Some of the Best Unknown Horror Movies

I have covered some of the best horror movies of all time, but there are other movies, great movies, that go unnoticed by most people. Some of these are independent films, some are lower budget movies that don't see the same attention on the big screen. Sometimes, these movies offer something a little bit different that the big budget movies just don't have. They seem to try harder to deliver something good, or a unique take on a genre that has become somewhat predictable. Some big budget horror movies just seem to be slapped together, copies of other movies, or tired remakes. I watch a lot of horror movies, and have found some very good movies that haven't gotten the same attention as some of the bigger budget horror movies.

1. Amusement (2008): Amusement combines classic elements and themes from popular horror movies, and common urban legends. It blends them together in a way that is truly different and great! I have read reviews that panned the movie, but as a fan of classic horror, I found the movie amusing. The classic urban legend of the killer in the house while the babysitter is there, and other such stories, is what makes this movie fun. We have all heard those stories as children. I know I have. The acting isn't perfect, but for the budget the movie had, it was done well. Like I said, horror movies have an element of humor. This movie has that. "The Laugh" is a classic horror movie killer persona. The movie follows three, seemingly unrelated girls, as they each encounter separate scenes of horror.
2. The Bad Seed (1956): The Bad Seed is a classic horror movie! I love movies with evil little kids. Christine Penmark's seemingly perfect family, including her perfect daughter, may not be all they appear to be. Christine's beautiful, sweet, little girl may, in fact, be a psychopathic killer. The Bad Seed is a great black-and-white horror movie made at a time when terrible creature features were the flavor of the month. A truly great movie! A TV version of the movie was made in 1985 starring Lynn Redgrave and David Carradine. I have not seen that version, so I can't really comment on it. This is one of my all-time favorite movies for the sheer chill it gave me. It isn't overly violent or gory, fitting with the time it was made, but it was terrifying, none the less.
3. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006): A documentary crew has been given unprecedented access into the life of a serial killer. That is the premise for this movie. Leslie Vernon, the budding slasher, invites a crew into his world, allowing them to view his reign of terror. Horror great, Robert Englund (best known as Freddy Krueger), plays Doc Halloran, and Zelda Rubinstein (best known for her role as Tangina in the Poltergeist movies) appears in her last feature length film role. She died in early 2010. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get inside the mind of a serial killer? To follow one around? This movie gives you a taste of what that might be like.
4. Breathing Room (2008): A lot of people pan this movie as a rip-off of Saw, but in reality, there was a movie before Saw that followed a similar formula. Saw is actually a rip-off of a movie called Cube, which I will cover later. A group of people wake up in a room, to discover they have all been given numbers, and, in fact, are all "contestants" in some game, and that there is no escape. Violence and mayhem insue, with some great twists, and clever angles. I liked this movie. It has elements similar to Saw, as well as Cube, but takes a slightly different approach. It is cast with unknown actors, which I tend to like. Seeing Brad Pitt in a slasher flick would be a bit strange, and would take me out of the movie.
5. Bug (2006): Bugs creep me out, gross me out, and just give me the chills. I hate bugs. This movie explores the irrational fear of bugs, along with overwhelming paranoia and delusions. Ashley Judd stars in the movie, as does Harry Connick Jr. The movie is strange, disturbing, and thought provoking. You are never really sure what is real, and what isn't. Are they really being infested with bugs? The lengths they go to protect themselves from this potentially imaginary infestation is truly horrifying.
6. The Cellar Door (2007): I love movies about crazy people. Mostly because these movies touch on things that could really happen, and that is what really scares me. My sister recommended this movie, and it did not disappoint. I will have that childhood rhyme stuck in my head for a while. I am sure many of you remember it; "Say say old playmate, Come out and play with me, And bring your dollies three, Climb up my apple tree, Slide down my rainbow, Into my cellar door, And we'll be jolly friends, Forever more..." The movie is about a very lonely, very disturbed man named, Herman, and his recent obsession with a sexy, seductive woman named Rudy. This movie amazed me. It's hard to believe that this movie hasn't received more attention. It had a small budget, but what it lacks in big budget polish, it makes up for in talented acting and a great script.
7. Cube (1997): Cube is a cult horror classic!! I stumbled across this movie by accident about six years ago. I found it captivating, remarkable, and terrifying. Seven strangers wake to find themselves in separate rooms of an endless, and deadly maze. Cube after cube reveals new terrors, new traps, new ways to die. The strangers must navigate the maze, and find the way out in order to survive. If it hadn't been for Cube, there would be no Saw. Sequels have been made, Cube 2:Hypercube, and Cube Zero (a prequel, really). Hypercube offers a more futuristic look at the same premise, while Cube Zero takes a look at the early days of the plan. Both are decent, but not as good as the first.
8. Death of a Ghost Hunter (2007): I covered this movie in my hub on ghost story movies, but I still felt it worthy of mention. The acting isn't anything remarkable, but the story is very compelling. The movie is portrayed as the depictions based on the journal of a real ghost hunter who died during a paranormal investigation. The movie is interesting, and spooky. The characters are believable, and the little twists on the typical haunted house movie are what make it good.
9. The Entity (1981): The Entity stars Barbara Hershey as Carla Moran, a woman who is attacked, beaten and raped by an unseen force. She struggles to figure out what is happening to her. She seeks the help of a psychiatrist, and later, a parapsychologist, in an attempt to put an end to the attacks. Is she going mad? Is all of this really happening? The movie is supposedly based on a true story. The movie is great, chilling, disturbing and very good! I love Barbara Hershey in this role. She is remarkable!
