Horror movies straddle a wide variety of sub-genres and styles, from graphic exploitation to suggestive psychological frights. Some films kick off the action right away, hurling the audience onto a rollercoaster of terror with nary room for breath. Others, though, prefer to take a slower route, building up the excitement until viewers can't take it anymore.
Some slow-burning horror movies signpost where they're going right from the beginning. The audience is on the edge of their seats, knowing what's coming. Others are more mysterious, often teasing a particular threat or situation, before completely pulling out the rug from underneath everybody. Below is a list of some of the strongest slow-burners in the horror genre.
10 Barbarian
Barbarian is a surprisingly traditional horror movie, in terms of basic plot. What sets it apart from so many others is the way that it is shot, and the way that director Zach Cregger bleeds every ounce of tension he can out of every scene.
The film is a slow-builder, moving towards what viewers think is a clearly sign-posted twist, only to completely throw the audience off with a massive tonal change halfway through. Barbarian keeps its viewers guessing for as long as possible.
9 The Witch
Robert Eggers' directorial debut is a folk horror masterpiece, dealing with all kinds of devilry and witchcraft. Small in budget and cast, The Witch is a claustrophobic nightmare that focuses on character and atmosphere.
It poses many questions, and audiences are given answers at the very end. But first, there are many doubts thrown over the beliefs of the superstitious family at the heart of the movie. Playing with themes of patriarchy, independence, and sexuality, The Witch is a deep, haunting slice of slow-burning horror.
8 Hereditary
Ari Aster's feature-length debut is a perfect example of a movie that lures audiences in with certain expectations, before completely altering the course midway through with a truly shocking moment. All the clues are given to viewers throughout the first part of the film, but answers are revealed in unpredictable and disturbing ways.
Focusing more on the plights of the characters, Hereditary takes its time to unleash its particular brand of hell upon those watching. The audience is never truly safe because they don't know where the next unpleasant surprise will be coming from...
7 The Blair Witch Project
Bringing found-footage horror to the mainstream, The Blair Witch Project felt real at the time. Because of its slow-burning nature, it meant that audiences were already relating to the main characters, getting to know them as they embarked on their spooky adventure.
Because of the shaky cam footage, viewers can never quite tell what they have or haven't seen. They're put right there in the action, seeing what three student filmmakers are, through their eyes. It all builds up to that truly freakish ending.
6 Get Out
Get Out plays lots of games with the audience before its big, and slightly ridiculous, reveal. It's quietly disturbing, that sense of something being off permeating almost every scene. Like many of the movies on this list, Get Out is very character driven, with the true scares building steadily over time.
Daniel Kaluuya is fantastic in the lead role of Chris, and the audience is firmly on his side as he starts to uncover the horrific realities of his partner's family and their activities. Get Out constantly subverts expectations, right up until the very end.
5 The Haunting
The Haunting is perhaps the ultimate slow-burner. Introducing viewers first to the various individuals who are to be staying at the notorious Hill House, it lingers on Eleanor, who is rather unstable. A large portion of the film hinges on whether the horrors of Hill House are actually happening, or if it's all in Eleanor's head.
The scares are straightforward – noises in the night, vicious knocking on doors, etc. This makes the movie feel more real, and more believable, helped by the fact that audiences never see the monster. The Haunting takes its time to build up an atmosphere, right up to the explosive ending.
4 The Shining
The Shining is a pressure gauge. It builds up the pressure throughout the duration of the movie, just as the main character Jack Torrance's grip on his own sanity slowly loosens. Audiences know what will happen, teased here and there with a few nightmarish images, but director Stanley Kubrick makes his viewers wait before unleashing hell.
Nothing about The Shining feels safe. The music is oppressive and maudlin, Jack Torrance is an awful, bitter man, his wife Wendy is a nervous wreck and their son Danny has disturbing visions. Despite long, dialogue-heavy scenes, the dark vibes never fade. They only grow steadily worse as the movie reaches its brutal conclusion.
3 Midsommar
Midsommar is another Ari Aster masterpiece. More straightforward in a sense than his previous movie, Midsommar updates The Wicker Man and puts a fresh spin on the folk horror tale.
As with Hereditary, this movie's mood is dark and dour from the start. Unease and uncertainty linger continuously. Nobody can be trusted, nothing is as it seems. The ending is perhaps inevitable, but Aster has a lot of fun making viewers wait for the climax.
2 Rosemary's Baby
Roman Polanski's movie is a faithful adaptation of the novel, and places a truly terrifying, supernatural horror right in the center of New York City, in a block of flats. It gives the film a more realistic bent, its characters all too familiar and, at first, likable.
Like many films on this list, Rosemary's Baby presents audiences with seemingly innocent characters who reveal their darkness bits at a time. Small moments occur that seem insignificant, but later turn out to be highly important. The ending is as iconic as it is inevitable.
1 The Wicker Man
Utilizing most of the tropes from other movies on this list, The Wicker Man is the ultimate folk horror movie. Widely influential, it set the standard for good, slow-burning occult horror. Most of the movie is a mystery, as Police Sergeant Neil Howie investigates the case of a missing girl on a strange island.
Nobody on this island can be trusted, and viewers realize soon enough that Howie is alone in this eerie place. Clues add up to the final, devastating conclusion, in what must be one of the most horrific and memorable endings in cinematic history. Downbeat, and darkly humorous. A classic.