25 of the Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen

24. The Tunnel Movie

This Australian faux documentary/found footage film joins a group of journalists as they investigate why the government abandoned a massive tunnel system beneath Sydney. It starts off slow but once we discover what’s really going on, The Tunnel produces some serious scares.

23. Hard Candy

Before Ellen Page got really annoying in "Juno" then oddly hot in "Inception", she was a pedophile hunting vigilante in "Hard Candy." While it’s not a traditional horror film per say, there are plenty of horror filled moments that would make a "Saw" fan blush.

22. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

I love this little movie.  Behind the Mask follows a documentary crew covering every step of Leslie Vernon, the next Freddy/Jason/Michael Myers. While it provides plenty of chases and kills, horror fans should watch this for the non-stop tongue in cheek references to pretty much every slasher movie made.

21. The Children

Think kids are creepy? You’re in luck! This 2008 UK film joins a group of families on Christmas vacation when all of a sudden the kids start murdering everyone. It sounds ridiculous but I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of great moments in "The Children." It also makes splendid birth control.

20. The Devil’s Chair

I have no idea how I stumbled upon "The Devil’s Chair." I turned it on and planned on just having it on in the background while I did some work. That didn’t last very long. With a unique premise and an ending that’s well worth your time "The Devil’s Chair" will be a nice surprise for most horror fans despite featuring a demon that looks like a rejected "Fraggle Rock" character. It will make you second guess yourself every time you decide to sit in a chair at an abandoned asylum!

19. Splinter

I was hoping this was a prequel to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" showing the rise of my favorite rodent sensei but it turned out to be enjoyable nonetheless. "Splinter" is about a group of people trapped in a gas station by what appears to be evil Sonic the Hedgehog. The cgi, or lack thereof, isn’t great and the main couple is paired quite terribly (he definitely outkicked his coverage on that one. Good job marrying up!) "Splinter" carries its own as a low budget version of "The Thing" in a Chevron.

18. Black Water

I was so surprised how much I enjoyed this. "Black Water" follows a couple and their younger sister as they take a swamp fishing tour in Australia. First off, if there are alligators in the water, don’t go there. It’s stupid. If you are attacked by a gator and you are in the water guess what? That’s your fault. Leave them alone guys. Anyway, things go bad and the group ends up being hunted by a giant crocodile. What I loved about this movie is everything you say you would do in that situation they do it. And it fails miserably.  Definitely worth checking out.

17. Feast

While the previous film went for ultra realism, "Feast" heads in a different direction. This over the top gore fest provides plenty of gross out moments and a slowly deteriorating Judah Friedlander that could be a cautionary poster for bath salts. The deaths are huge and memorable. I don’t want to spoil any of them for you but director John Gulager definitely did not hold back. Oh, avoid the sequels though, they lose the fun of the first film.

16. Tucker and Dale vs Evil

As far as horror comedies go, I don’t know if any film has done it better than "Tucker and Dale vs Evil." A pair of rednecks go on vacation to their newly purchased “summer home” when a series of unfortunate events results in the accidental suicide of numerous college kids and Tucker & Dale being portrayed as mass murderers. I haven’t laughed at a movie that hard in a long time. At least not one that featured so many grizzly deaths.

15. Trick r Treat

This Halloween anthology almost didn’t make the list because its gained such a huge following. Despite the lack of a theatrical release (which baffles me) "Trick r Treat" has picked up plenty of fans and boasts a tremendous cast. Unlike the recently released "V/H/S", all of TrT’s stories are well executed and woven together beautifully. Also Brian Cox is fantastic so that always helps.

14. Grave Encounters

If you’re like me, you watch those idiotic ghost hunting shows all the time hoping to see ANYTHING happen. Instead, we get to watch grown men scream and cry as a dust particle - ahem - spirit orb floats by their stupid faces. "Grave Encounters" is everything we want from those shows. Yes it’s another found footage movie but there are some fantastic moments that will ruin Zak Bagans boring EVP parties forever.

13. The Woman

Wow, what a disturbing movie. It’s not full of gore or "Final Destination" style killings, but this 2011 American film will disturb you in a completely different way. After a lawyer and his family capture a feral mountain woman he attempts to convert her into a part of society. What results is a dark, brutal journey for everyone involved. While, oddly enough, the music is quite terrible,  watching a family fall apart and seeing evil being passed down to a new generation will haunt you for days to come.

