I Can't Believe IMDb Rated These So Low: 10 Horror Gems That Deserve Much More Love
I'm tired of worthy horror flicks not getting the attention they deserve because of low scores – and it's time to right that wrong.
Horror movies are the underdogs of cinema – loved by fans, misunderstood by critics, and forever stuck with mediocre reviews. There are several reasons for this, from the extremely subjective nature of the genre itself to the fact that many still do not consider horror films to be true art.
However, the genre has long since changed and offers viewers more than just jumpscares and bloody slashers – I have collected ten worthy horror films that should not scare you away with their low ratings on IMDb.
1. The Void, 2016
IMDb Score: 5.9/10
The Void is a Canadian thriller in the spirit of John Carpenter's The Thing and 80's science fiction films. Trapped in a remote hospital, a group of survivors are hunted by a strange cult and creepy monsters.
A little bit of Assault on Precinct 13, a little bit of VHS masterpieces with their gore and insanity. What makes The Void special is its commitment to old-school effects. No lazy CGI – just gloriously grotesque puppetry, prosthetics, and gallons of fake blood.
2. Honeymoon, 2014
IMDb Score: 5.7/10
Newlyweds Bea and Paul arrive for their honeymoon in the wilderness – in the house where Bea grew up. They are sure that a wonderful vacation awaits them, one that even a strange encounter with Bea's childhood friend cannot spoil.
But the next night, Paul finds the woman naked and in a kind of trance in the woods. Bea claims to be fine, but from then on her behavior begins to change.
Director Leigh Janiak focused on uncontrollable transformations and physical fear. Her debut movie works less with plot twists and more with sensations: Honeymoon is extremely uncomfortable to watch.
3. Gretel & Hansel, 2020
IMDb Score: 5.5/10
After an unsuccessful attempt to get a job as a servant, Gretel and her younger brother Hansel find themselves without a home – their mother kicks them out, deciding that the children should fend for themselves.
Wandering through the woods and suffering from hunger, Gretel and Hansel come across a suspicious cabin where they find a table set with food.
Oz Perkins' underrated folk horror flirts with the viewer right from the title, swapping the names of the German fairy tale characters. Perkins reworks the archetypal plot of children meeting a witch into the story of a young woman's realization of her power.
4. The Lodge, 2019
IMDb Score: 6.0/10
The Lodge is one of those movies that seems so peaceful most of the time, but then suddenly stabs you in the back at the end. The plot revolves around a young woman named Grace, the sole survivor of a suicide cult, who tries to win the favor of her future husband's children.
The kids are very skeptical – especially because of Grace's terrifying past. When the whole group finds itself isolated from civilization in a small snowy cabin, the worst things begin to happen.
5. Men, 2022
IMDb Score: 6.0/10
Men is a movie by Alex Garland, who was just finding his own visual style in Ex Machina, and showed it in all its glory in Men. It is an undeniable psychedelic masterpiece that reflects on the subject of abuse in a way that has never been done before.
Recently widowed, Harper travels to a secluded village, hoping to survive her grief in peace. The long-awaited vacation turns into an infernal nightmare when Harper is stalked by an exhibitionist who looks suspiciously like Geoffrey, the owner of the house the woman has recently rented.
6. Lovely, Dark, and Deep, 2023
IMDb Score: 4.9/10
The title and starting point of the story, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep," is a line from the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by poet Robert Frost. First-time director Teresa Sutherland combines fear of the woods and Lovecraftian motifs with the main character's inner experiences.
The new ranger Lennon takes up her post in the national park: the desired solitude and routes to be learned during the season lie ahead. The measured routine of the ranger is overshadowed by the mystery of the thicket – people disappear in the forest, and it seems that Lennon herself once lost someone among the trees.
7. Koko-di koko-da, 2019
IMDb Score: 5.8/10
The couple find themselves in the forest, but they must not only wander among the trees, but also in time loops. Night after night, they die at the hands of a strange circus performer, only to start the cycle again and try to save themselves.
In between these attempts to survive, the man and his wife must face the tragedy that follows them – the death of their daughter.
Swedish director Johannes Nyholm's film is first and foremost extremely uncomfortable – it succeeds in making clear what it means not to feel safe in the face of nature and other people.
8. Hellbender, 2021
IMDb Score: 5.8/10
Because of an immune disorder, Izzy's mother keeps her in a deserted area outside the city. One day, while playing, she eats a live worm, which awakens a cruel and insatiable hunger in her. Now Izzy has to get involved with a terrible family secret.
This indie folk horror was filmed, written, and even acted by one family – Zelda Adams, her father John Adams, and her mother Toby Poser – while they were in quarantine.
9. Willow Creek, 2013
IMDb Score: 5.1/10
Willow Creek is the spiritual successor to The Blair Witch Project. The independent horror film tells the story of a young couple who travel to the wilderness to catch Bigfoot on camera.
At first, the movie plays out the clichés – the characters see a poster of a missing woman in the area and meet a man who tells them to leave. Later, however, something remarkable appears – it is a nearly 20-minute episode in which the two film themselves in a tent and listen to strange sounds around them.
This is a truly frightening and technically outstanding moment that makes the viewer wonder how they would behave in a similar situation.
10. Vivarium, 2019
IMDb Score: 5.9/10
Irish director Lorcan Finnegan and his Vivarium are able to surprise both seasoned genre fans and viewers hungry for real suspense cinema.
Teacher Gemma and handyman Tom decide to move in together and go to a real estate agency, where they are met by a strange employee. He takes them to a new housing estate in the suburbs, shows them house number 9, and then disappears.
The couple tries to leave, but soon realizes that they are stuck in this eerily sterile labyrinth of identical buildings, and that all roads lead to house number 9. The next day, they find a box containing a baby and a note saying that if they raise the child, they will be set free.
