Little-known horror and thriller gems

It’s more recent but try The Skeleton Key with Gena Rowlands and Kate Hudson. It’s kind of a throwback to those slowburn movies you mention.

Night Watch with Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Stephen King called it one of his favorite horror/thriller movies.

It was a major bomb when released, but it's actually quite good and atmospheric.

The Last Cannibal World

The Ritual - 2017 Let the Right One In - 2008 The Kingdom - 1994 series Twin Peaks

I really enjoyed a straight to video from about ten+ years back called "Dead Crows," with Henry Thomas, and set in an isolated haunted house right after the Civil War. Someone recommended it here and it was quite fine.

Sorry: it was called "Dead Birds," not Dead Crows. it's from 2004.

The Lodge with DL fave Richard Armitage is a great recent slow burn horror. It's on Amazon Prime or Hulu now, can't remember which.

Incident in a Ghostland (2018)

Zac Efron's new movie about Ted Bundy. It doesn't include the slashings.

Also Ross Lynch's new movie about Jeffrey Dahmer's beginnings. Again, it doesn't include the slashings.

Explicitly gay STRANGER BY THE LAKE.

There's always the classic Body Heat.

Did you see Jake Gyllenhaal's creepy NIGHTCRAWLER? Critically acclaimed and underappreciated.

Did you watch TRUE DETECTIVE?

The Stuff. It’s on Amazon Prime. Goofy as hell 80’s movie, but kind of fun. Has some decent gore and bloody body parts.

Costars a teenaged Brian Bloom. I recognized his eyes immediately.

It Follows is all slow burn. It will stay with you (follow you) long after you watch it.

Have you seen all of Hitchcock's films?

I have always loved "Ghost Story" from 1981. Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., John Houseman, and Melvyn Douglas It's spooky and atmospheric and, naturally, very well acted.

"Murder by Decree" (1979) with Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, and Susan Clark in a story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the trail of Jack the Ripper. I remember being freaked out when the hansom cab pulls into view with its door open.

"Time After Time" (1979) with Malcolm McDowell, Mary Steenburgen, and David Warner. Again with Jack the Ripper chasing H G Welles across modern-day San Francisco. Very exciting.

Have you seen THE FRENCH CONNECTION?

CHINATOWN?

SEVEN?

FIGHT CLUB? Lots of David Fincher films.

NIGHT MOVES is on my bucket list. I've heard good things.

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE

BASIC education.

"Alice, Sweet Alice" from 1976, is a creepy ass movie. If you ever get the chance please watch it, LOL.

The big fat guy in the movie is how I imagine some DL,ers to look and live.

May get skewered and maybe even FF’d for my pick but I don’t fucking care because it fits OP’s requirements (slow-moving vintage psych-horror) and I love it like a disappointing ugly mess of a child: ‘90s Fangoria cyber-mindscrew BRAINSCAN.

Campy trash but you can’t help but fall in love with it. And once you get over the cracky silliness of it all after seeing it the first time, it actually gets creepier, more sad, more prescient and more insidious - given it’s basically a movie about a tragic twisted little incel boy losing his humanity in a creepy brainwashing video game - with every rewatch. One of those films that strangely does stay with you and may even touch a few nerves or emotions, despite embarrassing the hell out of you first.

True Confessions - Robert Duvall and Robert DeNiro. Creepy and noir, great 1940s vibe.

Blackcoat's Daughter

The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply

Watch this. During the day.

From Beyond wonderfully atmospheric and deranged 80s horror based on HP Lovecraft.

Body Parts - another moody, gothic creepy-as-fuck horror flick with nutjob actor Jeff Fahey.

Both are wonderfully done (given the time and budget).

Kill Me Again - a wonderful noir thriller by John Dahl (director of The Last Seduction) starring a young and handsome Val Kilmer.

Blue Ruin - a subversion of the classic "revenge" thriller.

The Lookout - slick thriller with a truly great performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Mona Lisa - British noir featuring an Oscar-nominated performance by Bob Hoskins.

Devil in a Blue Dress - little seen adaption of one of the Easy Rollins novels starring Denzel Washington at his peak.

One False Movie - fantastic little crime movie written by and costarring Bill Bob Thornton.

The reviews were terrible but I really enjoyed the. Gary Oldman ghost ship Movie Mary. I'd also add the fantastic and heartbreaking Spanish film The Orphanage .

Let's Scare Jessica to Death

Highly unpopular opinion : I thought the Mark David Chapman film Chapter 27 was a very good, unsettling look into the mind of a sick man. It really captured the feel of early 80s NYC. Even Lindsay Lohan was pretty good. She had a spark that I haven't seen her possess in her other roles. But the film seems to be almost universally reviled among critics.

Eyes Without a Face

[quote]The big fat guy in the movie is how I imagine some DL,ers to look and live.

LMAO! Probably true

Two films about a blind woman being terrorised, Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn and the Mia Farrow Blind Terror. I think they both hold up quite well.

The house that Dripped Blood. Classic campy fun.

The French Connection, Chinatown, and Seven are 'little known thriller gems"???

Please.

One I love is "The Changeling" from 1979, with George C. Scott and Melvyn Douglas. It's not perfect, but it has the scariest seance scene I've ever seen in a movie.

Hush (Netflix...not the Goop film)

Maybe not little known or a slow burn but I recently watched Hereditary and was left with an overwhelming sadness. It's the story of a family coming apart and all the people in it are so damaged. I felt terrible for the son.

OK I know it's a Rosemary's baby rip off but I greatly enjoyed The Ones Below.

I really enjoyed Lake Mungo from Australia.

The Devil's Backbone

It's in Spanish, but it's terrifying--it was directed by Guillermo del Toro. It's about a boy left at an orphanage in the middle of the Spanish Civil War. It stars the gorgeous Eduardo Noriega.

Valentine (2001)

Valentine (2001)

R44 excellent acting by Colette, Byrne, and the son. I think the director erred by making the ending unmistakably supernatural. It would have been better to make this a film about a descent into madness.

