Horror is a pretty saturated genre, and a lot of it is, well, not great, meaning that it can take some digging to find the real gems. With that in mind, this list looks at some great horrors from the last ten years that many readers might not have seen yet. While they’re not that obscure, they typically didn’t find the box office success or wide viewership that they deserve.
The titles below lean toward indie horror, particularly ones that prioritize atmosphere over jump scares, psychological unease over spectacle, and ambiguity over easy answers. They span a range of styles and tones, from the identity fractures of Possessor to the loneliness of The Blackcoat’s Daughter and the grotesque emotional metaphor at the heart of Hatching.
10
‘Oddity’ (2024)
“I can feel something watching us.” Oddity is a lean, low-budget horror from Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy, the brains behind the upcoming Hokum starring Adam Scott, and it’s a marvel of narrative economy. The plot revolves around Darcy (Carolyn Bracken), a blind medium investigating the brutal murder of her twin sister (also played by Bracken). She arrives at the remote house where the crime took place with a collection of strange and seemingly cursed objects. Slowly, each of them reveals what really happened.
As she begins to probe what really happened, the house itself becomes a site of creeping dread. Bracken’s phenomenal dual performance anchors the movie, and the plot keeps swerving in unexpected directions. It subverts genre expectations repeatedly; here, the human characters are more evil and dangerous than any specter. All this builds up to a brilliant ending boasting one of the most effective closing shots in recent years.
9
‘Censor’ (2021)
“I see things… and I don’t know if they’re real anymore.” In Censor, a film censor (Niamh Alger) working in 1980s Britain becomes increasingly disturbed by the violent content she reviews. When she encounters a film that seems to mirror her own traumatic past, she begins to lose her grip on reality altogether. This is another slender, efficient horror, clocking in at just 84 minutes long, but filled to the brim with striking images and rich food for thought.
The visual style plays a crucial role, using color and texture to differentiate (and eventually merge )different layers of reality. In many ways, Censor is a horror movie about horror movies, and the filmmakers clearly have a deep knowledge of and affection for the genre. They draw on countless cinematic references, and do a fantastic job of recreating the grimy look and feel of the old-school video nasties. All in all, a smart, dark, psychological movie that should please genre aficionados.
8
‘A Dark Song’ (2017)
“This is not a game… and it will not forgive mistakes.” In A Dark Song, a grieving woman (Catherine Walker) hires an occultist (Steve Oram) to help her perform an elaborate and dangerous ritual in a secluded house. She hopes to summon her guardian angel so that she can speak with her dead son. But as the ritual progresses, the psychological and physical toll begins to mount, revealing the true cost of what they are attempting, as well as possible deception by the medium himself.
Rather than being melodramatic, this is a more grounded take on ritual magic tropes. The horror builds slowly, rooted in the idea that they may have ventured too far into something they do not fully understand. The dynamic between the two central characters provides most of the narrative momentum. Their relationship is fraught with tension, constantly shifting between cooperation and hostility, keeping the audience guessing til the end.
7
‘The Blackcoat’s Daughter’ (2017)
“Don’t you want to be with me?” Some critics completely panned this movie, which is way too harsh. Oz Perkins‘ directorial debut is a solid, compelling horror, even if not a groundbreaking one. It’s about two students (Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton) who are left behind at a boarding school during winter break, while a third young woman (Emma Roberts) travels toward them under mysterious circumstances. As the timelines begin to converge, something sinister emerges.
The plot admittedly retreats some classic story beats, but the atmosphere is rich and immersive enough to compensate. The cold, empty spaces of the school create a sense of isolation that permeates every scene. The sound design is effective, too, using a minimal store and weaponizing subtle noises and long stretches of silence. Plus, the narrative structure itself is intricate and ambitious, deliberately withholding information to disorient the viewer and let them draw their own conclusions.
6
‘Hatching’ (2022)
“She’s perfect… she’s mine.” This Finnish gem is a satirical, absurdist riff on body horror. The main character is Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), a young gymnast struggling to meet her mother’s expectations. The plot kicks into gear after Tinja discovers a mysterious egg, which she nurtures until it hatches into a strange creature. The creature grows into a human-sized, bird-like monster, which begins to mirror the girl’s inner turmoil in increasingly disturbing ways.
