pretenious horror picks to impress your friends with
I am a firm believer that it is never too early to start planning your Halloween binge. Tired of the Halloween classics and looking to experience a whole new world of panic and fear? Suggest any of these picks at your annual sleepovers and watch your friend question your sanity and which dark crevices of the internet you reside in!
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Scream, Final Destination, Saw X.
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I hold these horror classics close to my heart, but after dragging the films on repeat there is much more talent to discover that most certainly holds its own against mainstream Hollywood not just in terms of scares but also story. I present to you a list of underrated horror movies to watch this coming season, and I guarantee you'll either find yourself in a cold sweat, shrieking alongside your friends or questioning the very meaning of love. Note: I strongly suggest watching all of these in pitch darkness at 2 a.m. when you're alone in your room for full effect.
1. Suspiria (2018)
Oh Luca Luca Guadagnino, how you woo me. Directed by Italian film director famous for his work in Call Me By Your Name and most recently To The Bone, his works are characterized by their emotional complexity, sensuality, and sumptuous visuals and that holds true for his 2018 film Suspiria. A remake of the 1981 film (which I also suggest) he breathes new life into this movie with stunning visuals which can only be described as a fever dream, psychedelic nightmare that acid-etched a place in my psyche early. It follows A young American dancer, Susie Bannion, who joins a world-renowned dance academy in West Berlin which in fact serves as a front for a coven of witches. The matrons prey upon their students, trapping and manipulating them with dark magic to serve their own secret agenda. I cannot suggest this film more if you're looking to be engrossed in a chilling and eccentric spectacle. This is a thought-provoking film that is more psychologically damaging than it is upright horrifying. I could not recommend a more unique thriller.
2. The Cabin in The Woods (2012)
This is the horror movie to end all horror movies: that's not a joke. Have you ever wondered why friend groups split up at the most dangerous time? Why do teenagers decide that the middle of the woods is the best place to outlet their hormones? Why are any stupid horror decisions ever made by a stupid horror movie character? A fantastic double-narrative storyline satirizing the cliches of the horror genre while introducing inventive concepts and storyline. This movie is not traditionally jump-scary but hugely innovative in the genre by plot alone. Way too funny, and with way too many well-done practical effects this big-blown horror movie is one of the most mesmerizing and entertaining watches.
3. Beau is Afraid (2023)
Ariaster is clearly a very disturbed man. Disturbed. but brilliant. Beau is afraid is really one of those movies you want to go into knowing nothing: essentially, the story follows an anxious man on a journey to visit his mother. Just let me say that this movie is anxiety personified. I pirated this movie on my tiny 10 x 12 cm tablet and I felt myself suffocating during certain scenes. I can only imagine watching this in IMAX. The visuals of this film are absolutely outstanding. Horrifyingly colourful and the hyperanimated sets bring Beau's journey to life.