on offering an experience that dives deep into
00:44unknown territories, crafting immersive worlds, concepts, and mysteries for audiences to unravel
00:50time and time again. These might be even harder to find in the horror genre,
00:54but they do exist, creating truly unnerving pieces that improve with each watch as you
01:01comb over the clues they leave to reach mind-blowing finales. With that in mind then,
01:06I am the bottomless pit that is Ash from WhatCulture, and these are 8 horror movies that
01:11get better the deeper you go. 8. Suspiria
01:15Known most recently by its 2018 remake, Suspiria is a cult classic of the genre from Dario Argento,
01:22and one so sumptuously shot and soundtracked that it is easy to see why it has had such a
01:27lasting presence on the horror community. Intertwining a rainbow of colour into a story
01:31about a ballet school with a supernatural presence lurking in its walls, Suspiria is never forthcoming
01:37with its narrative. Instead, relying on suggestive shots and a drip-fed story to reach the conclusion
01:42that lead Susie Bannion is dealing with a coven of witches.
01:46This revelation doesn't come until late into the film, contextualising the events that we have just
01:51watched play out, like dogs turning aggressive, students getting dramatically murdered, and a
01:56strange breathy figure appearing in the night into something tangible, meaning it is ripe for
02:01re-watching as soon as you have gotten through its snappy runtime. Suspiria is classic yellow horror,
02:07and Argento's pinpoint vision for the film means that it is a joy to dig into all the little clues
02:12that craft a witchy hole. Inspired in part by a true story, as heard by the film's co-writer,
02:18Dario Nicolodi, and in part by the 1845 novel Suspiria de Profundis, the European influences that
02:24make up the story are ever interesting to consume. And combined with his fairy tale inspirations,
02:30even more intriguing to attempt to piece together as you dig into Suspiria's vibe.
02:357. Black Swan
02:37Darren Aronofsky doesn't make basic movies. Whether it's Requiem for a Dream, Mother,
02:42or Noah, the director is known for his off-the-wall envisioning of life in an entirely
02:47new and uncomfortable way, bringing the darker aspects of his character's psyches to the forefront
02:52for a nightmarish ride. His horror efforts in Black Swan are where this talent for the macabre
02:57becomes most apparent, detailing Wandancer's fall from grace as she works through a hallucinogenic
03:02struggle to become prima ballerina of Swan Lake. Diving into Black Swan provides a wealth of
03:08interesting dissections, playing off the representations of the White Swan that Natalie
03:12Portman's character embodies so well, and the Black Swan that she aspires to be able to connect
03:17with in the same way as Mila Kunis. Whether this is the death of innocence and welcoming of her
03:22budding sexuality, or perhaps the insinuation of abuse at her mother's hands is up to the audience
03:27to decide, with the film's mesmerising interpretive qualities something to really get your teeth into.
03:33Black Swan's psychological edge and constant shifting between reality and imagination is one
03:38that makes it a difficult but rewarding watch, much like many other Aronofsky films too. In any case,
03:44it is one that only gets better the further you pick it apart, since you can be sure that everything
03:48the director has put in there has its own firm reasoning behind it.
03:536. Psycho
03:54Of course, no list on horror movies that build up their own fascinating mythos to dive into would
04:00be complete without Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. One of the granddaddies of the slasher genre and a
04:05perfectly constructed scarefest, it has long been hailed by film students the world over that have
04:10had to pick through its meticulously pieced together shots, revealing thematic undercurrents that are
04:15easy to miss when it is so easy to become wrapped up in Psycho's plot. Psycho is the story of Marion Crane
04:21on the run, at least initially, stealing a huge sum of money and stopping off at the Bates Motel
04:25as she makes her way out of town. Unfortunately for her, Norman Bates and his mother aren't very
04:30hospitable owners, resulting in Marion's death and the consequent search by her family and friends
04:34for the missing woman. As the narrative unfolds with each twist and turn, Hitchcock drops sneaky
04:40clues that give way to the true nature of the characters he has created on screen, such as Norman's
04:45predatory bird collection giving way to his true intentions and Marion's penchant for mirrors to
04:50reflect her duplicitous personality. Spotting all these moments becomes half the joy of picking
04:55through such a seminal movie, since it always feels that there is something new no matter how
04:59many times one can watch it, and that is why it remains such a masterpiece to this day.
05:045. Us
05:05Much in the same vein as Get Out, Jordan Peele's second movie, and testament to the power of his
05:11laser-focused horror, Us hides its true intentions under layers of symbolism.
05:16Telling the story of a family accosted by their own doppelgangers as they holiday in Santa Cruz,
05:21Peele's ability to tell a scary story that overlays far more intense and deeper societal
05:26issues is the work of an artist, elevating what would be a good horror movie by any standards to
05:31new and scary heights. Going deeper into Us reveals Peele is folding in a story of the underclass,
05:38utilizing the tethered as underground representations of those in poverty who are oppressed and then
05:43cut off from the world, vying for their time in the sun quite literally. Mixing in themes of class,
05:49privilege, and ignorance into what is already an intense horror home invasion makes it all the
05:54more interesting. But he doesn't stop there. Peele is also an avid cinephile, and works hard to
05:59incorporate his love of film into his work at every point possible. Borrowing from B-movie classics like
06:04C-H-U-D, or Chud, which appears at the start of the film as an indication of what is to come,
06:10cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers anyone, to long-love masterpieces like The Shining,
06:15which breathes life into the creepy, murderous twins, his work is peppered so heavily with
06:20knowing not that it will have any film lover whipping their head around uncontrollably.
