Team Cinemaholic
If we observe carefully the definition of horror has undergone many changes since our childhood. What scares a six-year-old might not necessarily scare a teenager. Human beings can be as dangerous as evil spirits. The main source of what’s scary and what not, have always been the movies. It’s the movies who have given a shape and face to our fears and dictates our way of thinking. Zombies, who once upon time used to scare the hell out of people, are now merely reduced to comic caricatures. So in such a volatile situation how do filmmakers cater to the demands of the ever evolving audiences? The answer may be found in the 2018 release ‘Hereditary’.
There were so many ways in which ‘Hereditary’ is different from others in its genre. I can’t say that it was entirely original, there are bound to be a cliché or two in every film. But no matter what horror film I have seen, I have been able to shrug off its effect sooner rather than later. Most horror films don’t even haunt my dreams anymore. (I don’t know if I should be happy about that or concerned!) But this film made it a lot difficult for me to sleep. It tells the story of a family who stands witness to a streak of horrific events after the death of the grandmother in the family. There were secrets that the old lady took to her grave, but the dangers lurked behind and came back to destroy all that was left of the family.
So, now what? You have watched ‘Hereditary’, loved it and now are looking for similar movie recommendations. Worry not! That’s why we are here. You help answer your movie related questions. Here’s the list of movies similar to ‘Hereditary’. You can find several of these movies like ‘Hereditary’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
15. We Are Still Here (2015)
When Anne and Paul’s son dies in a car accident, Anne falls into depression. In an attempt to change her surroundings to help her heal, Paul decides to move to the countryside. He buys an old house and hopes that the nature around the place will help Anne. However, Paul should have researched more before buying a place that used to be a funeral home and whose owners had a dark history. As soon as they move into the house, Anne believes that her son is there with them and tries to contact him. Soon it becomes clear that her son may or may not be there, but there are literal skeletons in their house’s closet and their ghosts are coming for them.
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14. The Others (2001)
This Nicole Kidman starer horror flick will make marvel the style of storytelling. The film is set in the 40s. Nicole Kidman plays the role of a widow named Grace who lives with her two kids who are photosensitive. This makes her keep the curtains down. Grace decides to hire some help around the house and she hires a maid, a housekeeper, and a gardener. Soo, she starts to experience strange happenings at the house and feels that there are certain intruders who enter the house. She decides to find out the truth but ends up revealing something much more chilling.
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13. The Conjuring (2013)
Based on the true story of the Perron family, ‘The Conjuring’ relives the tale of horror in the utmost unimaginable fashions. When they get a house for cheap, the Perrons waste no time and move in. The exciting and joyous mood soon turns somber and frightful when they discover their pet dog murdered and the presence of a ghost. They call upon the services of noted supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who have scars of their own which haven’t been forgotten. ‘The Conjuring’ does a brilliant job of blending its jump-scares with the narrative, moving the film at a good pace. Probably one of the best horror films without a doubt.
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12. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This black and white film took the myth of the living dead to the next level and became a pioneer of sorts of the zombie genre. The plot is pretty simple; two siblings get trapped in a cemetery surrounded by zombies and what follows next is anyone’s guess. In today’s political context however the film’s ending has different connotations. The lead of the film played by an African American actor gets shot in the end by cops when he is mistaken for a zombie. However one cannot shake of the feeling that the action was intentional. Around last year a strange piece of news made the rounds of social media about how a man was convicted for showing the film in discussion to a six year old almost twenty years ago. Strange, isn’t it?
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11. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The maverick director Roman Polanski’s debut Hollywood production is an urbane, post-modern horror flick where a couple has to pay a heavy price for happiness. The film deals with a variety of themes like Satan worship, witchcraft, black magic seamlessly and gives us an intriguing narrative. Apart from Polanski’s avant-garde direction the best thing about the film is its leading lady Mia Farrow. She plays her part with the precision of a compass. There are no unnecessary shrieks or overtly outlandish characters that are so particular of horror films. The director takes care of the thrills as well as the leading lady’s hair and clothes thus making it a true blue pop culture winner.
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10. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
The film opens with a young man standing on the side of a walkway dressed in James Dean avatar and it is on that exact moment you realize that this one is going to rock the boat. A burqa clad, roller skating vampire vigilante in an Iranian town preys upon those who prey upon women; it doesn’t get more revolutionary than this. This should be reason enough reason for one to watch it.
