You’ve seen all the classics and now you are hungry for more. Here are 13 horror movie recommendations for less-known films. These are not completely obscure films, but ones that are not among the essential horror titles for beginners. I think they are worthwhile watches to help expand your horror movie knowledge.
Do you like the early found footage documentary style of The Blair Witch Project (1999), but find it a little uneventful and slow at parts? Try The St. Francisville Experiment (2000).
The Plot: Four filmmakers spend the night in a haunted mansion and record their ghostly encounters.
While we have come leaps and bounds from where the subgenre started, these early forays into the found footage format will always have a special place in my heart. The St. Francisville Experiment didn’t have the awesome marketing of Blair Witch, and it has some of the same issues with unlikeable characters. It differs, however, in that its pacing is faster and there are more moments where we see supernatural elements onscreen. It can still creep me out when watched alone on a dark and stormy night.
Train to Busan (2016) was an instant hit for zombie-loving horror fans, showcasing just how creative and innovative the South Korean horror scene could be. Its sequel, Peninsula (2020), was also well-regarded. (I actually prefer it to its predecessor).
Did you know, however, that there is an animated prequel? Seoul Station (2016) takes place one day before the events of Train to Busan, but it is full of just as much action – and carnage.
The Plot: Several groups of people try to survive a zombie pandemic that unleashes itself in downtown Seoul.
Truly scary animated horror is rare, so this film is a special gem. Additionally, many of the scenes are cinematic – with directorial choices that would normally be seen in a live-action film. I won’t spoil the ending, but the final sequence is magical to me. Instead of showing a pivotal moment straight on, it is shown through shadow. This movie is a must-see for every zombie fan.
Liminal space horror is certainly having a moment this year. Backrooms (2026) rocked the box office and brought Gen Z out in droves. I, however, much preferred the liminal space horror Exit 8 (2025).
The Plot: A man trapped in a subway station must play an unnerving game to get out.
Based off an indie game of the same name, viewers strain alongside the protagonist to spot anomalies as he travels through the same subway hallway again and again. The filmmakers perfectly recreated the sterile hallways of the game and found a way to add a compelling narrative to a game that held none. For a piece that relies heavily on a limited space and small cast, it continually remains fresh and exciting. It only had a limited theatrical release in the U.S., but I went to see it twice in theaters – and noticed new details each time.
Supernatural suicide curses your thing? If you enjoyed the uncanny terror of Smile (2022), watch From Within (2008).
The Plot: A small Maryland town is gripped by a curse which causes residents to take their own life one after another.
One of the “8 Films to Die For” in After Dark HorrorFest III (2009), this is a solid horror film. Also, if you happen to be in the odd crossover of horror fan & America’s Next Top Model fan (like me), the movie features Amanda & Michelle Babin, the twins who competed in Cycle 7 of the reality tv show.
Do you like the looping death concept of Happy Death Day (2017), the look & feel of The Butterfly Effect (2004), and just a pinch of Dark City (1998) mixed in? Give The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007) a chance.
The Plot: A man awakes each day as a new person, only to be murdered again by horrifying pursuers.
This is another 8 Films to Die For Alum, having been part of After Dark’s HorrorFest II (2007). I love the unique premise and creativity. This is one that is best if you go into it knowing as little as possible (you may even want to skip the trailer below). Part of the fun is discovering what is going on and why it is happening to the protagonist.
As I said in the earlier entry about The Blair Witch Project and The St. Francisville Experiment, found footage horror has gotten a lot better since those early attempts. [Rec] (2007) is one of the best found footage horror movies ever made and a must-see if you love the zombie genre. Similar in tone, The Bay (2012) is another great found footage horror sure to give you the willies.
The Plot: Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs.
From news footage to police recordings to home videos, this film does a great job of piecing together different types of “found footage” to show many different experiences in this doomed town. Its themes are still relevant today – and maybe feel just a little too close to the realm of possibility. The film will leave you with a sense of unease. I still am weary of swimming in bays and lakes!
Do diabolical kids like Isaac or Job from The Children of the Corn (1984) creep you out? If so, then maybe you’d better avoid the Spanish horror film Who Can Kill a Child (1976).
The Plot: English tourists arrive on an island where all the children have gone crazy and are murdering the adults.
