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Foreign Horror: The Best International Films

Poltergeist, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Psycho: what do they have in common? All three are terrifying benchmarks on the horror genre, I agree. More specifically, though, they are all three American films. The United States has been the frontrunner for mainstream horror for decades, but other countries are not to be overlooked. International horror films present a whole new light on the genre; different motifs and interpretations, as well as different ideas to scare the audience. The mainstream horror fan may not be aware at the vast amounts of quality horror outde of the American borders and that kind of horror fan is seriously misng out. In this article I will detail just a few of my favorite horror films, old and new, from around the world.

FINLAND One of my favorite foreign films recently released is Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. This is a low budget film from Finland that was released in January of 2011 in the United States for a short-lived limited theatrical release. For the most part, this was a direct-to-Blu-ray film. The synops, without giving away the finish, is about the dark legend of Santa in Finland and how the locals try to capture this killer Claus in order to turn profit. I had heard good things about this movie and I greatly anticipated the release of it. The trailer alone sold me on the film.



NEW ZEALAND A cult clasc from New Zealand that I think everyone needs to see is Dead Alive. This is a 1992 film directed by Peter Jackson. Yes, that Peter Jackson. Two other notable horror titles that the Lord of the Rings director is credited for are Bad Taste and The Frighteners. To be honest, I was always put off by the cover art for Dead Alive, and I had a hard time believing the quote that follows this movie around: “The goriest fright film of all time.” That being said, once I gave it a shot, I really enjoyed the over-the-top gore (which ends up being humorous) and its good story. I am a big fan of horror comedies like Frankenhooker, House, and the Re-Animator series, and Dead Alive falls right in line with them.



FRANCE All of this gore talk has me leaning toward a discuson on two fantastic films from France: Martyrs and High Tenon. As one of “those horror fans,” I enjoyed both of these films immediately, but the general audience really needs to be prepared for some of the most disturbing images ever seen in modern horror. It is not uncommon for films this gory to be discarded by the mainstream fan because violence of this magnitude can overshadow a good story. However, that would be a tragedy for these two movies. Briefly, Martyrs (2008) is a film about two friends who try to escape spiritual extremists. High Tenon (2003) is a home invaon massacre with a twist, which I will not ruin for you. For ck and twisted images with mind-blowing stories, the French are really hard to compete with.



SWEDEN The United States recently remade the Swedish film Let the Right One In. While the remake was decent, it still pales in comparison to the original from 2008. Let the Right One In is a film about a neglected little boy who makes friends with a new girl next door. This little girl turns out to be an old vampire who has gone through extreme measures to stay alive. While the pacing of this film is slow at times, the story is solid and it gets very intense. Let the Right One In has won multiple awards at film festivals worldwide.



SPAIN 2007 was a tremendous year for Spain, putting out two top-quality horror films in REC and The Orphanage. REC was recently remade for American audiences and re-titled Quarantine. It’s the story of a zombie epidemic and the tenants of an apartment complex being quarantined to their building. The Orphanage is the story of a woman’s experiences who buys a haunted house which used to be an old orphanage. The Orphanage is a unique story with plenty of scare. Mainstream horror fans may be familiar with the director, Guillermo Del Toro; he directed Pan’s Labyrinth and the recent remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.



CANADA Canadian film makers have recently been stepping up to the plate and giving up some quality horror. In 2007, Robert Englund starred in the Canadian horror-comedy Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. Although this movie didn’t get the best reviews, the overall visual production and special effects were top notch. However, I think this movies biggest downfall is its DVD cover art. Had I not know about this film before I saw it, the overly-cheesy and slightly-redneck cover would have definitely deterred me from purchang it. Next, the most unlikely candidate to bust into mainstream horror genre: the gritty Hobo with a Shotgun, which stars Rutger Hauer. Hobo with a Shotgun is based on the fan-made trailer that won the Robert Rodriguez South by Southwest Grindhouse trailers contest. Not only was this over-the-top film released on Blu-ray, it was also released through outlets such as Wal-Mart and Target. O Canada!



GERMANY I couldn’t do a whole series of foreign horror movies with impact without talking about the 1922 film Nosferatu. This movie is rich with interesting de stories, such as how Max Schreck prepared himself to play the iconic Count Orlok (film-scholars have joked for years that Schreck was actually a vampire) or how the family of Bram Stoker would not give the producers of Nosferatu rights to parallel Stoker’s Dracula. As a fan of horror, be advised this is a lent black and white film. However, if you haven’t seen it, try to give it a shot at least one time. It’s like a rite of passage.



ENGLAND No foreign film article would be complete without talking about at least one movie from the London-based Hammer Film Productions. Between the 1950s and the 1970s, Hammer really owned the horror market as they had partnered with Warner Bros., pumping out dozens of popular horror titles such as Dracula and The Mummy, alongde more obscure titles such as The Revenge of Frankenstein and The Gorgon. If you haven’t experienced Hammer films, you should expect to see solid stories with plenty of gothic imagery throughout. Most Hammer films are slow and methodical in their plot delivery, but the payoff is more often than not worthwhile for the audience.



