10 Indie Horror Films That Are Criminally Overlooked

Robert Henderson, who co-directed with his son Cooper, pens a nail-biting script about a serial killer known as the Finster. When investigative journalist Annie Sullivan (Amanda Evans) leaves the bright city lights behind, she finds the countryside a welcome reprieve from her hectic life. Frequently covering the maniac's life and crimes, she knows the Finster better than anyone. But the move proves to be deadly when the elusive murderer tracks her down. 

The Notorious Finster is a twisty offering that'll keep you guessing right up to the end. What the Henderson duo accomplishes behind the camera is some of the best work you'll ever see in an indie movie. With polished, stylish flair, Robert and Cooper deliver something worthy of a nationwide theater release. 

Fright, written and directed by Warren Dudley, surprised audiences at FrightFest 2024. Emily (Gwyneth Evans), an agoraphobic, struggles with her mother's (Jill Priest) tyrannical hand and a fear of monsters she believes await her outside. The massive estate is her prison, all she can do is work through her fears by writing daily in her diary and losing herself in dusty novels. Filmed in black and white, Fright builds tension with long shots of shadows moving and a musical score, composed by James Cox, that is equally haunting and beautiful. 

Dudley crafts the period piece (set in the 1930s) with great attention to character, with Evans delivering a sturdy performance, oscillating between fear and frustration. The film serves as an homage to classic horror storytelling, including The Haunting, and melts in true slow-burn fashion. It's 100% worth a look. 

Horror has a long tradition of tackling such tough topics as mental health. From The Seventh Victim to The Night House, the genre is no stranger to delving into the human mind and rooting around in the darkest corners. The 2025 indie film All Alone Together, written by its star Alex Nimrod and directed by Maximus Jenkins, plunges into the deep end with a surprisingly emotional take on mental health. 

Struggling filmmaker Lincoln (Nimrod) hosts a premiere event for his new film and hires publicist Sloane (Elizabeth Hadjinian) for the promotional campaign. He's new to the business side of things, so he's a bit trepidatious when a pair of industry executives needlessly find meaning in his work where there isn't any. As he advertises his project, fantasy becomes reality when the demonic entity in his film spills over into his real life. It's a maddening descent that'll leave you gutted and frightened.

Writer/director Jem Garrard strikes gold with their 2024 feature, Slay. Starring four popular drag queens, Trinity the Tuck, Heidi N Closet, Cara Melle, and Crystal Methyd, the Tubi Original plays off From Dusk Til Dawn and several other vampire flicks while doing something fresh and exciting of its own. There's certainly no shortage of flying appendages and buckets of blood – a bona fide treat! 

When a group of drag queens mistakenly book a performance at a sleazy biker bar, they must fight for their lives, and I'm not talking about just the group of homophobes. A biker-turned-vampire shows up to wreak havoc and drop bodies in the process. Several off-the-cuff jokes and physical gags provide plenty of levity for this cult classic in the making. 

Found footage film, Don't Peek, follows the tale of an influencer couple who move into a new home that was allegedly the previous residence of a serial killer. Writer/director Kyle Tague knows his way around a camera, as he only shows peek-a-boo images when necessary. While exploring the house, Rebecca (Kelly Daly) and Paris (Jonathan Faircloth Kirk) discover that the murderer filmed his crimes and claimed he was being haunted by the victims. 

Don't Peek is the sort of found footage entry that injects adrenaline into the genre, which doesn't get enough credit to begin with. Kyle Tague crafts a suspenseful and downright scary story that will have you leaving all the lights on at bedtime. 

Ever wonder what an acid trip is like? Look no further than HeBGB TV, a bizarre channel surfing wonderland that takes you through the truly weird and unhinged. Writers and Directors Eric Griffin, Adam Lenhart, and Jake McClellan dazzle the screen with colorful bursts that you just can't take your eyes off of. When a couple of young kids tune into late-night TV via a retro TV box, they are transported through a wild and wonderful storyboard of peculiar creations. It takes a twisted mind to come up with some of the TV segments you'll see. 

Clocking in at just 68 minutes, 2021's Deadware is one of the best modern found footage films. Writer/director Isaac Rodriguez builds a story around Jay's (Ali Alkhafaji) discovery of a mysterious online game. The film, set in the mid-'90s, has mostly flown under the radar but has gained somewhat of a cult following in recent years. When he video chats with a friend, the two become embroiled in a bone-crunching game that just might actually be real. Rodriguez plays with genre tricks and treats so effectively that it's a travesty this little gem isn't more well-known. 

Writers and directors Michael J. Ahern, Christopher Dalpe, and Brandon Perras-Sanchez (part of the filmmaking collective Monster Makeup) blew me away with their 2020 feature, Death Drop Gorgeous. Following a group of drag queens, a serial killer sets their sights on a local drag bar and picks them off one by one. As an aging drag queen struggles to get prime performance slots, a younger generation of performers dares to take her place with fresh acts and fresh faces. 

The film does so much with so little and delights with explosions of graphic violence and deaths that absolutely kill. Bloody carnage candy satiates even the strongest hunger, and it'll leave you begging for more. Plus, it has one kill scene for the ages! 

Taking a page out of such classics as Friday the 13th, as well as Black Mirror, Daniel DelPurgatorio's Marshmallow upends every expectation you might have for this low-budget slasher. With a script written by Andy Greskoviak, the indie sets its events at Camp Almar, a perfect playground for creepy chase scenes and dancing shadows.

When Morgan's (Kue Lawrence) mother (Alysia Reiner) drops him off for the summer, he's anxious about meeting other kids and what things they'll get into. His fear of the water leads him to opt out of swimming lessons, much to the enjoyment of the resident bullies. Summer is just beginning, and plenty of adventures await! 

Greskoviak pens a story that delivers twists at every turn. Morgan's dreams (akin to A Nightmare on Elm Street) infect his perception of reality and allow the story to breathe. DelPurgatorio's slick style serves the story well, giving it a big-budget blockbuster feel while staying true to its independent spirit. If you just go along for the ride, Marshmallow is a huge surprise. 

Director Alex Thompson, who co-wrote the script with Christopher Thompson, mines real-life horror for Rounding. The story follows resident physician James Hayman (Namir Smallwood) as he transfers to a small-town hospital. As a medical student, his duties primarily include making rounds to patients to check on them and offer assistance, if needed. 

But one particular new patient sets off alarm bells in his head. He believes her sickness is a product of Munchausen syndrome by proxy at the hands of her mother. He just can't prove it. As his stress levels rise, he begins hallucinating an entity that haunts him, and it's driving him mad. It might sound familiar, but Rounding offers a new perspective and a strong lead performance from Smallwood. He's magnetic onscreen, effortlessly sliding between fear and anger.