Top 20 Horror Movies that Could Actually Happen
#20: “Don’t Breathe” (2016)
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The premise of this film is quite simple. But then again, the scariest movies are often the simplest. A group of delinquents break into a blind man’s house, learning that he received a large sum of cash after a legal settlement. The only problem is, this man is a Gulf War veteran, and he is extremely dangerous. Naturally, he doesn’t take too kindly to some punks breaking into his house, and the thieves are forced to defend themselves. Of course, there’s a major twist near the end that’s a bit fantastical, but for the most part, “Don’t Breathe” tells a pretty realistic story about some people trapped in a house with a trained killer.
#19: “Frozen” (2010)
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No, not the Disney movie set in the fictional country of Arendelle. This one came three years before, and it is much scarier. Dan, Parker, and Joe are hitting the slopes when they learn that the resort will close owing to an incoming storm. Wishing for one last ride, they convince a ski lift operator to let them back up. Another operator shuts the lift off, and the group is left stranded high above the ground with no one coming to help. If you’ve ever been skiing, you know how high these things go, and you know how terrifying this prospect is. It’s such a simple premise, but oh so horrific.
#18: “Red State” (2011)
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Kevin Smith is best known for directing comedies, but he took audiences by surprise with this shocking and terrifying look at Christian Fundamentalism. Although not devoid of its dark humor and scathing satire, this film is no laughing matter. In the days when religious extremism was unjustly focused on the Middle East, right-wing Christian groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church, a direct inspiration for the movie, were on the rise. This film was a wake-up call to Americans, a controversial one at that, and made everyone realize that terror and extremism can reside in your own backyard, and even in your church.
#17: “X” (2022)
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In 2022, Ti West wowed horror aficionados with the double bill “X” and its immediate prequel, “Pearl.” The film is an intentional throwback to the gritty slashers of the ‘70s, with a group of young people making an adult film. They do so on the property of Howard and Pearl, an elderly couple who agree to host the filmmakers in their guest house. Well, they don’t make for the most welcoming hosts and begin systematically eliminating the young visitors. The premise is quite realistic, as are the couple’s motives centered around morality, youth, and jealousy. We’d almost feel bad for Pearl if she wasn’t, you know, a serial killer.
#16: “Hush” (2016)
Everyone loves a good home invasion thriller. After all, it is one of the most realistic scenarios for a horror movie. This one puts a nice twist on the age-old concept, starring a protagonist who is both deaf and mute. She is Maddie Young, an author who lives an isolated life in the woods. She is then targeted by a masked man who seems intent on getting inside and killing her. It’s a terrifying scenario made all the scarier by the fact that Maddie can’t hear her stalker. Seeing a face outside your window is one of those universal fears that we all share.
#15: “The Birds” (1963)
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Have you ever seen videos of people running away from attacking birds? Well, that’s basically the plot of this masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock. In it, a small California town is besieged by violent birds, who for some reason begin attacking humans. There is certainly a degree of fantasy to the film, but the idea of birds attacking us isn’t as far-fetched as you may think. In fact, the movie was inspired by a real event that occurred in 1961. The birds around Capitola, California were suffering from the effects of toxic algae and began attacking the residents by pelting their homes and dive-bombing cars. According to one report, it “seemed straight out of a horror movie.” Well, here is that horror movie.
#14: “Green Room” (2015)
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This was one of the first A24 films to make a big splash, earning widespread acclaim and landing on many critics’ best-of-the-year lists. There’s a reason for that – great acting, great directing, and a simple premise. Sometimes that’s all you need. A punk band plays a show at a neo-Nazi bar outside Portland, and one of the members witnesses a killing. He calls the police but is caught by the skinheads, and the band are sequestered in the bar’s green room. The owner then decides that they need to be killed, and the band are forced to defend themselves. Simple, effective, and above all, scary. The perfect ingredients for a perfect horror movie.
#13: “Fatal Attraction” (1987)
Erotic thrillers were all the rage in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and leading the pack was “Fatal Attraction.” Michael Douglas stars as Dan Gallagher, a New York lawyer who has an affair with Alex Forrest. Despite agreeing that this will be a brief fling, Alex becomes increasingly obsessed with Dan and turns to dangerous and manipulative behavior in order to have him for herself. This is a story all too common in everyday life, a scorned lover becoming intensely focused on the subject of their affection. And while “Fatal Attraction” adds some Hollywood flair to the proceedings, it is nevertheless rooted in a scary and relatable reality.
#12: “Audition” (1999)
Just as erotic thrillers dominated the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, so too did J-horror dominate the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Takashi Miike’s “Audition” is heralded as a horror classic, and its climax is one of the most frightening sequences ever put to film. Minus the whole audition aspect of the movie, its story is extremely down-to-earth. A lonely widower wishes to move on from the death of his wife and meets young Asami, whom he immediately takes a liking to. It’s too bad that Asami is a psycho, and she subjects the poor man to some incredible acts of violence. The movie nicely captures the literal and metaphorical horror of blind dating – you never know who you’re gonna get.
#11: “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
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A woman is abducted by a serial killer named Buffalo Bill and an FBI agent has to find them. It doesn’t get much more straightforward, and that’s the main premise behind the masterpiece that is “The Silence of the Lambs.” Of course, there’s way more to it than that, as Clarice is forced to consult with the dangerous cannibal Hannibal Lecter, who personally knows Bill and has valuable information on his psychology. Not only is the story realistic, but so too is the writing. Novelist Thomas Harris once worked as a crime reporter and even based Lecter on a real man named Alfredo Ballí Treviño, whom he met while conducting prison interviews in Mexico.
