Horror evokes fear, dread, and unease through dark themes, graphic imagery, and symbolic portrayals of human anxieties. Using Stephen King’s classification of revulsion, terror, and horror, this list of recent films and overlooked books will shock, disgust, and captivate you.
Spooky Films
First, Pearl (2022), directed by Ti West, is one of the many psychologically disturbing and tragic stories that would make your blood run cold. Set in 1918, a trapped farm girl, Pearl, aspires to be a movie star. Showing signs of psychopathy, the film recounts her quiet country life with her parents as she goes through emotional abuse, lovelessness, and persists in trying to leave the farm. This film is part of West’s X series, such as X (2022) and MaXXXine (2024).
The Platform (2019), directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, is a science fiction Spanish horror film of bounteous food and blood, leaving you disgusted and intrigued at the same time. A man named Goreng wakes up at The Pit, a tower-shaped facility consisting of 333 levels and 666 prisoners. They are forced to share a banquet of food every night through a descending platform. As the platform descends to lower levels, the feast is abhorrently consumed until those at the bottom levels receive little to nothing or whatever’s left for others to eat. Together with his cellmate, Trimagasi, they must find ways to survive until they finish their sentences. This story includes themes of gluttony and human deprivation, classes in society, wealth, and ignorance among many others.
Shake, Rattle, and Roll 8 (2006) falls under the international horror film category. Considered to be one of the widely acclaimed Filipino horror stories, this anthology film consists of three short stories in one. Directed by Rahyan Carlos, its grotesque and nightmarish visuals depict the city life and culture in Metro Manila at night time. Its compelling stories display corruption, malignant figures, and gruesome rituals. At the end of the day, don’t fall asleep on the last train ride lest you find yourself at the last stop with nowhere to escape.
Midsommar (2019) could be traumatic or comedic, depending on the viewer. This is a folk horror film, directed by Ari Aster, about a group of university students taking a trip to Sweden to celebrate a midsummer festival in a remote village. The light-hearted, flowery, and vibrant festivities turn sinister and gory as the group mysteriously disappears one by one.
Are you interested in zombies, Korean War History, and espionage? This Netflix original, Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021), directed by Kim Sung-Hoon, is a stand-alone episode of Kingdom, the South Korean series prequel to the film. The plot follows Ashin, a trained spy during the Joseon dynasty, determined to seek vengeance on those who killed her tribe.
Spine-Chilling Reads
Could you love a monster if he was your son? Monstrilio is a literary novel that explores grief and cannibalism. When a mother cries over her deceased son, she cuts a piece of his lung and cares for it as if her son was still alive. Then, the organ gains consciousness and eventually grows into a carnivorous monster: Monstrilio. Written by Gerardo Samano Cordova, the story reflects on love, loyalty, and learning to live with a monster.
If you are interested in foreign mystery and horror narratives, Seek Ye Whore and Other Stories by Yvette Tan have reached abundant positive reviews nationwide. The title is a play on words as the story is based on one of the Philippine islands known for mystic power and black magic: Siquijor. Which, currently, is also a popular tourist destination. It explores creatures of Filipino folklore, blood-curling imagery, and dark complex themes, leaving you stupefied.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a haunting short story exploring mental illness that follows a Victorian woman with postpartum depression. Through a fictional diary, we watch the nameless protagonist descend into depression and insanity. Her psychiatrists believe that she is unwell and untreatable while her husband, also a psychiatrist, belittles her and her condition. Forced into an isolating ‘rest cure,’ the woman becomes enamored with the yellow wallpaper in the top-floor nursery room. At first, she found the color disturbing but soon grew accustomed to it. The woman narrates that analyzing its unorderly pattern becomes her main form of entertainment. Her simple observation turns into obsession then turns into insanity. What did she see on that yellow wallpaper?
Last, but not least, it would not be a horror read without one of Japan’s renowned horror manga artists, Junji Ito. His famous work, Uzumaki, makes you terrified of the uncommon things imaginable, such as spirals. The intense graphics and eerie dialogues bewitch the reader and delve into the human psyche of fear, addiction, insanity, and dismay. There is also a live Japanese adaptation called Spirals (2000) and an anime version, Uzumaki (2024).
This Halloween, dive deep into these thrilling yet unsettling stories that leave a lasting impression. Most films listed are available on Netflix or Amazon Prime and many of these books also have film adaptations.