Horror movies have gone through their fads. The slasher films like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street had their era, and found footage films like Paranormal Activity dominated the late 2000s. Both gave audiences the spooks, but no subcategory can hold a candle to the genre’s newest addition: uncomfortable. Not gory, not creepy, just plain uncomfortable. This category takes a step beyond your cliche exorcisms and ghosts and makes me question the insanity of the people who thought up these plots. I feel like I’m watching a clip of the character’s life that I am not supposed to see. My mind is always reeling afterwards trying to rationalize what I just watched. To say the least, these films leave impressions (or rather scars) that call for debriefing with fellow film viewers. To best introduce this new subset of horror movies, here are five of my favorite films that psychologically stunned me.
Hereditary
Ari Aster cemented his name as a filmmaker with this movie. The Graham family takes unspoken family trauma to a new level. Grief takes its toll on everybody, but unstable Annie Graham channels the supernatural in order to find some acceptance. The visual horror in the characters’ bodies paired with the long scenes of family arguments made me feel like I was intruding on their personal lives. I could not pull my eyes off the screen for the last five minutes.
- Spoilers without context: bird, telephone pole, grandmother and treehouse
Lamb
Lambs are complex. I associate the creatures with innocence, their wool and its biblical standing. But I also think of Silence of the Lambs and Lamb to the Slaughter. So when I read the title, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The eerie trailer leans it much closer. In short, it’s about a family’s reconciliation, with a lamb, and it gets even weirder from there. I wish I could tell you I gained some thematic enlightenment from this film, but tbh I was just in shock the whole time.
- Spoilers without context: blizzard, interloper, and rifle
Midsommar
I can’t even mention this film to someone without their eyes widening like I told them Jeffrey Dhamer was my dad. I’m trying my hardest to not spoil the plot, but when you’re about 30 minutes into it and think “Oh shoot! Things can’t get any more uncomfortable,” just know that they most certainly do. A word to the wise, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE ON A DATE. Ari Aster followed up Hereditary with scenes that infiltrate my nightmares to this day. I hate him and love him at the same time. It’s really a toxic relationship.
- Spoilers without context: bear, drugs, spring celebrations and cliff
The Witch
Don’t read the title and picture big-nosed girls with warts on broomsticks. Think more religious English settlers accusing one another of demonic possession. This was my first uncomfortable film in, and every time I thought the internal cringing was over, an evil animal came on screen and put the last moment to shame.
- Spoilers without context: goat, kidnap, raven and milk
Malignant
This one flew under my radar for about six months. After making masterpieces like The Conjuring and Insidious, James Wan is an automatic watch for me. I watched this one at home so the effect wasn’t as intense as it would have been in a movie theater, but it still gave me the heebie jeebies. From *that scene* on, Wan had me hooked. This uncomfortable watch features an innovative twist that ties up all loose strings. Once again, Wan knocks it out of the park.
- Spoilers without context: miscarriage, visions and a black coat