#10: “Saw” (2004)
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This franchise got increasingly ridiculous, but man, that first movie really packs a punch. A dark and gritty thriller, “Saw” is one of the most influential movies of the 2000s, launching a mega franchise and the careers of both James Wan and Leigh Whannell. The success of the film can be largely attributed to its straightforward and effective story – two guys are kidnapped and confined inside a dingy bathroom. If they want to survive, they will need to resort to some extreme measures. While the series would eventually devolve into swinging pendulums and shotgun carousels, this movie is just two guys trapped in a room with nothing but a gun, a tape recorder, and a saw.
#9: “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)
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Serial killer Ed Gein might’ve inspired the story, but this film is entirely fictional. Of course that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen, and the opening crawl and crime-scene footage cement the illusion that this could be a true-crime story. Although today this Tobe Hooper joint is famous for its graphic and brutal violence, audiences were unprepared for the realistic portrayal of the senseless killings of these teens. Although we can’t prove there are any cannibalistic families living in rural Texas, we can assure you that driving around in creepy towns and walking into random houses won’t end well. At least being traumatized by Leatherface will keep some teens from road-tripping through creepy Southern towns.
#8: “Jaws” (1975)
The fear of man-eating sharks, a trend started by “Jaws,” is a tad exaggerated, as there have only been roughly a dozen confirmed attacks by great white sharks in the United States since the film was released. However this doesn’t mean that you won’t be eaten alive when swimming in the ocean. The open water has always been a terrifying place, as there are a multitude of things that can hurt or kill you. Steven Spielberg and his brilliant mechanical shark took this idea and ran with it, striking gold. Its quiet-little-town setting struck a chord with audiences, making sure they stayed out of the water forever.
#7: “The Strangers” (2008)
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A common theme we are seeing is that horror can manifest itself in unexpected, safe spaces. “The Strangers” not only covers the home invasion aspect, which has scared everyone at some point, but the possible danger of living in a seemingly quiet rural setting. While inspired by his own experiences, and some true home invasion stories such as the Manson Family murders, director Bryan Bertino’s original story shocked audiences with its brutal message. As we watch young couple James and Kristen slowly realize that the horror is all too real, as they are being terrorized by masked figures at their summer home, we also start to realize we could be next.
#6: “Scream” (1996)
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While the improbable and ridiculous masked-slasher craze died out in the 80s, the 90s became obsessed with true-to-life serial killers. We were also obsessed with blaming violent movies, music, and video games as the cause of real violence. Wes Craven saw this goldmine and gave us the modern classic “Scream.” This blood-soaked satire follows a group of teens obsessed with violent, over-the-top horror films. They end up becoming the victims of a masked killer that may be one of their own. Oh, and, if you have any hope of surviving, you’d better be good at horror trivia.
#5: “The Last House on the Left” (1972)
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We’ve already covered home invasion films, but this is the granddaddy of them all. The brutal realism of “The Last House on the Left” was so intense, the original poster and trailer kept reminding audiences “It’s only a movie.” Once again, Wes Craven was ahead of his time in stoking fear in his audience, and while it may only be a movie, its real-life implications are disturbing. Who needs monsters and demons when you have a gang of perverted, demented criminals? Poor Mari and her friend learned the hard way not to talk to strangers. With the girls assaulted, beaten, and left for dead, Mari’s family ends up taking matters into their own hands in a bizarrely satisfying confrontation.
#4: “Psycho” (1960)
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While the captured Norman Bates stares at us blankly, his mother’s voice in his head lets us know he “wouldn’t even harm a fly.” Up until “Psycho,” killers in cinema always had a strong motive, or they were simply brutal monsters. Norman Bates was an early depiction of mental illness leading a psychopath to murder. Poor Norman was such a sweet young man, so innocent and polite. Nobody would suspect that he’s a peeping tom, dresses up as his mother, and kills women while they shower. The true horror here is that none of us is safe from anyone, not even the nice boy next door.
#3: “When a Stranger Calls” (1979)
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Urban legends make you squeamish for a reason. They’re supposedly based on real events, and their job is to scare you into thinking this happened to a friend of a friend, and therefore could happen to you. “When a Stranger Calls” relies heavily on the urban legend of the babysitter being stalked by a killer inside the house, and succeeds in becoming a terrifying viewing experience for everyone. We watch as the innocent teenager is tormented by phone calls from a psychopath, children helpless in their beds, and we’re reminded of how many times we’ve been home alone, not realizing someone could’ve been waiting for us upstairs.
#2: “Misery” (1990)
This movie offers us a more outlandish premise. A series of bad events and happenstance lead unlucky novelist Paul Sheldon to not only crash his car, but to be rescued, nursed back to health, and held hostage by his number one fan, and deranged lunatic, Annie Wilkes. And you might say to yourself that you’re not a celebrity, but then you realize that almost everyone today can be found via social media. Being famous comes with its risks, and of course Stephen King was thinking of his own status as a famous author when writing this, but any one of us could have a stalker watching us somewhere.
#1: “Funny Games” (1997)
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Home invasion has been covered in so many movies, and it certainly is a chilling experience. But it’s a whole other level of horror when you invited the evil into your home. Director Michael Haneke gave us the perfect monster movie by introducing us to the calm and polite Peter and Paul. As they’re welcomed into George and Anna’s vacation home, they decide to have some mischievous fun, which includes torture, torment, mind games, and murder. The family is inevitably punished for their kindness and hospitality, and we’re taught never to answer our door for anyone ever again.
Which of these horror scenarios would you least like to find yourself in? Let us know in the comments below!