Session 9 - if you are a fan of the slow burn.

[quote] Kill Me Again - a wonderful noir thriller by John Dahl (director of The Last Seduction) starring a young and handsome Val Kilmer.

This movie is my everything! It’s so terrible and yet so deliciously enjoyable. I get it out when nothing else will do.

It’s a treat to see Kilmer cat opposite Joanne Whalley even knowing how dreadfully their partnership turned out. The movie has a tight and sinuous and suffocating feel in spite of the breezy plot, breathless cinematography and the wide-open locations. And the dialogue is so bitchy and snappy yet still loaded with moodiness one wants from new-noir. I don’t know why it isn’t better remembered or why it isn’t a DL classic.

I even started a dedicated thread about it last year but nobody bit (presumably no-one else besides us has ever seen it) and it was deleted.

"Eyes Without A Face" and "Wait Until Dark" aren't exactly little known.

Go on and click this link to watch "My Name is Julia Ross" 1945

Go on, now. Click it. Go on....

I'll second both Body Heat and Nightcrawler and add in A Simple Plan. It's definitely under-rated.

A very obscure one; the whole movie is on YouTube: "Let's Scare Jessica to Death".

46-OKUNEN NO KOI (eng: BIG BANG LOVE: JUVENILE A, or 4.6 BILLION YEAR LOVE). Makes me cry and feel so desolate that I can’t watch it too often.

This one isn’t strictly a thriller or a horror, more of a tragic-homoerotic crime drama with elements of psych-horror and romance, but it certainly fits the aesthetic criteria. It is a two-and-a-half hour drift through a murky dystopian Brechtian prison where every prisoner is gay and every prisoner is also a suspect in a murder. It was based on the banned books of Jean Genet, and directed by notorious porno/B-movie/cult movie legend Takashi Miike.

r54, I actually prefer the remake - Dead of Winter with Mary Steenburgen

Blackcoat's Daughter is really good. I always forget about it. Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts were perfect.

Triangle was a mindfuck. That's another good one.

Isn't r38 Janet Jackson's #1 Fan ?

"It would have been better to make this a film about a descent into madness."

I disagree. That actually would've been expected, and the director played to that assumption beautifully.

One that is absolutely stress-inducing: Green Room. Not just an amazing horror/thriller - but an amazing movie overall. Patrick Stewart is fucking chilling in this. Someone else mentioned Blue Ruin already - which I love too. Green Room is that directors second movie and it became an instant fave of mine.

The Invitation

The Invitation is great.

I was horrified by Glitter

All from 2019: Haunt, Ready Or Not, Tigers Are Not Afraid

Another vote for The Invitation. Beautifully deployed, slow-burn character thriller. That twist you don't see coming at the end will give you whiplash.

I also want to mention the adaptation of a Graham Greene novel called BRIGHTON ROCK.

It's one of the few movies with a "Bad Guy" protagonist that actually works, IMO.

Even though "Pinkie" is committing loathsome deeds, the movie remains interesting and compelling because all of the supporting characters are trying to do the right thing, including the fabulous Helen Mirren. BRIGHTON ROCK becomes a race to see whether the supporting characters can put a stop to the villain.

OP here, great recommendations here, many of which are new to me.

Thanks, y’all! Keep them coming.

Hidden, directed by The Duffer Brothers

I think an under appreciated show that matches your request is Netflix’s German SciFi time travel show called Dark. The third and final season dropped last weekend and it has one of the most satisfying and well done conclusions, and talk about slow burns. This article is from last years seasons two, but is a good introduction. There are sparsely added to threads here, and everyone finishing season three is giving it raves.

“Coma”was a hit when it came out but not really talked about anymore. I’d rank it as a great 70s thriller along with “The Parallax View” and “Marathon Man”. And Genevieve Bujold gave a fantastic performance.

BRAINSCAN is unwatchable trash. Absolutely nothing redeeming about it, save for capturing Edward Furlong before he destroyed his body, which you can use TERMINATOR 2 for.

DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS is also a bore.

Has there ever been a movie about the Dyatlov Incident (which we've incidentally never had a thread about)?

"I think an under appreciated show that matches your request is Netflix’s German SciFi time travel show called Dark."

Dark is fucking awesome. Not sure that it's under appreciated though. It's a critics darling, and you should see the Reddit threads on it. They are insane (people are obsessed).

But yeah, Dark is sublime. Definitely one of the most epic shows I've ever watched. And it IS Dark. Ha. Dark and ingenious.

I remember seeing a crappy Dyatlov movie running on cable in the last few years. It might have been a Sci-Fi movie but if not it was definitely low-budget, direct-to-video type crap. It was about a group of twentysomethings going to investigate the area.

It was probably this one but I can't be sure.

^ Yes it was a crappy film...directed by Geena’s ex.

The hell we've never had a thread about the Dylatov Pass incident.

Was r73 just too lazy to Google? There have been several.

It's a DL joke, r77, because we have endless threads about it

Yes, R73, if only someone on DL would start a Dylatov Pass thread. Such an interesting story.

Too bad that Dylatov Pass movie wasn’t very good, R75. I’m sure lots of DLers would like to see it and learn something about the story.

Here’s a BBC documentary about the Dylatov Pass, maybe it’s better. Audio only.

The Loved Ones

The Silent Partner with Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer

I just watched one on hbo go called The Little Stranger. Wasn’t bad, wasn’t great. Stars Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Charlotte Rampling, and Ruth Wilson. Definitely slow burn and didn’t have the closure I wanted, but oh well.

From a few years ago . . .

It Comes at Night

Dead Calm with Billy Zane, Nicole Kidman, and Sam Neill

If you like your thriller with cannibals - there's Ravenous

The Deep End with Tilda Swinton and Goran Visnjic

^ I saw The Deep End in theatres for Goran (big ER fan then, he was smoking hot), but left a Tilda fan. She nailed that role. That was the first movie I saw her in and was seriously impressed.

