This is our 15 Movie recommendations that you should not watch if you want to have a nice sleep.

ILS
David Moreau, Xavier Palud (2006)

A film based on “true events” Ils is a French-Romanian classic horror story that will have you feeling tense throughout the whole movie. A young couple, Lucas and Clémentine live in a huge and beautiful house in the middle of the forest, isolated from civilization. They form an idyllic marriage without problems and their new life is dandy until one night they are awakened by a bump in the night and find that they are no longer alone in the house.

PULSE
Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2001)

A film often overlooked in favour of its bigger brothers Ring and Ju-On, Pulse is a digital delight of a movie from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. An unnerving tale of cyber disturbances, isolation and fear of the afterlife. Pulse is a cult classic that is definitely worth your time. When a young IT worker is found dead in his apartment after an aparent suicide, his friends and coworkers decide to investigate the circumstances surrounding his demise. The result of which is a labyrinth of mysteries, forbidden rooms and ghostly figures trapped behind computer screens. 

Pulse is the kind of film that will leave you never feeling truly safe using your computer late at night. 

INCIDENT IN A GHOSTLAND
Pascal Laugier (2018)

From the same director that gave birth to the highly controversial movie Martyrs, Pascal Laugier; Incident in a Ghostland brings another one and half hours of tension filled cinema to your life. This mystery-thriller serves up much of the same goosebumps and extreme content that Martyrs did. A movie that will leave a bitter taste in your mouth and will scare you completely this Halloween.

TERRIFIED
Demián Rugna (2017)

Terrified is the story of three Argentinian neighbours living on the same block who begin to experience paranormal episodes. Mixing horror and suspense, this movie broke into the Hollywood sphere, winning a few awards. A host of paranormal events take place in this movie: people disappearing without trace, the dead returning from the grave, voices heard in the drains of sinks, all to make up a truly frightening 87 minutes of cinema. 

VERONICA
Paco Plaza (2017)

Inspired by a true story that took place in a Madrid neighbourhood, the scary “Caso Vallecas” of the 90s. Veronica tells the tale of a teenage girl, who after playing with a ouija board with some friends, is besieged by terrifying supernatural presences that threaten to harm her entire family. As scary as The Exorcist, you won’t be able to sleep with the light off after watching this film. 

SINISTER
Scott Derrickson (2012)

Ethan Hawke in a horror film. Need I say anymore? Another one of those movies that plays around with the concept of “found footage” much like Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project etc, Sinister follows the story of a true crime writer who moves his family into a home where the previous family were actually murdered. He intends to use this case as the basis and inspiration of his new novel. 

However after finding an old box of super 8mm and a projector in his attic he begins to unravel a more “sinister” plot that he initially imagined. Super 8 film has recently had cute and harmless hipster connotations, however in Sinister it takes on a new meaning; one you won’t forget anytime soon. 

UNDER THE SHADOW
Babak Anvari (2016)

A few years ago Babadook surprised us by using psychological terror as a tool to show us the bitter relationship between a mother and her child. The boy’s recurring nightmares, together with the strange events that occur in his home, served to test the bond that existed between them. 

Under the Shadow successfully repeats this formula, adapting it this time to a family in Tehran; a city mired in war, governed by an ultra-conservative government. When the father is forced to the front line, clear deficiencies arise in the relationship between the mother and daughter, all the meanwhile strange events begin to occur in their home...

Z 
Brandon Christensen (2019)

Not to be confused with Z movies; a subgenre of films that are of a lower quality than even B movies. Z is one of the more recent entries to our horror list. Z tells the story of a young boy’s imaginary friend, “Z” who slowly begins to terrorise his family. If you’re not a fan of jump scares, then you might want to give this one a miss. 

THE EYE
Oxide Pang Chun, Danny Pang Phat (2002)

The Eye is a Hong Kong-Singaporean horror film from 2002, whose brilliance is sometimes lost amongst the abundance of remakes that followed it. Written and directed by the Pang Brothers who were inspired by a newspaper article they had read 13 years prior. An article about a 16-year-old girl who received a corneal transplant, restoring her sight only to commit suicide soon after. They always wondered what she saw that drove her to take her own life. It is this question that drives the story of The Eye, delivering a concept that is within the realms of possibility. It is this sense of realism that truly makes The Eye terrifying. 

THE STRANGERS
Bryan Bertino (2008)

The Strangers is a low-budget film written and directed by Bryan Bertino who was inspired by the Manson murders and the book Helter Skelter. The Strangers is quite a slow and subdued horror movie relying on the buildup of tension in order to get under your skin. It tells the story of a couple who spend the night in their childhood home and soon find themselves the subjects of a cat and mouse horror game, orchestrated by three masked assailants. Check this film out if you want some inspirations for your next halloween costume.  

RINGU
Hideo Nakata (1998)

The Grandfather of J-horror that influenced a wave of hollywood remakes of Asian horror movies. Directed by Hideo Nakata in 1998, Ring is a unique blend of ancient folklore and modern technology, tapping into our fear of viruses and death, which is all the more poignant in our current pandemic times.

Ring tells the story of a cursed video tape that, if watched, results in a suddenly horrific death seven days later and the subsequent investigation by a newspaper journalist. Ring is a masterpiece in its understated pacing, proving that horror films don’t always require cheap jump scares and blood every five minutes, in order to be terrifying. Truly fundamental viewing that will scare you shitless. 

PHONE
Byeong-ki Ahn (2002)

With one of the most over the top child acting performances in horror cinema, Phone is a 2002 Korean film directed by Ahn Byeong-Ki. Possessed children, electra complexes and mysterious phone calls from beyond the grave, Phone is such a fun movie, a little bit trashy at times, which makes you feel like you're watching a B movie, but in a way this adds to its overall charm. 

INSIDIOUS
James Wan (2010)

From the creators of the Saw series, Insidious is a 2010 supernatural horror movie  directed by Malaysian-Australian director James Wan. Insidious follows the story of a married couple who move into a new house, only to find strange events begin to occur. Initially they believe the house to be haunted but eventually they realise that it’s not their house, but their son who is being haunted by evil spirits. While it clearly riffs on a variety of different films from the history of horror cinema, Insidious remains an interesting watch to this day. 

30 DAYS OF NIGHT
David Slade (2007)

A modern horror movie set in Alaska about a town attacked by vampires during a 30-day long polar night. From the British director David Slade who also made the thrilling movie Hard Candy. 

JU-ON: THE GRUDGE
Takashi Shimizu (2002)

A J-horror classic from the twisted mind of Takashi Shimizu, Ju-On: The Grudge centres around a haunted house and the fates that befall the characters who come into contact with. Ju-On explores the idea of vengeful spirits who are unable to move onto the afterlife due to the horrific circumstances of their death; a cliched concept in the history of horror, however one that is expertly executed in The Grudge. This film contains some memorable sequences that will have you sleeping with the light on. 

Curated by Marta Espinosa, SAMO