The best horror movies are the ones you don't understand.
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00:00Films are perfect for when you're after some surface-level entertainment.
00:04There is no simple pleasure quite as enjoyable as zoning out, laying back,
00:08and whacking on a movie that you don't have to pay full attention to,
00:11falling into some cheap laughs or easy scares for 90 minutes before getting on with your day.
00:16Sadly though, there will always come a time when shoveling in snacks to baseless scary
00:21movie installments loses its sheen, and we become hungry for something that Doritos and
00:25Anna Faris just can't provide. Upsetting, but true. Never fear though, as of course there is a
00:32world of cinema out there that veers in exactly the opposite direction. Instead of bumbling through
00:36their runtime with little to offer than some shiny, entertaining images, these films pride
00:41themselves on offering an experience that dives deep into unknown territories, crafting immersive
00:47worlds, concepts, and mysteries for audiences to unravel time and time again. These might be even
00:53harder to find in the horror genre, but they do exist, creating truly unnerving pieces that improve
00:59with each watch as you comb over the clues they leave to reach mind-blowing finales. With that in
01:05mind then, I am the bottomless pit that is Ash from WhatCulture, and these are 8 horror movies that get
01:11better the deeper you go. 8. Suspiria
01:15Known most recently by its 2018 remake, Suspiria is a cult classic of the genre from Dario Argento,
01:22and one so sumptuously shot and soundtracked that it is easy to see why it has had such a lasting
01:27presence on the horror community. Intertwining a rainbow of colour into a story about a ballet
01:32school with a supernatural presence lurking in its walls, Suspiria is never forthcoming with its
01:38narrative. Instead, relying on suggestive shots and a drip-fed story to reach the conclusion that
01:43lead Susie Bannon is dealing with a coven of witches. This revelation doesn't come until late into
01:49the film, contextualising the events that we have just watched play out, like dogs turning aggressive,
01:54students getting dramatically murdered, and a strange breathy figure appearing in the night
01:59into something tangible, meaning it is ripe for re-watching as soon as you have gotten through
02:03its snappy runtime. Suspiria is classic yellow horror, and Argento's pinpoint vision for the film
02:09means that it is a joy to dig into all the little clues that craft a witchy hole. Inspired in part by
02:15a true story, as heard by the film's co-writer, Dario Nicolodi, and in part by the 1845 novel,
02:21Suspiria de Profundis, the European influences that make up the story are ever-interesting to
02:27consume. And combined with his fairy tale inspirations, even more intriguing to attempt
02:32to piece together as you dig into Suspiria's vibe. 7. Black Swan
02:37Darren Aronofsky doesn't make basic movies. Whether it's Requiem for a Dream, Mother,
02:42or Noah, the director is known for his off-the-wall envisioning of life in an entirely
02:47new and uncomfortable way, bringing the darker aspects of his character's psyches to the forefront
02:52for a nightmarish ride. His horror efforts in Black Swan are where this talent for the macabre
02:57becomes most apparent, detailing one dancer's fall from grace as she works through a hallucinogenic
03:02struggle to become prima ballerina of Swan Lake. Diving into Black Swan provides a wealth of
03:08interesting dissections, playing off the representations of the White Swan that Natalie
03:12Portman's character embodies so well, and the Black Swan that she aspires to be able to connect
03:17with in the same way as Mila Kunis. Whether this is the death of innocence and welcoming of her
03:22budding sexuality, or perhaps the insinuation of abuse at her mother's hands is up to the audience
03:27to decide, with the film's mesmerising interpretive qualities something to really get your teeth into.
03:33Black Swan's psychological edge and constant shifting between reality and imagination is one
03:38that makes it a difficult but rewarding watch, much like many other Aronofsky films too. In any case,
03:44it is one that only gets better the further you pick it apart, since you can be sure that everything
03:48the director has put in there has its own firm reasoning behind it.
