hidden gem horror films
by dandy j. west and gene lass
October is the time of year when people are looking for recommendations for good horror movies, unless you’re like us and you watch them year-round. If you look at lists, you’ll get the usual classics out there and some of the box office hits. But what you’re typically not getting are the hidden gems – films that weren’t released for long, or that may have been successful but have since been forgotten. Here we have a list of some of our favorites, ranging from influential but forgotten classics to horror comedies to truly horrifying films that will haunt you and turn your stomach.
Note: For films that both of us have seen, you’ll see * Dandy approved or * Gene approved. Otherwise they’re films one of us has seen that we’d heartily recommend.
Fido (2006 horror comedy)
I love, love, love this film. If you’re under 50, chances are you’ve never seen an episode of “Lassie” but that’s exactly what this film is, if you replace Lassie, the family dog who always saves the day, with Fido, a zombie. The premise is that the world is now a utopia because, while the zombie apocalypse has occurred, the zombies were tamed with control collars, so now zombies are doing all the jobs living humans didn’t want to, like mowing lawns, working in factories, and other tedious or dangerous things that didn’t require a lot of intelligence. Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Billy Connoly plays Fido, who may remember more of his life among the living than people expect, leading the public to wonder if it’s right to have the dead do their laundry.
2. Targets (1968 horror/thriller)
At this point in career, Boris Karloff was a legend who rose to fame playing Frankenstein’s Monster and the Mummy then did far lesser films, often for producer/director Roger Corman, in which he played a wizard or a mad scientist, In this unique film, Karloff essentially plays himself, and he’s delightful. Peter Bogdanovich, who would come to acclaim later but was at this point just beginning his career, co-stars and directs, and all the scenes he shares with Karloff are pure magic, but Karloff’s scenes by himself are even better, my favorite being a scene in which Karloff sees his reflection in a mirror and inadvertently scares himself. In the film, Karloff is a horror legend set to retire, but he’ll make one more appearance at a drive-in, which will be showing a double feature of two of his films. At the same time, a young man in the area becomes unhinged, killing his family and hiding out behind the screen at the drive-in, where he plans to snipe attendees. This part of the plot is based on the 1966 shooting at the University of Texas in Austin, one of many moments in the late 60s that haunted America.
3. Island of Lost Souls (1932 horror/sci-fi)
Released the year after his legendary role as “Dracula”, this film, based on H.G. Wells’ novel, “The Island of Dr. Moreau” features Charles Laughton as Dr. Moreau, a scientist who has been combining animals and humans, and Bela Lugosi as one of his “animal men.” The film was banned in many countries for its themes, but has been a major influence for years, including, oddly, for the band Devo, who took their band name, and the name of one of their albums, “Are We Not Men?” from the film. Worth finding, particularly in the fully restored version, not just as the film itself, but also to see why Lugosi continued to be a legend and in-demand actor after “Dracula.”
4. The Menu (2022 horror/black comedy) *Dandy approved
This movie hits home for any horror fan, but also anyone who has ever worked in food service or customer service. In it, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult are on a dinner, date, headed to an island for an invitation-only multi-course gourmet dinner prepared by a legendary chef, played by Ralph Fiennes. It quickly becomes apparent that there are actually two mysteries about the evening – one being what the next course will be, and the other – why were these specific guests invited?
5. Carver (2006 slasher)
I don’t watch many slasher films anymore, because I’m beyond tired of the formula. Teenagers or adults in their early 20s go camping, or have a party, or get lost somewhere, and for whatever reason, someone starts killing them. After a while it comes down to the creativity of their deaths, the gore, and if there’s any actual suspense to the film or whether it’s just a splatterfest. It’s even worse now in the age of CGI, where computers ironically make a movie look cheaper and faker than prosthetics and colored corn syrup “blood” ever did.
Carver is a serious exception. Yes, it’s about two brothers and their friends who run into trouble on a camping trip, but there are plot elements you don’t see in other films, there’s suspense, there’s character development, and one of the most sheerly gruesome kills I’ve ever seen in a film, done with conventional effects. Both the sound and image of it are forever burned in my memory, and they continue to make my stomach turn when I think of them.