A lot of people trashed it when it came out but Birth (2003) with Nicole Kidman was a very unnerving and haunting film. Definitely a slow burn. A couple of the scenes are cringe inducing but I would still recommend it. Danny Huston, Lauren Bacall, and Anne Heche also star in the film.

The score to Dead Calm is superb. Great movie.

I Bury the Living. The movie that scared Stephen King. 1958 B&W free on Prime Video

Ready or Not. Samara Weaving is utterly captivating in this You're Next horror comedy, truly cementing herself as a NuHorror Scream Queen.

Hard to find but The Attic (1980) is an underrated psychological thriller. Really great performance by Carrie Snodgress and Ray Milland is supremely evil.

Luce is an excellent and provocative psychological thriller, and quite ambiguous. It centers around a teenage boy adopted from a warzone and his increasingly unsettling behavior You might want to give it a try. Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts are both very good as his teacher and mother. Very intense film, and touches on uncomfortable aspects of American culture.

Angel Heart. Smart, ahead of its time riff on Chandler esque mystery thriller but with fun spiritual/supernatural component.

R74 I meant Dark is under appreciated on DL based on the threads being very sparse, compared to shows like 13RW, Ozark or the Crown. I get it, it’s a hard sell with a dark, moody, complex plotted show in German, but being such a good quality and well done I would have hoped it caught on with people who lean towards more sophisticated stuff here. Glad to hear someone else praise it so highly, and I hope OP and others check it out.

Has anyone mentioned Sense8, it’s definitely one of the most exhilarating Thrillers in a series or movie that I’ve seen in a while. And very sexy and gay too.

r71 - I love Coma. The book cover terrified me as a little boy, then I watched the movie on VHS a few years later and was riveted.

Bujold - talk about under-appreciated. She was fantastic in Brian DePalma's Obsession. Jees. Now there's a gothic thriller. That one is phenomenal. Bernard Herrmann's score alone is enough to freak you out.

While we're on the subject Sisters with Margot Kidder is also really great (again, with a score by Herrmann). The hypnotization sequence with Jennifer Salt is the stuff of nightmares.

As much as I despise Clint Eastwood, “The Beguiled” is a sick gem. Also highly recommend “Repulsion” with Catherine Deneuve and an anonymous rabbit. Finally, so glad that somebody remembers “The Tenant.” I thought I was the only person in the world who saw it.

I don't know how many of you have seen it -- I read about it here as well as the NYT -- but The Platform (Netflix) is the goriest movie I have ever seen in my entire life. I had to force myself to sit through it, but I'm very glad I did.

The documentary Touching the Void and movie Buried with Ryan Reynolds

Not exactly little-known, but "The Haunting" (the original, from 1963), with Julius Harris and Claire Bloom, is a psychological thriller like no other.

I have no idea how "Julius Harris" happened. That would be Julie Harris, of course.

May not be little-known: The Babadook. I couldn't watch more than 15 minutes, it scared me so bad.

r104 I did the same with Sinister. I stopped 5 minutes in.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors

The Vault of Horror

From Beyond the Grave

In recent years:

The Witch

Hereditary (which someone else mentioned upthread)

The Lighthouse

Midsomar

The Vast of Night

Wake in Fright

GREAT psychological thriller

Christian Bale is SO good in that movie, R111. Honestly, the most disturbing image in it is him standing shirtless and bent over his bathroom sink. To know that wasn't special effects but rather what he was able to do to his own body was unbelievable. He has to have tremendous will.

R102, Sorry, but the 1999 remake is far more entertaining. The original movie aged like milk.

Burn, Witch, Burn

Summer of 84

The 1999 remake of "The Haunting" bombed with critics and with audiences. It was nominated for five Razzie Awards.

Burn, Witch, Burn is excellent! So is Curse of the Demon from 1957.

I love Burn, Witch, Burn

A dark song

Shallow Grave was a popular indie 25 years ago, but I'm not sure if it's well known now. Three Scottish roommates take in a fourth who turns up dead. Complications ensue. Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston. Suspenseful and full of black humor. Quite good.

More in the thriller genre than horror, Hotel Mumbai (currently streaming on Hulu) is very suspenseful. It’s terrorists in a hotel meets The Poseidon Adventure. And it stars DL favorite Armie 🔨.

Excellent non-English alternatives:

Mientras Duermes (Sleep Tight) 2011

Cannibal 2013

Anklaget (Accused) 2005

Das letzte Schweigen (The Silence) 2010

Palabras encadenadas (Killing Words) 2003

La ragazza nella nebbia (The Girl in the Fog) 2017

HEREDITARY is not a “slow burn.” Most of the movie is a panic arrack or psychotic nightmare.

OP might like Ari Aster’s other masterpiece MIDSOMMAR, but I declined to list it because everybody knows about it.

The Last Supper (1995)

This is so good. I saw it when it was released but it still holds up, and is very relevant with today’s political climate.

Cameron Diaz is in it and from what I remember it’s about a group of grad students who live together and are all liberal types. Circumstances conspire for a popular conservative radio host (rush Limbaugh type) to come over for some reason. I won’t give anymore away.

The Last Supper is great but I’d say it’s more of a black comedy than pure thriller. Still highly recommended and, yes, very relevant in today’s climate.

R120 It rated a Criterion re-release a few years ago.

I See You even though it has Helen Hunt, and Pop. 436 even though it has Jeremy Sisto.

[bold]The Night Visitor[/bold] (1971):

High Tension (2003) - thriller

The Ruins (2008) - horror

Frailty (2001) - thriller

The Collector (2009) - horror/thriller

[quote]More in the thriller genre than horror, Hotel Mumbai (currently streaming on Hulu) is very suspenseful. It’s terrorists in a hotel meets The Poseidon Adventure. And it stars DL favorite Armie 🔨.

Excellent film. It was a Weinstein Company film that got ensnarled into the Weinstein mess and shelved until TWC released the rights. Too bad not many people saw it.

