Top10 Horror Movies That Are Scarier the Second Time
#10: “Midsommar” (2019)
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The first time you view “Midsommar,” you may be too confused and/or grossed out to really appreciate the story and character development on display. The arc of protagonist Dani is particularly fascinating, as she goes from a passive and incredibly anxious figure to a confident force who watches in glee as her boyfriend burns to death. Knowing where Dani’s character ends up makes her progression all the more enjoyable the second time around. Audiences can appreciate the smaller moments and details that eventually stack up and cause her to snap. As if watching Florence Pugh’s mesmerizing performance for a second time wasn’t motivation enough…
#9: “Us” (2019)
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Serving as Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated follow up to “Get Out,” “Us” concerns a family who are stalked by their silent doppelgängers. Known as the Tethered, these doppelgängers are actually clones who were created by the US government to control their real world counterparts. We’re led to believe that Red is just another Tethered, but the ending reveals that - spoilers coming - she’s actually … the real Adelaide! She’d been replaced by her doppelgänger as a child. This important information makes a second viewing all the more interesting, especially when it comes to Red’s motivations, behavior, raspy voice, and tragic demise at the hands of her counterpart.
#8: “The Visit” (2015)
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This movie saw M. Night Shyamalan back in form, providing plentiful scares and a wonderful twist. Told through supposedly found footage, “The Visit” sees young Becca and Tyler meeting their grandparents for the first time, as their mother had been disowned for marrying her high school teacher. However, the twist is that … prepare yourself … the old couple isn’t actually their grandparents. Instead, they’re escaped mental patients who murdered their actual grandparents. This knowledge throws the movie’s events into clearer focus, including their odd and troubling behavior, and the real reason for the basement door being closed. Knowing this makes for a better (and scarier) second viewing, as you can shut off the critical part of your brain obsessed with solving the puzzle and just enjoy the frights.
#7: “Black Christmas” (1974)
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In many slasher movies, audiences can get pretty obsessed with trying to figure out the identity and motivations of the killer. “Black Christmas” is unique, as it never really reveals this information. While we know the killer calls himself “Billy”, the filmmakers intentionally omitted his identity, his physical appearance, and his motivations in the hopes that the mystery would enhance the fear. The movie also contains a pretty famous twist in which the obscene phone calls are revealed to be coming from inside the house, as the story was based on a famous urban legend called “The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs”. Knowing this, and knowing that the killer is never revealed, makes the movie’s events all the more terrifying.
#6: “In the Mouth of Madness” (1994)
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This underappreciated John Carpenter film stars Sam Neill as John Trent, an insurance investigator tasked with finding missing horror novelist Sutter Cane. Cane’s stories allegedly cause people to go insane. Of course, this task becomes increasingly complicated, and the film slowly descends into chaos involving extra-dimensional monsters, face portals, and the realization that the movie is actually a fictional movie within the universe of the movie. Get it? It can be confusing the first time around, but that’s exactly what makes a second (and third) viewing so paramount! Once it’s all figured out, the movie becomes much more enjoyable.
#5: “Don’t Breathe” (2016)
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This twisted film begins normally enough; criminals decide to break into a blind man’s house to steal settlement money he received from the death of his daughter, who was killed in a car accident. It only gets more nightmarish from there. For one thing, audiences discover that the blind man is keeping his daughter’s accidental killer locked up in the basement. Certainly creepy enough. But then we discover that he’d impregnated her in the hopes of having her give him a “replacement” child. Not only does this shed new light on the first act’s events, but it also forces us to rethink the morality of everyone involved.
#4: “Jacob’s Ladder” (1990)
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This deeply disturbing film follows Jacob Singer, a Vietnam war veteran who suffers from severe hallucinations and delusions. His fellow vets report experiencing similar effects, leading them to believe that they’re victims of a military experiment. The truth is far more mundane and horrifying - Jacob died in Vietnam, and everything he experienced throughout the movie was his mind’s attempt to make sense of its own death. Or maybe it was some sort of religious judgment of his soul. Either way, the events weren’t real. Realizing this is both freeing and terrifying. Freeing because it allows us to enjoy the horror without overanalyzing the movie. And terrifying because it adds a whole new layer of darkness to the film.
#3: “The Thing” (1982)
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The horror of “The Thing” centers around not knowing who “the thing” is. For those who haven’t seen the movie, it concerns an alien creature who kills people and mimics their appearance. As such, everyone in an Antarctic base grows extremely paranoid, as they begin to suspect each other. The truth is slowly revealed throughout the movie as certain characters become victims to the alien and die. The knowledge of who gets infected and when makes a second viewing even more enjoyable and scary, as you witness small details and changes in character that make it obvious upon review. Plus, it gives you more time to appreciate the absolutely incredible visual effects work.
#2: “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)
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There’s no surprise twist to “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” - this one just gets scarier and scarier the more you watch it! There are many details about this film that only get better upon subsequent viewings. There’s the grotesque set design and makeup work. And the many ways in which Tobe Hooper (Toby) influenced the genre. A second viewing also makes it easier to relish the slow buildup of the story, armed with the knowledge that everyone the characters meet is in on it - including the hand-cutting weirdo at the beginning and the friendly gas station proprietor. It’s the rare slasher movie that isn’t ruined by knowing exactly what happens.
#1: “Saw” (2004)
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Everyone came to know “Saw” for its gore, but many people forget just how well-written the first movie actually was. Viewers are told that Jigsaw likes to watch his victims, and we’re led to believe that Zep is the killer. However, it’s brilliantly revealed that Zep is just another victim and that the real Jigsaw was lying in the room with Adam and Lawrence the entire time. It’s one of the most famous plot twists in horror movie history, and it all but forces us to go back and watch the movie again. Knowing all the clues and how they fit together allows you to really appreciate the quality of the script, and turns a second viewing into a more rewarding experience.
