The horror genre is filled with so many subgenres whether it's found footage or jump-scares, there's something for everyone. This includes those that enjoy sitting on the edge of their seats with tension waiting for the inevitable horror to befall those on the screen.
The slow-burn horror subgenre can be fairly divisive, but there can be no denying the draw these types of films have over some horror fans. Today we're going to take a look at a few great examples of slow-burn horror that you can enjoy this Halloween season.
ROSEMARY'S BABY
1968's Rosemary's Baby is an unsettling psychological horror that is an early and great example of a slow-burn horror that rewards viewers with a big but troubling payoff. While the film was directed by Roman Polanski and is somewhat tainted by his history, the film is still a great horror option for Halloween.
Mia Farrow plays Rosemary, who moves into a new apartment building with her husband to begin their new life. Thier she begins to feel like there are strange occurrences happening and a potential demonic pregnancy that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
GET OUT
Jordan Peele exploded onto the horror scene with his directorial debut Get Out, which became a blockbuster hit that explored horror from a new perspective. And like most slow-burns, there was a mystery behind the main character Chris/Daniel Kaluuya's trip to meet his girlfriend's family.
Get Out explores both graphic violence and psychological torture as viewers are forced to deal with the uncomfortable atmosphere of the film before it descends into real horror. Peele's followup Us was also enjoyable, but Get Out definitely had us cringing on the edge of our seat more.
THE VVITCH
Fans are waiting patiently for Robert Eggers' upcoming The Lighthouse, which is his highly-anticipated followup to the very divisive slow-burn horror The VVitch. Touted as a "New England Folktale," The VVitch is a masterpiece of atmospheric horror that uses tension and environment instead of jump scares and effects to build the scares.
The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the role that launched her own horror career. The VVitch is an incredibly authentic period piece set in the harsh wilderness as a Puritan family deals with a missing child and the possibility of an ancient witch near their new home.
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
While the name of the film initially led fans to belive 10 Cloverfield Lane would be a direct sequel to the hit monster movie Cloverfield, it was revealed to only be a spiritual sequel that would launch a series of connected anthology-style films that would continue with The Cloverfield Paradox.
10 Cloverfield Lane is full of great performances from John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr., three unrelated individuals forced to hide out in a fallout shelter after a mysterious incident affects the outside world. Of course, their safe space may not be that safe at all, and you'll be hooked until the end waiting for the next twist.
THE RITUAL
Netflix's adaptation of Adam Neville's novel The Ritual followed four friends on a hiking trip in Sweden in honor of their recently deceased friend. A forced shortcut through the woods leads them and viewers into a psychological nightmare that elevates The Ritual into a must-watch slow-burn this season.
The film doesn't rest on psychological horror alone, as it weaves in supernatural and mythological elements effortlessly with an extremely rewarding finale. This tense thriller is still a bit of an undiscovered gem, so be sure to add The Ritual to your Halloween viewing.
THE INVITATION
We may admittedly be pretty big fans of Logan Marshall-Green, so our recommendation of The Invitation may be seen with bias, but it's nothing more than our continued appreciation of his amazing performance in this mind-bending thriller, which features a great cast with equally enjoyable performances.
Marshall-Green plays a grieving father attending a dinner party at his ex-wife's after ti,e away following his son's death. As events at the dinner party unfold, viewers are forced to decide if one man's grief is causing a breakdown or if there is something more sinister going on at this dinner party, and the answer will surprise you.
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman starred in the truly unnerving The Killing of a Sacred Deer from director Yorgos Lanthimos, which sees a wealthy family stricken with a disease when a mysterious teenager enters their lives.
While it could easily be considered an art film as well as horror, The Killing of a Sacred Deer manages to toe that line perfectly to be both beautiful and haunting and will keep you thinking for a few days after, like any great psychological slow-burn horror.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
Ti West directed this homage to the 70s and 80s horror that stars Jocelin Donahue as a babysitter sent to the remote home of horror legend Tom Noonan and his family. This film epitomizes what makes slow-burn horror so enjoyable, as it continually builds tension largely based on the viewer's expectations that something horrible is coming.
Of course, when that horror does come it introduces elements from haunted house films and slashers and even cult horror that blends together to make a truly enjoyable, albeit unsettling horror. The House of the Devil is the perfect film for Halloween if you're looking for a bit of nostalgia.
HEREDITARY
Ari Aster's debut horror quickly divided audiences, though those it impressed staunchly supported its horrifying look at a broken family dealing with grief, and the potential sinister manipulations of outside, and possibly demonic forces.
Hereditary is really a showcase for Toni Colette as she plays a woman struggling to cope with multiple losses and the mysteries left behind by her mother while her family falls apart around her. It's definitely one of that love-it-or-hate-it type of films, but for fans of slow-burn horror, we couldn't recommend Hereditary more.
THE WICKER MAN
While Hereditary director Ari Aster's followup Midsommar is another great example os a slow-burn horror, we couldn't help but notice the similarities to 1973's The Wicker Man, which is not the remake starring Nicolas Cage, just to clarify that immediately.
The Wicker Man follows a detective's investigation into a missing girl that takes him to an island that has renounced Christianity in favor of Paganism, and features an amazing cast of classic horror stars like Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, and Britt Eckland, and features one of the most amazing finales in horror cinema. Again, this is not the Nic Cage version.