10 Most Underrated European Horror Movies, Ranked

Horror, as a dominant genre, never ceases to amaze. Its popularity was even researched by Johns Hopkins University, adding that people tend to enjoy horror out of fear and excitement equally. Despite frequently used tropes, creatives are always given a chance to do something new and amazing with the existing foundation. And, as much as we know about English-speaking horror movies, there’s no shortage of excellent movies from the rest of the world, too.

Focusing on Europe in particular, the genre prevails in movies that do more than just shock and provide jumpscares. European horror is often focused on human terror and the many sides of human beings overall. That’s why some of the best horror movies from this continent are often among those too disturbing to rewatch. Despite some well-known features, like Suspiria or Possession, the vast library of European horror holds some precious, underrated gems.

10 ‘You Won’t Be Alone’ (2022)

Serbia, Macedonia; directed by Goran Stolevski

Though You Won’t Be Alone is a co-production between Australia, the US, and Serbia, its characters speak Macedonian and are meant to be of Macedonian descent. The entirety of the film was made on location in Serbia, and it revolves around a small Macedonian village in the 19th century, where tradition and folklore intertwine.

Maria, a shapeshifting witch, appears in a home with a newborn and threatens to take the baby, called Nevena. Nevena’s mother agrees to give her to Maria when she turns 16 and ends up raising her in a cave for 16 years. When Maria finally comes for Nevena and turns her into a creature like herself, Nevena is left to discover the miracles (and horrors) of the world. This horror drama was dubbed « a poetic glimpse at generational trauma » by Austin Chronicle’s critic Jenny Nulf; this great and to-the-point description encapsulates everything that lies under the surface of You Won’t Be Alone. As Nevena learns to live life as a regular human, she’s faced with various moral and societal constraints. Understanding that some things are done « just because » proves to be a sort of horror in itself for her. The movie has some gore and blood, but it’s artful in its entirety.

9 ‘The Bar’ (2017)

‘El Bar,’ Spain, directed by Álex de la Iglesia

Álex de la Iglesia is a horror master like no other. The second season of his supernatural horror series, 30 Coins, can be streamed on Max, but a word to the wise: it may not be for everyone. For horror fans, it’s likely a great story with some goofy effects; for non-horror fans, the gore in his elaborate and marvelous depictions of Hell could be too much.

This acclaimed director doesn’t have only 30 Coins to brag about. Before it, The Bar was an instant horror hit—part gory horror, part dark comedy—and it hits the right spots for de la Iglesia fans. A colorful group of people gets stuck in a lowly café after they witness unusual behavior in downtown Madrid. People are shot in the streets, and special forces with gas masks come out; it’s total mayhem. Fear and paranoia get the better of the people stuck in the bar. They don’t have a way out, because, as it seems, getting out through the front door results in instant death. Everyone has an idea of what to do, but they’ve all got different personalities, which brings forth misunderstandings and violence. A deep dive into various types of people mixed with mysterious events makes The Bar an entertaining watch.

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8 ‘Raw’ (2016)

‘Grave,’ France, written and directed by Julia Ducournau

Raw is a form of a woman’s awakening. Letting inhibitions and impulses take over instead of suppressing oneself is not common for women; in Julia Ducournau‘s cannibalistic coming-of-age movie, these ideas intertwine with gore, horror, and some pretty intense scenes.

Justine is a fresh veterinary student, attending the same school as her older sister Alexia and her parents before them. She was raised vegetarian, but a hazing ritual in college forced her to eat raw rabbit livers. Her sister forces her to eat it, but later, Justine gets sick and starts experiencing unusual symptoms. Their bond deepens (and complicates) after Alexia shows Justine that they both crave human flesh. Alexia teaches Justine to force things she doesn’t feel comfortable with, and the movie tests sisterhood in this way. Moreover, Justine must break promises to herself because of impulses, in which she learns what it’s like to be a sexually active, spirited woman. Raw has intense gore scenes and is labeled as body horror, which complements the overall story rather than being used for shock value. Overall, it’s a great, underrated cinematic achievement.

