There are horror movies; and then, there are horror movies that are actually spine-tingling and absolutely creepy.
A very few movies actually stand-out and do the job to perfection.
1. The Strangers (2008)
A couple, after returning from a wedding reception, stay in an isolated vacation house. Everything feels fine until strangers knock at their door post midnight. What follows is a violent invasion by three strangers with masks on their faces and a real struggle to make it through the night.
2. When A Stranger Calls (1979)
Jill Johnson, a babysitter, is asked to babysit to pay for exceeding her telephonic conversation. The next moment, a stranger calls her passing weird comments.When Jill confronts the police, she’s freaked to find out that the call is coming from inside the house. She runs to take the children and get out of the house but will she be able to make it?
3. Funny Games (2007)
A family settles into a vacation home, which also happens to be the next stop for a couple of young, articulate, white-gloved serial killers who don’t leave behind a trace. On an excursion through the neighbourhood, only a deviation will save the family.
4. Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer is her own protector in the woods when she’s being chased by a masked killer who keeps appearing and re-appearing at her window. Will her solitary life cost her everything or will she survive the horror?
5. The Silent House / La Casa Muda (2010)
Based on a true story from the late ’40s in a small village in Uruguay, the film revolves around Laura trying to exit a house slowly and steadily. Her only quest – to leave the house unhurt. The cottage she lives in with her family has some obscure secret that starts spilling out when her father goes to check the upper floor. She is waiting for him to return and that’s when things start getting murky for real.
6. Kidnapped (2010)
Jaime, his wife Marta and their teenage daughter Isa move to a dream house in Madrid. Just as they are planning to celebrate by having a lavish dinner, three violent thieves break into their house and take Marta and Isa hostage. Jaime is forced to go to their family bank to withdraw money. What unfolds is a horrible night for the family.
7. The Collector (2009)
When the Chase family moves in to a sprawling bungalow in the middle of nowhere in Detroit, a man named Arkin is hired to fix the windows. Arkin’s debt is more than his payment forcing him to plan a heist. Just as he enters the bungalow to heist the family’s safe, he finds a sadistic criminal has imprisoned the family and set traps everywhere around the house. His only instinct then is to run out of the house to save his own life.
8. Torso (1973)
A killer runs free in Perugia and is strangling students. Around the same time, American exchange student Jane and her friends decide to take a break from studies and plan to visit Danielle’s uncle’s villa in the country. Unfortunately, the killer decides to follow and attacks them on a regular basis posing a threat to the students’ lives.
9. Sleep Tight (2013)
Apartment concierge Cesar is born thinking that he has lost his ability to be happy. To compensate, he tries to make lives miserable for all his tenants. He succeeds easily except in the case of Clara, who is too difficult to break down. Cesar crosses all limits to fulfill his mission. Things take a turn when Clara’s boyfriend pays her a visit.
10. The Mist (2007)
One night, a ferocious storm hits a small Maine town, damaging many houses. What accompanies the storm is a strange mist the next morning. People soon discover that the mist contains something frightening and alien that can kill humans, forcing them to take shelter inside a shopping mart. What follows is deeply depressing and spine-tingling.
11. It Follows (2015)
After a sexual encounter, 19-year-old Jay finds herself plagued by strange visions and paranormal feelings that only she can see. Jay and her friends fight hard to find a solution to get away from the supernatural spirits they’ve encountered.
12. The Shining (1980)
Jack Torrance, a normal writer and former teacher agrees to take care of a hotel which has a long, violent past that puts everyone in the hotel in a nervous situation.While Jack keeps losing his temper, his son, Danny, tries to use the special power “the shining” to inform people about what all is happening inside the hotel.
13. Orphan (2009)
After the loss of their baby, Kate and John Coleman decide to adopt a child to rekindle their marriage. They fall in love with Esther, a 9-year-old, at St. Marina Orphanage and decide to bring her home. Things don’t add up well when their son Daniel is hostile to his new sister. Slowly, they realise that Esther is not what she actually looks like and actually has a troubled past.
14. Psycho (1960)
Phoenix office worker Mariane Crane is troubled by her unhappy life and the inability to marry her lover Sam. When trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer, Mariane can only think of running away with all the money to start a new life. Hastily, she starts to meet Sam but is soon caught in a storm and decides to rest at a nearby motel. Things turn ugly when she rests in her motel room, which is managed by a quite young man called Norman.
15. Oculus (2013)
After being discharged from a mental institution, Tim feels he has healed completely from all the childhood trauma that he had to suffer from. His sister Kaylie welcomes him in the parking area then tells him that they need to destroy an ancient mirror that she has found at the auction house. They find out that the mirror resulted in their family’s tragic condition but will they succeed in breaking it?
16. The Exorcist (1973)
A visiting actress notices strange things about her 12-year-old kid. At the same time, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother’s terminal sickness. Things don’t add up well when an elderly priest decides that it is time to have a showdown with an old demonic enemy.
17. Sinister (2012)
True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt moves himself and his family into a house where a horrific crime took place earlier, but his family doesn’t know. After using some “snuff” footage to do his research, the writer finds more than what he can digest and his family starts to bear the consequences of him crossing the line.