The 10 Best Indie Horror Movies, Ranked (2024)

Independent horror has seen a surge in popularity in recent years thanks to the rise of the internet, which makes accessing these small-time productions much, much easier. Indie films like Skinamarink can even benefit from exploding on social media without needing a traditional marketing campaign. As with any genre, there are some really awful ones out there, but luckily, these don't overshadow the absolutely terrific films that have come out of it.

Exploring a variety of different settings and sub-genres, indie horror is slowly working its way into the mainstream due to these beloved films. Though they might be made without any big studios or distributing contracts, they still manage to retain every bit of the frightful quality that horror fans have come to love and depend on. Indeed, these indie horror flicks are the best of their ilk and are even better than a lot of big-budget blockbusters.

10 'Creep' (2014)

Directed by Patrick Brice

Creep is limited in almost every single aspect. There are only three cast members in total, who also double as the crew, and the entire movie takes place in one of their houses, using a found-footage perspective. All in all, it didn't cost a single penny to make. It's hard to imagine how they could have created a good movie while not spending a dime on props, costuming, or hiring extra hands, and yet the creators did a fantastic job of it.

The film's director, Patrick Brice, stars as Aaron, a freelance videographer who responds to a job posted by Josef (Mark Duplass), a man with cancer who wishes to document his final days for his wife. However, Josef begins to act weirder and weirder, eventually revealing himself as a serial killer. This is how you make effective use of a non-existent budget. It's creative, resourceful, and still surprisingly effective. Creep is, well, creepy and has found immense success in the genre.

Creep

R

Horror

Psychological

Where to Watch

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Release Date

June 23, 2014

Cast

Patrick Brice , Mark Duplass , Katie Aselton

Runtime

77 minutes

Writers

Patrick Brice , Mark Duplass

9 'Paranormal Activity' (2007)

Directed by Oren Peli

Before Paranormal Activity was the multi-million dollar franchise it is today, it was an independent found footage horror film made with a tight budget. The movie follows a couple who has begun experiencing strange events in their home, so they set up a series of cameras to document the things that go bump in the night.

Paranormal Activity was, and still is, absolutely revolutionary, managing to be deeply frightening without any real gory or visceral visuals, using only the unseen and the abnormal to unnerve its audience. It wound up spawning a huge series that has seen multiple releases, most of which aren't very good and haven't been up to the same standards as the original. It's ironic, considering many of its sequels try to be bigger and better with more expensive budgets and more in-your-face visuals. The first Paranormal Activity is still the best and clearly shows that less is more when it comes to this style of movie.

Paranormal Activity

R

Horror

Mystery

Where to Watch

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Release Date

October 16, 2009

Cast

Katie Featherston , Micah Sloat , Mark Fredrichs , Amber Armstrong

Runtime

86 minutes

Writers

Oren Peli

8 'Skinamarink' (2022)

Directed by Kyle Edward Ball

Skinamarink is a bit of an underrated addition to the classic haunted house movie trope that doesn't quite get the praise it deserves. It's experimental for sure and very stylized, but this proves to be a hit rather than a miss. Ridiculous title aside, it stands as being a magnificent bit of psychological horror, unlike anything fans had ever seen before. Funnily enough, though, it initially got the attention of the horror community after it was leaked online, making its success in the fanbase a bit of an accident.

Skinamarink centers on two children who awake one night and are thrust straight into a nightmare. Not only is their father nowhere to be found, but neither are certain things in the house. These missing items aren't as minuscule and inconsequential as disappearing toys or clothing; in fact, entire windows and doors are completely gone from the home, almost as if they never existed. Inventive, frightening, and a little confounding, Skinamarink is a triumph in the indie horror genre that is distinct from any other movie of its kind.

Skinamarink

Not Rated

Horror

Where to Watch

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Release Date

January 13, 2023

Cast

Jaime Hill , Dali Rose Tetreault , Ross Paul , Lucas Paul

Runtime

100 minutes

Writers

Kyle Edward Ball

7 'It Follows' (2014)

Directed by David Robert Mitchell

It Follows has become a recent phenomenon in the indie horror community, thanks in part to its unique yet terrifying premise. The "it" in question is a being of unknown origin and appearance, which assumes the shape of regular people but follows their one-set victim at a constant pace, with a deadpan, determined expression. If it ever catches up to its victim, they are killed, and the entity's motives are never revealed.

Their victim is selected via sexual contact, meaning if they are being followed, the only way to pass it on is to have sex with someone else. The concept might not look scary from an outsider's perspective, but the idea of something constantly following you until you die is profoundly terrifying. The being itself is scary, and so is the story, making it a brilliant and original horror movie that doesn't need to be over-the-top to be chilling.

It Follows

R

Horror

Thriller

Where to Watch

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Release Date

March 15, 2015

Cast

Bailey Spry , Carollette Phillips , Loren Bass , Keir Gilchrist , Maika Monroe , Lili Sepe

Runtime

100 minutes

Writers

David Robert Mitchell

6 'Midsommar' (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

Midsommar takes place in the Swedish wilderness, where a group of students has gone to study the reclusive Hårga people during their midsummer festival. Unbeknownst to the tourists, however, the Hårgas aren't just some quirky rural society--they are a cult. The psychedelic aspect makes it something of a confusing horror movie, but overall, it is a masterpiece.

Refreshingly, Midsommar is not at all a typical horror flick, as much of it takes place during broad daylight, and nothing overtly supernatural happens. The plot takes numerous twists and turns and tackles some heavy content like familial grief, toxic relationships, and cultural norms and traditions, wrapping them up into one satisfying little bow. No horror fan will regret watching Midsommar, an essential watch that ushered in a new age of horror and set many different standards for the genre.