03:536. Psycho
03:54Of course, no list on horror movies that build up their own fascinating mythos to dive into would be
04:00complete without Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. One of the granddaddies of the slasher genre and a
04:05perfectly constructed scarefest, it has long been hailed by film students the world over that have
04:10had to pick through its meticulously pieced together shots, revealing thematic undercurrents that are
04:15easy to miss when it is so easy to become wrapped up in Psycho's plot. Psycho is the story of Marion
04:20Crane on the run, at least initially, stealing a huge sum of money and stopping off at the Bates
04:25Motel as she makes her way out of town. Unfortunately for her, Norman Bates and his
04:29mother aren't very hospitable owners, resulting in Marion's death and the consequent search by
04:33her family and friends for the missing woman. As the narrative unfolds with each twist and turn,
04:38Hitchcock drops sneaky clues that give way to the true nature of the characters he has created on screen,
04:44such as Norman's predatory bird collection giving way to his true intentions,
04:48and Marion's penchant for mirrors to reflect her duplicitous personality.
04:52Spotting all these moments becomes half the joy of picking through such a seminal movie,
04:56since it always feels that there is something new no matter how many times one can watch it,
05:00and that is why it remains such a masterpiece to this day.
05:045. Us
05:06Much in the same vein as Get Out, Jordan Peele's second movie and testament to the power of his
05:11laser-focused horror, Us, hides its true intentions under layers of symbolism.
05:16Telling the story of a family accosted by their own doppelgangers as they holiday in Santa Cruz,
05:21Peele's ability to tell a scary story that overlays far more intense and deeper societal
05:26issues is the work of an artist, elevating what would be a good horror movie by any standards to
05:31new and scary heights. Going deeper into Us reveals Peele is folding in a story of the underclass,
05:38utilizing the tethered as underground representations of those in poverty who are oppressed and then cut
05:43off from the world, vying for their time in the sun quite literally. Mixing in themes of class,
05:49privilege and ignorance into what is already an intense horror home invasion makes it all the
05:53more interesting. But he doesn't stop there. Peele is also an avid cinephile and works hard to
05:59incorporate his love of film into his work at every point possible. Borrowing from B-movie classics like
06:04CHUD, which appears at the start of the film as an indication of what is to come,
06:09cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers anyone, to long-loved masterpieces like The Shining,
06:15which breathes life into the creepy, murderous twins, his work is peppered so heavily with
06:20knowing not that it will have any film lover whipping their head around uncontrollably.
06:24It's a joy to dig into, and far too easy to find oneself lost in the minute details of its construct,
06:30rather than the overarching film itself with multiple watches.
06:344. Shaun of the Dead
06:36What appears on the surface as simple, dumb, fun, Shaun of the Dead is the bonkers horror comedy that imbues its
06:43story with plenty of fun extras for avid fans to unpack, meaning you get the movie that keeps
06:48on giving should you ever want to try and get to the bottom of its bountiful easter eggs.
06:53Simon Pegg in Nick Frost's Love Child marks the start of the Cornetto trilogy,
06:57with this initial installment telling the simple tale of two losers trying to survive the zombie apocalypse
07:01and rescue their friends and family in the process.
07:04The whole film is the launching point for a masterclass in horror history,
07:09with famous horror directors and actors hidden throughout name tags and restaurant titles,
07:13and George A. Romero's Living Dead series aped to no end as lines are recycled in Shaun of the Dead's
07:18new context.
07:19Expert attention to detail is also paid to every unfolding plot point on screen.
07:24In fact, each progression of the story is earmarked with foreshadowing that can be found hidden
07:29throughout the movie, with clues tucked into everything from background posters to the main cast
07:34dialogue, as Frost's Ed unveils exactly how everything will play out from his big plan in the opening.
07:39Edgar Wright's love letter to the genre is one that becomes a straight easter egg hunt the more
07:44you rummage through its shot list, with each discovery even more hilariously attentive than the last.
07:503. Midsommar
07:52Just like Jordan Peele, Ari Aster is another horror director that has recently released his sophomore
07:57effort out into the world to a burning inferno of critical praise and fan hype.