6. All About Evil (2010 horror comedy)
This film is everything you would want in a low-budget campy horror film. Natasha Lyonne stars as a young woman who inherited her family’s low-budget movie theatre, which typically shows classic and grindhouse horror films. In order to keep it in business, she starts producing snuff films, then showing them at the theatre as if they fictional grindhouse films. It’s hilarious, it’s horrible, and if you’ve ever worked in a movie theatre, it was at one point probably your darkest fantasy.
7. Antibirth (2016 horror comedy)
This film, also starring Natasha Lyonne, really cemented the fact that she has a talent for dark comedy that makes use of her own reputation while also being disturbing and funny. Here, she and IRL friend Chloe Sevigny play hard-partying friends living in a small town in Michigan. They continually smoke, drink, and take whatever drugs they can find, while sleeping with whomever. That’s all fun until Lyonne’s character gets pregnant, and the pregnancy is far from normal. Comedy is mixed with some very disturbing body horror, and a unique twist ending that I continue to smile at almost a decade later.
8. Llamageddon (2015 horror comedy)
This film is just uniquely awesome. Think of “Killer Clowns from Outer Space”, but with llamas, not clowns. Killer space llamas, who come to Earth by accident, then proceed to kill or mate with whatever they find as a means of conquest. There are disturbing body horror scenes on a par with John Carpenter’s “The Thing”, also involving llamas, but that clearly used up the budget, so later scenes were done in the form of cartoon animation. It’s hilarious, it’s gory (so gross and gory you may watch with your hands over your eyes, peeking between your fingers), it’s a must-see.
9. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010 horror)
If you like “Stranger Things”, you need to see this film, the first film from writer/director Panos Cosmatos. Like “Stranger Things”, which debuted 6 years later, the film is set in 1983, and it features a young girl with psychic powers who is held by a mysterious institute doing paranormal research. The color palette for the film is incredible, the music is retro, everything about it screams 1980s, with the jaundiced eye of modern audiences.
10. King of the Ants (2003 horror)
Directed by legend Stuart (“Re-Animator”) Gordon, the film features noted “Cheers” actor George Wendt in a rare (if not only) and highly effective appearance as a bad guy. Wendt read the original novel, then contacted the author and Gordon about developing it as a film. In the film, a young man, down on his luck, agrees to kill someone for a shady real estate developer. When the developer then refuses to pay the young man, who went through with the murder, the young man objects, and so the developer has his thugs take the young man out to a remote location in the California desert, where each day, the thugs wrap foam padding around his head before hitting him in the skull with a baseball bat. The intent is to do just enough brain damage to make him forget the murder he committed, and lose the ability to implicate the men or their boss.
It's a seriously disturbing, graphically accurate tale of survival and revenge, while also being a testament to what humans will do to each other, and what they can overcome.
11. Mandy (2018 action/horror
This second film by writer/director Panos Cosmatos continues Cosmatos’ style of incredible color and lighting with a retro ‘80s flair, this time starring Nicolas Cage as Red Miller, a veteran with an alcoholic past, living quietly with his wife, Mandy, in the Pacific Northwest. After a random encounter with a local cult, the couple are kidnapped and Mandy is murdered, leaving Red to seek revenge. The film is everything you would want, including Cage shifting from troubled but functional to full-on unhinged and hallucinating, and, yes, a chainsaw duel.
12. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014 horror)
Like slasher movies, vampire movies and stories have been done so much that for some they’ve become tiresome. This makes films that do something different, like “Let the Right One In” and this film, so much better. Welcomingly refreshing. Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour calls this “an Iranian vampire western,” and given how it bends and crosses genres, that makes sense. Set in modern-day Iran but shot in California, the film, beautifully shot in black and white, depicts a young female vampire, drifting along the streets of a small town each night, where she encounters good people and bad. She typically preys on the bad and sympathizes with the good, making her an antihero character who is still by nature a killer, but still a relatable girl who listens to music, rides a skateboard, and dreams of being loved.
