35 Criminally Underrated Horror Movies That'll Scare Your Socks Off

So you’ve seen all the classic scary movies, from The Exorcist to Nightmare on Elm Street. You’ve also been staying on top of more recent box office hits like Insidious: The Red Door and The Boogeyman. Surely this means you’re all caught up on the best horror flicks, right? Think again.

As much as we enjoy popular films that critics rave about, we can't forget about the hidden gems that are flying under the radar, from eerie psychological horrors to forgotten cult classics. For one, there's no shortage of jump scares and nail-biting suspense, and they also feature chilling performances by some of the biggest stars. Keep reading for 35 underrated horror movies you can stream on Hulu, Netflix and more.

• Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Sean Pertwee
• Rated: PG-13

When Will receives an invitation from his ex-wife, Eden, for a dinner party with her new husband, he decides to attend with his girlfriend, Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi). When he gets there, however, he’s haunted by the dark memories of their old home and, suddenly, he suspects that Eden didn’t just invite him for a friendly gathering. Makes you want to think twice before meeting up with an ex...

2. Session 9 (2001)

• Cast: David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Josh Lucas
• Rated: R

This movie follows an asbestos abatement crew as they work at an abandoned psychiatric hospital. However, it isn’t long before they discover that something evil is lurking within the mysterious facility.

• Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton, Lucy Boynton
• Rated: R

Kat and Rose, two students at a Catholic boarding school, get left behind during winter break when their parents fail to pick them up. When the two girls are alone, they discover that there’s a sinister force in their midst. Emma Roberts, Lauren Holly and James Remar also star.

• Cast: Elijah Wood, Jon Stewart, Usher Raymond
• Rated: R

Aside from the fact that Kevin Williamson (best known for Scream) wrote the screenplay and that there are so many recognizable names in the cast, The Faculty is actually quite terrifying. When the faculty at Harrington High get controlled by alien parasites, a group of students come together to try and defeat the invaders.

• Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Jun Kunimura
• Rated: TV-MA

Although this chilling South Korean horror film was a box office success, it didn’t exactly reach mainstream status. Still, the plot is nightmare-worthy. In the film, we follow a policeman named Jong-goo, who investigates a number of killings after a dangerous infection breaks out in a small village in South Korea. As it turns out, the illness causes people to murder their own families...and Jong-goo’s daughter has been infected.

• Cast: Duane Jones, Marlene Clark, Bill Gunn
• Rated: R

Duane Jones stars as Dr. Hess Green, a wealthy anthropologist who decides to research an African nation of blood drinkers. But when he gets stabbed with an ancient dagger, he transforms into an immortal vampire, unbeknownst to his new love interest, Ganja Meda.

• Cast: Megumi Okina, Chikako Isomura
• Rated: R

Although this film is actually the third installment in the Ju-On series, it was the first theatrical release. In this Japanese horror flick, we follow a caretaker named Rika Nishina, who's assigned to work with an elderly woman named Sachie. Then, she discovers that there’s a curse associated with Sachie’s home, where every person who enters it gets killed by a vengeful spirit.

• Cast: Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones, Jon Van Ness
• Rated: PG

Up for a good slasher horror that’ll change how you look at mannequin models? Look no further. In Tourist Trap, a group of teenagers find themselves trapped in a creepy museum that's run by a disturbed owner and, worse yet, filled with an army of killer mannequins.

• Cast: Clif Prowse, Derek Lee
• Rated: R

Childhood BFFs Clif and Derek set out to embark on a fun adventure as they travel around Europe. But things quickly go south when one of them gets struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to consume him completely. Trust us when we say this found-footage film will totally freak you out.

• Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik
• Rated: PG-13

Think zombie apocalypse, except in this case, everyone’s stuck on a speeding train where several passengers are turning into killer zombies. Set in South Korea, businessman Seo Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) fights to protect himself and his daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an), from this terrifying zombie outbreak.