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7 ‘Them’ (2006)

‘Ils,’ France, written and directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud

What many American fans know as The Strangers with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, European audiences (specifically French) have first seen as Them (or Ils, originally). Though critics compared the two movies, their general ideas diverge and show different perpetrators. There’s even a Reddit discussion comparing the two movies, with Ils seemingly taking the lead as a better and scarier feature.

Them is about a couple, Clémentine and Lucas, living in a remote home in nature. One day, they notice several masked people outside their home, and after unsuccessfully driving them away, they start to face them one by one. The home invasion becomes a chase into the woods, as the couple is desperate. The fear and the unknown of Them give the movie its horror spice. Who are these people playing games with an ordinary couple, and why are they doing it? Without gore or intense scenes, the movie still creates a haunted and terrifying atmosphere. Although The Strangers holds the title as the scariest home invasion movie, fans of this particular genre would surely enjoy Them, the chilling French feature.

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6 ‘Miss Violence’ (2013)

Greece, directed and co-written by Alexandros Avranas

« Hell is other people, » as Jean-Paul Sartre said, and Miss Violence is one of the most accurate depictions of this (albeit misunderstood) quote. Alexandros Avranas hasn’t made many movies in his directing career, but Miss Violence is his best-rated and the most upsetting.

The movie begins with eleven-year-old Angeliki celebrating her birthday and then jumping off the balcony and dying. As events unfold, the movie feels like a slow descent into hell. The Father, unnamed, holds dominion over the rest of his family—the Mother, also unnamed—and their named children and grandchildren—Eleni, Myrto, Philippos, and Alkmini. There are numerous triggers in this movie, including domestic abuse, sexual violence, and self-harm, so it’s not for everyone. In terms of horror, Miss Violence is a strong depiction of the underbelly of humanity, leaving the viewer somewhat powerless. Naming the children but not the Father was intentional, as audiences are meant to view the situation through their eyes, remember their names, and feel their pain. The Father could be any man, any wielder of (patriarchal) power, which is also a criticism of Greek society in general.

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5 ‘The Innocents’ (2021)

‘De Uskyldige,’ Norway, Sweden; written and directed by Eskil Vogt

Children are naturally curious and can’t always tell right from wrong. However, their instincts and self-preservation are often (if not always) on point, which is craftily depicted in The Innocents. This psychological thriller/horror with supernatural elements has a main cast consisting of kids around ten and eleven years old.

The young Ida, her older, autistic sister Anna, and their parents move into a new neighborhood with lots of kids. Ida goes out to play and make friends, but her mother asks her to take Anna along. Ida and Anna meet Ben and Aisha, residents of the same building block, and the kids start playing together. While playing, they realize they all have a common bond: supernatural abilities. As the kids uncover what they can do with their powers, innocence and youth seem to get blurred, and curiosity and suppressed emotions get the better of them. Power, even the supernatural kind, can make anyone lose themselves for a moment. The fact that the protagonists of The Innocents are young children makes the story even scarier, but ultimately highly impactful. The movie brims with tension, with beautiful and dark cinematography adding to the atmosphere.

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4 ‘Let the Right One In’ (2008)

‘Låt Den Rätte Komma In,’ Sweden, directed by Tomas Alfredson

One of the most popular horror cult classics, Let the Right One In, is also heavily underrated. Its original version is, anyway. While the remake, Let Me In, with Chloe Grace Moretz was a good counterpart (though Tomas Alfredson heavily opposed it), it couldn’t create the chilling and eerie atmosphere like the Swedish original. Recently, a TV series starring Damien Bichir received some good critical reviews, but it still didn’t seem to deserve a second season.

