10 Deadly Dancing Horror Movies To Watch After You See ‘Abigail’
Sharai Bohannon
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I had the pleasure of bothering Switchblade Cinema while in line for the World Premiere of Abigail at the Overlook Film Festival. As we were geeking out about the movie, one-half of the filmmaking duo let it slip that they love dance horror. They didn’t know that I’m a streaming guide goddess (trademark pending) who would steal that idea the first chance I got. Ironically, this theft is coming full circle as our new favorite dancing vampire movie twirls into theaters this week. This new Radio Silence and Melissa Barrera collaboration has given our office a severe case of dance fever. Because I won’t shut up about it, I’m here with a streaming guide of deadly dancers in some pretty scary movies.
Here are 10 horror titles with moves so sickening that people died.
Black Swan (2010)
Where You Can Watch: Max
A talented ballerina descends into madness just as she is about to achieve her goals. We love to see it. Because this shit goes down at the ballet it has to be on any list honoring our new favorite tiny dancer. The psychological horror film stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder. It also has a few distressing dance moments that will send you directly to hell. However, the clip below sticks out as arguably one of the most stressful.
Fright Night (1985)
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV
When a teen believes his neighbor is a vampire, he enlists a horror television host to help kill the undead. Not only is this one of my favorite vampire movies, but it also has a scene that was heard around the world. Our vampire stops chasing his prey to dance away with his enemy’s girlfriend. This petty behavior is also really hot because of the Chris Sarandon of it all. Can you blame her for dancing off with this vampire man? I mean, look at this clip!
Livid (2011)
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A rumor about a treasure hidden inside a failing dance academy leads a group of friends into ballerina hell. This is another one that has to be on any dance horror list honoring our good sis Abigail. Which is why it’s the only title you have to rent on this list. However, these girls are getting broken and bloody in a very different situation, and that needs to be celebrated. This French horror movie has so many scenes that should be highlighted on this list. However, the imagery of breaking a ballerina keeps me up at night. Some dude narrates what’s happening in the video I pulled below so you can confirm what you’re seeing in real time.
The Loved Ones (2009)
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV
A teen turns down a girl’s invitation to prom, and she abducts him for a very violent evening. I love this Australian gem, and it does have a couple of disturbing dance moments. However, it’s extra scary because who wants to go to any school dance? Let alone a bloody prom where your captors are this deadly. Because The Loved Ones is the private party from hell, it also puts other parts of prom night through a disturbing lens. Case in point, this really fucked up school dance photo moment.
M3GAN (2022)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
An engineer builds a life-like doll that turns on her. I’m sure Abigail and M3GAN will be compared to each other for eternity. However, I’m just here to celebrate the grace, athleticism, and violence both of the girls exhibit. May they dance into more business dealings and clear out characters standing between them and their goals. While this Akela Cooper script is a national treasure on its own, the viral dance is what sent the internet into orbit.
The Red Shoes (2005)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home
A pair of shoes found on a subway platform leads to jealousy, greed, and death for anyone who touches them. This South Korean supernatural horror film has plenty of creepy and disturbing dance moments. However, it also has big disturbing dance kid energy like Abigail and M3GAN. Or maybe I’m just projecting because I don’t trust kids. Either way, it’s worth the watch and should be part of your dance horror viewing plans.
Suspiria (2018)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video and Sling TV
A world-renowned dance company is practicing something more spicy than your little cousin’s hip-hop class at the local YMCA. This movie takes the idea of dancing your problems away too literally. As a Gemini, this is the only kind of dance battle I care to see. While we’re here, I strongly suggest you rent the original too. Peep this nightmare fuel if you’re still unconvinced that dancing is the most dangerous sport.
Stage Fright (1987)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home, Prime Video, and Tubi
A group of actors decide to lock themselves into the theatre for extra rehearsal time, unknowingly trapping an escaped psychopath inside with them. This is another movie where people die for their art! While this slasher has a nice body count and a lot going on, I have yet to recover from the dance number they were rehearsing. This clip is where the real nightmare begins because what is happening? I have many questions, comments, and concerns, but I also cannot look away from whatever this is.
Stage Fright (2014)
Where You Can Watch: Monsters & Nightmares
A killer terrorizes a musical theatre camp in this genre mashup. Most of us hit play because we saw the words Minnie Driver and slasher in close proximity. However, we were all surprised to discover it was also a horror-comedy B-movie. While this might be one of the most polarizing entries on the list, it’s also the only one with large musical numbers. However we feel about the movie, we must respect the ambition of basically turning Glee into a summer camp slasher.
Vamp (1986)
Where You Can Watch: AMC+, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
Frat boys try to pick up an adult entertainer in a sleazy bar and get way more than they anticipated. This party doesn’t start until Grace Jones walks in. Sorry to the rest of the movie but Jones as Katrina is the reason for the season. The dance she does as she is introduced raises the bar for dancing vampire baddies and remains an iconic part of film history. I’m surprised this scene didn’t spawn more vicious vampire dance sequences, to be honest. After all, what is cooler than a blood-drenched dancer who wants to rip out a couple of organs?
Don’t have time to watch all these full-length movies before dancing to the local theater to see Abigail? Well, I have a couple of shorts to help get you in the mood. Check out Disco Inferno (2023) on Netflix and my favorite, The Fourth Wall, on Vimeo.
I’m not saying the odd people in Footloose might’ve been onto something. However, we cannot ignore this dancing-to-death pipeline! After all, these are just the deadly dancers we caught streaming in the usual suspects. Tell me what other dance horror movies would help me make my case at @misssharai.
Categorized:Editorials Streaming Guides