13. Revenge (2018, French, horror/thriller)
Drawing deeply from classic revenge films, most notably “I Spit on Your Grave”, this film depicts a woman who goes out to the California desert to spend a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, a married man, at a swank vacation home. When two friends of his arrive, she’s raped, grievously injured, and left for dead. She survives, and seeks revenge, with her attackers hunting her as much as she’s hunting them. It’s bloody, it’s graphic, but like other films on this list, it’s better written and of better quality than many previous entries in the genre. On the point of good writing, is the girl’s character arc. As is the case in a lot of horror or suspense films, the plot hinges on making bad decisions, and early on, she makes plenty. In some films this would make her a throwaway character, a victim. But in this film we learn she’s smarter than one would think, resourceful, determined, and the film explores that without getting preachy or testing our suspension of disbelief.
14. Rubber (2010 horror comedy)
Look at that image. Yes, it’s a killer tire. What else do you need to know, really? That alone is brilliant, but “Rubber” goes the extra mile, into meta territory, as it becomes a tongue-in-cheek film-within-a film, with the pseudo-audience also dying bizarre and horrific deaths.
15. Killer Sofa (2019 horror comedy)
Like “Rubber”, “Killer Sofa” is part of a fun horror sub-genre pioneered by the classic “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” and its sequels. Horror spoofs that take something totally benign, like a tomato, tire, or piece of furniture, and make it bloodthirsty and deadly. However, unlike “Rubber” or the Killer Tomato films, “Killer Sofa” isn’t over the top. It’s done seriously, making it an absurdist horror comedy. The only thing wrong with it, really, is that it’s not about a sofa. As you can clearly see from the promotional art, it’s more like a killer recliner, but that wouldn’t sound as cool.
16. Black Sheep (2006 horror comedy) *Dandy approved
This is another film that speaks for itself. Killer sheep. Not only are they killer sheep, but they’re basically zombie sheep in the vein of “28 Days Later.” This concept is hilarious, but the film also brings in a significant element of suspense and horror, given that it’s set in New Zealand, where there are more sheep than people.
17. Late Phases (2014 horror)
Werewolf movies have been around since 1935, when “Werewolf of London”, the first full-length werewolf film, was released. Since then, like vampire films and slasher films, they’ve tended to go over the same lore over and over again, with some differences, and in the case of werewolf films, the big difference has been the quality of the makeup effects and the level of gore.
That’s what makes this film, like others on the list, vastly different. The entire plot is different. In it, an aging vet, blinded in the Viet Nam war (brilliantly played by Nick Damici of “Stakeland” fame) , is checked into a senior living community by his son, despite asserting that he can take care of himself. Now living with his beloved service dog, the man takes note that a lot of the residents are dying, even more than you’d think for a senior community, and the deaths seem to follow the phases of the moon. What’s more, as he’s noted through his hearing and sense of smell, senses he relies upon because he’s blind, there have been odd sounds and smells corresponding with the deaths. He concludes that a werewolf is preying on the residents, and despite his limitations, he sets out to use his military skills to take the monster(s) down.
18. American Mary (2012)
Mary, played by Katharine Isabelle, is a struggling med student studying to be a surgeon. Desperate to make money, she finds herself in a strip club answering an ad to be a masseuse. Instead, she finds herself aiding an injured man hurt conducting some underbelly crime. Trying to detach herself from the incident and move on with her life, a string of bad circumstances come her way which make her quit med school. Then an offer to perform illegal surgeries and body modifications becomes her new calling. Revenge is best served cold.
19. Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Lisa (Kathryn Newton) is an eccentric high school student living in the shadow of a home invasion that killed her mother. Although her father had moved on and remarried, Lisa was lost, preferring the company of a headstone belonging to a young man in the old graveyard. Lightning strikes and The Creature, playfully played by Cole Sprouse, arises. Together, they quietly move around in their small community as they bring The Creature back to life using body parts from other people and a faulty tanning bed. A throwback to 80s horror, this movie is witty and charming with a few good chuckles.
20. The Hole (2001)
A group of high school students played by Thora Brich, Desmond Harrington, Keira Knightly, and Laurence Fox all skip the school trip to party in an old bunker. All is fun and games until they try to leave at the end of the weekend only to find themselves locked in the bunker with no way out. As they start to starve and turn on each other, it ponders the question of what really happened down there? Was it really an accident or was it planned?
