The 10 Best Underrated British Horror Films

Over the decades of cinema horror has changed so much that it is undoubtedly one of the genres that has been reinvented the most. The audience has evolved and with it the ways in which you can scare them. Horror also had to adapt to inevitable cultural changes.

Yes, horror is universal. But some do it better than others. While the Japanese and Koreans have proven they have mastered the art of horror, American filmmakers have found a clever way to exploit these tools. However, the British have also found a way into the discussion of scary films based on classic tropes. These are the underrated British horror films that will give you a fright this Halloween season. That is, if you dare look at them.

10 Kill List (2011)

Kill list is about two former British soldiers, Jay and Gal, who have decided to become assassins. Your latest mission is to kill seemingly random people from a list shared by a mysterious man. The problem is that the victims behave very strangely, almost grateful for the murderers’ actions. Ultimately, the two friends discover that their final mission has a unique purpose.

A frightening and bleak result

The film only takes place entirely in a horror setting at the end, when many things happen at the same time and the viewer loses all hope. It’s a masterful exercise in the cult subgenre that will leave you fearful of your own shadow as you tremble at the thought of Jay’s transformation from victim to…deity?

9 The Ritual (2017)

Release date

October 11, 2017

In The ritualA group of four friends decide to venture into the wilderness to pay tribute to Rob, the fifth friend who was brutally killed during a robbery. The hikers go hiking in a forest in Sweden and quickly realize that they are surrounded by an evil creature that will eventually show its face.

Mourning in the face of folk horror

David Bruckner’s film is based on the horror novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. The ritual is a lengthy horror film that cleverly uses folklore elements to balance the drama within the group and the purpose of what they are pursuing. It’s a perfect take on the “camping in the woods never goes well” subgenre.

Related

According to the American Film Institute, the 16 best horror films of all time

Many classic horror films have been compiled by the AFI in this ultimate list of the scariest American scary films of all time.

8 The Borderlands (2013)

The border areas is the story of three men sent by the Vatican to investigate strange events that have occurred in a church in the English countryside. When they find evidence that it may be related to the place where the church was originally built, they decide to enter an underground system where something awaits them.

A little too literal

The film, also known as Last prayer is a compelling found footage experience in some countries that has mostly been overlooked because it never left the indie circuit. However, The border areas is good enough to scare you, and the crazy ending will leave you shaking as you imagine what no one has thought of before The before.

You can stream The border areas on Tubi.

7 Host (2020)

Release date

July 30, 2020

Pour

Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore

In hosta group of five friends decide to up their Zoom game and experiment with whatever they can find to have fun with the communication software that has become extremely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. They arrange a virtual session and unknowingly unleash a demon that doesn’t require a face mask to invade their homes and stalk them live on camera.

The definitive COVID-19 film

Rob Savage’s $100,000 horror film was a great business pitch for a filmmaker who knew how to make horror without a big budget. The film is extremely well made, and despite being set in a movie set, it manages to deliver more than a few scares. You probably won’t use Zoom again after this, and if you do, there’s a good chance you’ll turn around a few times during the call.

6 A Dark Song (2016)

A dark song is about a grieving mother named Sophia who claims she will do anything to talk to the spirit of her seven-year-old son, who died under tragic circumstances. She hires an occult expert who claims he can help her communicate with her son, but then she reveals the true nature of her summoning: she wants revenge on whoever killed the boy.

Grief gets a little strange

A cooperation between Ireland and the United Kingdom, A dark song is a bizarre and claustrophobic film that takes its time to show its true nature. Once it does and the film begins to play with the supernatural aspect of its premise, you’re engrossed in a bold approach to religious horror that pays off in the end. Seriously, stick with it. Halfway through it gets really, really good.

You can stream A dark song on Shudder.

5 The Innocents (1961)

The innocents is an adaptation of the 1961 novel by Henry James The turn of the screw. In the film, Miss Giddens is tasked with looking after Flora and Miles, two children who live in a huge mansion with their ever-absent uncle. As the governess takes the children under her wing, spooky things begin to happen at the Bly estate, and the distraught woman believes it has to do with angry spirits residing in the mansion.