FRAILTY is boring, fundie preaching.

Joshua with Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga. Not a hit or a critical fave but chilling, sad, and thought provoking. I thought it was one of the most underrated films of the 2000s , and a lot more intelligent and subversive than critics gave it credit for .

“Killing of a Sacred Deer”. I just watched this on Netflix and had no idea what it was about. Was expecting something offbeat and blackly humorous like “The Favourite”. Oh fuck no.

Now I know how my husband felt when he went into “Funny Games” blind, not knowing what it was about. Gah.

It’s a slow burn and horrific and creepy. I’m still thinking about it daily, a week later.

Good one, r131. Would make an interesting double feature with Orphan, also starring Vera Farmiga.

Add in We Need To Talk About Kevin for a triple bill of serious kindertrauma

The 2003 folk-fantasy period drama CARNIVÀLE (with Nick Stahl, Clea DuVall & Clancy Brown) had plentiful elements of creep in most episodes, switching between body horror and psychological as the plot demanded.

Iirc the show depicted a few rapes, mutilation & hanging, a human taxidermist at work, demon possession, instances of mind control, forced suicide, graphic WWI flashbacks, people burning alive. Oh, and an atom bomb test.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007) is a fun little horror/comedy ditty that features Anna Paquin and Brian Cox, among others

Of Unknown Origin

On the surface, it's about a businessman trying to kill – while being tormented by – a giant rodent running amok in his upscale Manhattan home. Beneath that is a metaphorical tale of the corporate "rat race" and the fears and anxieties he has to cope with in having to maintain a certain lifestyle and provide for and protect his family. The rat disrupts his life & the ability to meet a crucial work deadline, and destroys his pricey home– while the pressure and his obsession begin to mount.

No one said hereditary was a slow burn.

And Now the Screaming Starts

Honeymoon

Oculus, starring DL favorite Brenton Thwaites.

The Signal (not the one starring DL favorite Brenton Thwaites).

It wouldn’t be a proper Brian Bloom thread without this pic.

^ shit, wrong thread 🙃

Pontypool. Not your typical zombie flick.

Ma with Octavia Spencer. So disturbing.

Many good suggestions on this thread, so I will try not to duplicate.

May

Starry Eyes

We Are What We Are (original Mexican version)

Burnt Offerings

1977 The Sentinel (the lead is meh, but everyone is great)

I like BABADOOK, but it's not exactly a "slow burn."

Like HEREDITARY, it's a woman in hysterics for most of the movie.

DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORROR looks campy AF.

A killer vine? Really?!

I can second OCULUS, which is why I want to see that director's HUSH. I wonder why it didn't get a theatrical release?

Mike Flanagan is a solid director. If you like Oculus, you like his "Haunting of Hill House" on Netflix.

If you're absolutely sick of super hero movies, you won't give BRIGHTBURN a chance (I get it, I won't even watch Seth Rogen's THE BOYS).

But if you want a wholly original and dark take on super heroes, BRIGHTBURN is the slow-burn horror flick for you. It basically re-imagines the Superman story as if Superman was born an autistic psycho killer. Very creepy, very slow-burn, suspenseful and tragic. Elizabeth Banks' performance is heartbreaking and you've never seen her like this.

HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, the series, is not scary, not suspenseful, not related to the book or THE HAUNTING and not especially coherent.

It's a family dysfunction soap opera and pity party. Flush that one straight down the shitter!

The Hitcher (1986) with C. Thomas Howell and Rutgers Hauer - definitely one of my favorite horror films

Don't Look Now (1973) - atmospheric horror classic

Duel (1971) - the first film directed by Steven Spielberg - more terror on the road

MA is a very lively slasher. Not exactly a "slow burn."

AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS looks campy AF. I'd be laughing my tits off.

If I want disembodied hands, I'll stick to EVIL DEAD 2, which is funny on-purpose.

I strongly recommend the films by Bong Joon Ho starting with Mother but really all of them.

[quote] Mike Flanagan is a solid director. If you like Oculus, you like his "Haunting of Hill House" on Netflix.

I like his stuff too (including Hill House - sorry, r152), though i’m struggling to get through Doctor Sleep which just premiered on HBO. But that has more to do with the material.

[quote] There's always the classic Body Heat.

Little known?

[quote] I strongly recommend the films by Bong Joon Ho starting with Mother but really all of them.

It took me a bit to get into Mother but once I did I thought it was great. MARY I know, but that ending haunted me.

THE COLLECTOR / COLLECTION are great slasher films.

But not slow-burn or psychological at all. That is red-meat torture porn and cat-and-mouse chases.

So this thread isn’t really about little-known horror or thriller gems, despite the title. It’s really “tell me all the horror and thrillers you like.”

Thirst, by Chan-wook Park

HOTEL MUMBAI is also a non-stop action flick that keeps you on the edge of your seat for 2 hours.

Nothing slow or psychologically mysterious there.

Race with the Devil and The Mephisto Waltz.

The Skin I Live In

The 9th Life of Louis Drax. More in the mystery genre, though directed by horror director Alejandro Aja. Loved Aaron Paul‘s performance in this one.

The Taking of Deborah Logan. Soap star Jill Larson is fearless:

R152 Yeah, I am a fan of Jacksons books and that series pissed me off. Why didn't they just call it something like Mike Flanagans ' Mopey Haunted House film? They implied that the TV series was based on the characters in the book and original film. Giving them the same names while capturing nothing of the original story was the lamest things I've ever seen. I even prefer the widely maligned 1999 version over Flanagans bait and switch.

I love that movie, R165. It doesn't hurt that the female lead is a lesbian IRL.

OK this is not your typical thriller but it's got elements of the supernatural : Yells (2007) with Nina Hoss. It is a haunting and highly unusual German film. There aren't any huge jump scares but there is a chilly and dread filled atmosphere. This film is indeed a slow burn.