Dennis Schwartz from Ozus’ World Movie Reviews called this film “unapologetic downbeat”, and that is pretty fitting. There are no happy endings here. From a brutal opening sequence showing children affected by the horror of war to the fate of our main characters, this is a hard film to watch – but it is well done. I certainly have to applaud that the filmmakers had the nerve to finally have a main character actually fight back against killer kids. It makes his last stand especially heart-wrenching.
A strong little girl protagonist in a fantastic and dark situation describes Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and it also describes Tigers are Not Afraid (2017).
The Plot: We are in a Mexican city turned into a ghost town by the drug-war. Estrella is 11, and when her mother vanishes, she makes a wish: she wants her mother to come back. And mom does return…from the dead. Terrified, Estrella escapes and joins a rag-tag gang of other children orphaned by the violence, all escaping their own past. But she learns that in a city ruled by death, you can’t simply leave the ghosts behind. They walk with you wherever you go. This dark fairy tale centers on children trying to survive the horrific violence of cartels and the ghosts created every day by the drug war.
This film won awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Issa López), Best Actor (Juan Ramón López), Best Actress (Paola Lara), and Best Editing (Joaquim Marti) at Screamfest Horror Film Festival 2017. There are moments of childhood innocence that will make you laugh, and heart-wrenching violence that will make you sob. Inspired by the very real violence that children face in areas controlled by drug cartels, this is a moving film, with many fantastic and creepy elements.
If you liked the themes of motherly love and the unsettling ghost story of Dark Water (2002), try watching The House at the End of Time (2013).
The Plot: After being wrongly imprisoned for the mysterious, supernatural death of her husband and son, Dulce returns back to her old home. The supernatural events that led to the crime return to haunt her and reveal a sinister secret about the building.
This is another Screamfest Horror Film Festival alum, having won awards for Best Picture and Best Director (Alejandro Hidalgo) in 2014. Be ready for twists and turns, and a tear-jerker reveal.
If you love stop-motion animation like The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), try Mad Monster Party (1967).
The Plot: On the Isle of Evil, Baron Boris von Frankenstein reveals his imminent retirement and that he has refined the secret of total destruction. Much to his frustration, the other monsters try to steal the secret and kill his nephew, Felix Flanken.
This stop-motion animated musical comedy is produced by Rankin/Bass Productions (most well-known for their Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer films, Frosty the Snowman, and other holiday classics). It features a who’s who of famous monsters (though many are called by different names to avoid royalty fees to Universal). This is a wonderful introduction to classic horror characters for children (or the very faint of heart). Plus, the fun songs will keep your toes tapping and everyone humming along.
If you enjoyed the atmosphere and tone of Child’s Play (2019), Sting (2024) will catch you in its web.
The Plot: After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet – and fight for her family’s surviva l-when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.
Sting is a solid creature-feature with plenty of references to other horror and sci-fi films. It is a modern-day B-horror.
The dark and moody sets and atmosphere of Dark City (1998) set it apart from other films of its time. Except, of course, for the works of Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro, whose films take viewers to highly stylized worlds filled with whimsy and fantasy. The City of Lost Children (1995) isn’t actually horror, it’s a sci-fi fantasy film – but that won’t matter because you will fall in love with it just the same.
The Plot: A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process. After his younger brother is kidnapped, One, a fairground strongman, sets out to find him with the help of an orphaned girl.
The City of Lost Children is an absolutely gorgeous film with massive sets that took up nearly an acre of space. Every aspect of the film is highly stylized – from the sets, to the costumes, to the over-the-top performances.
And if you like this film, see their previous work, Delicatessen (1991). This post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy centers on an apartment building with a delicatessen on the ground floor. A former clown applies to be the new maintenance man after the “mysterious disappearance” of his predecessor.
A serial killer, a trapped kid, and ghosts – if those elements in The Black Phone (2021) intrigued you, try Haunter (2013).
The Plot: The ghost of a teenager who died years ago reaches out to the land of the living in order to save someone from suffering her same fate.
This is the third Screamfest Alum on this list (having been in the 2013 festival). The less you know going into this film, the better. (As with a couple other entries on this list, you may want to skip the trailer). This film turns the ghost tropes on its head with a fresh take on a familiar premise.
I hope you enjoy these 13 horror movie recommendations (despite the fact that one is a fantasy/sci-fi). For other recommendations & reviews, keep an eye on my “Movies” section of the website.
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You’ve seen all the classics and now you are hungry for more. Here are 13 horror movie recommendations for less-known films. These are not completely obscure films, but ones that
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