Some Arthouse Horror To Get All Pretentious About

We’re fans of the silly horror here at No But Listen, but sometimes, it’s nice to dive into something you can really get your teeth into, you know? I love a horror that’s not afraid to push the boat out in terms of style, ambition, or subject matter, and if you’re looking for something really juicy to dive into, here are some of our favourite arthouse horror movies that you can casually name-drop into conversation at your next horror-centric dinner party. Everyone has those, right?

The Eyes of My Mother

This pitch-black (literally, it’s in black and white) horror from Nicolas Pesce (who did as good a job with a Grudge remake as anyone could) mixes family trauma, isolation, and distinct visuals (if you’ve got the eyes to see them) into a perfectly gory masterpiece. It’s a tragically overlooked movie, maybe because of it’s bleak subject matter, but the amazing performances from the whole cast, especially Kika Magalhães as Francisca, our leading lady. If you can stomach the darkness and cruelty at the heart of the movie, it’s a rewarding, discomforting, and lingering watch.

She Dies Tomorrow

Okay, so one good thing came out of the Pet Semetary remake, at least – Amy Seimetz used her salary to write and direct her first feature film, She Dies Tomorrow. A woozy and profoundly discomforting exploration of anxiety, it’s pinpoint accurate in the way it depicts the impending terror of knowing something is terribly wrong, even if you can’t put your finger on it. Beautifully-shot and deeply surreal, it’s the kind of horror that knows you a little too well not to scare you shitless.

The Skin I Live In

Hello, yes, it’s me, your resident Pedro Almodovar stan, here to tell you about how much I fucking love The Skin I Live In! Almodovar’s unique delve into the horror genre spans melodrama, soap opera, body horror, and queer fiction in a mesmerizingly beautiful movie, tinged with Almodovar’s signature saturated style. It’s probably Antonio Banderas’ most challenging and terrifying performance, and it’s constantly twisting and turning to places you can never see coming.

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By Lou MacGregor

(header image via IndieWire)