Corridor of Mirrors

The Queen of Spades

Dead of Night

I loved the TV Movie Crowhaven Farm with Hope Lange. Good reason to avoid Essex County when looking for property in Massachusetts.

Give this one a shot. Scary, surprising, and it's got hot guys in it.

Anything like Harvest Home R172?

April Fool's Day was a really really good underrated horror movie.

Rift from Iceland. it's haunting and gay.

I really liked Terror Train with Jamie Lee Curtis. It's not a great movie, but it has an amazing atmosphere.

Cherry Falls.

Stoker

“The Children” scared the living shit out of me!

“Carriers” starring DL faves Chris Pine and Chris Meloni is timely.

“Impulse” starring Meg Tilly and Tim Matheson. Same plot as “The Crazies” though quieter and not as violent. I thought Tim was hot in it.

I watched LUCE last night, and it was very good. I wanted to strangle Naomi Watts's character, not sure if that was part of the intent.

TERROR TRAIN and APRIL FOOL'S DAY are bottom-of-the-barrel trash. Nothing scary, unpredictable or intelligent there.

R183 Watts character was definitely in denial, unlike Spencer who was pretty canny in her judgement of Luce. But I can see why she would be that way. She and her husband had devoted their entire lives trying to heal this damaged kid. She didn't want to believe he was still messed up after all of that effort.

Loved "Less Scare Jessica to Death" - Jessica's inner dialogue as she tries to hide that she's losing her shit makes the movie

Devil's Backbone - excellent movie. Should be as well known as Pan's Labyrinth

The first time I watched "Little Stranger" my reaction was, what? Even though I read the book - but I think the movie stands on its own, not really as a horror movie, but more of a "people/society are totally breaking down" kind of story. Domhnall Gleeson, who usually plays goofballs, is really effective as this passive aggressive, rage filled, lonely guy

When a Stranger Calls. The original.

R170 here. That should read Yella. Stupid auto correct.

R132 I loathed Funny games but I must admit the egg breaking scene in the beginning was one of the most skin crawlingly unnerving scenes of film I've ever watched.

[quote] When a Stranger Calls. The original.

The first 15 minutes or so are absolutely terrifying, the rest is meh.

The same director made a cable TV horror movie in the 90s called “Trapped” with Kathleen Quinlan about a woman trapped in a high rise office building with a madman. It was an uneven film but it also had a sequence that scared the living fuck out of me.

P2 - a woman is trapped in a parking garage with a madman (Wes Bentley).

“Within” starring Michael Vartan.

OP here. This is why I still love the DL. Been coming for about 20 years and still find great, useful, discerning recommendations. So much here I haven’t seen.

I watched We Are What We Are last night. Surprising as far as premise and pace plus it has Kelly McGillis. I really enjoyed it.

One nobody ever mentions is called "The Evil". Richard Crenna is a doctor who wants to renovate an old house into a drug rehab. Stars Victor Buono as the devil. Good, tight, old school horror with a creepy atmosphere. Another recommendation for Alice, Sweet Alice. Seedy, overacted and unforgettable. Both have religious overtones, if thats your thing.

R15 Brian Bloom is in the movie, but it's his brother Scott that plays the main kid. I thought that was kind of cool.

I really enjoyed The Gift. Stars Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves. Cate plays a young widow who's a psychic and she's asked to help solve the murder of some big shot's daughter. Giovanni Ribisi is in it, and he gives an amazing performance as a mentally disturbed young man. It probably falls in the category of Southern Gothic.

Ill get slapped viciously for this, but I enjoyed the fuck out of "The Car" starring a 70's James Brolin as a cop after a driverless car taking out residents of his desert town.

The Ninth Gate - my favorite Johnny Depp film.

See No Evil - saw this on Encore when I was a teen and I still love it. Mia Farrow as a blind woman terrorized by a psychopath in the English countryside.

Lot of good suggestions here!

Thanks to the poster who recommended “Triangle” -very spooky and entertaining!

I watched it free on Vudu, which has a ton of horror (and gay) films I’ve never heard of. You do have to sit through 4-5 ad breaks per film.

More of a suspense film than a thriller, but I rather enjoyed the British gay film B&B.

A CHRISTINE ripoff is a "slow burn," r197?

R201 -

How can a 1977 film be a rip-off of a 1983 book?

My bad. Maybe Christine ripped off The Car.

I think most posters are recommending “little known” OR “slow burn”.

Burnt Offerings

The Watcher in the Woods

Better Watch Out is a Christmas-themed thriller that's a bit of a fresh take. I think it's on Prime.

“Circle” on Netflix was a fun watch.

OP, I'm glad you liked, "We Are What We Are".

Not a slow burn, but, "The Hidden" and "Splinter" are totally fun B films, classified under little known.

R198, I really wanted to like "The Ninth Gate", but since I read the source material before seeing the movie, I was underwhelmed.

“In The Tall Grass” got poor reviews but rather enjoyed it.

I have liked every thing Mike Flanagan has done even the wandering Hill House ( did a 100% better job than Ryan Murphy) until Dr Sleep in which he tried to make a sequel casting lookalike actors from the first movie. He should have done a reboot since there was only one Stanley Kubrick.

The best time I had watching a movie this year so far is the Russian Why Won’t You Die. I don’t know what category it falls into but it is very early Coenian like Blood Simple which does fall into films we are talking about

. I’m going to watch 1BR right now. I’ll get back to you.

I loved the family made The Deeper You Dig very low budget but very well made.

The Lodgers

The Innkeepers

The cinematic horror traditions of both America and the UK meet in [bold]The Crimson Cult[/bold] (1968), aka [bold]The Curse of the Crimson Altar[/bold], starring Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee, with Michael Gough added on for good measure.

Confessions of an Opium Eater

When I was little, I saw [bold]Five Million Years to Earth[/bold] (1968), aka [bold]Quatermass and the Pit[/bold] (UK, 1967) at the drive-in theater, and it scared the piss out of me.

Someone upthread mentioned Stephen King having 'borrowed', and I thought of this film, the possible basis for 'The Tommyknockers.'

