Horror movies take our worst fears and bring them to life on screen. Fear is universal regardless of what country you’re from or what language you speak. We are all afraid of the unknown or the monsters hiding in plain sight. While American horror movies have become the most iconic in the genre, many international films deserve recognition. Some have even been the blueprint for famous American remakes that overshadow the original. Whether they have a remake or not, these international horror films will surely give you a good scare.
‘Train to Busan‘ (South Korea)
Neglectful father, Sok-woo, and his young daughter, Soo-ahn, are traveling on the KTX, a high-speed train. The KTX is en route from Seoul to Busan, but a zombie outbreak starts during the journey. Stuck on the train with zombies and other survivors, Sok-woo must do what he can to protect himself and his daughter. One of the biggest zombie blockbusters from South Korea, Train to Busan is a unique take on a zombie movie. We have seen malls and home bases but never a high-speed train. Making this horror movie an essential addition to the zombie genre.
‘Let The Right One In‘ (Sweden)
Based on the novel of the same name, Let The Right One In is a romantic horror movie with plenty of scares. Set in Stockholm during the early 1980s, 12-year-old Oskar is a lonely, bullied boy. Spending his time daydreaming of getting even with the classmates who torture him. When the mysterious Eli moves next door, Oskar begins to build a relationship with her.
Soon, bodies drained of their blood start popping up around their small town. Eli and the man who seems to be her father might have something to do with it. The story is about the young love between a boy and his vampire neighbor, but that doesn’t mean it lacks scare. Plenty of blood and creepy children, vampire or not. It also got an American remake, Let Me In, starring Chloe Grace Mortez and Kodi-Smith McPhee. It also got a Showtime TV show adaptation titled after the original film and book.
‘Citadel‘ (Ireland)
After witnessing his wife being brutally attacked by a gang of feral children, Tommy develops chronic agoraphobia. With only his baby daughter, who survived the attack, left, he lives his life isolated. Until the children return and are intent on taking his daughter. Tommy teams up with a vigilante priest and a blind boy to defeat the feral children, despite a nurse at the local hospital encouraging Tommy to seek mental help.
However, Tommy soon learns it will take more than fighting back to save himself and his daughter. He must face the demons in the old apartment building where his wife was attacked. Throughout this horror movie, viewers wonder if these feral children are real or in Tommy’s head. Citadel is a psychological horror movie that constantly toys with the viewer’s mindset until the film climaxes.
‘Dark Water‘ (Japan)
Japan has some of the best horror movies ever made, and this is just one of them. Dealing with a messy divorce, single mother Yoshimi and her young daughter Ikuko move into a dingy apartment. Along with her ongoing custody battle, that apartment has mysterious water leaks. Soon, Yoshimi starts seeing the apparition of a girl looking for her mother or someone to take her place.
It was directed by Hideo Nakata, who also directed Ringu, which later got the American remake The Ring. Dark Water is an eerie yet heartfelt thriller about a mother’s love for her child. The film also got an American remake starring Jennifer Connely and John. C. Reilly.
‘Raw‘ (France)
Sheltered Justine comes from a family of vigorously strict vegetarians. Now venturing out in the world, she is set to attend an elite veterinary school where her parents graduated. Lucky for her, her rebellious older sister Alexia also attends the school. Unbeknownst to her, Justine must undergo a rigorous initiation process as a freshman, including eating a rabbit heart.
Afterward, she starts craving meat, going against her vegetarian diet. Until she tries human flesh and develops a vicious hunger for it. Justine begins to fight the urge, but her evergrowing hunger overtakes her. This coming-of-age horror movie is a gory look at the horrors of growing up in an unforgiving world.
‘REC‘ (Spain)
This found footage horror movie follows TV reporter Ángela and her cameraman as they cover the night shift at a firehouse. When the firehouse receives a call from an older woman trapped in her apartment they follow them to the site. While they approach the dark apartment, they hear horrifying creams, resulting in an officer being attacked. Now, they are trapped in the building along with other residents as a strange illness spreads.
Fighting to survive, Ángela and her cameraman record everything to have some form of the truth on record. As the group deals with a nightmare they never expected. A year later, REC also got an American remake filmed in Los Angeles, CA, titled Quarantine, starring Jennifer Carpenter. Found footage is an intimate take on horror, making the viewers feel they are right there during the chaos.
Final Thoughts
Whether you need subtitles to watch these horror movies, they will still have you on the edge of your seat. These international horror movies have had a significant impact on the world of horror. Creating new horror movie monsters and even inspiring American filmmakers. As Halloween approaches and scary movie nights are a must, consider one of these horror movies for something new.
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