It is difficult to make a great psychological horror movie. Often, people go in expecting a fast-paced thriller or a movie with gruesome gore, but when a movie sets up a frightening world and gets under people’s skins, they often dismiss it. That happened in 2022 with Alex Garland’s recent movie Men, which saw polarizing reviews but remains a movie worth checking out for genre fans.
Throughout the last decade, there have been several films that fit this definition. These follow occult storylines, movies about loss, and family tragedies that disrupt and terrorize everyone involved. However, these movies seemed to either slip by viewers, or they are movies that fans turned their noses to, but might deserve a second chance.
The Witch (2015)
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The Witch was a psychological horror movie that was a hard watch for many viewers. Robert Eggers has made his career out of making difficult, meticulously crafted horror, and this was no different. The movie was about a family living on a farm that encounters evil in the woods.
The movie really fits the form of A24 horror movies, and that also means that it is a tough watch for many mainstream moviegoers. The Witch does a lot to get under the viewer’s skin, but it is a slow burn that turned off a lot of viewers, who never got through to the end.
The Lighthouse (2019)
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The Lighthouse received a large amount of critical praise upon its release in 2019. However, while it was an Oscar nominee and critics loved the movie, mainstream moviegoers didn’t fall in line with the reviews. The movie was about two lighthouse keepers on an isolated night.
The movie was black and white, and that was one major downfall for viewers who won’t watch a movie without color. However, the problems were deeper as it was a movie shot to look like an old film and the build was slow and deliberate, which were all choices important to the feel of the story, but off-putting for many viewers.
The Babadook (2014)
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The Babadook received a lot of praise when it came out from horror aficionados. The movie tells the story of a single mother who is raising a six-year-old son while grieving the loss of her husband. After she reads her son a book called Mister Babadook, she believes the monster in the book is real and is haunting them.
While it has gained a bit of a following, it is still an underrated psychological horror movie because of its format. It switches from classic black and white movies to color, which turned off many viewers, and is also a slow-burn horror movie that has very few scary moments. The movie is an allegory, and there is a lot under the surface for viewers who pay close attention.
The Lodge (2020)
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The Lodge is a 2020 movie about siblings who lose their mother and go to live in a remote cabin with their future stepmother. Soon, unexplained events happen that cause the brother and sister to question their future stepmom and her experience in a religious cult.
The movie remains underappreciated because it slipped under the radar in 2020 with everything happening in the real world. It also subverted expectations, and it wasn’t a supernatural movie like the trailers hinted, but was instead a slow-burn horror thriller.
Swallow (2020)
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Swallow was a 2020 release with Haley Bennett starring as Hunter, a woman who marries a man who treats her like a possession rather than his wife. When Hunter becomes pregnant, she loses more control and starts swallowing inedible objects, only to find her husband’s family taking more control of her life.
This movie hit during the pandemic, and like many movies during that time, it showed up and disappeared with no fanfare. There was no real audience for the movie, as a result, but for fans who love movies like Rosemary’s Baby, this psychological horror movie deserves a second chance.
Goodnight Mommy (2014)
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Goodnight Mommy features a woman who had cosmetic facial surgery and arrives back home with her face bandaged up. However, her nine-year-old twin boys refuse to believe the woman who returned home is their actual mother, and they believe someone replaced her with this stranger.
This movie remains underrated because it is lesser known, an Austrian movie in 2014 from debuting filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. It missed out on an Oscar nomination as Best Foreign Language Film, but is a movie that all horror fans need to watch.
Raw (2016)
Now Streaming On Netflix
The movie Raw debuted in 2016 and followed a woman named Justine who has to eat a rabbit kidney during a college hazing prank. After this, she develops a craving for raw flesh, and when she learns a classmate has the same cravings, they set out on a rampage.
This movie turned off a lot of viewers, making it an extremely underrated psychological horror movie. The gore was over the top for the genre, and that likely kept people from appreciating the more complex aspects of the women’s afflictions.
It Comes At Night (2017)
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It Comes at Night introduces a world where a contagion has spread over the globe and a family moves into an isolated cabin in the woods for their own safety. However, when a family of strangers joins them, and mistrust and anger develop when someone breaks the safety protocols, they all end up in danger.
The movie is intentionally misleading, but in reality it is a psychological horror movie, which confused some viewers. However, those who stuck around and ignored the fact the movie didn’t explain the contagion found a lot to love.
Mother! (2017)
Now Streaming On Prime Video
After making his name with indie art-house movies, Darren Aronofsky made the horror movie mother! The story focused on a man and woman who invite strangers into their home, only to have them become intrusive forces in their lives, with the man not seeming to mind.
The movie kept Aronofsky’s art-house sensibilities, and that turned off a lot of viewers. The movie also served as an allegory, and it was one that many viewers couldn’t connect with, resulting in terrible reviews and an F CinemaScore. However, there is something bold about the movie, and it might be time for a reevaluation.
The Killing Of The Sacred Deer (2017)
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The Killing of the Sacred Deer hit in 2017 and stars Colin Farrell as a cardiac surgeon who befriends a teenage boy who has a connection to his past. Once he introduces the boy to his family, the surgeon’s family all starts to fall ill before he realizes the teen is playing a dangerous game with him.
The movie received critical acclaim, and it was in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie remains highly underrated despite great direction and impeccable acting from everyone involved.