Twisted Nerve

The Blood on Satan's Claw

The Conqueror Worm aka Witchfinder General

This is just a list of horror movies now, nearly identical to several others we always do.

Some great recommendations here...

Another vote for Session Nine. The setting for this film, an insane asylum near Salem, MA, is one of the most terrifying in the history of film, and the real history of the place is so shockingly evil it's amazing to realize that it was restored as luxury condominiums.

A film few people seem to remember is The Mothman Prophecies - it's completely psychological, despite the idea of a monster and the cast is amazing, with Laura Linney particularly good as the sheriff of a small, increasingly insidious city in West Virginia. One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen of its kind and the more so once your realize that the entire thing might have been a vicious non-supernatural prank...

Dementia, also known as "Daughter of Horror" is best known as being the film shown at the theater during the original version of The Blob. It is a deeply flawed but fascinating thriller with supernatural elements. The original version was nearly without dialogue or sound - a later release (the one generally available) added a tacky and atmosphere-killing narrator. It is an early feminist look at a sexually active and disturbed young woman and the dangers of city life at night. Certain scenes clearly inspired films by David Lynch, especially Inland Empire; the lobby of a luxurious LA hotel was the setting for the opening scene of Wild At Heart. If you can find it, watch it with the sound off, if it's the narrator version.

"The House with the Laughing Windows" is an Italian period piece about a nasty series of murders somewhere in Italy in the 1940s. Incredibly ugly atmosphere and a beautiful and charming male lead.

R220 I had forgotten about The Mothman Prophecies. And for the slow burn nitpicker here , it is unquestionably a slow burn. Very odd atmospheric film.

I've seen The Ninth Gate but it's been a few years do you know who/what the girl in the movie supposed to be R198?

Not R198, but the implication is that she is a fallen angel, possibly an avatar of the Whore of Babylon.

The Ninth Gate is one of my all-time favorites. I actually like it better than Rosemary's Baby, although I recognize that RB is the better film. It's absolutely brilliant.

The atmosphere that Polanski created with this film is astonishing. I've never seen anything like it. It's what Stanley Kubrick tried to do with Eyes Wide Shut but failed. I loved Eyes Wide Shut, btw. I guess I have a thing for movies about secret societies.

"Slither" is a must-watch.

Is Something Wicked This Way Comes a good movie? I want to watch it, but it never airs on TV for some reason.

I think it's underrated, R226. Pam Grier and Jonathan Pryce are both excellent and also incredibly sexy. The soundtrack is great and the scene in the sinister library where Pryce and Jason Robards taunt each other with literally deadly insults is a masterpiece of non-violent horror.

It was a shockingly dark film for Disney at the time.

TV recs: La Mante (French), Dark (German), La Forét (French or Belgian), Kingdom (Korean).

Did anyone say Inside? A French movie the star of Betty Blue goes after a pregnant woman. The worst thing you can imagine happens.

I loved 1BR. I would call it a slow burn. First you think it’s an okay movie but you admire the great performance of the lead actress then it gets more and more suspense filled towards the end. Tammy’s nutty cult are the bad guys.

Why Won’t You Die, The Deeper You Dig and 1BR have to rented but 5 bucks a pop is a bargain compared what we pay in the theaters. Remember movie theaters?

I liked Extra Ordinary too but it is more of a horror/comedy.

Not a horror movie, but the 4-part "The Take," about British gangsters and starring Tom Hardy, has a brilliant and chilling final scene with Shawn Evans ("Endeavour").

R146 - just finished We Are What We Are (the Mexican original) which is streaming on Hulu...it was really good.

I have mixed feelings about The Blackcoat’s Daughter. Without wanting to give anything away, the casting of the film worked against it, IMO.

I wanted to like The Blackcoat's Daughter but I didn't think it was very good

[quote]The Ninth Gate is one of my all-time favorites. I actually like it better than Rosemary's Baby, although I recognize that RB is the better film. It's absolutely brilliant. The atmosphere that Polanski created with this film is astonishing. I've never seen anything like it.

R224 Whatever else you may think of him, Polanski knows his craft. He's the king of existential horror. Another vote (along with two others upthread) for "The Tenant."

Here are a few that haven't been mentioned that I have watched recently. Not masterpieces, but well-done, efficient little thrillers.

THE INVISIBLE GUEST (2016) - Twists galore in this Spanish mystery/thriller about a businessman accused of murdering his female lover. On Netflix

ROAD GAMES (2015) - A young Englishman, hitchhiking in rural France, meets a French girl on the road who informs him that a serial killer has been active in the area. On Hulu

DANIEL ISN'T REAL (2019) - A college student resurrects his imaginary childhood friend to help him cope with his anxiety. On Shudder

BAD MATCH (2017) - An internet playboy meets the Tinder date from Hell. On Amazon

YOU'RE KILLING ME (2015) - Gay horror comedy about a guy whose new boyfriend is just starting to come out -- as a serial killer. On Amazon

Unforgotten with Nicola Walker. It's the best expression of pain and listening I've seen since Robin Weigert listened but really listened.

National Treasure, with Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters, about a beloved TV icon whose past crimes finally come to light.

just started binge watching Dark, as recommenced upthread. enthralling but i think it gave me headache. will continue to watch though.

If you want something funny/slasher watch Tucker and Dale vs Evil.

Great movie, R238. Also makes a great double-feature with "Slither"

OP might like THE LIGHTHOUSE from that WITCH director.

"Dracula Wants Boys" was shocking. The subtitles didn't bother me and the final twist did me in. The director really played up the erotic possibilities, and the two leads were amazing.

"Gallowglass" was chilling. A little slow but the payoff was worth the pace. What an ass.

And I liked "The Daubers." Showing people change into wasplike creatures from being "stung" during sex was much more satisfying than the usual zombie or body-snatcher plots. Bzzzzzzzzzz.

Infestation is another comedy/horror.

