Throughout decades of cinema, horror has changed so much that there's no question it's one of the genres that has been reinvented the most. Audiences have evolved, and with them, the ways they can be scared. Horror has also had to adapt itself to inevitable cultural shifts.
Yes, horror is universal. But some do it better than others. While the Japanese and the Koreans have proven they can master the art of the scare, American filmmakers have cleverly found a way to adopt those resources. However, the British have also found a way into the conversation of terrifying films based on classic tropes. These are the underrated British horror films that'll give you a scare this Halloween season. That is if you dare to watch them.
10 Kill List (2011)
- Release Date
- September 2, 2011
- Cast
- Neil Maskell , MyAnna Buring , Harry Simpson , Michael Smiley , Emma Fryer , Struan Rodger
Kill List follows two former British soldiers, Jay and Gal, who have decided to become assassins for hire. Their latest mission involves killing seemingly random people from a list shared by a mysterious man. The problem is that the victims behave very strangely, almost thankful for the killers' acts. Ultimately, the two friends find that their last mission follows a unique purpose.
A Terrifying and Bleak Outcome
The film doesn't entirely take place in a horror setting until the ending, when many things happen all at the same time, and viewers are left drained of all hope. It's a masterful exercise in the subgenre of cults that will make you afraid of your own shadow as you tremble thinking of Jay's transformation from victim to... deity?
9 The Ritual (2017)
- Release Date
- October 11, 2017
In The Ritual, a group of four friends decide to venture into the wild in order to pay tribute to Rob, the fifth friend who has been brutally killed during a robbery. The hikers go hiking in a forest in Sweden, and quickly, they realize there's an evil entity surrounding them, and it will show its face eventually.
Grief in the Face of Folk Horror
David Bruckner's film is based on the horror novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. The Ritual is a slow-burn horror feature that cleverly uses folklore elements in order to balance things out between the drama within the group, and the purpose of whatever's haunting them. It's a perfect execution of the "camping in the woods never goes right" subgenre.
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8 The Borderlands (2013)
The Borderlands is the story of three men who are sent by the Vatican to investigate strange events that have taken place in a church in the English countryside. Upon finding evidence that it may have to do with the site where the church was initially built, they decide to enter an underground system where something will be waiting for them.
A Little Bit Too Literal
The film, also known as Final Prayer in some countries, is a riveting experience in found footage that was mostly overlooked because it never left the indie circle. However, The Borderlands is good enough to creep you out and the bonkers ending will leave you trembling as you imagine how no one had ever thought of that before.
You can stream The Borderlands on Tubi.
7 Host (2020)
- Release Date
- July 30, 2020
- Cast
- Haley Bishop , Jemma Moore
In Host, a group of five friends decide to up their Zoom game and experiment with whatever they can find to have fun with the communication software that became extremely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. They arrange a virtual séance and unknowingly unleash a demon that doesn't need a facemask to enter their homes and haunt them live on camera.
The Definitive COVID-19 Film
Made for $100,000, the Rob Savage horror film was a great business presentation for a filmmaker who knew how to do horror without a huge budget. The film is extremely well done, and while it takes place in a screen-life setting, it manages to provide more than a few scares. You will probably not use Zoom again after it, and if you do, chances are you will turn around a few times during the call.
6 A Dark Song (2016)
A Dark Song follows a mourning mother named Sophia who claims she will do anything to speak with the spirit of her seven-year-old son, who has died under tragic circumstances. She hires an occult expert who claims he can help her communicate with her son, but then she reveals the true nature of her summoning: she wants revenge against whoever killed the boy.
Mourning Gets a Bit Strange
A cooperation between Ireland and the United Kingdom, A Dark Song is a bizarre and claustrophobic film that takes its time to show its true nature. Once it does, and the movie starts playing with the supernatural aspect of its premise, you will find yourself immersed in a bold approach to religious horror that pays off in the end. Seriously, stick around for this one. It gets really, really good halfway through.
You can stream A Dark Song on Shudder.
