Recommend a Modern, Independent, Horror Film

[TripleHBK]

So this is a Thread Idea I came up with last Halloween and have waited anxiously for a year to start so I hope it does well.

With Halloween just around the corner and many of us anxiously waiting to start our official horror movie marathons, I thought it'd be fun to set up a recommendation thread for modern films that may have gone under the Radar for many people. Every week browsing through Wal-mart's shrinking media section you'll still find a collection of films that many of us have never heard of, and for many of us generate an automatic reaction assuming that they must be crap since they're budget priced and straight to video. This thread is to identify those titles that are worth a second look. With this thread members will hopefully recommend some solid releases both domestic and Foreign that people may have slept on in the past 10 years. Hopefully it will spur on some interesting discussion and if nothing else, provide me with recommendations for my own collection.

The Rules:

-The Film cannot have had a Nationwide theatrical release. (Limited Screens are ok.)
-The Film should have been made in the last 10 years.
-It obviously must be on Blu Ray (or at least have a Blu Ray release date in the near future.)
-When posting a recommendation it'd be nice to hear why you liked it, who you think may like it, and what other films it's similar to.

Note: If your suggestion doesn't appear on the list it's for one of a few reasons... A) It Doesn't fit the Thread Guidelines. or B) The Poster art isn't available on the websites database and thus can't be added to the thread at this time.

**06/05/18 Update: In the interest of extending the life of this thread discussions can and often will include movies not yet on Blu Ray but available on DVD or Digital HD. As such, this main page isn't updated as frequently as it has been in the past. New titles are added sporadically as it makes sense however this list may or may not include every film mentioned throughout this thread so I encourage you to read through all the pages as there are a lot of great recommendations held within.**

**Clicking a Cover Will Take you to the Blu Ray Review on Site**

Multiple Forum Member Recommendations:




Single Forum Member Recommendations:



Region B Only:



DVD Only:



Digital HD: (May appear on DVD as well)

[Rich65]

Solid performances by the cast with a great lead performance by Nick Damici

Pleasantly surprised by this one way better than I was expecting.

[TripleHBK]

I picked up "The Town that Dreaded Sundown" based purely on the buzz over the title on this site. Have you watched both the original and the modern Sequel/remake? I own both but haven't watched either yet. I plan on watching both back to back sometime in the coming weeks. I haven't heard of "Night of the Lone Wolf" Is it a werewolf film or something else?

[StingingVelvet]

Would be interested in hearing recommendations for The Editor, since Scream is releasing it soon and it looks very interesting to me.

I would NOT recommend Wolf Cop Zombeavers, which were both dumb as shit and not in a funny way. They join an endless list of "80's horror homages" that miss entirely what made those 80's horror movies fun.

[Rich65]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

I picked up "The Town that Dreaded Sundown" based purely on the buzz over the title on this site. Have you watched both the original and the modern Sequel/remake? I own both but haven't watched either yet. I plan on watching both back to back sometime in the coming weeks. I haven't heard of "Night of the Lone Wolf" Is it a werewolf film or something else?

I have them both and I enjoy them both, the original is another low budget film but it is well done and has some solid performances (Ben Johnson is always awesome), Night of The Lone Wolf is a werewolf movie and I enjoyed it. It was fun to watch and see the all the good actors who were a part of it.

[Corner Camping Noob]

Pieces of Talent (2014)



I'm not sure if this had a limited theatrical release, definitely not wide release. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, acting was not too bad, good gore effects, and a pretty refreshing plot. The soundtrack to this movie was also enjoyable.

Limited blu ray release can be bought straight from the director. DVD available as well.

[waxHead]

I strongly recommend Spring from 2014:



This errs more on the side of a love story, but don't discount it based on that, it's certainly a horror film. The acting is excellent and besides the horror elements, there is some beautiful cinematography.

[Clark Kent]

I greatly enjoyed The Possession of Michael King. I thought Night of the Lone Wolf moved too slowly.

[demonknight]

Not nearly as good as the book, however Don Coscarelli's latest is cast perfectly, with the best performances coming from Paul Giamatti and Chase Williamson.

Amazing body horror comedy by Kevin Smith. The podcast it is based on (The Walrus and The Carpenter) is way funnier but the film does not disappoint for longtime listeners of the SModcast podcast network, with many in jokes to SModcast and Hollywood BabbleOn. Two sequels (Yoga Hosers and Moose Jaws) on the way.

Amber Heard shines in the best slasher of recent memory.

This thriller (also from Kevin Smith) starts off pretty poorly, with annoying characters in the first 20 mins, but quickly improves. The fact that Michael Parks didn't get an Oscar nod is a travesty. John Goodman shines.

[waxHead]

Also - fantastic idea for a thread, I'm always looking for good-but-under-the-radar horror movies

[Lacrymosa]

I think Lovely Molly is really underrated, it's a really great and creepy movie with such an eerie atmosphere.
I know there are plenty more but that one popped into my head first.

[Cujo]

Unfortunately, the only available Blu-ray is this German release without English subs. That said, it's a true gem, fascinating, cerebral and haunting. Personally, I think it's the best horror film since the 90's, but it's the kind of film that will never be for everyone. I think fellow fans of It Follows may find something to like, as it's another slow-burn horror that thrives on ambiguity.