R241, google cant find that Dracula movie.

Side Effects - Soderbergh thriller with Rooney Mara

I suspect Dracula Wants Boys doesn’t exist.

Cheap Thrills (2013) - It's a particularly nasty dark comedy/thriller. But don't watch the trailer first, it gives away too much about the twists and turns in the movie.

The film lost me when the two would do anything but something gay. Which is when the movie SHOULD have made them do so.

“The Wailing” - a Korean horror film about demonic possession.

I heard The Wailing was really good but I started watching it and wasn’t grabbed.

Stakeland

Spellbinder (1988) - it featured Timothy Daly, Rick Rossovich and a pre Travolta, Kelly whatseface

Phantasm (1979) - responsible for inspiring many a nightmare in teenaged me

Sinister (200 ?) - I like horror movies when the lead character is a skeptic who quickly becomes a believer

An old movie with Martin Sheen called The Believers about a cult he uncovers.

Horror Hotel (original title City of the Dead) is a personal overlooked favorite, with an interesting plot, spooky, fog-shrouded settings and a few enjoyable twists and turns along the way. After you see it, you won't soon forget it.

The Innocents

Ah Martin Sheen reminds me of, "The Serpent and the Rainbow", even though he wasn't in it- the lead is Bill Pullman.

Science Fiction:I am Number 4. Alex Pettyfer.

That one is hardly a 'gem', R256.

I love old movies but not old horror movies. Don’t any of you guys like anything made after 1960?

The exception is Night Must Fall with Robert Montgomery very good as a sociopath. Cat People and The Seventh Victim are very creepy.

Recently saw Marianne on Netflix and thought it was excellent! I don't want to say too much, but the way it starts out in terms of the mood it tries to set changes a bit throughout the series, but not in bad way. It works well. Unfortunately, Netflix canceled it after one season.

It's a French series, and I would recommend watching it in the original language with subtitles (if you don't know French). The English dub is mediocre at best.

I watched “Lovely Molly” on Tubi recently - it definitely can be categorized as a slow burn horror film. I didn’t personally care for it but that may have just been my mood at the time.

Fright

Horror Hotel and Burn, Witch, Burn make for a great double feature night around Halloween. Good stories, good acting and fantastic atmosphere.

Night of The Demons 1989 Starring Amedia Kincade, Kathy Podewell and, Linnea Quigley, there was a remake in 2009 starring Shannon Elizebeth and Monica Keena it's okay but doesn't capture the same feeling as the original. Trivia: Amelia Kincade who now goes by Mimi Kincade and works as an (Animal Communicator) is the niece of Golden Girls Rue McClanahan.

The Irish film A Dark Song seems to have developed a cult following. Personally, I didn't care for it but looking at film forums I seem to be in the minority. It's both little known and a slow burn.

[quote]Don’t any of you guys like anything made after 1960?

r258, have you even read the thread? Only a handful of pre-1960s films have been mentioned

R264 I love that movie.

The Witches, with Joan Fontaine and Alec McCowen

I thought Lovely Molly was quite good too.

[quote] I think most posters are recommending “little known” OR “slow burn”.

The OP specified "little known" in his title. He says he prefers "slow burn" in his original post, but did not insist the films HAD to be "slow burn."

Someone above mentioned "Road Games," which I also liked.

I just watched Midnight Special on hbogo, and it wasn’t bad. It was listed under the horror section, but it was more of a slow thriller.

Stars Michael Shannon, Joel Egerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Jaeden Martell. Martell plays Shannon’s ‘special’ son whom Shannon and Egerton are trying to keep away from the FBI and co. Driver plays an NSA guy.

I recommend it if you’re looking for a low key type thriller/drama

All Good Things

Basket Case borders on comedy cheap special effects and full frontal nudity by the handsome star are parts of its charm.

I remember watching it once at a midnight show after it was over someone excitedly said ‘ it should win an Oscar!’

I actually find Robert Pattinson hot in The Lighthouse even though I’ve never been attracted to him.

Yes Lighthouse probably got him the Batman gig (plus other well reviewed indie performances I haven’t seen) and don’t forget he stars in the big Tenet coming out soon. Nothing he did in those lousy Twilight movies helped his career. On the other hand Kristen Stewart bores me to tears.

Another vote for One False Move -- tense, well acted, and an original plot that had me guessing right to the end

Does Marianne end or does it have a cliffhanger?

I think Alex Pettyfer is definitely a Gem.

'Julie Christie carries the [bold]Demon Seed[/bold]. Fear for her.'

The film "Magic" with Anthony Hopkins, from 1979.

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? with and Geraldine Chaplin and Ruth Gordon. It's a better movie than What's the Matter with Helen?

^^ R281 No, it isn't. ^^

R277 Marianne has an end to one story but sets in place the pieces for a second story and season. Alas, it will never be seen. There was a good story going on with hints of something more evil behind the scenes but we'll never know.

Eleanor Parker and Michael Sarrazin in [bold]Eye of the Cat[/bold] (1969).

Careful viewing suggests a gay subtext which the filmmakers weren't brave enough to make more explicit in 1969; Michael Sarrazin's cat-fearing character, Wylie, appears to have been originally imagined as a gay hustler who only sticks with sugar mama Eleanor Parker for the money. Gayle Hunnicutt seems to have been added as a heterosexual love interest.

I was in a psychological thriller/horror movie and some found the pacing too slow, but I thought it turned out really good, beyond my expectations. It's called "Devoured", (2012), and the lead actress Marta Milans was excellent. Anyone seen it?

DEAD OF WINTER with Mary Steenburgen and directed by Arthur Penn

A Japanese film called AUDITION. If you're male, you will be climbing the walls.

It's Geraldine Page that's in AUNT ALICE.

"The Changeling" with George C. Scott

For something totally crazy watch Bug with Michael Shannon. He did another interesting movie about a guy who keeps seeing visions, builds a bunker and you can't tell if he's crazy or not.