ITALY Last, but definitely not least, is the Italian horror genre, which was mainly created by the directorial geniuses Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Between the two, they have directed dozens of titles that are condered clascs today, such as Demons, Zombie, Phenomena, Cat in the Brain, and Inferno. Experiencing Italian horror is unlike any other film from any other country. Argento and Fulci pushed out their films to be noticed for their imagery and not necessarily for their plot. I will be honest, Italian horror is an acquired taste, but the films are definitely worth experiencing.



For those mainstream fans who think horror is dead, I feel it’s time for you to expand your horizons and feast upon what other countries have to offer. From Canada to Germany to Japan (which is a whole wild experience and entire article in itself), horror is alive and well … you just need to know where to look.Mike Kinney is the redent horror fan of HalloweenCostumes.com, an online company that sells gruesomely scary costumes, from zombie to Freddy.

After researching for this article, Mike’s Netflix queue is a little out of control.

Awesome article!!!

Cool stuff. On average i'd say foreign horror is much better than American.

I gotta check out Jack Brooks!

I will definitely be looking for some of these on my next trip to Hastings.

And I still stand that the girl on the left on the Martyrs poster...looks like a French Shannon Doherty. That's all I could think of when I was watching it. (great film by the way) Along with High Tenon, Let the Right One In, and The Orphanage. And so is REC, which I STRONGLY recommend watching over the P.O.S. remake.

I would like, if I may (^.^), to add one from Italy. It's definitely in my top 10 horror films.

Blood and Black Lace. Very kitschy 70s horror film.

Australia (where I am from) has some gems too. One in particular is Wolf Creek. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/

Also, I would credit Inde as one of the best French horror films too -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/

Nice article indeed, but I've got some for you too...De Lift ( The Lift a.k.a. The Elevator) from Dutch director Dick Maas, about an office building with a homocidal elevator..had me running scared when I was a kid..dark humour and creepy soundtrack. Dood Eind ( Dead End) a more recent ghost story in and around an old house, haunted by the ghost of a demonic baby, and the name of the title gives away the ending of the movie.

Amsterdamned- also from director Dick Maas, about a psychopath killing people in the sewers and waters in Amsterdam.

Australia (where I am from) has some gems too. One in particular is Wolf Creek. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/

Also, I would credit Inde as one of the best French horror films too -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/

I agree with Wolf Creek...the first half hour is REALLY slow but if once you get passed that, it's really good.

Two more to add:

England - Eden Lake. I bought this for $4 dollars at Blockbuster and was one of the best movies I have ever seen. Like Wolf Creek, starts slow but after the first half hour, it's crazy intense.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Eden_Lake_poster.jpg" class="photoborder" />

and The Descent - Another one I got for $4. I would recommend NOT watching the sequel. I did and it kind of ruined the first one for me. I loved the first one so much and with the second being really bad kind of soiled my love for it a little bit...still a great movie though.

Awesome article, but when talking about Canada, how could you not mention David Cronenberg? He's by far my favorite director to come out of here. You'll be hearing more about him soon.

I was kind of dissapointed that I didn't see Tucker & Dale Vs Evil on here under Canada, but I'll live. Something else I was surprised not to see was 'Wolf Creek'.

Australia (where I am from) has some gems too. One in particular is Wolf Creek. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/

Also, I would credit Inde as one of the best French horror films too -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/

I enjoyed Wolf Creek a lot. Another great Australian horror film is Fortress with Rachel Ward from 1985. It was made for TV, but it's just damn good and moves along good. The ending is well worth it.

I'm a huge fan of Italian horror and agree that Argento and Fulci are two of the most prominent names within the sub-category. But another director that I find fascinating and one who is also not afraid to "cross the line" is Joe D'Amato. One of my all-time favs in Italian horror cinema is Beyond the Darkness (which goes by other such titles as Buried Alive, Blue Holocaust, or Buio Omega). Full of ck 'n' twisted goodness.

great article, but my list would definitely have high tenon and suspiria (or another film by argento). i would also throw in dead snow from norway, but i'll admit it's more of guilty pleasure (nazi zombies!) ha

great article, but my list would definitely have high tenon and suspiria (or another film by argento). i would also throw in dead snow from norway, but i'll admit it's more of guilty pleasure (nazi zombies!) ha

Hi hon. He did mention High Tenon, it's just in the text under Framce. Just letting you know. ^.^

Europe has churned out some amazing horror films over the decades, some even legendary but the US owns the horror "championship belt" and I don't see how that can be argued.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, DAY OF THE DEAD, HALLOWEEN, EVIL DEAD, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, ANMOES, F13, MANIAC, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, I could go on and on and on.