5 The Innocents (1961)
The Innocents is a 1961 adaptation of the Henry James novel The Turn of the Screw. In the film, Miss Giddens is hired to care for Flora and Miles, two children who live in a huge mansion with their ever-absent uncle. As the governess takes the children under her wing, creepy stuff begins happening at Bly estate, and the disturbed woman believes it has to do with angry spirits residing in the mansion.
The Classic Gothic Story
Directed by Jack Clayton, the film was an American/English Gothic horror response to Robert Wise's The Haunting. And yes, they are similar. But Clayton's The Innocents is a more disturbing film with unconventional cinematography (the dissolves and the lighting in the frames are innovative) and great performances by Deborah Kerr as Ms. Giddens, as well as Martin Stephens as Miles, and Pamela Franklin as Flora.
4 The Woman in Black (2012)
- Release Date
- February 3, 2012
- Director
- James Watkins
- Cast
- Emma Shorey , Molly Harmon , Sophie Stuckey , Daniel Radcliffe , Misha Handley , Jessica Raine
The Woman in Black follows Arthur Kipps, a lawyer with a tragic past who gets hired to visit Eel Marsh House in order to retrieve some documents. While the rejection by the residents in town is scarier than the derelict house, Arthur realizes the legends surrounding the estate are true and there's a ghost out for revenge.
The Not-So-Classic Gothic Story That Will Still Scare You
James Watkins' attempt to make a Gothic horror story is a very good approach to the genre that blew up the box office in 2012, making almost $130 million. Most of this had to do with the participation of Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe in the lead, and audiences found in the actor a compelling protagonist. They also found that Watkins was out to make a straight horror capable of terrifying all those who dared watch it. It's probably the scariest film on the entire list.
3 Saint Maud (2019)
- Release Date
- October 9, 2020
- Director
- Rose Glass
Saint Maud is the story of Maud, formerly Katie, a nurse who had to quit her latest job after she failed to save a patient. Now working exclusively as a private nurse, Maud meets Amanda, a former dancer with cancer. The very devout Maud goes through a rough patch with her new patient and becomes convinced that God has rejected her. This sends her on a journey to prove that she's worthy of everything God "tells her" to do.
The Dark Side of Religion
One of the scariest religious horror films ever made, Saint Maud is a slow-burn film that transcends its supernatural elements but not fully - just enough to give the viewer some doubt about Maud's sanity. When it finally proves what it is, with a gloriously disturbing final scene, you will find yourself trying to forget this terrifying horror film.
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2 Ghostwatch (1992)
- Release Date
- October 31, 1992
- Director
- Lesley Manning
- Cast
- Sarah Greene , mike smith , Craig Charles , Michael Parkinson
In Ghostwatch, real-life talk show figure Michael Parkinson participates in a mockumentary where a TV crew investigates the poltergeist-related phenomena taking place in a suburban house. At first, it looks like a regular ghost-hunting show, with the occasional scare and disturbing surveillance footage. However, when things begin occurring at the BBC television studio, you will get goosebumps.
The One Everyone Bought
Broadcast by BBC1 on Halloween night in 1992, Ghostwatch was a horrific TV experience that was deemed too scary for primetime audiences. When the cameras abruptly stopped during the broadcast, the network started receiving calls from concerned viewers. You may think that a TV movie made in 1992 isn't scary, but Ghostwatch isn't by any means conventional. It's a great presentation of the found footage format that would be capitalized on years later with The Blair Witch Project.
You can stream Ghostwatch on Shudder.
1 Repulsion (1965)
Repulsion
In Repulsion, a young, beautiful Belgian woman lives with her sister in London. Carol is a shy manicurist who struggles to speak to anyone, and the men who approach her are met with strong rejection. When her sister begins dating a married man, she despises the idea of him being around her. As other men approach her, Carol's paranoia jumps to delusions, and she starts believing everyone is out to attack her.
Paranoia Gets Too Real
Directed by Roman Polanski, the film is a great psychological thriller that drifts to horror territory halfway through, when it becomes very obvious that Carol has fallen to the bottom of the rabbit hole and there's no chance of rescuing her. It's a film based on hallucinatory elements brought to life, but they're unsettling enough to make you afraid of your own shadow.
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