Movies
Top Ten Underrated Horror Gems!
Tired of sifting through the horror-movie trash-bin and coming up with nothing but uninspired junk? Looking for a guide to some of the great undiscovered classics? Search no further than B-D and MySpace Horror reporter Chris Eggertsen’s list of the “Top Ten Underrated Horror Gems”! From a B&W foreign classic to an underappreciated slasher oddity; from a moody zombie film to a near-forgotten made-for-T.V. treasure, the list is filled with eclectic choices sure to whet your appetite for the macabre. Read on to check out the list, and after you’re done let us know what your own obscure favorites are!
Most horror fans have at least one little-known favorite they feel compelled to tell everyone they know to seek out, whether it be an obscure arthouse classic, a forgotten silent masterpiece, or just a fun piece of exploitation. Following is my own personal list of horror films that I feel deserve a bigger audience than they’ve so far been afforded. I tried to keep the list fairly eclectic, and I think I’ve succeeded. From a B&W foreign classic to an underappreciated slasher oddity; from a moody zombie film to a near-forgotten made-for-T.V. treasure; here are my Top Ten Underrated Horror Gems.
10. Tourist Trap (1979)
Tourist Trap is a cross between House of Wax, Carrie and Friday the 13th, and yet it stands in a class all by itself in its degree of gonzo, “should-I-laugh-or-should-I-scream” shocks.
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9. Fear (1990)
Fear is a genuinely nerve-jangling piece of work anchored by solid performances from Sheedy, Lauren Hutton (playing Cayce’s book agent) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Identity, Constantine) as the psychic murderer who gives perhaps one of the creepiest voice-overs ever.
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8. The Brotherhood of Satan (1971)
Largely ignored on its release, The Brotherhood of Satan is by no means a perfectly-calibrated occult classic on the order of, say, Rosemary’s Baby, but taken on its own merits it’s a deft little horror film made up of quite a few authentically unnerving scenes.
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7. The Psychic aka Seven Notes in Black (1977)
Those accustomed to the “more is more” aesthetic of Lucio Fulci’s more famous films will be surprised by The Psychic‘s slow build, though it’s still filled to the brim with the excellent cinematography, deft use of color, and, well, awkward dubbing fans have come to expect from the Italian master.
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6. Bad Ronald (1974)
Don’t let its made-for-T.V. status turn you off; this is good, creepy fun and better than it has any right to be.
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5. Homicidal (1961)
Homicidal is pure go-for-broke fun, with a 45-second “Fright Meter” flashing on screen just before the climactic scene (a gimmick director William Castle used during the theatrical release to give skittish audience members a chance to run for the exits and get a refund) and a final reveal that is so insane – not to mention laughably copped from Psycho – that you can’t help but be impressed by Castle’s audacity.
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4. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie aka The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue aka Don’t Open the Window (1974)
Like the featured zombies it’s a slow-moving tale, but if you stick with it to the gory climax you’ll find a lot to appreciate.
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3) Pin (1988)
Pin is a shockingly subtle, low-key horror film featuring some really nimble performances by the main cast and a truly disturbing descent into madness of the lead character.
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2) Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Expertly directed by Audrey Rose and The Entity novelist Frank De Felitta, T.V. movie Dark Night of the Scarecrow is truly an overlooked gem in that it manages the rare feat of building believable characters and situations and then paying them off with scenes of genuine atmosphere and suspense.
Q&A with writer J.D. Feigelson following a screening at Rue Morgue Cinemacabre:
1. Onibaba (1964)
Onibaba is, quite simply, a masterful film by a master filmmaker, and all horror fans who care about quality cinema would do well to seek it out.
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Ghostface is back on the big screen this weekend… well, sort of… with the release of Scary Movie, which marks the Wayans brothers’ return to the horror spoof franchise for the first time since Scary Movie 2 back in the day. It’s likely to be the talk of the horror community for the weekend, but don’t overlook the other six genre movies that were freshly unleashed today.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The horror spoof franchise is back with Scary Movie now playing in theaters!
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite for the new Scary Movie, with the cast also including Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe…
Scary Movie will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t. A whole lot has changed in the horror genre since the Wayans Brothers were in charge of the franchise; their involvement ended with Scary Movie 2 back in 2001!
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs Scary Movie 6 from a script written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
From IFC, shark attack movie Chum is now available on Digital.
Alice Eve (Haunting of Queen Mary) stars in shark attack movie alongside Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond, Lisa Yaro, Johnny Gaffney, and Sarah Siadat.
This one sounds very similar to last year’s Dangerous Animals…
Here’s the plot: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst-transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
Jonathan Zuck directs Chum, from a script by Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) come together in Carolina Caroline, a sexy crime thriller now playing in theaters.
It’s not a horror movie, mind you, but it’s worth a mention here all the same.
Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Jon Gries also star in the romantic crime thriller.
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s film stars Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.
Adam Rehmeier previously directed the films Dinner in America and Snack Shack.
Tom Dean wrote the screenplay for Carolina Caroline.
Similar to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big screen blockbuster Disclosure Day, Signal One explores humankind’s enduring question: what if we aren’t alone in the universe?
The sci-fi thriller is now available on Digital.
Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Raoul Bhaneja (Possessor), Emma Ho (“The Expanse”), and Dennis Quaid (The Substance) star in Signal One from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal).
When tech billionaire Sam Houston (Quaid) hires the brilliant computer scientist Annika (Fuhrman), she ventures to an isolated facility run by the brilliant, nihilistic creator of LITTLEMOUTH, a machine which can communicate with alien intelligence.
Annika soon learns some humanity-altering facts: that we are not alone in the universe, that alien intelligences are communicating around us at every moment, and that we are likely too primitive to even remotely understand what they are trying to tell us.
When the goal of the endeavor shifts from listening to talking back, the project rapidly devolves into chaos. With contact comes consequences, and soon Annika and the team must work to ensure the very survival of our species.
A schoolyard dare becomes an urban legend in the creepypasta-inspired horror anthology The Summoning. The indie film is now available on Digital from Brainstorm Media.
“A babysitting gig becomes a nightmare of urban legend when three teens summon Baby Blue. Survival depends on uncovering the past to escape a mother’s wrath from beyond the grave.”
Felipe Vargas (Rosario, Hive), Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Piskorik, Corey Benson Powers, and Brian Sepanzyk direct the segments. Valeria San Martín, Justina Ceballos, Daniela Flombaum, Nannu Spannauss, Agustín Olcese, and Giovanni Onetti star.
The Summoning is written by Camilo Zaffora.
Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now available on Digital at home.
In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“
Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s latest dark fairy tale, The Ice Tower, loosely reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s fable “The Snow Queen,” and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“
Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star in The Ice Tower, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.
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