11 Underrated Horror Movies From This Year You Can Watch Right Now

With The Devil’s Bath, directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy, The Lodge) transported us back to 18th century Austria, with a relentlessly bleak retelling of the story of a woman looking to commit ‘suicide by proxy’, i.e. deliberately committing a crime worthy of the death penalty, confessing, and avoiding eternal damnation in the process.

Yep, The Devil’s Bath is as cheery as it sounds. If you like your horror damp, dismal and disturbing, make sure to add The Devil’s Bath to your year-end catch up list. – Amber T

The Irish horror renaissance shows no sign of slowing down, this year adding another solid entry to the canon with Aislinn Clarke’s Fréwaka. A haunting tale, Fréwaka pulls both from real-life trauma (the Magdalene laundries) and the supernatural (Ná Sidhe fae mythology) to craft an atmospheric folk horror that’s all at once culturally specific while also being painfully relevant to women all over the world. – Amber T

As the son of Jack Nicholson, who scared the pants off an entire generation in The Shining, Ray Nicholson was practically born to play creeps in horror films. (And that’s not even considering the fact that he bears a striking resemblance to his dad.)

Director Jimmy Warden seems well aware of that fact, having cast him in one of the year’s funniest and most underrated horror films: the invasion horror-comedy Borderline, where he stars alongside scream queen Samara Weaving as a beloved ‘90s pop star.

Playing the manic, recently-escaped-from-a-mental-hospital sociopath Paul, Nicholson is determined to marry Weaving’s Sofia, resulting in a plan that’s equal parts disturbing and hilarious, as Sofia’s house staff and Paul’s cronies collide in a shower of blood, tears, and maybe a few other…unseemly fluids.

Borderline passed under the radar when it was released, heading straight to VOD, but it’s worth checking out, especially for those who’d like to see Weaving in something a little less full of guts. – Maggie Boccella

Beast of War’s subject matter—a wartime submarine disaster forcing its crew to survive in shark-infested waters—is perhaps as close as we may get to a film adaptation of Quint’s USS Indianapolis monologue from Jaws.

The start of the film allows ample time to introduce both its cast and its stakes, a luxury that pays off in significant dividends as the (exceptionally great) carnage finally ensues. I hope more people watch Beast of War—a compelling World War II movie, a shlocky shark tale, and a vehicle for several powerhouse performances, especially one by Mark Coles Smith that I don’t think was really matched by any other horror actor this year! Five stars. – Brandon Wainerdi

Full disclosure to start: Director/co-writer Elric Kane is a veteran of Fango’s Colors of the Dark podcast—and we couldn’t be prouder of what he and co-scripter Webb Wilcoxen achieved with this examination of the horrors of the dating scene.

After a series of unfulfilling hookups via an app, Alex (Blu Hunt) has a wonderful night with Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). Then he vanishes, not responding to her messages; Alex thinks Kyle has ghosted her, but she doesn’t know the half of it in a movie that’s scary and sexy while presenting a codependent relationship through a fresh genre lens.

Hunt and Smith-Petersen bring heart, soul and shades of darkness to their roles, complemented by Ioana Vasile’s fine, stylized cinematography. – Michael Gingold

Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy discovers that girl has…unusual tastes. It sounds like the recipe for an outrageous, splattery travesty of romcom clichés—and Cannibal Mukbang has a few helpings of that—but writer/director Aimee Kuge and lead actors Nate Wise and April Consalo bring true feeling to it as well.

When the socially awkward Mark (Wise) meets the bolder and more confident mukbang influencer Ash (Consalo), he becomes drawn into sharing her peculiar dietary practices, which turn out to serve a particular purpose. As grisly and extreme as the couple’s activities become, with a sharp satirical streak, Kuge and her leads make Mark and Ash into real, troubled people worth caring about. – Michael Gingold

Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc picks up after the first season of the Chainsaw Man series. What starts out as a teen comedy (yeah, I know), with the immature Denji maybe slightly showing some growth as he meets Reze, it turns into an all-out gore-filled battle with vibrant hyper-stylized violence.

A movie made for fans of the series that wastes no time setting up the already established characters. Funny, bloody, and heartfelt. Oh, and Chainsaw Man rides a shark devil into battle. If you haven't watched the first season, I would highly recommend checking that out before watching the movie. – Jason Kauzlarich

Sister Midnight is a marvelous carousel of vibrant visuals, awkward domesticity, and feral female rage. Set prominently in Mumbai, the story follows Uma (Radhika Apte) through what feels like a traditional enough story of arranged marriage that ultimately propels Uma through some of the most dark and surreal storytelling of this decade.

Writer/Director Karan Kandhari takes an antiquated fairytale gone wrong, runs it through a kaleidoscope of color and whimsy, and out falls Sister Midnight in all her ghastly beauty. It is painful to think there is nothing else like it in contemporary filmmaking. Fans of Habit, Only Lovers Left Alive, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night will find their strange comfort here. If that wasn’t enough for you, there is a stop motion goat. – Kimberly Leszak

Freaky Tales was a nice little surprise that seems to have remained too much of an unseen secret. Picture Kill Bill meets Scott Pilgrim, now set it in Oakland against the backdrop of the city's vibrant music scene. There are tons of familiar faces in this one, including Pedro Pascal and… Tom Hanks? Yep. If you're into Scanners style head explosions and mowing down Nazi scum… this one's for you. – Angel Melanson

Ick is an emo pop punk dream. The soundtrack rips, and things get really goopy. For fans of the likes of The Faculty, you’re in for a treat.

This movie was made especially as a generational crossover for pre-teen daughters to enjoy with forty-something-year-old dads, but the appeal extends well beyond that. Proper cosmic creature features are a rarity these days, and a soundtrack targeting both teenagers and elder millennials is a treat in itself.

The science fiction horror comedy, directed by Joseph Kahn and starring Brandon Routh, Malina Weissman, Harrison Cone, Jeff Fahey, and Mena Suvari flew a bit under the radar. Let's fix that. – Angel Melanson