08:02He's taken his work into a new direction post-hereditary, but retains all of his intense,
08:07painterly style, of course imbuing it with some trademark slow-burning dread that culminates
08:12into an ending that isn't easily forgotten.
08:14Midsommar depicts Danny and a boyfriend Christian as they take a trip to Sweden with his friends,
08:19attempting to salvage a relationship that is strained by Danny's grief at having tragically lost her
08:24family. Considering it is a hefty two and a half hours of movie to get through,
08:28there is plenty to go deeper with after your first watch of Midsommar.
08:32Inspired by actual Swedish cults and a plethora of mysterious folklore,
08:36looking into the themes that Aster uncovers with his movie provides a wealth of creepy reading
08:40material to get through that only intensifies the strangeness we experience on screen tenfold.
08:46Digging into Aster's narrative also reveals heaps of symbolism, with mirrors and symmetry
08:50defining shots to reflect the duality of life, death, good and evil these characters are working
08:55through. Even the crazy bear ending is shown through symbols before we actually get to it,
09:00with Pell, the friend that takes them all to Sweden, sitting in front of a giant bear picture
09:04as he discusses Danny joining them on the trip. There are loads of tiny moments like this to catch
09:10as the film plays out.
09:112. The Cabin in the Woods
09:13Essentially Evil Dead turned up to 11, the Cabin in the Woods sees a group of stereotypical teenagers,
09:19a rambunctious jock, a promiscuous bimbo, an intelligent nerd, a ridiculous stoner, and a shy virgin,
09:25head out to the titular cabin for a weekend away. Only instead of a weekend of fun, the group are
09:31accosted by a zombie redneck torture family that have been awoken by messing with a book in the
09:35basement, meaning they get slowly picked off in increasingly violent ways. The premise is one
09:41that is all too familiar, or at least it appears so, until a government agency is discovered to be
09:46controlling the group behind the scenes in order to maintain a pact with ancient gods that threaten to
09:50wipe out the planet, if not appeased. You know, your average stakes then.
09:55What makes The Cabin in the Woods so brilliant is that this agency adds another layer to just
09:59about every horror movie out there in existence. Instead of horror films being an effort in creating
10:04the most gruesome entertainment possible, this movie gives meaning to the sadism, and explains why
10:09tropes are so common in a genre that has room to be so experimental, becoming a wider theory that
10:15sprinkles a healthy dose of fun throughout the film experience as a whole, combined with the
10:19countless references to horror film greats that make for some good old-fashioned scavenger hunting
10:24with the pause button, and The Cabin in the Woods holds a tale that only gets better the more you
10:29bury into it. 1. Triangle
10:32A science fiction horror movie that will tap dance on your synapses and send your brain into overdrive,
10:38Triangle is a film that dresses itself up as a simple lost-at-sea narrative, selling itself on a
10:43group that gets caught in a storm whilst yachting and after jumps ship onto an abandoned cruise liner that
10:48by chance is passing by. Jess and her friends soon then find themselves victims of a mysterious
10:53murderer, and learn that floating atop their capsized yacht is a far preferable fate to whatever
10:58is happening aboard the newfound ship.
11:01As it turns out, this is not your average spooky story, since the ship doesn't subscribe to any
11:06normal experience of space and time. Instead, Jess has become party to a time loop, forced into a
11:11self-fulfilling prophecy where she kills her friends over and over again in an attempt to break free of its
11:17consequences. On first watch, Triangle is a tangled mess of timelines that is difficult to prise apart.
11:23There's exact doubles, jumping forward and backward in the narrative, and heaps of death
11:27that doesn't quite make sense until you have seen all the way through. Even then, the precise nature
11:31of the loop is still a tricky one to understand in its entirety, requiring multiple rewatches to get
11:37to grips with it before you can dive into the theories of its causation. Triangle is like horror's
11:41answer to primer. The more you dig, the deeper you go, and the more crossed wires you find along the way.
11:48Goodbye!