10 Horror Films You've Probably Forgotten
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Every horror fan knows the big names. But one of the best things about the genre is how deep you can dig once you've exhausted the obvious classics. From British psychological horror to strange supernatural thrillers and cult films rescued from obscurity, here are ten films that deserve another night in the dark.
Quick Answer
If you've watched all the obvious Halloween favourites, try going deeper. The Appointment, The Sender, The Keep, Paperhouse, Black Rainbow, Symptoms, Death Line, Full Circle, The Shout and Night of the Eagle offer something different from mainstream horror. Several have been championed or restored by the BFI after years of relative obscurity.
Key Facts
| Film | Year | Country | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night of the Eagle | 1962 | UK | Sidney Hayers |
| Symptoms | 1974 | UK/Belgium | José Ramón Larraz |
| Death Line | 1972 | UK | Gary Sherman |
| Full Circle | 1977 | UK/Canada | Richard Loncraine |
| The Shout | 1978 | UK | Jerzy Skolimowski |
| The Appointment | 1982 | UK | Lindsey C. Vickers |
| The Sender | 1982 | UK | Roger Christian |
| The Keep | 1983 | UK/USA | Michael Mann |
| Paperhouse | 1988 | UK | Bernard Rose |
| Black Rainbow | 1989 | UK | Mike Hodges |
1. Night of the Eagle
A professor dismisses his wife's belief in magic and burns the protective charms she keeps around their home.
Naturally, this turns out to be a bad idea.
Released in 1962 and starring Peter Wyngarde, Sidney Hayers' film is an intriguing supernatural thriller involving witchcraft and belief. BFI describes it as an unfairly obscure link between Night of the Demon and The Wicker Man.
2. Symptoms
A woman retreats to an English country house with a friend. The atmosphere becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
That is enough.
José Ramón Larraz's Symptoms was selected as the official British entry at Cannes in 1974 and later became difficult to see, with poor-quality bootlegs doing little justice to its atmosphere. A BFI restoration helped bring it back into view.
3. Death Line
Set beneath London's Russell Square, Death Line follows a series of disappearances linked to something living beneath the Underground.
It is grimy, strange and unexpectedly funny.
BFI describes it as an example of the direction British horror was taking in the 1970s, moving away from traditional Gothic settings towards contemporary locations and darker humour.
4. Full Circle
Mia Farrow stars as a grieving mother who begins to encounter the ghost of a child.
Full Circle is a slow-burning ghost story rather than a conventional shocker. It takes its time, creating an atmosphere of grief and unease before eventually bringing its story together.
BFI describes it as an almost forgotten ghost story that builds towards a surprisingly emotional conclusion.
5. The Shout
John Hurt and Susannah York star in this deeply unsettling 1978 film about a mysterious man who claims he possesses the ability to kill simply by shouting.
Is he telling the truth?
The film never gives you an entirely comfortable answer.
Jerzy Skolimowski's use of sound is particularly appropriate given the story. BFI notes that The Shout was the first British film with a Dolby soundtrack and made striking use of the technology.
6. The Appointment
This is one for people who like horror that gets under your skin rather than simply throwing things at you.
A father is haunted by supernatural forces after failing to attend his daughter's concert recital. The film uses seemingly ordinary details, including clocks, taps and the family home, to create mounting dread.
BFI's retrospective describes its opening as genuinely terrifying and praises its atmosphere and Trevor Jones's score.
7. The Sender
An apparently mysterious patient in a psychiatric hospital begins projecting his fears and nightmares into the minds of others.
The film is slow, claustrophobic and unsettling.
It is also exactly the sort of film that could disappear beneath the weight of more famous 1980s horror. BFI specifically identifies The Sender as one of the decade's overlooked British horrors.
8. The Keep
Michael Mann's 1983 horror film has become a cult curiosity partly because of the troubled history of its production and editing.
Set during the Second World War, it follows German soldiers confronted by an ancient supernatural force inside a remote fortress.
The film is famously atmospheric, and Tangerine Dream's electronic score is a major part of its appeal. BFI notes that the film was cut dramatically from Mann's original version and describes the soundtrack as gorgeous.
9. Paperhouse
A young girl draws a house and discovers that the world she has created may be more real than she expected.
Bernard Rose's Paperhouse sits somewhere between fantasy, psychological horror and nightmare.
It was released in 1988 but failed to find much of an audience at the time. BFI notes that it has grown in stature since then and contains some genuinely chilling sequences.
10. Black Rainbow
Rosanna Arquette plays a fake spiritualist who begins to experience apparently genuine psychic phenomena.
What follows is less conventional horror than an eerie examination of belief, exploitation and fear.
Mike Hodges' 1989 film was greeted with bafflement by some critics and subsequently slipped into semi-obscurity. BFI describes it as subtle, clever and chilling.
Why Go Looking For Forgotten Horror?
Because horror is at its most interesting when you don't know exactly what you're going to get.
The big classics are classics for a reason. But once you've watched them all, the fun is finding the strange ones.
The films that were too odd for mainstream audiences. The ones that disappeared. The ones that were rescued years later. The ones somebody remembers seeing once on VHS and has spent 30 years trying to find again.
That's where the really good Halloween discoveries are hiding.
FAQ
What are some overlooked horror films?
Films such as The Appointment, The Sender, Paperhouse, Black Rainbow and The Keep are among the British horrors that have received renewed attention from the BFI.
What is The Appointment about?
It follows a father who becomes the focus of supernatural forces after failing to attend his daughter's concert recital.
Is The Keep a horror film?
Michael Mann's The Keep is generally regarded as a horror/fantasy film, combining a Second World War setting with supernatural elements. BFI's retrospective places it among overlooked British horror films of the 1980s.