You’ve seen every great horror film, including Nightmare on Elm Street and The Exorcist. Additionally, you’ve been keeping up with more recent blockbusters like The Boogeyman and Insidious: The Red Door. This must imply that you’ve all seen the best horror movies, right? Well, not quite.
The actors and actresses in some of the best contemporary horror films give outstanding performances that soon establish them as the new faces of the genre. Naturally, a few names that spring to mind are Anya Taylor-Joy in The Witch and Florence Pugh in Midsommar. These two actors have proven to have a remarkable ability for exploring the horror genre and producing frightful and genuine performances in some of the most underrated horror movies.
Many fans follow these performances, but many are unaware that the performers have prior experience in the horror genre. It’s not possible to give every single one of the actors’ and actresses’ outstanding performances the recognition and credit they deserve, even if they are at the top of their game and well-liked by the public in some of the most underrated horror movies. This holds true for both the biggest horror stars from the contemporary era of horror and the largest stars from the past. The presence of their favorite horror stars in these underrated horror movies may surprise fans.
Even while we love well-known movies that get great reviews, we also have to appreciate the unsung heroes that go unnoticed—from creepy psychological thrillers to obscure cult favorites. They include terrifying performances by some of the biggest performers, and there’s no shortage of jump scares and suspenseful moments. See our list of 7 underrated horror movies that are available to watch right now.
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7. Mayhem (2017)
Steven Yeun’s character Derek Cho is having a terrible day. He finds out that the law firm’s building is under quarantine due to an unknown and dangerous infection after being wrongfully fired from his position. The diseased employees start behaving according to their craziest desires, and chaos breaks out throughout the office. To get to the executives on the top floor and settle the score once and for all, Derek viciously battles tooth and nail, teaming up with Samantha Weaving, a former client who has her own vendetta, making for one of the most underrated horror movies.
In particular, Samara Weaving has played a significant role in contemporary horror-comedies and some of the most underrated horror movies. She starred as the homicidal babysitter in the TV series The Babysitter and had a standout performance in the film Ready or Not. With her explosive energy and scene-stealing performances, she has already had a huge influence on the horror scene, which is well-suited to the horror-comedy genre.
But before any of these films, she made her debut in the horror comedy genre with Mayhem, an action/horror comedy that was satirical and poked fun at terrifying corporate employment. In the movie, a virus causes everyone in the office to lose all inhibitions, which ultimately results in a chaotic exhibition of rage-fueled violence throughout the whole workplace. The two main characters of the movie, Derek and Melanie (Steven Yeun and Samara), physically kill their way up the ranks until they get to the top boss’s office as a form of retaliation against the organization, making for one of the most underrated horror movies out now.
6. Malevolent (2018)
Jackson and Angela, siblings, operate a lucrative ghostbusting business by deceiving the grieving using fictitious detecting tools and Angela’s psychic “visions.” Engaged to examine a haunting former foster home, the crew discovers its horrifying history: young girls were brutally murdered, their mouths were sutured shut, and a vicious murderer had hushed them. And Angela is at her breaking point—she can’t sleep, she’s stressed out and going crazy, she doesn’t know what’s real, and she thinks she hears the girls calling out to her in the dark. However, when they learn about the actual evil that is hiding in the remote mansion, otherworldly fears become the least of their concerns.
The false ghost-busting frauds that Angela (Florence Pugh) and her brother run are their source of income. Jackson and his group discover horrible secrets and a horrific past after being recruited to investigate an abandoned, haunted foster home. As their con goes on, Angela grows more and more unsure of what’s genuine and what’s a hoax because she thinks she hears girls calling out to her, making for one of the most underrated horror movies. But when they find the true evil in the mansion, the paranormal becomes the least of their concerns, a gripping premise for one of the most underrated horror movies.
Malevolent may seem like a movie to put on the back burner given Pugh’s global success in Midsommar, but it’s a fantastic interpretation of a ghost story. Malevolent, which was released a year ahead of Midsommar, succeeded in turning heads in Pugh’s favor by highlighting her as a rising star in one of the most underrated horror movies. They were right; following her parts in Oppenheimer and Dune: Part Two, Pugh has only gone on to solidify her status as one of the most iconic actors of the modern age, both within and outside of the horror genre.
