8 films that changed the way we talk about horror

From stomach-churning slashers to spine-tingling ghost stories, horror has always tapped into our darkest fears. But some films have done more than scare us silly – they’ve left a cultural mark and rewritten the rule book. With found-footage shocks and mind-bending reveals, these eight game-changers redefined what fear looks like on screen.

What happened when filmmakers convinced the world their actors had disappeared? Box office history. The Blair Witch Project blurred fiction and reality so convincingly, audiences weren’t sure if they were watching a film or a snuff documentary. Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez used lo-fi found-footage techniques and early internet forums to spread rumours that the three stars had genuinely vanished. This micro-budget horror didn’t just go viral – it redefined DIY filmmaking and made the woods feel off-limits for years.

“Kiri, kiri, kiri...” Sometimes the scariest films are the ones you don’t see coming. At first, Takashi Miike’s cult Japanese horror-thriller plays like a wistful romance. Then it completely flips. Widower Aoyama holds fake auditions to find love and meets the seemingly perfect Asami. But as her true nature emerges, the film descends into scenes so psychologically disturbing they’ve become legendary among fans. This slow-burn nightmare proves the genre hits hardest when it lures you in gently.

Currently streaming: Apple TV / BFI

Nicole Kidman’s spookily still face is pitch-perfect in this slow-building gothic chiller that plays like a love letter to classic Victorian ghost stories. Set in a fog-shrouded mansion on the island of Jersey, The Others follows a mother and her light-sensitive children as they become convinced they’re not alone. Careful pacing, creeping dread and a satisfying twist earn this a place in the creaking hallway of great haunted houses. Ghosts don’t need to shout. They’ve got time.

Currently streaming: Apple TV / Sky

Before The Last of Us, before The Walking Dead, before 28 Years Later (out June 20 – #wecantwait), Danny Boyle’s virus-ravaged Britain reanimated the zombie genre. With its jittery DV footage, eerie empty-London scenes and a mesmerising breakthrough performance by Cillian Murphy, it captured the chaos of societal collapse. It also tapped into early-2000s bioterrorism paranoia and paved the way for a new era of zombie terror.

Currently streaming: Apple TV

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s horror-rom-com mashup was as gut-busting as the cricket bat Shaun used to take on the undead. Mixing horror homage with uniquely British humour, it made riding out the apocalypse in a Crouch End pub seem like the only sensible choice. With witty callbacks, clever foreshadowing, and killer gags, Shaun of the Dead showed us that vinyl records can hurt, and turned Simon Pegg and Nick Frost into household names.

Currently streaming: Apple TV / Amazon Prime / Sky

Set against a snowbound Swedish housing estate, this haunting tale told the story of Oskar, a bullied boy, and Eli, a mysterious new neighbour with a dark secret. Tomas Alfredson’s film gave us horror with coming-of-age drama, using vampirism as a metaphor for isolation and otherness. Its quiet melancholy and sudden bursts of shocking violence make it the kind of film you spend years processing – and recovering from.

Currently streaming: Apple TV / Sky /BFI

Jordan Peele’s directorial debut took horror to new, politically charged places. The story of a Black man visiting his white girlfriend’s family is one of jump scares and razor-sharp commentary on race and appropriation. With nods to The Stepford Wives and The Twilight Zone, and the introduction of the iconic Sunken Place – a setting that quickly became part of the cultural lexicon – Peele staked his claim as one of horror’s most exciting new voices.

Currently streaming: Apple TV / Amazon Prime / iPlayer / Sky

Is there anything scarier than Hollywood’s impossible standards for women? Coralie Fargeat’s visceral horror says no. In a Golden Globe-winning (but not Oscar-bagging) performance, Demi Moore plays a celebrity discarded by Hollywood. After being fired due to her age, she turns to a black-market drug to create a younger version of herself (played by Margaret Qualley). The results are blood-slicked, hyperreal, and not at all appropriate for the faint of stomach.

Currently streaming Mubi / Apple TV / Amazon Prime / Sky

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