• Cast: Phil "CM Punk" Brooks, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Elissa Dowling
• Rated: TV-MA

Don Koch, a former criminal, is ready to start fresh with his pregnant wife, Liz. He buys a new home in the suburbs and things appear to be looking up, but soon after he moves in, he learns about the house’s dark history and experiences a series of strange events in the new home.

• Cast: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger
• Rated: R

After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming, the family begins to suspect that their home is being haunted by her ghost. They consult a parapsychologist, who eventually reveals a big secret about Alice that leads them to Lake Mungo. The mockumentary-style film is not only scary enough to induce nightmares, but it also does a great job of addressing bigger themes like family and loss.

• Cast: Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz
• Rated: R

In this terrifying Austrian horror, twin brothers Elias and Lukas do their best to welcome their mother home after she returns from having facial surgery. As a result of the procedure, her head is completely wrapped in bandages, and when she starts to exhibit strange behavior, the boys suspect that it may not be their real mother.

• Cast: Ted Sorel, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton
• Rated: R

Dr. Pretorius and his assistant, Dr. Crawford Tillinghast, invent a device called the Resonator, which allows people access to a parallel universe. Then, Dr. Pretorius is kidnapped by the horrid creatures who live in that dimension, and when he returns, he’s not quite himself.

• Cast: Karina Fontes, Casey Adams, Emily Althaus
• Rated: R

Wendy, a newbie park ranger, decides to take on a challenging assignment so she can impress her peers. Unfortunately for her, she gets lost in the woods and she comes across what appears to be a crime scene. Left with no radio to communicate with anyone, Wendy is forced to confront her fears alone.

• Cast: Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, Zazie Beetz
• Rated: R

Based on Nathan Ballingrud's book, The Visible Filth, Wounds centers on Will, a bartender who picks up a phone that a customer left behind at his bar. Once he starts inspecting the phone, however, a series of bizarre and disturbing events begin to happen. (FYI, if you’re easily creeped out by cockroaches, then you might want to avoid this one.)

• Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Tuppence Middleton
• Rated: R

In this trippy sci-fi horror, Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is an elite assassin who takes control of other people’s bodies in order to execute her kills. After each hit, she returns to her own body and convinces her hosts to commit suicide, but things don’t run quite as smoothly when she takes on her new assignment, which is to kill a wealthy CEO and his daughter.

• Cast: Patrick Brice, Mark Duplass
• Rated: R

The psychological horror follows Aaron, a struggling videographer who agrees to do an assignment for Josef, a new client who lives in a remote cabin. It turns out he wants to make a video diary for his unborn child, but when Aaron gets to work, Josef's odd behavior and unsettling requests suggest that there's more to him than meets the eye. It’s not your typical found footage flick, considering its comedic moments, but it’ll totally make you cringe.

• Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Tosin Morohunfola, Amanda Christine
• Rated: NR

After losing his wife in a devastating car accident, Nolan Wright is left with amnesia and he struggles to care for his daughter. Feeling desperate, he turns to Dr. Brooks, a neurologist who promises to help him get his memories back through an experimental procedure. But after he begins the process, he unearths quite a few dark secrets from his past. This film will keep you guessing until the end.

• Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, Will Poulter
• Rated: R

Don’t be fooled by summertime scenery and flower crowns. This movie is guaranteed to take you on a roller coaster of emotions, from rage to disgust to horror. Midsommar follows Dani Ardor and Christian Hughes, a troubled couple who decide to join their friends for a special festival in Sweden. The retreat, however, turns into a nightmare when they find themselves trapped by a dangerous pagan cult.

• Cast: Chloe Rose, Luke Bilyk, Rachel Wilson, Rossif Sutherland
• Rated: NR

After Dora learns that she is four months pregnant, she lays low on Halloween and patiently awaits the arrival of her boyfriend, Jace. But Jace never shows up, and instead, Dora is visited by a terrifying group of little demons who insist on getting her unborn child.

