These 7 scary movies were so intense I had to leave the lights on at night

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Key Takeaways

  • Speak No Evil, The Descent, and Barbarian layer on different kinds of horror, building tension and scares.
  • The Ring is a chilling American remake propelled by a compelling story and satisfying finish.
  • Martyrs and The Wailing load up on gore and violence, while Hereditary delivers twists and turns.



It’s scary movie season, and for those who crave the horrific, chilling, and bizarre, there is no shortage of new films and old favorites to watch over and again. Depending on your mood, there are a lot of different horror subgenres to engage with, from body horror to creature features, slasher flicks to tales of the paranormal.

To truly get in the spirit of the season, I’m putting forth these terrifying tales that will leave you shaken and questioning why you ever decided to turn on the TV in the first place. Watch these alone and with the lights off before you head to bed. You’ve been warned.


1 Martyrs

This French extreme horror film isn’t for the faint of heart


I’m generally wanting to stay away from films that employ excessive gore, violence, and torture, because often there is little substance to these movies, only serving to shock (which is fine if you’re in the mood). There is indeed a lot of violence and discomfort in the French horror Martyrs, but it’s also a terrifying film that takes a look at the effects of violence and pain. A fast start to the film finds a woman seeking revenge on those who abused her as a child, with plenty of bloodshed and gore. The film gives way to something far more intense as it explores themes of religion, transcendence, and of course, martyrdom.

This is definitely not for everyone.


2 Speak No Evil

Something is amiss in this idyllic landscape, and once you see it you’ll never be the same

The Danish film, and not the watered-down American remake, is an unsettling drama that doesn’t really turn into a horror until the final act. A family befriends another couple on vacation, and takes up an invitation to spend time with them months later; a big mistake. The first half of the movie is almost like a horror of manners, and anyone with social anxiety is sure to feel the awkward exchanges deep down to their core.

Of course, it’s not just that the hosts are strange people. They have a secret, and even before the reveal comes and a wild finale takes place, the film has already worn you down and made you sweat.

Related

Have any remakes or new installments lived up to what Twisters (2024) has done in the last few years?

As someone who avidly dodges watching disaster movies, I surprisingly dubbed Twisters (2024) my movie of the summer walking out of a matinee showing this morning. Typically, I’m not particularly fond of pondering the creative ways that mother nature could blow the house down, so to speak, but the music — and a persistent number of siblings — drew me into the movie theater. The star-studded soundtrack — I am from Tennessee, after all — and a certain Texan actor kept it fun right off the bat, but the writing as a whole was what brought my pen to paper to talk about it this much. The last couple of decades have not been kind to quality of second installments and remakes, especially. I vividly remember trying to watch Total Recall (2012) and my parents dashing for the remote to save me with Schwarzenegger’s original. My own personal disappointment came after the new Red Dawn that same year — since then, I’ve always gone in with low expectations. While Twisters (2024) pays some homag

3 The Descent

Real and perceived horrors about in this psychological horror film


Anxiety and claustrophobia give way to monster madness in this visceral horror as a group of friends go spelunking one year after a terrible tragedy. The Descent is scary initially because it is so oppressive and dark, and when it’s ready for a monstrous twist, it goes big, loud, and fast. There are other horrors too, beyond what festers in your mind or lurks in the darkness. Seeing how the main characters react when faced with adversity adds another layer of discomfort to this bloody thriller.

Be sure to watch the original version and not the American update with a different, lesser ending.

4 The Ring

This brilliant horror remake will make you want to turn off your TV… for good


The best, scariest horror movies draw out tension and put forth images that are just too chilling to really forget. The Ring, a rare American remake of a foreign movie that is both a great horror and just generally a great movie overall, has a terrifying Scream-like opening that gives way to a disturbing murder investigation. A moody visual palete, an intimate story driven by quality writing and acting, and plenty of earned jump scares make The Ring such a satisfying scary movie.

Once you see what happens to those who succumb to the vengeful menace, you’ll never forget.

It’s so easy to bungle paranormal films, with a tormentor that’s revealed too soon, or one that’s simply not as creepy in reality once it’s revealed and explained. The Ring is not that movie, because once you see what happens to those who succumb to the vengeful menace, you’ll never forget.


5 Hereditary

Horror runs in the family in this disturbing film that centers around a family tragedy

I don’t know that Hereditary is a great movie, but it is a chilling one that is very all-in. A lot of horror movies are a slow burn, taking time to reveal an evil presence as tensions ramps up. Hereditary is not that; it doesn’t take long for this movie to turn bonkers, and it continues to provide startling scene after startling scene. The story focuses on a family that has a troubled past and terrible communication skills. Tragedy strikes, and they do not deal with it well. There are plenty of shocks, yes, but a lot of what unfolds is simply unsettling as those shocks do not dissipate. Maybe it all doesn’t come together perfectly, but there is no shortage of startling images that will burn, pun intended, into your mind.


6 The Wailing

Demons, zombies, and plagues about in this intense Korean horror film

This Korean horror has a lot going on, blending dark comedy with paranormal horror and lots of blood. It will mess with your head, make your stomach uneasy with anxiety, and maybe even tug at your heartstrings. And all its various components somewhere work so well together, albeit at a lengthy running time. A disease in a small town leads people to act very strangely, and not just those that have the illness. I recommend knowing as little going into this film; it’s best to let everything that happens have your full attention as the movie blends a lot of different horror elements and ideas.


7 Barbarian

There’s a lot going on in this horror film, but the payoff is worth it

Like The Descent, Barbarian is very scary for a while for one reason, and then becomes scary for a bunch of other reasons. It’s that fun kinda of change over the course of the film that makes it such a compelling, and scary, horror film. The premise is simple: what if your next short-term rental hides a secret? For Tess, there are some alarm bells early on when she and another man seem to have both booked the same short-term rental.

That the man is played by Bill Skarsgard, a distinct actor who has taken on a lot of horror roles, and that Tess decides to stay under the same roof, are among the early terrors. The film builds up the scares, takes a breather about halfway through, and ratchets them up all over again.