He plays crazy well.

r288, Is that the one with DL fave Ashley Judd? Apparently she was good in that.

10 Cloverfield Lane isn't "little-known", but it's really well done and under-appreciated I think.

Carnival of Souls. Made for a nickel but has some Very creepy moments.

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?

I think someone mentioned "Ravenous" up thread. It's a solid horror film- give it a try:

Ravenous flopped but I really liked it. When I saw it in the theater I was the only person there

I agree Alice is a better film than Helen. It was a hoot to see the greats RuthGordon and Geraldine Page match wits although I wasn’t fond of the ending. Helen was fun to see Debbie play a bitch but Shelley Winters must have been in a dozen crazy old lady movies this was one of the better ones still nothing special.

I was high when I saw Alice and thought it was the best movie ever.

R291 Another vote for Carnival of Souls. Here's to Herk Harvey for making this low-budget gem.

I tried to watch The Changeling but it had too many closeups of George C Scott.

I just saw Angel of Mine on Hulu and I loved it. NoOma Rapace plays a crazy woman who thinks Yvonne StrohVski has her dead daughter. Both give great performances and I have only seen Yvonne in the first season of HandMaid’s Tale and it was nice to see her play a good guy for a change. Movie even has Luke Evans as the typical concerned ex-husband. Guess the movie is a thriller that has a slow burn leading up to a showdown between the two mothers.

Try a double feature of Hardcore (1979) and 8MM (1999) for some sleazy, porn underworld thrills. You'll need a long shower after.

^ You can add Autofocus to that list

Angel of Mine is more of a drama than anything. It's the kind of thing Lifetime would make, if Lifetime were inclined to make decent movies.

The Love Witch (2016) beautiful cinematography!

You're Next -- crazy twist!

I love hardcore

Eye of the Needle w/Donald Sutherland.

Deathtrap w/Christopher Reeve.

R304 I'd forgotten about this little masterpiece with hot AF Reeves and Caine and its gay subtext.

I'd say that when they started kissing, subtext became text

Yes, R289.

Is Deathtrap worth watching if you know the twist referenced by r305/r306?

It is a bit old-fashioned and stagey and Dylan Cannon was always fun before plastic surgery made her look like another person.

I say yes, r308. It’s a lot of fun with plenty of other twists.

Make it a double feature with The Last of Sheila, another camp as hell mystery also featuring Dyan Cannon.

I liked Eye of the Needle, too

Hell House LLC was terrifying

Homebodies...

Hitchcock's "Family Plot" w/DL favorite Miss Karen Black.

They Look Like People was a nice little surprise. Was expecting a horror movie but it's more about friendship and masculinity. (Sorry, not in a sexy way.)

Don't Go To Sleep (1982) * Valerie Harper * Ruth Gordon *

Match Point.

More a suspense film:

Along Came A Spider (1970-TV)

**Made-for-TV** A research scientist's widow (Suzanne Pleshette) seeking to avenge her husband's murder at the hand of his colleague, conceals her true identity and embarks on an affair. This Originally aired Feb.3,1970 on ABC.

When Michael Calls.

Daughter of the Mind.

[bold]A Cold Night's Death[/bold] (1973), starring Robert Culp and Eli Wallach.

[bold]Scream of the Wolf[/bold] (1974), starring Peter Graves and Clint Walker.

[bold]You'll Never See Me Again[/bold] (1973), with David Hartman.

[bold]Trilogy of Terror[/bold] (1975), starring Karen Black.

[bold]Where Have All the People Gone?[/bold] (1974), with Peter Graves.

[bold]Don't Be Afraid of the Dark[/bold] (1973), with Kim Darby and Jim Hutton.

ABC Movies of the Week were the greatest!

HELL HOUSE LLC was cheap, unscary home video.

You've never seen anything like THE GREASY STRANGLER.

Part slasher, part quirky character comedy, you'll either love or hate this. But you WON'T have a mild reaction.

OOh r318, you reminded me of ABC's. "Curse of the Black Widow" starring Patty Duke Austin!

V/H/S has some solid segments (it's an anthology), but the interstitials are terrible.

And speaking of Elijah Wood's horror career, I hope you didn't miss COME TO DADDY, one of my favorite movies last year.

It's as much a horrifying slasher as a gangster flick. But it also has a very strong humor game.

You will SQUEAL with delight!

V/H/S is more cheap, unscary home video garbage.

Artless rednecks made V/H/S. 🤮🤮🤮

[quote] A Japanese film called AUDITION. If you're male, you will be climbing the walls.

A genius film, but it works best if you come to it with as little knowledge as possible. Including the fact that it’s even a horror film.

Violent Midnight

The Couch

Private Property

The Sniper

The Prowler

Not of this Earth (1957)...

Either you loved or hated it: Mandy

R327 That's how I saw that. My sister is a film geek and would frequently loan me movies that I had never heard of, and one was Audition.

I really loved Mandy and I hate Nick Cage as an actor!

Paperhouse

Parents

Frightmare (70's British movie from Pete Walker)

To echo many others - Alice Sweet Alice is terrific!

I Walked With a Zombie. The title is trashy, but the movie isn't

"Urban Legends"

The best horror movies are the ones that don't show too much and let your mind fill in the details.

Like the fate of Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hitcher

The Faculty

True r339. The remake produced by Michael Bay. Of all people they changed the gender of JJL and showed he trucks separating his body.

[quote]The best horror movies are the ones that don't show too much and let your mind fill in the details.

One of the best examples is Robert Wise's The Haunting (1963)

The remake was terrible.

I couldn’t believe I liked Mandy and Nick Cage’s performance. Another plus it has full frontal nudity from Linus Roache. Color Out Of Space is a good sci-fi/horror even though the director didn’t reign him in and he gave his usual over the top performance Mom and Dad was okay.

Okay this is an obscure one: The Addiction with Lili Taylor. It's an art house vampire movie, all in black and white:

Has anyone seen Swallow? I’m thinking about renting it.

Not the one you’re talking about, r345