1. Slither
If you haven’t seen Slither, we probably can’t be friends. Before James Gunn made Guardians of the Galaxy, he helmed one of the most entertainingly disgusting creature invasion movies you’ll ever see. Every character is perfectly cast and the script is fun and silly, but not so much that you don’t take it seriously. You’ll love it.
2. The Possession
This is probably the one movie on the list that’s going to get me yelled at, but it needs to be defended. The Possession definitely doesn’t redefine the genre, but there are some genuinely creepy moments and a story that keeps you entertained. I could have done without Matisyahu, however. If your reason for disliking it is because of him, I totally get it. For those of you that can look past the rabbi rapper, you might just have a good time.
3. Cold Prey 1 & 2
If you like Halloween and don’t mind reading subtitles (Are you a complete monster? Of course you’ll be willing to read subtitles!) Cold Prey is a great slasher series. Just stick with the first two because that’s when the story ended. They cranked out a subpar prequel and it’ll tarnish the series.
4. The Children
Kids are creepy enough as it is, so imagine if they’re setting up Final Destination-like traps to murder their parents and relatives. That’s what happens here. Enjoy!
5. Inside
If you want to scare the living crap out of every pregnant woman you know, watch Inside with her. Don’t do that. She’ll never forgive you. For the non-preggos Inside is one of the most unrelenting and gruesome horror movies you’ll ever see.
6. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
No matter how well I describe Behind the Mask, it won’t do it justice. It’s the best meta, poking fun at the genre, but still respecting it movie you’ve seen since Cabin in the Woods. It makes me sad that more of you haven’t seen it. I would date this movie.
7. Grave Encounters 1 & 2
The first Grave Encounters was fantastic. It was low budget and loaded with jump out of your seat scares. Imagine an episode of Ghost Adventures where things happen besides Zak Bagans yelling at nothing and spelling his name Z-A-K. I had no idea where the second one could possibly go, but it was fantastic. The character intros go on just a bit too long, but after that it’s the best sequel The Vicious Brothers could have possibly done.
8. Martyrs
Martyrs is more of a rites of passage for fans of horror. It’s absolutely brutal. You’ll watch it one time, tell all of your friends who love horror that they have to watch it, but you’ll never sit through it again. There is no hope. There is no joy. It is the definition of brutality.
9. Dead Silence
Don’t go into Dead Silence expecting to be haunted for weeks after watching it. It’s campy and silly with a bunch of jump scares that’ll make you scream and then immediately laugh. If you want a fun horror movie to watch with a big group, you can’t do better than Dead Silence. There’s evil puppets!
10. The House of the Devil
If you want a movie where a killer is chasing teens around and slashing up bodies, ignore this one completely. House of the Devil is a slow burning homage to the 80s that does such an effective job, the first time I watched it I had to pause it to look it up on IMDB and make sure I hadn’t mistakenly turned on an old movie. Ti West has made some solid movies, but, for me, this is the best.
11. You’re Next
This is the most fun you’ll have watching a home invasion movie. The script is fantastic and the death scenes are wildly entertaining. I want a sequel just to see Sharni Vinson reprise her incredible role again.