Actually good horror media

[Verdance he/him]

Yall… I am not impressed with modern horror. Do we need a seventh sequel to a slasher movie that isnt scary at all outside of shick value, or yet another Steel Wool FNaF game?

ive been trying to get a list of like, actually good horror stuff- books, films, games, and i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence. so far i can think of: 

The King In Yellow

Kane Parson’s Backrooms

Iron Lung

[#1 Taln Fan he/him]

Podcast, not movie, but Magnus Archives is very very good. There's only been a few episodes that I thought were genuinely scary, but it's amazing. 

[Argenti he/him]

7 minutes ago, Through The Living Grass said:

Yall… I am not impressed with modern horror. Do we need a seventh sequel to a slasher movie that isnt scary at all outside of shick value, or yet another Steel Wool FNaF game?

ive been trying to get a list of like, actually good horror stuff- books, films, games, and i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence. so far i can think of: 

The King In Yellow

Kane Parson’s Backrooms

Iron Lung

Also a podcast, but I've enjoyed Old gods of Appalachia, although it's pretty violent, which might not be what you're looking for. 

[Eluvianii he/him]

While I enjoy slashers on occasion, the fact that the word slasher is equated to horror annoys me so much. It's related, but not the same thing. All those jokes about "Every horror movie" and then it's clear they always mean slashers.

Anyway, good horror. My favorite kind of horror is actually ghost stories, so I really enjoy J-Horror. So on that note.

-Ju-On

-Dark Water

-Kairo

-The Fatal Frame movie (it has pretty much none of the elements that make Fatal Frame, but it's a pretty fun watch on its own. Not great, but good popcorn).

-Faral Frame games. They're nothing too deep if you compare them to like Silent Hill and stuff, but they're just really good at being ghost stories. Now, those aren't really violent (it's all ghosts!), but the games are about all the gruesome stuff that took place in each game's setting. Not sure what your bar for violence is there.

Now, outside of that.

-Gokseong. Probably longest horror movie ever? It's like 3 hours, the scale feels like the horror equivalent of an epic. It doesn't do any, and I mean any of the usual horror movie tricks. Most of the time it isn't scary or even tense. But it's super interesting to watch and there are a couple scenes that made me feel really uncomfortable. Which I enjoyed a lot.

-The Ritual. I just thought the threat in this one was neat and something I'd like to see more of.

-The VVitch. I think this one's popular enough.

-Let the Right One In. I don't know if this is horror but I'm not losing a chance to plug this movie. It's so good.

-Boogiepop Phantom. Only anime I've seen that I'd call horror. The vibes are so unsettling here, sound design creeps me out. It's super interesting because I think strictly speaking this is sci-fi, but since the pov characters have no idea what they're experiencing, it reads as horror.

-When Evil Lurks. I hesitate to mention this one because it is really violent but it's also the best latin American horror movie I've seen, legit one of my favorites, I have to see it as a win even if it's not from my country.

-The Babadook. This one's definitely popular enough but it's not empty praise. The movie's good.

-Faith. This one's a game. I can't tell if it's popular or not. I feel like it is, but maybe that's just the corner of the internet I visit. It's based on the satanic panic of the 80s, which I was not alive to see, but I hear it was something. The game's really good. Pretty campy, but still good writing and atmosphere.

-World of Horror. As above. Short playthroughs, about an hour or so. Small randomized mysteries, with randomized events. The dev clearly likes Junji Ito and Lovecraft and wears the inspirations on his sleeve. Ito even was a character in the game before release.

 

I wish I had experience with horror books. I'll get there some day. I've read Doctor Sleep I guess? I genuinely don't know if that was supposed to be horror or not, to me it felt like dark urban fantasy. Really good tho.

Well ok, sorry for the wall. This was not planned. Hope you're lucky in your horror endeavors.

[Verdance he/him]

Just now, Eluvianii said:

While I enjoy slashers on occasion, the fact that the word slasher is equated to horror annoys me so much. It's related, but not the same thing. All those jokes about "Every horror movie" and then it's clear they always mean slashers.

Anyway, good horror. My favorite kind of horror is actually ghost stories, so I really enjoy J-Horror. So on that note.

-Ju-On

-Dark Water

-Kairo

-The Fatal Frame movie (it has pretty much none of the elements that make Fatal Frame, but it's a pretty fun watch on its own. Not great, but good popcorn).

