5 modern horrors that are really scary
One of those genres that will never die, horror releases innumerable new works every year, some of which are excellent, others of which are horrendously subpar. Although the latter is sadly quite uncommon these days, there are contemporary horrors that are genuinely terrifying…
Sinister (2012)
Ethan Hawke stars as a failing family man, father, husband, and writer who moves his family across the country to a house that was recently the site of a family murder. Admittedly, it’s not the smartest move, but it quickly makes sense when he proves himself not only to be a writer, but also a true detective writer trying to be inspired for his next big hit.
Throughout the film, Hawke is busy investigating the murders while trying to explain the strange happenings with his own family and the house itself. Upon finding found footage pertaining to the murders, he realizes that there is more than the one he knows, and they are all linked in a chain, one after the other.
Each of the found films is uniquely unsettling, and while the film doesn’t quite stick to the landing and has a pointless and much less scary sequel, the film is one of the few modern horrors that are actually scary.
Related: 31 Days of Horror: 5 Perfect Horror Endings That Will Shock and Scare You
Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster’s feature debut is memorable. Premonitory, intense, filled with dread and a slow burner, the film fills the first two-thirds of its runtime with drips and drips of story here and there, with the focus on the family as they face tragedy, as well as against the backdrop of supernatural events littered family history.
The final third of the film goes from zero to a hundred at a brisk pace, but it never feels rushed, with everything unfolding around family and a supernatural pact manifesting itself. Starring Toni Collette as the mother of a family trying to keep everything together, especially herself, she features in the films the most unnerving and shocking scenes involving cheesy thread and a demented smile…
The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
A group of students arrive at what they believe to be a homestead with the intention of cataloging the elderly mother’s battle with dementia. What was originally thought to be dementia turns out to be something considerably more dangerous and supernatural, and the film follows the students and the daughter of the afflicted doing their best to get to the bottom of what is happening. pass, survive and also help the possessed mother.
The movie has it all, body horror, jump scares, terrifying visuals and more, making it one of the best modern horrors.
The Strangers (2008)
Another feature debut, this time from writer/director Bryan Bertino. No supernatural elements involved this time around, just three human antagonists whose sole motivation is to torture, toy with, and kill an unhappy family in their own home.
More scary and tense than a lot of outright gore, the reason the film works is twofold, firstly, it really could happen, far more so than the other films on this list, and secondly, Bertino knows how to keep the camera on every scene. a little too long, which makes it annoying and constantly wondering where the three killers are and what will happen next.
Rec (2007)
Not to be confused with the American remake Quarantine, REC is everything the remake wanted to be. Tense, horrifying, hard to watch and more, REC follows a news crew as they enter and are then trapped in an apartment complex due to a virus outbreak.
This virus turns its victims into angry, enraged, frothy-mouthed assailants who lose all rationality and restraint. Shown from the news crew camera, with most often the scariest parts of the film being what isn’t shown, or what’s caught in a few frames but nothing more, and that’s what actually one of five modern horrors that are actually scary.
There’s our pick for five modern horrors that are truly scary… There’s probably plenty more, so which others would you include?
