5 New Non-American Horror Movies That Will Make You Sleep With Your Lights On
If you are tired of clichéd Hollywood plots and are looking for unique stories with fresh faces, then there is nothing better than turning to the horrors of Europe and Asia.
For experienced fans of the horror genre, it is not a surprise that Asian and European horror films are often scarier than Hollywood films, and that Western directors have been borrowing ideas from Japanese, French, and German horror films since the 1990s and early 2000s.
We recall the most prominent representatives of the genre from Europe and Asia – these projects certainly cannot be accused of a crisis of ideas.
1. Vampir, 2021
Countries: United Kingdom, Serbia, Germany
With a modest budget, filmmaker Branko Branko Tomović focuses on the folklore and traditions of Eastern Europe: Vampir is a treat for fans of the folk horror genre and those who crave unique ideas.
Tired of the big city, Arnaut arrives in a small remote village in Serbia. The guest's task is to keep order in a small cemetery because from time to time vandals disturb the deceased.
Getting to know the local culture and customs turns out to be much more painful than it seemed: first of all, the journey is a strange way for Arnaut to return to his roots.
2. Hatching, 2022
Country: Finland
Tinja is a young gymnast with no free time: the girl trains from morning to night, while her mother records her successes on camera – the woman is obsessed with perfection.
Where there could have been a social drama, director Hanna Bergholm shoots a body horror: a girl secretly feeds a monstrous chick, and in exchange for affection, the feathered friend is willing to peck at the offenders.
Hatching is a coming-of-age story in which the scariest things are not the monsters from the thicket, but toxic perfectionism and the transformations of puberty.
3. Exhuma, 2024
Country: South Korea
Exhuma was the top South Korean film of 2024, which grossed $93 million at the box office. The movie tells the story of a wealthy family trying to escape a family curse and hiring specialists to find, exhume and burn the remains of their great-grandfather.
First of all, viewers were attracted by an important storyline about the country's historical past – the period of Japanese colonization of Korea. No less important was the creative approach of Korean filmmakers, who masterfully mixed genres, creating suspense and an uncomfortable feeling.
4. When Evil Lurks, 2023
Country: Argentina
What do you do when the demons come and the exorcists are killed? That question is answered in this Argentinean horror film by Demián Rugna. When Evil Lurks is Shudder's first Spanish language project.
When farmer brothers Pedro and Jimi learn that a demon-possessed man has been rotting in their neighbor's house for almost a year, they turn to landowner Ruiz for help.
There have been encounters with the possessed before, but so long ago that many consider it a legend. An exorcist was supposed to deal with the possessed, but he was killed. The brothers take the man many miles from home, but they cannot prevent an epidemic from breaking out.
5. Oddity, 2024
Country: Ireland
The Irish Oddity by Damian McCarthy tells the story of a blind medium who goes to the crime scene a year after the brutal murder of her twin sister. The woman arrives at a provincial house, taking with her a creepy wooden doll, and meets the deceased's ex-husband with a new girlfriend.
Oddity may not have much in the way of twisted detective intrigue, but it does have plenty of suspense and jump scares – the movie is truly horrifying and uncomfortable in an old-fashioned way.
