Ten Overlooked Horror Films Described as Hidden Masterpieces

Movieweb highlighted 10 obscure horror films it says deserve a second look, noting that countless genre gems can be tucked away on streaming services or lost to pre-streaming distribution and international obscurity.

The list includes One Cut of the Dead (2017), a Japanese found-footage zombie set on a film shoot; The House of the Devil (2009), a slow-burn babysitter tale; Razorback (1984), Russell Mulcahy’s Australian killer-boar movie; Masking Threshold (2021), an Austrian study of tinnitus-like sounds and obsessive experiments; Come True (2020), a sci-fi horror about an insomnia study; Under the Blossoming Cherry Tree (1975), a Feudal Japan tale of madness; Always Shine (2016), a psychological thriller about two actors and jealousy; The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976), a Southern California-set study of trauma and repressed violence; Alucarda (1977), a Mexican folk-horror about Satanism at a convent; and Toad Road (2012), a video-diary/drug nightmare sparked by a viral challenge.

The article cites several reasons these films remain underseen—national identity, lack of retrospectives, being lumped into exploitation, or simply poor distribution—and says some have grown in appreciation but still merit championing and revisiting by horror fans.

Key Topics

Culture, Razorback, Masking Threshold, Come True, Alucarda, Toad Road