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Most Underrated Horror Movies of All Time

Scared? The critics of the most underrated horror movies of all time would think not. I disagree; you'll be just as terrified by these movies as the filmmakers were by their ratings.

By George HermanPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
Top Story - October 2017
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If you're a fan of horror, you'll know there's a plethora of content still waiting to send shivers of fear down your spine. Unfortunately, sifting through all of these titles can be scarier than viewing contemporary horror films.

People are beginning to wonder if horror movies are even scary anymore. In the modern landscape of horror, fear is far less associated to it than in the past, which leaves us horror fanatics searching for terror elsewhere.

Unlike the recent remake of IT, which boasts some top-notch ratings by many of its critics and fans, there are a select few horror films that have never reached their deserved acclaim. Some of them even have more interesting plot lines than current releases.

These are the most underrated horror movies of all time, and they're sure to make you scream — if not at their previous critics, then certainly at the screen in total terror.

My personal favorite in the most underrated horror movies of all time, The Strangers, remains one of the only films to really mess me up well after the credits have rolled. Knowing that it’s based on true events makes experiencing The Strangers that much more terrifying.

It takes place in a rural backcountry lodge, where a struggling couple tries to repair their failing relationship. As it would go, a pair of three masked characters appear within the vicinity of the home, sending the couple into turmoil and dread.

Packed with some terrifying scenes, plus a host of questions that remain unanswered after its eerie end, The Strangers is by far the creepiest on this list of most underrated horror movies of all time. It also has the most disturbing horror movie soundtrack that will add to the goosebumps running down your spine.

Similar to The Maze Runner, Cube takes place in a deadly, endless maze. However, having more similarities to Saw (which was released later), Cube explores the perplexing avenues of personal freedom, survival, and human connectivity.

One of the most underrated horror movies of all time, Cube examines six different people, all having widely dissimilar personalities, who are placed in a cube full of traps and puzzles that can either lead them to freedom, or to the afterlife.

As a visually entrancing film, packed with controversial concepts on the qualities of being human, Cube is a definite must if you haven't seen it already.

If you loved Quarantine or Cloverfield, then this addition to the most underrated horror movies of all time will grab your attention.

[Rec] takes place in a dark apartment building, wherein both cameraman and reporter enter while following an emergency team inside. They soon find themselves locked inside, accompanied by an evil force.

The movie is as perplexing as it is terrifying, and it grips you from the very start to its untimely end. Fan of camcorder-filmed movies? This one's just for you.

Like most films in the horror genre, suspense is the quintessential product of the story's arch. Suspense is what drives the horror in a plot, which is exactly why Eden Lake was added to most underrated horror movies of all time.

A couple's romantic getaway is disrupted by a group of obnoxious youths. In trying to preserve their lustful break, the young couple exacts a series of violent ramifications against them.

Full of twisting and uncalled-for turns, Eden Lake is not only suspenseful, but terrifying. Rule of thumb, don't watch this on your honeymoon.

The 2008 version of Martyrs gives its viewers a simple revenge story with a multitude of curvatures in this otherwise blatant exterior.

Telling the story of Anna, who had been kidnapped and tortured as a child, Martyrs uses the perplexity of dialogue, eerie sequences, and a host of darkness to bring out its horrifying awesomeness. In the midst of her vengeance against her childhood wrongdoers, Anna and her friend Lucie inadvertently tumble into a world of torment and depravity.

Although it may not be the greatest movie in its niche, Martyrs sure is one of the most underrated horror movies of all time.

After 45 years since its initial release, Raw Meat still can be considered a masterpiece among the most underrated horror movies of all time.

We find ourselves in London, specifically between Holborn and Russel Square, where the Tube tunnels intersect beneath the city. After the disappearance of a civil servant is added to a string of related incidents, Scotland Yard finally investigates the tunnels.

Accompanying them is a young couple, whose experiences will surely make you cringe the next time you take the subway.

Despite there being a modern remake with the same name, Flatliners has the coolest concept on the list of most underrated horror movies of all time: the afterlife.

Ever wondered what happens to you when you die? Five medical students, with this same intrigue in mind, went ahead and created a series of "near death" experiments in order to test the bridge between life and whatever comes after. Of course, the experiments go horribly wrong.

Packed with heart-stopping ingenuity, plus the all-star cast of Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon and Julia Roberts, Flatliners is an instant must see. Those heart palpitations you're feeling? That's called fear.

The 2006 American remake of Japanese horror film Kairo, Pulse was not a film that garnered much fame and glory. In fact, from its initial release, the film was considered unemotional, cliche, and stale, despite boasting Wes Craven as a co-writer on the screenplay.

Well, maybe that's what makes it one of the most underrated horror movies of all time. You see, Pulse carries a sense of modernity overlaid by the originality of its Japanese predecessor. It concerns a group of college students as they attempt to save the world in the wake of a sinister wireless signal after its hacked into a computer terminal.

Once you've seen Flatliners you'll need to watch Pulse to get that heart rate monitor beeping again.

With it being the infamous Rob Zombie's first installation in Hollywood, it's not hard to see why many critics and audiences alike would have demanded this movie destroyed. However, with that being said, it is now a classic in the annals of the most underrated horror movies of all time.

Packed with your typical Rob Zombie gore and violence, House of 1000 Corpses tells of a loving couple traversing the backwoods of Texas in search of lore and urban legends. Taken captive by a bizarre and sadistic family of serial killers, the couple soon find themselves in Hell and must escape before they're added to the list....

The list of corpses, I'm afraid — which you should be, too.

Unlike the previous movies on this list, Trick 'r Treat has only just recently picked itself up after years of discrimination and defame from critics. In this new world of online viewership, Trick 'r Treat now thrives as a popular cult horror classic in its own weight class, boasting a plot line that will make the indifferent wail in fear.

Woven between five interconnected stories, all of which take place on the day of Halloween, the movie basically surrounds a little trick-or-treater by the name of Sam. Each of the five different stories are exceptionally tied in to the demonic and otherwise non-human qualities existing in Sam.

Trick 'r Treat highlights how an exceptional plot line — and franchise — can be ruined by the studio executives and their internal disagreements. For that, as one of the most underrated horror movies of all time, Trick 'r Treat better be on your movie queue...or Sam just might get'cha!

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About the Creator

George Herman

Call me a nerd, that’s what I am: Star Wars fanatic, Grand Theft Auto champion, comic book connoisseur, and a long-time lyricist. So, call me a nerd, but that’s not all I am!

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