The classic Gothic story

Directed by Jack Clayton, the film was an American-English gothic horror response to Robert Wise The spook. And yes, they are similar. But Clayton’s The innocents is a more disturbing film with unconventional cinematography (the dissolves and lighting in the images are innovative) and great performances from Deborah Kerr as Ms. Giddens, as well as Martin Stephens as Miles and Pamela Franklin as Flora.

4 The Woman in Black (2012)

Release date

February 3, 2012

director

James Watkins

Pour

Emma Shorey, Molly Harmon, Sophie Stuckey, Daniel Radcliffe, Misha Handley, Jessica Raine

The woman in black is about Arthur Kipps, a lawyer with a tragic past who is hired to visit Eel Marsh House to retrieve some documents. While the rejection from the townspeople is scarier than the dilapidated house, Arthur realizes that the legends surrounding the property are true and that a ghost is out for revenge.

The not-so-classic gothic tale that will still scare you

James Watkins’ attempt at a gothic horror story is a very good approximation of the genre that blew up the box office in 2012, grossing almost $130 million. Most of it had to do with the participation of Harry PotterDaniel Radcliffe stars in the lead role, and audiences found the actor to be a captivating protagonist. They also discovered that Watkins was intent on making a pure horror film that could terrify anyone who dared watch it. It’s probably the scariest movie on the entire list.

3 Saint Maud (2019)

Release date

October 9, 2020

director

Rose glass

Saint Maud is the story of Maud, formerly Katie, a nurse who had to quit her last job after failing to save a patient. Maud now works exclusively as a private nurse and meets Amanda, a former dancer who is suffering from cancer. The very religious Maud is going through a difficult phase with her new patient and is convinced that God has rejected her. This sends her on a journey to prove that she is worth everything God “tells” her.

The dark side of religion

One of the scariest religious horror films of all time, Saint Maud is a slow-paced film that goes beyond its supernatural elements, but not completely – just enough to leave the viewer with some doubts about Maud’s sanity. When it finally proves what it is with a wonderfully disturbing final scene, you’ll try to forget about this terrible horror film.

Related

10 horror films on Shudder that are more disturbing than scary

If you like disturbing films, you should head over to Shudder and check out the following films. But you can only go through them once.

2 Ghost Watch (1992)

Release date

October 31, 1992

director

Lesley Manning

Pour

Sarah Greene, Mike Smith, Craig Charles, Michael Parkinson

In Spirit WatchMichael Parkinson, a real-life talk show character, takes part in a mockumentary in which a television crew investigates the poltergeist phenomena taking place in a suburban home. At first glance, it looks like a regular ghost hunting show, with occasional scares and disturbing surveillance footage. However, when events occur in the BBC television studio, you get goosebumps.

The one everyone bought

Broadcast by BBC1 on Halloween night 1992, Spirit Watch was a terrible television experience that was deemed too scary for primetime audiences. When the cameras abruptly stopped during the broadcast, the network received calls from concerned viewers. You might think that a 1992 TV movie isn’t scary, but Spirit Watch is by no means conventional. It’s a great showcase of the found footage format that would be used years later The Blair Witch Project.

You can stream Spirit Watch on Shudder.

1 Repulsion (1965)

rejection

In rejectiona young, beautiful Belgian woman who lives with her sister in London. Carol is a shy manicurist who has difficulty speaking to anyone, and the men who approach her are met with intense rejection. When her sister starts dating a married man, she despises the idea of ​​him being around her. As other men approach her, Carol’s paranoia escalates into delusion and she begins to believe that everyone is out to attack her.

Paranoia becomes too real

Directed by Roman Polanski, the film is a great psychological thriller that veers right into horror territory when it becomes abundantly clear that Carol has fallen to the bottom of the rabbit hole and there is no chance of saving her. It is a film based on hallucinatory elements brought to life, but they are so disturbing that you fear your own shadow.