10. Funny Games (2007): Funny Games is a remake of a movie of the same name, from 1997, and stars Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. A family taking some time off in their vacation home are taken hostage by crazy serial killers and forced to act out their sick, sadistic games. The killers seem intelligent and well mannered at first, but turn vicious and cruel once their real intentions are discovered.I have seen both versions of the movie and both are worthy of watching. It is hard to imagine surviving something like that.
11. The Girl Next Door (2007): I am not talking about the comedy about the kid who lives next door to a porn star. This movie is much more chilling, much more disturbing, and a great movie. This movie made me sad, it scared me and it made me think. Two young girls go to live with their aunt after the death of their parents. The aunt is friendly and carefree with the kids in the neighborhood, but terribly cruel to her nieces. She abuses and tortures them, and even gets the boys in on the abuse. It only gets worse from there. This movie is very hard to watch. It even made me cry at certain points.
12. Grace (2009): Grace is a movie that intrigued me. I read the basic plot overview, and knew I wanted to see this movie. A young woman, who is eight months pregnant, is involved in an accident, which results in the death of her unborn baby and her husband. She is determined to carry the baby to term and deliver it, just the same. Then a strange thing happens, baby Grace comes back to life. Grace is a hungry baby, and mother's milk is not what she hungers for. The movie is truly disturbing, and remarkable in it's originality. The role of the mother-in-law is also terribly disturbing. The movie does have a slower, less hurried pace than most horror movies, though.
13. The Hamiltons (2006): The Hamiltons is about your everyday, average suburban family. Upon the deaths of their parents, the four young adult siblings must learn to fend for themselves. Or, at least this is how it all looks on the surface. The siblings keep referring to some "disease", and then there is the issue of what they are keeping, and feeding, down in the basement. A strange story, to say the least. The movie is cast with unknown, but talented actors. It's a movie I had never heard of until I happened upon it one night. I am glad I did.
14. Hard Candy (2005): Ellen Page (star of Juno) plays a remarkably mature 14 year-old in this movie. Hard Candy is about a young girl who meets an older man on the internet. she suspects that he's a pedophile, and attempts to expose him. Less of a true horror movie, and more an indi-psychological thriller, it is still a great movie. This is a great movie that turns the tables on internet predators. Ellen Page is chilling in her role as Hayley Stark.
15. House (2008): After being stranded in the middle of nowhere in rural Alabama, two couples seek refuge in an old bed & breakfast. They quickly discover that their hosts are not all they are cracked up to be, and neither is the house. The hosts make reference to "The Tin Man", and that the couples have drawn him there. The truth, though, is so much worse than they can imagine. Michael Madsen plays a strangely mysterious cop that they meet along the way. Leslie Easterbrook and Bill Moseley (both starred in The Devil's Rejects together, Easterbrook as Mother Firefly, and Moseley as Otis), star as mother and son once again, in this movie.
16. Let The Right One In (2008): Let The Right One In is the original, Swedish, version of a movie titled, Let Me In, that just recently came out in theaters. I have not seen the English version, and am almost afraid to. Let The Right One In was remarkable! It has a quietness to it that you rarely see in horror movies. It leaves you with a disturbed feeling, a sense of sadness and the overwhelming feeling that sometimes, a monster isn't really a monster. Let The Right One In is about a bullied lonely boy named Oskar, who makes a new friend on the playground by his apartment building. Eli is a sad little girl who befriends the equally sad Oskar. You really feel for these characters, even after you discover Eli's true nature.
17. Midnight Meat Train (2008): I will say, the ending to this movie was a bit much, but the movie is excellent! For a movie with a great cast, Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones, Leslie Bibb and Brooke Shields, this movie did not receive the attention it deserved. I even recall Cooper making mention of that in an interview once. The movie follows a photographer (Cooper) who has stumbled upon a potential serial killer. His curious nature leads him to follow this killer. The movie delivers some gore and some great twists. This was another recommendation of my sister's, and once again, she was right. My fiance even liked this movie, despite not being a fan of horror movies.
18. Pandorum (2009): This movie is great! It has elements reminiscent of the Alien movies. Two crew members awake from their hyper-sleep chambers to discover that all is not well with their ship. Bower, played by Ben Foster (known for roles in 3:10 to Yuma, 30 Days of Night and Six Feet Under) goes looking for a way out, his wife, and some way to gain control of the ship. He is met with some resistance from the other survivors he encounters along the way, as well as some strange creatures that seem to have invaded the ship. Survival may turn out to be more important then originally thought as chilling secrets are revealed about what really happened aboard their ship.
19. Pathology (2008): Medical students playing God as they play a simple "game". The game is to see which of them can commit the perfect murder. The movie stars Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss? and Charmed) and Milo Ventimiglia (Heros). The movie was better than I had expected it to be. My sister recommended this movie, and while she is usually great with her recommendations, what I read of the plot synopsis, I wasn't entirely thrilled with watching it. I gave it a shot, mostly because she said I should, and she was right. This movie was far better than I had expected.
20. Tideland (2005): This seemed, at first, to be less horror, more fantasy. I was wrong. It is a fantasy, it is also dramatic, a little scary and beautiful. Pre-teen Jeliza-Rose's parents are drug addicts and far from ideal parents, and after her mom OD's, her father takes her out to his family place to hide out. Jeliza-Rose transports herself to a strange fantasy world. Jeliza-Rose is played by Jodelle Ferland, who stars in Silent Hill and the new movie, Case 39. She is a compelling, wonderful young actress.