12. Session 9

I like this movie, but try not to get too caught up in all the hype you read about "Session 9." It’s a slow burning story that provides the occasional scare and that kid from "Empire Records" who got busted shoplifting Rex Manning CDs. If you haven’t seen it yet it’s definitely worth checking out on Netflix. You’ll probably walk away with a few unanswered questions, but is still definitely worth a watch.

11. The House of the Devil

This 80s throwback from TI West about a babysitter who is being groomed as a satanic sacrifice is definitely my favorite film he’s done. The storytelling is paced slowly but methodically and while fans of ADD style horror with bodies being thrown at you non-stop will be bored to tears, I have a feeling plenty of you will appreciate this little movie.

10. Cold Prey 1 & 2

Ok, so there are actually 26 movies on the list. I had to include "Cold Prey 1 & 2" because they work so well together.  This Norwegian horror franchise (avoid part 3, the dreaded prequel) feels a lot like Halloween in the snow but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully "Cold Prey" is the sign of great things to come in Norwegian horror (never thought I’d be saying that).

9. Noroi: The Curse

I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Japanese horror. I get it, and I appreciate it, but it just doesn’t do anything for me. That being said, I didn’t have very high expectations going into "Noroi". It was fantastic. Granted it does drag on a little and there’s a guy who wears an aluminum foil hat you’ll want to forget, but the movie is so haunting and the reveal of what is really going on is absolutely splendid. Definitely do yourself a favor and check it out.

8. Seventh Moon

I was so excited to see this movie that I preordered it from a local video store after seeing the first trailer. It’s creepy and intense but the biggest problem is the lighting is an absolute nightmare. Some scenes are almost unwatchable (at least they sound really scary), which is unfortunate. Nonetheless there are some really great moments and Amy Smart gives a wonderful performance. Adjust your TV’s brightness and check it out!

7. The Loved Ones

Another Australian movie that caught me completely off guard, "The Loved Ones" is unbelievably good. The story is about a teenage guy who turns down a young lady’s offer to go to prom and, of course, she and her deranged father decide the best solution would be to host a private prom of their own while torturing him in the most vile ways imaginable. Don’t you miss high school drama?

6. The Orphanage

Not to be confused with "Orphan", which is about a troll lady wanting to bang Peter Sarsgaard, "The Orphanage" is a heart wrenching tale of a woman desperately seeking to solve the mystery of what happened to her adopted son after he vanishes. You owe it to yourself to watch this masterful Spanish film that hopefully won’t be remade into an English film any time soon. Not a lot of scares, but a great story with a brilliant finale.

5. Shutter (2004)

Speaking of films that should have NEVER been remade,  check out the ORIGINAL Thailand version of "Shutter". Although it doesn’t star Pacey or any resident of Dawson’s Creek, Shutter is very, very scary. Even if you’ve watched the remake where Roy, Pam’s ex fiancé from The Office, gets in his underwear and does a cannonball off the balcony of a building, ignore it and watch the original. I would venture saying it’s the best Asian horror movie out there. Please don’t attack me Ju-On fanboys.

4. Triangle

This is the epitome of  the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The strength of "Triangle" is its mystery which also would be its biggest marketing hurdle as there’s no way to properly preview the movie without ruining it. I don’t want to give anything away but I would recommend not missing a moment or you’ll be completely lost. This is a marvelous, brain-twisting film that you will want to watch again the moment the credits begin to roll.

3. Eden Lake

Another movie featuring Michael Fassbender. This film is a real find. "Eden Lake" is the story of a couple taking a romantic weekend that gets ruined by some unruly teenagers. Sounds harmless enough right? Well these aren’t your Nickelodeon teen. It’s a grisly and troubling movie that will more than likely bother you for quite a while after it ends. It’s powerful and will evoke emotions in you that your average movie doesn’t come close to evoking.

2. Inside

Oh boy, if you haven’t watched "Inside" get ready because there is some serious violence and gore coming your way. If you thought pregnancy was tough, imagine a psychopathic lady trying to kill you and cut out your baby. Not exactly what you expect when you’re expecting but this French horror piece just never lets up. An absolute fantastic score deserves a bit of the credit for how good this movie is.