9 Underrated Horror Movies That You Must Try.

Horror is probably the most-watched genre as compared to other genres. Arguably, it is also one of the most overused genres!

Plenty of horror movies come out every year, but few could make a mark while others are just about pale-skinned female ghosts in white gowns, a haunted house, or, in recent times, demons instead of angry spirits.

For many horror movies, jump scares, prosthetics, and loud background scores are the main ingredients. As a result, movies that lack them often go unnoticed. For instance, the first Annabelle movie! Of course, budget, poor marketing, and bad luck also have roles to play.

Tentpole horror blockbusters like The Conjuring movies or It overshadow movies like Hereditary, It Follows, or The Witch; till they get noticed by true horror fans. So we thought of making a list of 10 underrated horror movies that you must try if you are a horror fan.

Parents (1989)

The first name on the list of underrated horror movies is - Parents. Parents is a mix of horror and black comedy that is fun and eerie at the same time.

Bob Balaban is the director of the film that tells a story of a boy who discovers that his mom and dad are cannibals!

The movie has a twisted sense of humor that sometimes feels surreal and uneasy. For a long time, the parents had no idea that their son had seen them eating human remains. The parents are at a loss why their son looks freaked out around them all the time!

The People Under The Stairs (1991)

The People Under the Stairs is another horror comedy that addresses Blaxploitation. The movie is a satirical film that is presented as a horror movie.

The story revolves around an evil couple and their household that has dark secrets. A young boy breaks into the house only to discover mutilated bodies and boys imprisoned under the stairs.

If you loved Jordan Peele's Get Out, you would like Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs too!

Absentia (2011)

Absentia is directed by Mike Flanagan, who, in my opinion, is one of the best-underrated horror movie directors. In recent times, he impressed audiences with his Netflix mini-series The Haunting of Hill House and his movie adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game.

Absentia is one of Mike Flanagan's earliest works where he showcased some of his best horror skills.

The story is about two sisters - Tricia and Callie. Tricia and Callie decide to investigate the disappearance of Tricia's husband. There is also a mysterious tunnel that the sisters believe has a role to play. Things get freakier when Tricia's husband shows up suddenly - barefoot and bloody!

The Awakening (2011)

The Awakening is not exactly a small-time production; it stars Rebecca Hall (Iron Man 3, Godzilla vs. Kong), Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter franchise), and Dominic West (The Wire). Yet, most don't even know about this spooky haunted house horror.

The story revolves around Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall), who is a professional skeptic and author. She debunks fraudulent spiritualists and educates people about superstitions, ghosts, and spirits. Florence gets an invitation from a boy's school, which was widely believed to be haunted by a ghost.

As the story progresses, Florence's skepticism is tested as she investigates and discovers chilling secrets. The best part of the movie is the ambience it creates and the twist in the end.

If you like movies about haunted places and houses, this should be on your watch list.

The Awakening is directed by Nick Murphy.

Triangle (2009)

Christopher Smith has his own fan following but often has his films passing unnoticed by audiences. One of his best horror movies is Triangle.

Triangle sounds and looks like a conventional and traditional slasher movie on the surface, but it has layers and twists inside. The story is about some friends who meet with a yachting accident. They find an abandoned ship, and they take refuge on it. Soon they are stalked by a slayer in a mask!

But that's not all about Triangle! It comes with shocking twists and a sudden turn of events that can blow your mind.

A Dark Song (2016)

In many horror films, occult magic or summoning demons or ghosts is always easy. In some movies, people summon evil entities by accident or with lesser effort than making a sandwich! Thankfully, these movies don't encourage people enough to believe that they can mumble something in sleep and accidentally summon a demon. A Dark Song is not one of those movies.

A Dark Song is about two people - a grieving mother of a 7-year old boy and an occultist. They come together to perform a dark magic ritual, and they cannot go out of the hose during the month-long ritual.

Things get worse with days passing, and soon they realize it isn't as easy as they thought.

A Dark Song is directed by Liam Gavin.

The Girl On The Third Floor (2019)

It all started with the renovation of a house that quickly transforms into a nightmare!

The Girl On The Third Floor has almost everything that you can expect in a horror movie - a person living alone in a house, a house (of course!), a mysterious neighbor, and the walls of the house giving away hints. Although the movie is predictable for most parts, it brings in some shocks and twists.

The story is about Don Koch (Philip Brooks, aka CM Punk), who comes to a house in the suburbs of Chicago and starts fixing and renovating it so that his family can live comfortably. Don is married and expecting his first child. After having a one-night stand with a local girl, he starts experiencing supernatural activities in his house. He sees a girl with a mangled face and starts experiencing more disturbing occurrences.

Travis Stephens' The Girl On The Third Floor is a decent horror flick that you should try.

Lake Mungo (2008)

Lake Mungo is a bone-chilling horror movie, but only if you let it in! In simpler words, the movie doesn't offer jump scares, ghosts in white gowns with silky black hair, or even the overused idea of "demonic possession."

Lake Mungo is a psychological horror flick that is shot as a documentary about a grieving family and uses shots as found footage.

A teenager named Alice Palmer dies by drowning, and the family members believe that her spirit is in their home. The family decides to investigate and find out if they are right. The best thing about Lake Mungo is that it doesn't scare you with jump scares or malevolent evil entities but depicts the inevitability of death and its horror.

The horror and truth about death loom over the story, and it might get under your skin. Lake Mungo is undoubtedly one of Joel Anderson's bests.

Goodnight Mommy (2015)

I have always believed that good horror stories scare us by attacking our sense of security or where we take comfort. For example, if you have a dream of owning a big house with plenty of rooms and space, the idea of a haunted mansion can scare you!

Goodnight Mommy plays with the same logic.

Goodnight Mommy is an Austrian horror movie that is mainly about two brothers and their mother.

Twin brothers Lukas and Elias are excited to welcome back their mom after she undergoes facial surgery. Since the mother just had the surgery, her head is wrapped completely in bandages. Soon, the mother starts showing strange behavior, and the boys start fearing that what came back from the hospital might not be their mother!

Goodnight Mommy is directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala.

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