• Cast: Delphine Seyrig, John Karlen, Andrea Rau
• Rated: R

The Belgian horror film centers on a pair of newlyweds who honeymoon at a seafront hotel. After they settle in, a mysterious countess named Elizabeth Báthory arrives, and the owner instantly notices that she hasn't aged since her last visit over 40 years ago. When Elizabeth learns that the newlyweds have occupied her desired room, she immediately becomes obsessed with the couple.

• Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
• Rated: R

If you’re especially fond of the 1973 classic, you’ll be equally entertained by this remake. In the film, the innocent town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa, turns into a literal nightmare when a biological agent starts to infect people, turning them into vicious killers. Four residents fight to keep themselves safe as threats continue to rise within the town.

• Cast: Eric Bossick, Akiko Monô, Yûko Nakamura
• Rated: NR

When Anthony (Eric Bossick) loses his son in a fatal car accident, he suddenly begins to transform into metal, turning him into a killer machine who’s out for revenge.

• Cast: Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic
• Rated: R

Southbound is definitely not for the faint of heart. In this anthology film, we follow five separate stories, centered on travelers who are forced to confront their darkest fears.

• Cast: Ty Hickson, Amari Cheatom
• Rated: TV-MA

Sean is a loner who resides in a tiny shack in the middle of the woods. He spends his time experimenting with chemistry recipes, which seem harmless at first. However, his chemistry habit leads to disaster when he unknowingly summons a demon.

• Cast: Sarah Bolger, Randi Langdon
• Rated: NR

In Emilie, which ought to be nick-named “every parent’s worst nightmare,” a girl named Emilie and a grown man kidnap a young babysitter named Anna. Emilie proceeds to assume Anna’s identity and babysits the kids instead...except she morphs into the nanny from hell.

• Cast: Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie
• Rated: R

Set in Los Angeles, this film follows a young boy named Poindexter "Fool" Williams, who joins two robbers and breaks into the creepy house of his parents’ landlords. Little does he know that the landlords are deranged psychopaths who kidnap and mutilate young boys. Not too many people know of this horror comedy, but several critics have praised it for addressing topics like gentrification and capitalism.

• Cast: Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan
• Rated: TV-MA

The Spanish sci-fi-horror takes place in a tower-style prison, where everyone is fed by floor. Those who reside on the upper floors tend to eat heartily while lower-level inmates are left to starve, but they can only put up with this system for so long.

30. The Funhouse (1981)

• Cast: Elizabeth Berridge, Kevin Conway, William Finley, Cooper Huckabee
• Rated: R

A visit to a local carnival quickly turns into a deadly nightmare in this horror movie. When teens get trapped inside a horror ride, they witness a murder by one of the carnival workers. Can they escape before it shuts down?

31. Def by Temptation (1990)

• Cast: Cynthia Bond, Kadeem Hardison, Samuel L. Jackson
• Rated: PG-13

After discovering that there's a murderous succubus on the loose who's targeting Black men in New York City, a young minister-in-training teams up with his actor friend and a cop to stop her. The '90s classic features solid performances, great storytelling and seriously funny one-liners.

32. His House (2020)

• Cast: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith
• Rated: TV-14

After escaping their war-torn country of South Sudan, married refugees Bol and Rial are granted asylum in Britain. The duo is sent to live in a run-down government-owned home, but after experiencing a series of supernatural events, they discover that there's more to this creepy home than meets the eye.

33. The Boy Behind the Door (2020)

• Cast: Lonnie Chavis, Ezra Dewey, Kristin Bauer
• Rated: NR

Set in South Dakota, The Boy Behind the Door follows 12-year-old Bobby and his friend, Kevin, who get kidnapped on their way home from school. The boys are taken to a terrifying, isolated home in the middle of nowhere. But when Bobby escapes, he realizes that he must rescue his friend.

34. Piggy (2022)

• Cast: Laura Galán, Richard Holmes, Carmen Machi, Irene Ferreiro
• Rated: NR

After getting bullied by a group of girls in her village, Sara, an overweight teenager, sees a mysterious man brutally attack and kidnap them while she's walking home. She decides to keep the incident to herself, but when a series of other crimes occur, she's torn between revealing the culprit and protecting him for sticking up for her.