13 Greatest Art-House Horror Films
Erin Hoyles
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10. Under the Skin (2013):
This 2013 film directed by Johnathan Glazer and based on Michael Campbell’s 2000 novel could pass for a Kubrick masterpiece. In fact, the similarities are so striking you will either be impressed or irritated at the likeness. After all, imitation is the highest form of flattery, but it can also be just that… imitation. This dark and brooding film stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien who wears human skin and feeds off of the men she picks up at various locations during her travels. What most viewers would consider important details, such as why she’s here, where she is from, what her motives are, etc., are noticeably absent in this picture. However, what it does reveal proves to be much more artistic than what it is lacking. There is a definite focus on style over substance, and although it isn’t really all that scary, there is a certain creepy desolation and sadness to this alien’s experiences here on Earth that make the movie well worth the time you will spend watching it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoSWbyvdhHw
9. Repulsion (1965):
Easily one of the best art-house pictures of all time, this 1965 film directed by Roman Polanski is one of three films that make up his “Apartment Trilogy.” The psychological thriller centers on a woman who has been left alone in her apartment to slowly unravel into madness. As she revisits past traumas, she completely loses her mind with shocking and disastrous results. As in all of Polanski’s works, he manages to use a more subtle approach to building a sense of dread as opposed to relying on more obvious routes for achieving terror.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGf-4XccpgQ
8. The Shining (1980):
What art-house horror list would be complete without Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece, The Shining? Creepy twins, an elevator gushing blood, and Jack Nicholson playing an overly-stressed father slowly losing his mind in a haunted hotel that lies smack in the middle of a desolate landscape. All this movie needs is a creepy little kid with an imaginary friend. Any horror fan who hasn’t seen The Shining should probably turn in his/her membership to the “I Love Horror Club.” Since this movie could really be included on nearly every “best of” list, I have often considered no longer mentioning it since it’s sort of a given. Pure genius. Pure terror. Aside from Stephen King, who doesn’t love this movie?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b726feAhdU
7. Lost Highway (1997):
Ahhhh, David Lynch, the king of all things weird. I could have included just about any of his works, but since this one creeped me out more than all the others, it gets top billing. This 1997 psychological horror is done in the typical film noir style that Lynch is famous for. It focuses on professional musician Fred, who is in a strained relationship and begins receiving strange videotapes at his door that indicate someone is watching their house. Chaos… and confusion ensue when Fred starts to turn into other people after he is accused of murder. Describing the plot of this movie is about as difficult as it is to figure out, but don’t let that hold you back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nKjO9QCSic
