Have you watched some of the best foreign horror movies that you think are way better than most of the Hollywood flicks?
Who doesn’t love horror films? The horror genre is one of the most bankable subjects that has grown into one of the most popular genres in cinema, bringing in large crowds and horror enthusiasts.
Although Hollywood manages to produce numerous horror films each year, some of the best foreign horror movies are emerging from non-Western countries.
Thanks to their gutsy and visionary style of filmmaking, non-Western countries have churned out more petrifying and spine-chilling horror movies in the last few decades than anything Hollywood has produced.
Here is the list of the top 10 best foreign horror movies that would keep you awake all night.
10. A Tale of Two Sisters
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A 2003 South Korean psychological horror-drama film is inspired by a dynasty-era folktale. Directed by Kim Jee-woon, the movie makes a mystical connection to supernatural and real-world horror.
The plot follows two sisters, where the elder one returns home from a stay in a mental institution along with her father and her younger sister.
They are tormented by the ghosts haunting their house and their obsessive and cruel stepmother, all connected to a dark past, consequently making the emotional recovery difficult for the sisters.
9. The Devil’s Backbone
One of the best horror movies by Guillermo del Toro, The Devil’s Backbone is about a 12-year-old boy named Carlos who moves into an all-boys orphanage and school after his father is killed.
Set in the Spanish Civil War, the boy shortly discovers in the school that there are dark and paranormal secrets within its walls as he is haunted by the ghost of a recently deceased boy.
This 2001 gothic horror film received highly positive critical acclaim and is considered one of the great works by Guillermo del Toro.
8. Goodnight Mommy
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This Austrian psychological horror film directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz follows the complex relationship between a mother and her twin boys.
After the mother of twin boys gets face-changing plastic surgery, however, they begin to notice her odd and unfamiliar behavior in their large isolated house.
Surely, Goodnight Mommy has an unparalleled atmosphere and is one of the most visually stunning horror films of the 21st Century.
7. Audition
Takashi Miki directs this Japanese horror film which is one of the best obscure horror movies of the 90s. As unsettling as it could, Audition enthrals as both a psychological drama and a grisly shocker.
A widower, Shigeharu Aoyama agrees to a phony edition process set up by his friend to find him a new partner. After rejecting many candidates he is intrigued by a withdrawn woman, Asami.
However, after meeting Asami, Shigeharu becomes enamored with her but Asami’s identity and behavior are shrouded in mystery and are much darker than Shigeharu knows.
Evidently, the 1999 Japanese horror movie often appears in the elite list of the best horror movies ever made. A must watch!
6. Let the Right One In
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Moving into Swedish territory, Tomas Alfredson directed this 2008 romantic horror film. Oskar is a 12-year-old boy who lives with his mother in Sweden and is often bullied at school.
When a strange child named Eli moves in next door, they become close friends and Eli eventually reveals the disturbing connection to a string of grisly murders in the area.
Set in the early 1980s, the two kids explore the darker side of humanity in the suburb of Stockholm.
5. Pee Mak
Regarded as one of the best Thai horror movies, the 2013 supernatural romantic comedy-horror film is directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun which is based on a Thai folklore.
The plot follows a soldier named Mak, who after serving in the war, invites four of his soldier friends to his home to meet his wife and their baby.
However, upon arrival, they notice that the village is terrified of a ghost. The four friends hear rumors that the ghost is someone they have already met.
Owing to to the rumors afloat, they all get on the hunt to identify the real ghost haunting the village, leading to unthinkable revelations.
4. Martyrs
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Pascal Lowry directs this French horror film about a young woman named Lucy who goes on a murderous crusade to find and punish the people who kidnapped and tortured her and her friend Anna when they were younger.
Their hunt reveals a circuit of torture by a secret society whom they call martyrs, in order to discover the secrets about the afterlife. The 2008 psychological horror film was named one of the best horror films of all time in a list of 100 films.
3. The Orphanage
The 2007 gothic supernatural Spanish horror film directed by director J. A. Bayona follows the story of Laura who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage.
She also brings her husband Carlos and their adopted son Simone to the orphanage with the hopes of turning it into a home for children with special needs.
As a result of a fight a fight with Laura, Simone suddenly disappears and her search for him reveals dark and mystical secrets about the orphanage’s past. The film received 10 minutes of standing ovation in its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
2. Tumbbad
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Undoubtedly, one of the best Indian horror movies ever made, the 2018 folk horror film is directed by Rahi Anil Barve and is set in the 20th-century Indian village of Tumbbad.
Tumbbad is built around the tale of the Goddess of Prosperity and her greedy first-born Hastar, who consequently sleeps in her womb after being saved from the other gods, with the condition that he can never be worshipped.
The plot revolves around the consequences faced by the three generations of a family when they build a temple for Hastar, who can either curse a person or grant gold coins.
Vinayak Rao who grew up in Tumbbad desperately wants to escape poverty by secretly stealing the treasure of Hastar. The story emphasises on the cruel human nature and the never ending greed.
However, what could be a simple story of greed and morality is turned into a beautiful cinematic masterpiece. Certainly, a must-watch horror movie.
1. The Wailing
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A 2016 South Korean horror film directed by Na Hong-jin the plot follows a policeman who investigates a series of mysterious killings and illnesses that occur soon after a stranger arrives in their little village.
Trapped between the reality and supernatural, the policeman is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his ailing daughter.
Evidently, this is the only horror film that jumbles up mysterious diseases, ghosts, possessions, exorcism, zombies, Christian mythology, body horror, black magic, demonic curses, and a lot more.
That’s it! Whether it’s the gut-wrenching and sinistrous movies from Korea and Japan or the freakish and unsettling style of art from Spain and France, there is a plethora of distinctive horror films from across the globe.
So what are some of the best foreign horror movies you can name from the list? You can also mention the movies that are not on the list. Comment below.