06:24It's a joy to dig into, and far too easy to find oneself lost in the minute details of its
06:29construct, rather than the overarching film itself with multiple watches.
06:344. Shaun of the Dead
06:36What appears on the surface as simple, dumb, fun, Shaun of the Dead is the bonkers horror
06:42comedy that imbues its story with plenty of fun extras for avid fans to unpack. Meaning you get
06:47the movie that keeps on giving, should you ever want to try and get to the bottom of its bountiful
06:51easter eggs. Simon Pegg in Nick Frost's Love Child marks the start of the Cornetto trilogy,
06:57with this initial installment telling the simple tale of two losers trying to survive the zombie
07:01apocalypse and rescue their friends and family in the process. The whole film is the launching
07:06point for a masterclass in horror history, with famous horror directors and actors hidden throughout
07:11name tags and restaurant titles, and George A. Romero's Living Dead series aped to no end as
07:16lines are recycled in Shaun of the Dead's new context. Experts' attention to detail is also paid to
07:22every unfolding plot point on screen. In fact, each progression of the story is earmarked with
07:27foreshadowing that can be found hidden throughout the movie, with clues tucked into everything from
07:32background posters to the main cast dialogue. As Frost said, unveils exactly how everything will play out
07:37from his big plan in the opening. Edgar Wright's love letter to the genre is one that becomes a
07:43straight easter egg hunt the more you rummage through its shot list, with each discovery even more
07:48hilariously attentive than the last. 3. Midsommar
07:52Just like Jordan Peele, Ari Aster is another horror director that has recently released his
07:57sophomore effort out into the world to a burning inferno of critical praise and fan hype. He's
08:03taken his work into a new direction post-hereditary, but retains all of his intense, painterly style,
08:09of course imbuing it with some trademark slow-burning dread that culminates into an ending that isn't
08:13easily forgotten. Midsommar depicts Danny and her boyfriend Christian as they take a trip to Sweden
08:18with his friends, attempting to salvage a relationship that is strained by Danny's grief
08:22at having tragically lost her family. Considering it is a hefty two and a half hours of movie to get
08:28through, there is plenty to go deeper with after your first watch of Midsommar. Inspired by actual
08:33Swedish cults and a plethora of mysterious folklore, looking into the themes that Aster uncovers with
08:38his movie provides a wealth of creepy reading material to get through, that only intensifies the
08:43strangeness we experience on screen tenfold. Digging into Aster's narrative also reveals heaps of
08:49symbolism, with mirrors and symmetry defining shots to reflect the duality of life, death,
08:53good and evil these characters are working through. Even the crazy bear ending is shown through symbols
08:58before we actually get to it, with Pell, the friend that takes them all to Sweden, sitting in
09:03front of a giant bear picture as he discusses Danny joining them on the trip. There are loads of
09:08tiny moments like this to catch as the film plays out.
09:122. The Cabin in the Woods
09:14Essentially Evil Dead turned up to 11, The Cabin in the Woods sees a group of stereotypical
09:18teenagers, a rambunctious jock, a promiscuous bimbo, an intelligent nerd, a ridiculous stoner,
09:24and a shy virgin head out to the titular cabin for a weekend away. Only, instead of a weekend
09:30of fun, the group are accosted by a zombie redneck torture family that have been awoken by messing
09:35with a book in the basement, meaning they get slowly picked off in increasingly violent ways.
09:40The premise is one that is all too familiar, or at least it appears so, until a government agency
09:45is discovered to be controlling the group behind the scenes in order to maintain a pact with ancient
09:49gods that threaten to wipe out the planet, if not appeased. You know, your average stakes then.
09:55What makes The Cabin in the Woods so brilliant is that this agency adds another layer to just about
09:59every horror movie out there in existence. Instead of horror films being an effort in creating the
10:04most gruesome entertainment possible, this movie gives meaning to the sadism, and explains why
10:09tropes are so common in a genre that has room to be so experimental, becoming a wider theory that
10:15sprinkles a healthy dose of fun throughout the film experience as a whole. Combined with the
10:19countless references to horror film greats that make for some good old-fashioned scavenger hunting
10:24with the pause button, and The Cabin in the Woods holds a tale that only gets better the more you bury
10:29into it.
10:301. Triangle A science fiction horror movie that will
10:34tap dance on your synapses and send your brain into overdrive, Triangle is a film that dresses
10:39itself up as a simple lost-at-sea narrative, selling itself on a group that gets caught in
10:44a storm whilst yachting and after jumps ship onto an abandoned cruise liner that by chance
10:49is passing by. Jess and her friends soon then find themselves victims of a mysterious murderer,
10:53and learn that floating atop their capsized yacht is a far preferable fate to whatever is happening,
10:59aboard the newfound ship. As it turns out, this is not your average spooky story, since the ship
11:05doesn't subscribe to any normal experience of space and time. Instead, Jess has become party to a
11:10time loop, forced into a self-fulfilling prophecy where she kills her friends over and over again
11:15in an attempt to break free of its consequences. On first watch, Triangle is a tangled mess of timelines
11:21that is difficult to prise apart. There's exact doubles, jumping forward and backward in the
11:25narrative, and heaps of death that doesn't quite make sense until you have seen all the way through.
11:30Even then, the precise nature of the loop is still a tricky one to understand in its entirety,
11:35requiring multiple rewatches to get to grips with it before you can dive into the theories of
11:39its causation. Triangle is like horror's answer to Primer. The more you dig, the deeper you go,
11:45and the more crossed wires you find along the way.