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5. A Cure for Wellness (2016)
The board of directors of a sizable financial services company in New York City dispatches an executive by the name of Lockhart to pick up Roland Pembroke, the CEO, who had unexpectedly chosen to remain at a “wellness center” in the Swiss Alps. Pembroke’s approval is required by the board for an impending merger.
The business is under investigation for possible illegal misbehavior, and a few self-serving partners want to hold Pembroke solely responsible. When Lockhart tries to talk with Pembroke at the spa, he is greeted with resistance from both Dr. Heinreich Volmer and the staff. Lockhart departs, gets into a vehicle accident, and is said to awaken at the facility three days later with his leg in a plaster cast.
Strangely, despite the genuinely horrific nature of the collision, neither he nor the driver sustain any more injuries beyond a few little scrapes. Lockhart encounters Hannah, a fascinating young girl who, among other things, doses herself with an unidentified substance stored in a tiny bottle the color of cobalt, while he is at the spa.
The head of his company is being picked up by a driven young executive (Dane DeHaan) from a mysterious but beautiful “wellness resort” in the Swiss Alps. He soon gets the impression that the spa’s amazing treatments are not what they seem, making for one of the most underrated horror movies.
As he explores its sinister mysteries and discovers that he suffers from the same peculiar illness that has kept everyone else here, desperate for a treatment, his sanity is put to the test in one of the most underrated horror movies. Not only does the movie star Mia Goth, who would go on to star in many great horror movies, but it also stars Dane Dehaan, who is best known these days for playing Jim Dooley in the miniseries Lisey’s Story.
Fourteen years after his previous horror blockbuster, The Ring, filmmaker Gore Verbinski was able to return to the horror genre with his picture A Cure for Wellness, which blends fantasy with horror in a seductively unsettling way. In addition, DeHaan and Goth have excellent performances; Goth, a contemporary scream queen, plays an innocent and ethereal patient that DeHaan befriends and who is crucial to what happens next in one of the most underrated horror movies out today.
4. Spree (2020)
Kurt Kunkle is a young man who is completely preoccupied with going viral and becoming a social media celebrity. Kurt is envious of Bobby, the kid he used to babysit, who has grown up to be an internet celebrity who regularly does live broadcasts and attracts a large number of viewers. Kurt gets a job driving for the ridesharing company Spree. He then installs cameras in his car and starts a new livestream called “The Lesson” in which he gives advice to viewers on how to get popular on social media, making for a thrilling start to one of the most underrated horror movies I’ve seen.
To attract attention, Kurt begins picking up passengers and poisoning them with water bottles that he distributes from his car. Despite this, Bobby, who thinks the killings are phony, is the only viewer he attracts. Kurt takes Jessie Adams, a comedian with a sizable social media following, as one of his passengers, making for one of the most underrated horror movies.
Kurt is amazed by Jessie, but she doesn’t feel the same way and gets off the ride. Kurt finds out that Jessie is going to be on a live, globally televised comedy event. When Kurt visits Bobby at his residence, he demands that Bobby share Kurt’s stream. Bobby, however, says no and begins to live stream their quarrel, drawing a sizable audience. Before killing Bobby and taking his gun, Kurt streams a live feed for Bobby’s followers, who believe the murder is staged.
The movie is one of the most underrated horror movies in recent memory because it blends comedy and horror in a way that is so novel and successful for the contemporary viewer. While it’s true that the cast of the acclaimed horror/sci-fi series Stranger Things has accomplished incredible things in the horror industry, one cannot overlook the role of fan favorite Steve Harrington’s Keery in his quirky and inventive slasher film Spree. Since Kurt is a far more insane and terrible character than Steve, showcasing Keery’s incredible range of horror, Spree is an exceptionally great role for Keery in one of the most underrated horror movies of the decade so far.