From here, the movie’s tone shifts between domestic drama and grotesque horror, creating a sense of unease that never fully resolves. Indeed, the relationship between mother and daughter is central, with the monster acting as a manifestation of unspoken pressures and fears. The visuals convey this perfectly. The creature design is particularly striking, becoming a physical expression of the protagonist’s psychological state. All this adds up to an intelligent movie with clear themes, yet one that never lets the message eclipse the frights.
5
‘The Night House’ (2020)
“There’s nothing there… but it keeps calling me.” Rebecca Hall carries most of this one single-handedly as Beth Parchin, a grieving widow who begins to uncover disturbing secrets about her recently deceased husband (Evan Jonigkeit) while living alone in the lakeside home he built. In the process, she starts to experience strange visions and encounters that suggest something is still waiting for her. The house itself becomes a puzzle, filled with hidden spaces and mirrored structures that reflect the protagonist’s unraveling state of mind.
The set design and cinematography reinforce this. The film plays with negative space, literal darkness, as a source of terror, creating images that seem to shift the longer you look at them. That said, the highlight is Hall. Her performance is layered, intelligent, and three-dimensional, making Bell far more realistic and interesting than your average horror protagonist. She’s a gripping mix of vulnerable and defiant.
4
‘Possessor’ (2020)
“You’re not in control anymore.” Possessor was the sophomore directorial effort from Brandon Cronenberg, son of David. In it, a corporate assassin (Andrea Riseborough) uses advanced technology to inhabit the bodies of others, carrying out high-profile killings while manipulating her hosts from within. Over the course of the story, her missions become more complicated, and the boundary between her identity and those she possesses begins to blur.
That premise could’ve become overly pulpy, but Cronenberg executes it with considerable style. The imagery is surreal and intense, frequently drenched in blood and gore. Here, the director crafts a world where violence feels intimate and invasive, with each act leaving a residue that cannot be easily erased. In other words, Possessor uses body horror in a deeply conceptual way. Like the best work by Cronenberg Sr., this movie delves deep into emotional detachment, the vulnerability of the body, and the dehumanizing side of technology.
3
‘Mad God’ (2021)
“I will act against you in wrathful hostility.” Mad God is the ridiculously ambitious magnum opus from animator and effects artist Phil Tippett, famous for his work on Star Wars and Jurassic Park. It’s a stop-motion horror in which a lone figure descends into a nightmarish underworld filled with grotesque creatures, endless machinery, and scenes of constant suffering. The film unfolds with minimal dialogue, relying instead on its imagery to convey meaning.
The lack of a conventional plot allows the film to operate on a more symbolic level, with each sequence contributing to a broader sense of existential dread. On the aesthetic side, the stop-motion animation creates a tactile, oppressive world where every frame is filled with detail and decay. In an era of CGI and computer animation, it’s a rare treat to experience something so physical and handcrafted. While certainly not for everyone, Mad God will reward those who embrace its dark, dream-like sensibility.
2
‘The Rule of Jenny Penn’ (2025)
“We don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing.” This gem out of New Zealand is driven by the remarkable dynamic between Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. Rush plays Stefan Mortensen, an elderly judge who suffers a stroke and is forced to spend some time in a care home. There, he is subjected to the tyranny of fellow resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow), who masquerades as confused and harmless by day but torments the home by night.
Both performers are fantastic here, Lithgow in particular. His Crealy is a truly heinous antagonist, demented, manipulative, and seemingly unstoppable, yet far from a caricature or cartoon. Through these characters, the film examines tough, relevant themes around aging, abuse of power, and the courage to resist bullies. The plot keeps you on your toes, pivoting in unexpected directions and charting a wholly new course for horror storytelling.
1
‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ (2016)
“There’s something wrong with this body.” In The Autopsy of Jane Doe, a father-and-son team of coroners (played by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch) receive the body of an unidentified woman (Olwen Kelly) and begin a routine autopsy. However, while examining her, they uncover increasingly bizarre and impossible details, suggesting that the body is anything but ordinary. Each discovery during the autopsy adds a new layer of mystery.
The majority of the story takes place within a single location, which director André Øvredal uses to tremendous effect, turning the morgue into a space of relentless mounting tension. In many ways, the movie is simple, consisting of just one setting and a handful of characters and clocking in at just 86 minutes, yet each of these limited elements is arranged into the exact right place. Ultimately, it’s a smart, creepy, and even frequently funny horror that gleefully subverts the usual supernatural tropes.