Midsommar

R

Horror

Psychological

Where to Watch

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Release Date

July 3, 2019

Cast

Florence Pugh , will poulter , William Jackson Harper , Jack Reynor , Julia Ragnarsson , Björn Andrésen

Runtime

140 minutes

Writers

Ari Aster

5 'Hereditary' (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

Hereditary is the feature film debut of director Ari Aster and follows a family who has recently lost their daughter in a freak accident. Shortly afterward, paranormal events begin occurring, which causes the family to tear itself apart. With themes of familial divide, sinister cults, and demonic possession, Hereditary proved to be one of the greatest horror movies of the 2010s.

Part of its quality comes from the electrifying performances of its stars, namely Alex Wolff, who plays Peter, the son of the family, along with Toni Collette, who plays his mother. Collette brings a rawness to the mother's grief that few films have captured, and if the audience didn't know any better, it would seem like she was grieving for real. Hereditary is a horror classic in the making and a must-see for any fans of the genre.

Hereditary

R

Horror

Psychological

Supernatural

Where to Watch

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Release Date

June 8, 2018

Cast

Toni Collette , Gabriel Byrne , Alex Wolff , Milly Shapiro , Ann Dowd , Zachary Arthur

Runtime

127 minutes

Writers

Ari Aster

4 'X' (2022)

Directed by Ti West

X is a very, very recent indie horror movie directed by Ti West. The first in a three-part trilogy, it stars Mia Goth in a dual role as ingenue Maxine and murderess villain Pearl. X starts with a group of erotic filmmakers showing up at a farm belonging to Pearl to begin shooting one of their "movies." However, once Pearl finds out that they are there, they find themselves struggling to survive.

Critics loved that it felt like a return to Ti West's horror roots and that it offered an interesting and new spin on the slasher genre. Sure, it's not the scariest movie ever made, but it's been met with consistent positive reviews from critics and horror fans alike. X will find further success in streaming, cementing its status as a cult classic in the making. It feels like a throwback to the horror movies of the '70s, a slice of Americana that expertly blends nostalgia with gore to produce an inspired and unique entry into the horror canon.

X (2022)

R

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

March 18, 2022

Cast

Mia Goth , Jenna Ortega , Brittany Snow , Kid Cudi

Runtime

105 minutes

Writers

Ti West

3 'Hush' (2016)

Directed by Mike Flanagan

Hush is a criminally-underrated masterpiece from director Mike Flanagan, most famous for producing some of the best horror miniseries in recent memory. As a horror movie, it is absolutely brilliant, throwing away the rulebook. It stars Kate Siegel as Maddie, a deaf and mute writer living alone in the woods. One night, she is besieged by a malevolent killer (John Gallegher Jr.), who has her confined in the home with no way out.

It makes a lot of unconventional but awesome choices. For one, the movie is really quiet since Maddie cannot scream. On top of that, the killer is just some random guy who has no paranormal abilities; sure, he wears a creepy mask, but only for about five minutes. And perhaps most importantly, Maddie doesn't make very many stupid decisions that are typical of slasher flicks. Hush is wonderful in almost every way but has, unfortunately, never gotten the attention that it deserves.

Hush

R

Horror

Thriller

Release Date

April 8, 2016

Cast

John Gallagher Jr. , Kate Siegel , Michael Trucco , Samantha Sloyan , Emilia Graves

Runtime

82 minutes

Writers

Mike Flanagan , Kate Siegel

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2 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)

Directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

The Blair Witch Project follows a trio of college students filming a documentary on a witch that has been reported in a nearby forest. During their investigation in the woods, the environment changes, and paranormal events begin occurring. The Blair Witch Project was one of the first movies to utilize the found-footage format and does it really well despite its relatively meager production time.

The witch herself is never seen, which actually proves to be even more frightening. The film plays into a lot of psychological themes, messing with the heads of the viewers as the friends begin to turn on each other. As they get deeper and deeper into the woods and get more and more lost, tensions gradually ramp up, culminating in a simmering sense of dread that prevails throughout. The Blair Witch Project is a landmark horror movie that pioneered the found footage genre and is a modern classic that will be fondly remembered for generations to come.

The Blair Witch Project

R

Horror

Mystery

Psychological

Supernatural

Where to Watch

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Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 30, 1999

Cast

Heather Donahue , Michael C. Williams , Joshua Leonard

Runtime

81 minutes

Writers

Daniel Myrick , Eduardo Sánchez , Heather Donahue

1 'The Evil Dead' (1981)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy is nearly synonymous with the indie horror genre, especially the first film, 1981's The Evil Dead. This movie follows a group of friends staying in a secluded cabin in the woods, who find an ancient tome known as the Necronomicon and accidentally unleash the living dead. The first installment is definitely more straightforward, but the acclaimed horror trilogy gradually evolved to include more action and horror elements, too.

The Evil Dead is perhaps so beloved on account of how kitschy it is. Nearly everything about it screams "bad taste," but this doesn't mean it's awful. It's not even one of those "so-bad-it's-good" movies because there is genuine heart there--the movie oozes with the passion that Raimi clearly has for his craft, which makes it feel very down-to-earth and real. It's ridiculous but endearing all the same and undoubtedly the best and most impactful indie horror movie ever made.

The Evil Dead (1981)

NC-17

Horror

Release Date

April 15, 1983

Cast

Bruce Campbell , Ellen Sandweiss , Richard DeManincor , Betsy Baker

Runtime

85 minutes

Writers

Sam Raimi

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NEXT: 30 Not-So-Scary Horror Movies for Beginners