4 Horror movies that I think are more than jumpscares — watch them this spooky season
These are some of the Horror films that I can say are masterfully done. Movies that deserve to be called both scary and substantial.
Before, I have written an article about how the Horror genre has been led astray by only looking for jumpscares and scary visuals of monsters.
There, I discussed how a typical movie-goer typically enters a movie theater in order to have fun and be entertained. And with horror, of course, they want to be scared. Unfortunately, they equate that with the number of heart-attack-inducing frights in a film.
Jumpscares are enjoyable and it keeps the adrenaline running. It’s fun, of course. I enjoy it as well. However, I think it should be done in the right way, and I prefer that the plot is as solid.
Here is a list of movies that I think are more than just scary faces and sound effects. Yes, make your soul leave your body but the plot is nice too, they make sense.
Get Out (2017)
Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating. She then invites him for a weekend getaway with Missy and Dean.
At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship. However, as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to something. A truth that he never could have imagined.
I can’t say much about this movie because I don’t wanna spoil anything. All I can say is Jordan Peele is a master in relaying important messages to people.
He does this through setting terrifying imagery and unsettling atmosphere. I think this is considered one of the best horror movies by critics despite being just released 4 years ago.
This is Peele’s debut in Horror as a director and he did it so well. People already dubbed him as one of the best rising directors of the genre.
Us (2019)
Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. She is accompanied by her husband, son, and daughter. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen.
Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house. They forced the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one of them.
The follow-up of Jordan Peele to Get Out is as beautiful and horrifying. I can recall how the musical score of this film affected me. The dark tone of the movie is also very perfect as it created the atmosphere that something sinister is indeed happening.
Lupita is incredible in everything that she does. But here, she is exceptional as both the protagonist and antagonist. Her acting is beyond amazing.
Just like his first film, Peele’s Us also has an important message about the world we’re living in. And you can only see that if you look past the surface level of the story.
Midsommar (2019)
A young American couple, their relationship foundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the locals reveal their terrifying agenda.
This horror movie is quite popular these days and I am happy about it. It means that viewers are finally appreciating this kind of horror that has a slow build-up. I think that this kind of film deserves a lot of praise for being able to gradually put the pieces together.
These puzzle pieces form a beautifully terrifying finish to the whole story. The beginning of this film can be described as “boring” by a typical movie-goer. It lacks the element of a jumpscare.
But really, it already has that eerie feeling in the first few minutes. The thing it has built up right from the start is successfully carried through the end of the film.
Invisible Man (2020)
After staging his own suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back.
Leigh Whannel is a master of scare in this movie. It proved my idea that gory faces or monsters are unnecessary in Horror movies. Despite it not having the face that you will dread to see, it created a dark atmosphere.
It is the fear of the unknown. It made the feeling of looking in an empty space terrifying. Viewers will be left scared of even the most vacant spaces knowing that something might be lurking out there. A visual of a monster isn’t needed.
As much as I’d love to continue, this article is already very long. I hope you have a look at these masterpieces and I wish they scare the hell out of you. Advanced Happy Halloween!
