Horror-thriller movies have often been successful in crafting a special place for themselves among the fans of the genre. Over the years, we have seen some of the movies in the segment, making it big in both critical and box office aspects.
However, many worthy hidden gems went unnoticed. Here we take a look at some of those movies.
Underrated Horror-Thriller Movies: Ranked
1. Censor (2021) [Horror-thriller]
Starring Irish actress Niamh Elgar in the lead role, Censor comes across as one of the most underrated British psychological horror-thriller movies. It went largely unnoticed when it was released in 2021.
The initial plot of the movie revolves around the lead character believing that her profession or line of work has something to do with her sister’s disappearance/death. The film also effectively demonstrates the complicated censorship practices surrounding extreme horror-slasher films. The movie holds a score of around 89% on Rotten Tomatoes as of now.
2. Watcher (2022) [Horror, Psychological thriller]
Starring ‘It Follows’ and ‘Longlegs’ fame Maika Monroe in the lead role, Watcher is one of the most engaging slow-burn horror-thriller movies that one could ask for. The movie manages to build an atmospheric ambience laced with palpable tension, and is equally matched by Maika Monroe’s measured performance.
Released back in 2022, Watcher currently holds an average IMDb rating of around 6.3, tagged by approximately 58K viewers. The psychological thriller has also, till now, maintained a Rotten Tomatoes score of around 88%.
3. Stay (2005) [Psychological thriller]
Stay was severely panned by critics when it hit the theaters back in 2005. The psychological thriller’s cast includes names like Ryan Gosling, Ewan McGregor, and Naomi Watts. Negative critics’ response/reviews spread out as potential audiences were kept aside from a flick that was actually a decent one to watch.
Stay remains one of the must-watch films for fans of the psychological thriller genre. The movie was way ahead of its time. Whenever it’s up on TV or even on a digital watch, it looks elegantly presented, a dark and haunting story that makes you sometimes forget that the movie actually released approximately two decades ago.
4. The Watchers (2024) [Horror-thriller]
Warner Bros’ 2024 Supernatural horror flick – The Watchers starring Dakota Fanning in the lead didn’t turn out to be a critics’ favorite. The movie was based on the book ‘The Watchers’ penned by ‘A.M. Shine’. However, talking about the upsides of the movie, the cinematography by Eli Arenson does stand out. It matches the atmospheric ambiance of the movie.
Despite having fewer jump scares, the movie itself stands out by tackling a subject that can engross and completely lure the viewers in. The Irish locations chosen for the filming of the movie, including Dublin, Galway, and Ardmore, make the overall screen presence of the movie quite notable.
5. Polaroid (2019) [Horror]
The 2019 American Supernatural horror movie Polaroid delivers a strong and fast-paced narrative. The horror flick directed by Lars Klevberg is exactly what it looks like from the outside. The movie may have perished at the box office compared to its initial budget, but it certainly makes for a very entertaining and chilling digital watch.
The movie may contain some familiar, branded horror clichés, but they are still well-executed. The main good thing is that the film never tries to go beyond its narrative and still delivers. If you could hold on with a bit of patience at the start, you may be in for a surprise. Kathryn Prescott leads this ensemble cast horror flick.
Bonus: Horror Movie Recommendation – ‘Until Dawn’ 2025 [Review]