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8. Psycho (1960)
On paper the story of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ may sound very dull but on screen it’s a revelation. Clever direction and the proper casting of Anthony Perkins in the role of the now infamous Norman Bates is what make it a timeless classic. And of course how can one forget the ‘murder in the shower’ scene. If you are curious enough to know how Norman became Norman you can check out the TV show ‘Bates Motel’ which is all set for its final season.
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7. Under The Skin (2014)
An otherworldly woman who seduces lonely men might sound like the ultimate sexual fantasy coming true but there’s a catch. Erotica is just on the surface level, the film forces you to delve deep into your psyche to unravel the mysterious connection between sex and power relations. Jonathan Glazer’s science fiction tale is coated with the vulnerability of human emotions and the scariest part is that even aliens can’t escape it.
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6. Let the Right One In (2008)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson, this 2008 Swedish flick amalgamates romance and horror with terrifying beauty. Set in the 1980s, the film knits the story through Kåre Hedebrant, a 12-year-old boy, morally torn due to bullying, develops a friendship with a vampire child in Blackeberg, in a suburb of Stockholm. Adapted from Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel ‘Let the Right One In’, the film carries a thorough narrative. Developing the story with character development and plot advancement, the film is built upon the director’s thematic perception of the book and its horror elements. Carrying a certain essence of a Stephen King adaptation, the film is dexterously painted with romantic allegories veiled under a thick layer of stomach-churning horror.
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5. The Babadook (2014)
While most horror genres rely on jump scares and cheap tricks, there are some films that actually scare you without all that horror stuff. ‘Get Out’ was one such film, and so was ‘The Babadook’. This Australian psychological horror film is centered around the life of a mother and son. The son believes that a monster came out in the real world when his mother read a scary story to him. His mother becomes concerned as he starts displaying abnormal behavior. However, she soon realizes that the monster is real, after all.
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4. The Witch (2017)
The Witch is the best horror movie of the decade and one of the most auspicious debuts in some time. Using slow burn, atmospheric, unsettling horror for a purpose – rather than as a hipster aesthetic like many A24 joints – this film’s thematically rich screenwriting lays out an outline for a modern classic. The violent grappling with religious purity at the film’s center in Anya Taylor-Joy’s Thomasin pierces at the heart of the repression of the feminine. Thomasin acts as a blameless innocent somehow yearning for absolution by her Puritan faith, the flipside of the coin that bears the titular creature that feeds on a young baby to retain her youth. Thomasin’s family accuses her of witchcraft, and finally after being forced to kill her deranged mother and watch her father die, selling her soul to the devil just to forget the god-awful life she once knew feels like long-awaited liberation. Once she’s chosen to live deliciously in the last moments of The Witch, the laugh Thomasin expels as she beings to float is a perfectly chilling punctuation to a densely rewarding fable and an intellectually invigorating horror masterpiece.
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3. The Exorcist (1973)
The age old battle between the good and the evil was never before portrayed so effectively on screen like ‘The Exorcist’ did. The name of the film itself give away its content but the effect that the film had on its viewers in the early 70s can hardly be described in words. The release of the film marked a watershed moment in American cinema especially in the horror genre as cutting edge technical expertise made sure that fear gets multiplied on the screen. It was nominated for 10 Academy awards including best picture.
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2. The Shining (1980)
When two masters of their own fields, Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King meet, magic happens. Add to it the natural spookiness of Jack Nicholson and we get a larger than life horror saga where past meets the present to unleash a mind boggling scare fest. Cabin fever gets a new definition as the lead actor plunges into madness and becomes a nightmare for his own family. Majestically shot and inherently disturbing, ‘The Shining’ is your go-to horror movie irrespective your mood. Red Rum, anyone?
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1. Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento handles the supernatural in his movies with the expertise of an occultist, in this case “Witches”. You get the feeling that the events are happening in your own backyard as he involves you so much in the narrative that the lines between the reel and real gets blurred. We all want to be a part of his ‘beyond-the-known’ adventures. He beautifully combines elements of the macabre and darkness with an ‘Alice-in-Wonderland’ kind of energy. With passing time his films are constantly acquiring cult status and ‘Suspiria’ definitely grabs the maximum eyeballs. It is the first in the series of ‘The Three Mothers’ trilogy and also lookout for a much anticipated remake of the film which is all set to release in 2017.
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