A highly imaginative indie full of raw ambition. I love a good cult-based film, and this is one of the best. Despite a few spotty performance, it rises above any low budget pitfalls and stands as one of the most memorable horror films of the last decade. Fantastic ending and perfect song for the end credits.

[Rich65]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I greatly enjoyed The Possession of Michael King. I thought Night of the Lone Wolf moved too slowly.

The pace could have been a little better but it was still a good movie. Way better than a lot of so called horror movies out there. I will have to give The Possession of Michael King a try.

[Al_The_Strange]

This movie seems to get a pretty bad rap, but I thought it was a romp:

[PLG1962]

The Babadook and It Follows meets your criteria I think

[bipbop13]

Similar to "Evil Dead" with enough difference to make it a fun ride. Badly underrated, or just completely overlooked. I would like to find a blu ray with English subs though. It also goes under the title "Cabin of The Dead".

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Corner Camping Noob

Pieces of Talent (2014)

I'm not sure if this had a limited theatrical release, definitely not wide release. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, acting was not too bad, good gore effects, and a pretty refreshing plot. The soundtrack to this movie was also enjoyable.

Limited blu ray release can be bought straight from the director. DVD available as well.

This certainly looks interesting... Definitely one I'll have to check out.

Originally Posted by Waxhead

I strongly recommend Spring from 2014:



This errs more on the side of a love story, but don't discount it based on that, it's certainly a horror film. The acting is excellent and besides the horror elements, there is some beautiful cinematography.

I saw this previewed on Ex machina and was interested in it and nearly picked it up at Best Buy a week or two ago when i was there, but while the reviews have all been positive, the consensus has been it's really not horror, rather more dark fantasy (which I also like). I'm sure I'll grab this one eventually.

Originally Posted by Demonknight

Not nearly as good as the book, however Don Coscarelli's latest is cast perfectly, with the best performances coming from Paul Giamatti and Chase Williamson.

Amazing body horror comedy by Kevin Smith. The podcast it is based on (The Walrus and The Carpenter) is way funnier but the film does not disappoint for longtime listeners of the SModcast podcast network, with many in jokes to SModcast and Hollywood BabbleOn. Two sequels (Yoga Hosers and Moose Jaws) on the way.

Amber Heard shines in the best slasher of recent memory.

This thriller (also from Kevin Smith) starts off pretty poorly, with annoying characters in the first 20 mins, but quickly improves. The fact that Michael Parks didn't get an Oscar nod is a travesty. John Goodman shines.

I've heard of all of these yet haven't actually watched any. I've heard conflicting opinions about All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. Some love it, others seem to find it mediocre at best. It's fluctuated from my must see list to "maybe one day" for the time being.

Originally Posted by PLG1962

The Babadook and It Follows meets your criteria I think

The Babadook yes, and I own and enjoyed that film. It Follows is a big no. It had a major marketing campaign, played in theaters everywhere (I went and saw it and I rarely go to the theater anymore) and had plenty of coverage. Really fun film, just not what I'm looking for in this thread.

As for another of my own recommendations... I watched this about 2 years ago and had a lot of fun with this one.



In a lot of ways this film reminded me of The Monster Squad. The 3rd act was NOT what I was expecting, and the film has it's flaws, but It's different and worth a look for sure. I plan to view this one this Halloween as one of my official Selections for my 4th annual Halloween Movie Marathon. (Each year I select 31 official entries for my marathon, and these entries cannot be repeated during future marathons, guaranteeing a fresh 31 films every year).

This one is for fans of films like The Gate & Monster Squad. It's far darker than those 2 films, but gave me a similar vibe when I first watched it due to the age of the characters and the simplistic idea behind the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oTgs2Aelbg

[Corner Camping Noob]

One that I highly enjoyed, but does not have a blu-ray (or DVD) release.. yet:

Creep (2015)

Creep Official Trailer 1 (2015) - Mark Duplass Horror Movie HD - YouTube

I watch a lot of "The League", so i was skeptical going into this on how Mark Duplass would be. In my opinion he did a fantastic job. This one is currently available only on Netflix, hopefully they come through with a home video release.

I also hear a sequel and possibly trilogy is in the works.

[DaBargainHunta]

I believe this was released theatrically in international markets, but it got only a limited theatrical release (at most) in the U.S.

The Hole (2009)



It's by Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins, Small Soldiers), so it has that classic feel to it. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it's fun. It doesn't help, though, that it was originally filmed in 3D and the U.S. never got that version on Blu-Ray. Still, it works well enough in 2D too. The kids are the stars of this one, but name actors Teri Polo (The Fosters) and Bruce Dern (everything else) have supporting roles.

[petrified-eye]

Pontypool is my favorite horror film from recent years. It's all about the atmosphere and Stephen McHattie's performance. If you go in expecting a Romero-esque zombie movie you'll be disappointed though.

Originally Posted by Lacrymosa

I think Lovely Molly is really underrated, it's a really great and creepy movie with such an eerie atmosphere.
I know there are plenty more but that one popped into my head first.

Lovely Molly is definitely underrated. Super creepy and leaves much to your imagination. I probably don't want to watch the movie again though knowing what Johnny Lewis did in real life.