Let the Right One Inwas based on a novel byJohn Ajvide Lindqvist (who also wrote the screenplay). It follows a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, who is a shy child and the target of school bullying. Oskar one day meets Eli, his next-door neighbor, who lives with an older man. Eli and Oskar develop a bond and decide to « go steady. » But Eli is a vampire and requires blood to survive, while Oskar discovers that his spite of bullies results in him becoming aggressive. The two find a way to live together as opposites that complement each other. Though it’s a story with kids as protagonists, Let the Right One In is labeled as a romantic horror, and for the right reasons. It’s a perfect adaptation of a pretty perfect story.

3 ‘Martyrs’ (2008)

France, directed and written by Pascal Laugier

In true horror fashion, Martyrs tackles numerous themes through shocking and graphic ideas, from cult fanaticism to torture. The audience first sees Lucie, a young girl fleeing captivity and ending up in an orphanage. There, she meets Anna, and they become instant friends. About 15 years later, Lucie and Anna embark on a journey motivated by revenge as they look for Lucie’s former captors.

They encounter a sinister reality that’s hard for Lucie to handle, and Anna continues the journey, discovering the secrets of Lucie’s captors. Director/writer Pascal Laugier said that despite making a heavy movie, he finds the horror genre melancholic. He particularly stated: « It’s the only genre that offers this kind of dialectic, and I have always found this idea very moving—to create emotion with the saddest, most depressing things in existence. » The disturbing nature of Martyrs was often defended, mainly by those defenders being able to see Laugier’s idea that the violence in it is a means to an end and a way to give martyrs a certain purpose. By putting suffering, depravity, lack of empathy, and higher conviction as points of the film, Laugier made a hard-to-swallow feature that haunts its viewers for years after watching it.

2 ‘Speak No Evil’ (2022)

‘Gæsterne,’ Denmark, Netherlands; directed and co-written by Christian Tafdrup

Speak No Evil has one of those endings that leaves viewers sitting still after a while. As the credits roll, the shock of everything that transpired throughout the third act makes this horror movie a shaking feature. It’s a powerful depiction of humanity’s darkest sides, but also, in some ways, a critique of forced politeness and people-pleasing tendencies.

A Danish couple, Bjørn and Louise, go on a vacation with their daughter Agnes, where they meet a Dutch couple, Patrick and Karin, and their mute son, Abel. The couples bond on vacation, and the Dutch family invites the Danes to be their guests after the holidays are over. Despite not fully wanting to go, Bjørn and Louise do it out of courtesy. Patrick, Karin, and Abel live in an isolated home in the Netherlands, and, as the Danish family is soon to conclude, for a reason. Speak No Evil feels awkward in certain moments, uncomfortable in others, and purely evil by the end. It’s one of the most powerful horror movies of the decade. The remake with James McAvoy is soon to be released, but it remains to be seen whether he can embody the eerie persona of Patrick as well as Fedja van Huêt has.

1 ‘The Vanishing’ (1988)

‘ Spoorloos,’ Netherlands; directed and co-written by George Sluizer

The Vanishing is one of those movies that slipped under the radar for many horror fans, most likely because its director, George Sluizer, made a questionable American remake with Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges. The remake wasn’t successful, mainly because it can’t begin to compare to the original. To many, The Vanishing remains a psychological horror that can seriously mess with one’s head.

The Vanishing follows a young couple, Rex and Saskia, headed on vacation by car. When they stop to get gas, Saskia vanishes, never to be seen again. Three years after her disappearance, Rex is still devastated, but he’s now receiving letters from Saskia’s abductor. The chase for the criminal begins, and the story unfolds. The terror of the story doesn’t come from the vanishing aspect, although seeing someone one day and then never again is a terrifying notion. Moreover, it comes from observing the abductor himself, who is, by all accounts, a charming and successful man. As with many European horror movies, The Vanishingdissects and looks into the type of person committing the crimes, depicting the true horror in the duality of man.

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