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3. Let Me In (2010)
Twelve-year-old Owen has no friends and his parents are no longer together. In addition, he leads a depressing life and is teased at school. He meets 12-year-old Abby late one night after she moves in next door. She doesn’t go to school and doesn’t talk much about herself. A detective is looking into a string of killings in which the victims’ blood has been extracted. As lonely individuals, Owen and Abby find solace in one another, and Abby gives him the courage to confront his tormentors. Additionally, Abby has secrets that are directly related to the police inquiry.
Throughout her career, Chloë Grace Moretz has remained a fairly typical scream queen, despite appearing in films of many genres. She has shown a sincere passion for horror, from her early parts in the remakes of Carrie and The Amityville Horror to her more recent roles in Suspiria and Shadow in the Cloud. Few actors have the versatility to portray both the monster and the last girl throughout their careers like Moretz has, including some of the most underrated horror movies.
Let Me In, the American adaptation of Swedish horror film Let the Right One In directed by Matt Reeves, is among her less well-known works and is one of the most underrated horror movies. The movie centers on 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a tormented and lonely student. Owen, who leads a depressing life, is happy to meet twelve-year-old Abby (Moretz), who recently moved into his building. When Owen finds out that Abby is keeping a big secret, he struggles with feelings of both love and terror.
2. Orphan (2009)
Following the death of their child, Kate and John Coleman are attempting to mend their strained marriage. They choose to become adoptive parents. They fell in love with the intelligent orphan, 9-year-old Esther, the moment they encountered her at the St. Marina Orphanage. Their deaf-mute daughter Max is initially enthralled with her, but their son Daniel is antagonistic toward his new sibling.
Kate eventually starts to believe that Esther is deceptive and possibly even mentally ill. John dismisses his wife’s concerns out of hand. When Kate phones Sister Abigail at the orphanage, the nun tells her that Esther has a complicated and enigmatic past. Kate learns that Esther is not who she seems to be after learning more about her past, a scintillating start to one of the most underrated horror movies.
For John and Esther, everything seems to be going well, but there seems to be a problem with Kate and her other kids. Kate fears for her family’s safety as they discover various concerning psychological features and swiftly learn about her mystery past in one of the most underrated horror movies. With its plot and turns, Orphan swiftly ventures into some really unsettling area, which contributes to its cult classic status among horror enthusiasts.
Farmiga’s most well-known character from The Conjuring series is Lorraine Warren. Farmiga gives some of the strongest performances in the Conjuring world, which is one of the best horror franchises out there, but her previous parts in other underrated horror movies are also worth mentioning. Farmiga showed her versatility in a variety of characters, most notably Orphan, which she portrayed four years prior to her global breakthrough in The Conjuring.
1. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) – Underrated Horror Movies
A universe where the supernatural killers portrayed in well-known slasher flicks actually exist is the setting for this documentary-style film. Leslie Vernon’s preparations to become another slasher villain are captured on tape by two cameramen and a female journalist named Taylor Gentry.
Leslie got his name from an urban legend about a child who massacred his family and the townspeople, furious, threw him into a river, making for one of the most underrated horror movies. At first, he presents himself as the avenging spirit of the murdered boy, but he soon makes the admission that he is just Leslie Mancuso, an everyday guy who has to rely on physical means instead of magical abilities—a suggestion that the other murderers in his profession followed suit.
One of the most recognizable characters in the horror genre is Robert Englund, best known for creating one of the all-time great slasher villains, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Although Englund is primarily known for his many horror villains, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon gives him the chance to play the exact opposite horror stereotype and go against his usual style. The casting of Englund and his presence in the movie acts as a horror fan’s ultimate dream come true, especially for a movie that is such a love letter to slashers and horror movies in general.
He portrays Doc Halloran in the movie, a shadowy anti-evil agent who serves as Leslie Vernon, the movie’s title slasher murderer wannabe,’s Halloween counterpart, making for one of the most underrated horror movies. Englund does a fantastic job portraying the part of the grizzled vigilante against evil, demonstrating his breadth of knowledge and comprehension of the horror subgenre beyond just playing the killer. One of the numerous ways that the movie masterfully captures the essence of the slasher subgenre and turns it into a genuine hidden gem is its incorporation of Englund in one of the most underrated horror movies.