21. The Innkeepers (2011) *Gene approved
A quiet, small town hotel is closing down and two employees are there working overnight to accommodate a few guests and finish stripping the rooms. A worthy note to mention is one of the guests is Kelly McGillis, playing a drunken Medium in town for an event. The one worker is also deadset on catching paranormal activity within the hotel. As he sets up his equipment, Claire (Sara Paxton) goes about her day, not paying much mind to his antics. Still, she’s fascinated when he catches brief encounters and wants to help out when he takes a break. However, Claire is in for more than she anticipated as she starts to see and hear things around the hotel. Are the activities real or a figment of her imagination? This one was truly spooky for any ghost fans.
23. May (2002) *Gene approved
A story of a painfully shy girl named May, Angela Bettis plays this oddball character well. Her social awkwardness is unparalleled. When she was a child, she had a lazy eye which led to her being bullied. In an effort to soothe her insecurities and loneliness, her mother gifts her a doll and tells May to “make” her friends. As an adult, people are drawn to May, but her awkwardness pushes them away, leaving her with crippling abandonment issues. She takes her mother’s advice too far and decides to make herself a friend, using parts from the people who’ve done her wrong.
23. C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989)
This was always a personal favorite of mine from when I was a child. This movie is more zombie than sewer dwellers as the movie poster predicts. Bud (Gerrit Graham) is an infected zombie from the military whose body decides to go on a little adventure. When he awakens, he wreaks havoc across the town, biting people and turning them into zombies, creating his own army. However, Bud comes across a picture of Katie (Trisha Leigh Fisher) and falls in love. His wrath throughout town turns into a search for her and as she runs away, the more he pursues. His offering turns into an aww moment, but then you remember he’s a zombie. A classic cheesy 80s horror comedy at its finest.
24. Possession (2009)
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Jess) has the perfect husband, Ryan. He’s warm, loving, and caring. Of course, the package wouldn’t be complete without his deadbeat brother Roman, played by Lee Pace. A tragic accident leaves both brothers in a coma, leaving Jess completely alone and unable to function without Ryan. Roman awakens, but he’s not Roman. He’s Ryan stuck in Roman’s body. After a lot of convincing, Jess starts to accept that this is real, but starts to become skeptical as she starts to see cracks in Roman-Ryan’s demeanor and stories. The search is on to uncover the truth. Was this an elaborate scheme or did they actually switch bodies? The DVD offers two different endings to this movie depending on what you want to believe. Although it’s not a “Choose Your Own Adventure,” the alternate ending is worth checking out.
25. Stoker (2013)
A twisted gothic-like tale of a young girl (Mia Wasikowski) whose father dies on her birthday and finds herself infatuated with her long-lost uncle. At the funeral her uncle (Matthew Goode) surfaces, a person that she has never met, but is instantly drawn to. He has this magnetic pull from her and she’s drawn deeper into this dark psyche of wanting to hurt people. Meanwhile, her unstable mother (Nicole Kidman) keeps making subtle plays for Charlie even though he’s completely disinterested. He only has eyes for India. Was her father’s death really an accident? Who is Charlie deep down?
27. Love Object (2003)
Desmond Harrington delivers on the role of Kenneth, a socially awkward technical writer who becomes obsessed with his coworker, Lisa (Melissa Sagemiller). Instead of approaching her, he decides to have a life-sized sex doll made in her likeness. His relationship with the doll harms none, but as the real Lisa starts to show interest in him, he’s in a war of emotions between his doll and the real thing. As he discovers “flaws” on the real Lisa, he becomes more unhinged and violent towards his doll until he directs his rage elsewhere. The film offers a good twist ending as well, definitely not a miss! I’d recommend this movie and “May” as a double feature!
28. Shark Night (2011)
A group of college students get more than they bargained for when they vacation at a fellow friend’s summer home. The lake around the home is infested with sharks. Believed that the sharks have been washed in by a hurricane, it becomes a test of wills as the group try to escape this remote hell for help. As they start to become shark bait, it’s revealed there’s a bigger ulterior motive afoot. Starring Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Katharine McPhee, Chris Carmack, and Donal Logue. This is a fun spring break feature to watch at your lake house!