In horror movies, there are victims and there are perpetrators. Sometimes, the victims turn the tables on those who intend to do them harm. Other times, these victims turn into monsters as they scheme to avenge their perceived enemies. These types of movies are at their best when they exist in the gray areas between "good" and "evil."
Quite a few recent horror movies feature characters who hatch insane revenge plots. Whether it's a psychological tale hinged upon abusive partners or a supernatural story about agitated ghosts who can't rest until they are vindicated, these narratives of retribution are emotionally powerful and terrifying.
The Dark (2018)
An Austrian horror movie, The Dark follows an undead girl as she stalks the forest where she was murdered decades before. The ghost, Mina, bides her time feasting upon anyone who ventures into her lair — a deranged attempt to enact revenge on a world that let her suffer.
Mina's plot is foiled when she finds an abused boy in the trunk of a car belonging to a man she killed. Instead of letting him die, Mina rescues the boy, forcing her to come face-to-face with her own victimization at the hands of her murderer.
The Invisible Man (2020)
After escaping from her abusive and controlling boyfriend in The Invisible Man, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) becomes wrapped up in a nightmarish revenge scheme. Her ex, optics engineer Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), doesn't want to let his love go so quickly. He fakes his own death and dons an invisibility suit in order to make Cecilia's life a living hell for leaving him.
No one believes Cecilia's claims that Adrian is still alive, and she is forced to fight on her own. Directed by Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man updates this classic Universal Monster story for the #MeToo era.
Revenge (2017)
An extreme French thriller, Revenge is another product of the #MeToo generation. The film stars Matilda Lutz as Jen, whose weekend getaway with her married lover turns deadly after she is sexually assaulted by one of his friends.
Instead of taking her side, Jen's beau Richard turns out to be just as predatory as his buddies. After she is left for dead, Jen nurses herself back to health and hunts Richard down, seeking retribution for the traumatic ordeal she was forced to endure.
Becky (2020)
When a group of escaped Aryan Brotherhood prisoners invade the lakeside cabin of a man, little do they know his angsty 13-year-old daughter watches the situation unfold from the nearby woods. Lulu Wilson plays the titular Becky, who decides to take on the Neo-Nazis in one violent clash after another.
Using coloring pencils, rulers, and various implements from her toolshed, Becky develops a bloody, retaliatory plan. It turns out a group of hot-headed white supremacists are no match for an angry young teenager.
Ma (2019)
In Ma, Octavia Spencer plays Sue Ann, a middle-aged veterinary nurse who decides to let the high school kids in town use her basement as a party spot. As this Blumhouse movie progresses, it becomes clear that Sue Ann intends to manipulate these teenagers as a form of payback toward their parents — who bullied and tormented Sue Ann when they were all young themselves.
While an uneven thriller, Ma's unique plot definitely stands out in a sea of regurgitated narratives. Luke Evans and Juliette Lewis co-star.
Skull: The Mask (2020)
Revenge takes on mythic proportions in this off-the-wall Brazilian slasher. An ancient, pre-Columbian god is resurrected via a mask, embarking on a retaliatory killing spree that is investigated by a local police detective.
This god, Anhangá, stalks the Earth in order to torment the living, using the corpses it accumulates as sacrifices to its fellow deities. While Skull: The Mask makes some interesting statements about Brazil's colonial past, it's ultimately a splatter movie replete with endless gore and violence.
Bacurau (2019)
Another recent horror movie from Brazil, Bacurau also takes aim at its country's sociopolitical history. When the 94-year-old matriarch of the small, titular town dies, the remaining residents are targeted by outside forces who hope to wipe the city off the maps — literally.
Locals eventually make sense of the events unfolding around them, and they band together to seek vengeance against the invaders who have made a game out of killing the citizens. One of the most unique features in recent years, Bacurau is a fierce and unforgettable dig at imperialist policies.
Mandy (2018)
In Mandy, Nicolas Cage plays Red, a heartbroken lover reeling from the murder of his girlfriend at the hands of a cult. Possessed by retaliatory fury, Red embarks upon a phantasmagoric journey to brutalize each member of the cult.
From drug-addled biker gangs to crossbows to giant chainsaws, Red participates in one hallucinatory battle after another. Mandy is the second film from Panos Cosmatos, known for his previous venture, Beyond the Black Rainbow.
Black Christmas (2019)
Horror goes after misogynistic men yet again in this remake of the 1974 slasher, Black Christmas. Directed by Sophia Takal, this 2019 film centers around a fraternity whose members decide to hunt down sorority sisters who challenge gender roles by "stepping out of line."
This primary revenge plot is met with a secondary one, wherein the sorority sisters unite to take out the men who hope to subjugate and murder them. Unfortunately, the remake's PG-13 rating keeps the scares from being as effective as they could be; the result feels forced and superficial.
La Llorona (2019)
La Llorona is one of many films based upon the Central American legend of the Weeping Woman, a ghost who roams around mourning her drowned children. Set in Guatemala, this Spanish-language horror movie reimagines the folkloric character by having her target a former military dictator responsible for untold deaths and devastation in the 1980s.
Posing as a housekeeper, La Llorona makes her way into the autocrat's home, where she taunts him through one supernatural incident after another. The revenge plot adds a layer of political relevancy to this haunting and visually stunning horror film.