The horror genre is home to some of the most memorable films in the history of cinema because of the shock and awe they inspire. Many of them run with a thrill-a-minute pace, which is seen in classics like Halloween, Jaws, Poltergeist, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Not all horror films rely on this quick pacing to deliver their thrills. Some take on a slow, deliberate pace and take their time to build the story. The best of these slow-burners have a tense atmosphere and promise huge payoffs that keep the audience holding on until the final moment.
10
Angel Heart Takes The Devil To New Orleans
Alan Parker's Angel Heart is a solid slow-burner from 1987 about a New York private investigator (Mickey Rourke) who investigates the disappearance of a man known as Johnny Favorite in New Orleans. The movie takes the viewer on a bewildering journey that ultimately leads to violence and murder.
Angel Heart builds slowly over the course of its 113-minute runtime, gradually shifting from neo-noir to psychological horror seamlessly. Robert De Niro turns in a memorably eerie performance as the mysterious manipulator of Angel Heart's events who turns out to be much more than the audience imagines.
9
We Are Still Here Keeps Its Horrid Secrets Until Its Explosive Ending.jpg)
Though it was given a limited release, Ted Geoghegan's We Are Still Here was rightfully praised as one of the best horror films of 2015. The film follows a family who move to a small New England town only to discover that their new house harbors some horrifying secrets from its previous owners, the Dagmars.
More than just a run-of-the-mill haunted house film, We Are Still Here delves into real unsettling territory around the social and psychological consequences of evil and boasts an explosive ending. The imagery is quite striking, and consequences of generational trauma is handled exceedingly well.
8
The Wicker Man Is The Peak Of Folk Horror
Seen as a revelation by many, Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man is remembered as one of the greatest horror films of the 1970s, featuring an excellent performance from Christopher Lee and some impressive visuals. Interestingly, Lee considered the film to be the best one he was ever involved with.
The Wicker Man's treatment of the religious conflict between Christianity and Celtic paganism is handled well, even if it takes some time to get to the film's climax. However, Lee and Edward Woodward make the material work and hold the audience's interest as the events build to a shocking and unforgettable conclusion.
7
We Are What We Are Doesn't Go Down Easy
Jim Mickle's We Are What We Are is a disturbing film about a family of cannibals who allow religion to govern their lives. This critique of religious extremism builds very slowly, and the treatment of cannibalism is handled in the straightest way imaginable with no cheesy elements.
We Are What We Are's strength is in its ability to create and maintain a moody, dreamlike atmosphere throughout. The lengths gone to show the destructiveness of religious fundamentalism on families and broader society are grisly, and the payoff is certainly worth the slow build.
6
The Uninvited Is A Classic Ghost Story
Of the many classic ghost stories to come out of Hollywood, Lewis Allen's 1944 The Uninvited is one of the best. The film was one of Hollywood's first true haunted house films, and it went a long way in improving the reception of horror films at that time.
The Uninvited is an elegant, tasteful film that's bolstered by Gail Russell's impressive performance as Stella Meredith, who senses that the ghostly presence may be her mother. The Uninvited is one of the all-time great slow-burners that'll have fans on the edge of their seats.
5
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night Is A Great Vampire Movie
Fans can almost always look to find hidden horror gems across the film festival circuit. One of the most notable is Ana Lily Amirpour's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2014. The film, about a lonely vampire and outcast named Arash, is both disturbing and disarmingly sweet.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night has bold feminist themes, but its haunting visuals are what ultimately make it stand out from other films. Sheila Vand is excellent as The Girl, a sly vampire who struggles with her identity.
4
The Witch Was The Beginning For A Great New Director
Robert Eggers has become a household name among cinephiles in recent years with The Lighthouse and The Northman. His 2015 film, The Witch, follows a family of religious Puritans who is tormented by an evil force from the woods. The film is about as fine a feature-length debut as fans can find this side of Citizen Kane.
The Witch does an incredible job of building and maintaining a creepy atmosphere, always making sure that it reveals only what's completely necessary. It slowly builds a feeling of extreme dread in the audience through its tale of superstitious paranoia. Anya Taylor-Joy was skyrocketed to superstardom after her impeccable performance in The Witch, which won her 4 awards and earned her nominations for several others.
3
The House Of The Devil Holds A Dark Secret
Ti West has developed a reputation for slow-burn horror films, like The Innkeepers and The House of the Devil. The latter follows a college student who's desperate for money and takes what she thinks is a simple babysitting job to earn some quick cash.
Jocelin Donahue is excellent as the unassuming Samantha Hughes, and Tom Noonan steals the show as the creepy Mr. Ulman. What's more, The House of the Devil manages to be a throwback to 1970s and '80s horror films while also being fresh enough to stand on its own. It is effective horror filmmaking rather than mere cheap nostalgia, which earned it an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
2
Rosemary's Baby Is The Ultimate Slow-Burn Horror Film
Of all the films in Roman Polanski's body of work, Rosemary's Baby remains the most well-known to horror fanatics. The 1968 film was extremely controversial at the time of its release and made Polanski a household name.
Rosemary's Baby is remarkably believable and captivating, which makes Rosemary's situation more terrifying. Every character in the film feels like real neighbors in an apartment complex and every situation feels familiar, too. The great Ruth Gordon, in particular, stands out as Minnie Castevet, the friendly next-door neighbor who's actually holding a very dark secret.
1
Hour Of The Wolf Is Unbearably Terrifying
Ingmar Bergman's Hour of the Wolf is one of the most terrifying films ever made. Hour of the Wolf was praised as a "brilliant gothic film" that used a few jumpscares to bolster the film's horror. Max von Sydow plays Johan Borg, a painter who remains haunted by his childhood trauma.
The talented Bergman directed several films that make the audience uneasy, but none of them reach the disturbing level of this film. Many of the characters feel as though they're the hallucinations of Borg and his pregnant wife, which leaves Hour of the Wolf open to plenty of interpretation. Slow-burn horror flicks don't get any scarier than this.