-Faral Frame games. They're nothing too deep if you compare them to like Silent Hill and stuff, but they're just really good at being ghost stories. Now, those aren't really violent (it's all ghosts!), but the games are about all the gruesome stuff that took place in each game's setting. Not sure what your bar for violence is there.

Now, outside of that.

-Gokseong. Probably longest horror movie ever? It's like 3 hours, the scale feels like the horror equivalent of an epic. It doesn't do any, and I mean any of the usual horror movie tricks. Most of the time it isn't scary or even tense. But it's super interesting to watch and there are a couple scenes that made me feel really uncomfortable. Which I enjoyed a lot.

-The Ritual. I just thought the threat in this one was neat and something I'd like to see more of.

-The VVitch. I think this one's popular enough.

-Let the Right One In. I don't know if this is horror but I'm not losing a chance to plug this movie. It's so good.

-Boogiepop Phantom. Only anime I've seen that I'd call horror. The vibes are so unsettling here, sound design creeps me out. It's super interesting because I think strictly speaking this is sci-fi, but since the pov characters have no idea what they're experiencing, it reads as horror.

-When Evil Lurks. I hesitate to mention this one because it is really violent but it's also the best latin American horror movie I've seen, legit one of my favorites, I have to see it as a win even if it's not from my country.

-The Babadook. This one's definitely popular enough but it's not empty praise. The movie's good.

-Faith. This one's a game. I can't tell if it's popular or not. I feel like it is, but maybe that's just the corner of the internet I visit. It's based on the satanic panic of the 80s, which I was not alive to see, but I hear it was something. The game's really good. Pretty campy, but still good writing and atmosphere.

-World of Horror. As above. Short playthroughs, about an hour or so. Small randomized mysteries, with randomized events. The dev clearly likes Junji Ito and Lovecraft and wears the inspirations on his sleeve. Ito even was a character in the game before release.

 

I wish I had experience with horror books. I'll get there some day. I've read Doctor Sleep I guess? I genuinely don't know if that was supposed to be horror or not, to me it felt like dark urban fantasy. Really good tho.

Well ok, sorry for the wall. This was not planned. Hope you're lucky in your horror endeavors.

Wait this is actually useful tho

have you heard of Junji Ito?

[Eluvianii he/him]

2 minutes ago, Through The Living Grass said:

Wait this is actually useful tho

have you heard of Junji Ito?

I have! But I'm yet to really read anything from him. I read a few chapters of Uzumaki at some point and I was having fun with it. I admit, they felt silly, but still unsettling and the art was sooo goood.

[Through the Living Hopper He/Him]

9 hours ago, Through The Living Grass said:

Yall… I am not impressed with modern horror. Do we need a seventh sequel to a slasher movie that isnt scary at all outside of shick value, or yet another Steel Wool FNaF game?

ive been trying to get a list of like, actually good horror stuff- books, films, games, and i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence. so far i can think of: 

The King In Yellow

Kane Parson’s Backrooms

Iron Lung

The Shining. Read it. It's beautifully written and actually quite terrifying, but to get the real experience you have to read it at night. There is a great balance of gore, so the amount King puts in is just enough to make it feel even scarier, without being gross. Trigger warning: one of the main plotlines is child abuse.

Other than that I don't know. Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None is good, and her much less-beloved book By the Pricking of My Thumbs has some pretty creepy moments.

[Rynturning_Light She/Her]

11 hours ago, #1 Taln Fan said:

Podcast, not movie, but Magnus Archives is very very good. There's only been a few episodes that I thought were genuinely scary, but it's amazing. 

Yooooo Magnus

Me and a friend had a phase where we listened basically everyday

I think I got like 100 episodes in. I need to listen to it again

11 hours ago, Through The Living Grass said:

Yall… I am not impressed with modern horror. Do we need a seventh sequel to a slasher movie that isnt scary at all outside of shick value, or yet another Steel Wool FNaF game?

ive been trying to get a list of like, actually good horror stuff- books, films, games, and i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence. so far i can think of: 

The King In Yellow

Kane Parson’s Backrooms

Iron Lung

I recommend watching the Haunting of Hill House

It's source material it a book by the same name, by Shirley Jackson (I haven't, but want to read it)

It's a really good show. Not overproduced horror at all

I'm not a horror person, and I really enjoyed it for it's story. There are really good actual horror segments too, basically every episode if I remember right

Edited March 6 by Rynturning_Light

[#1 Taln Fan he/him]

58 minutes ago, Rynturning_Light said:

I think I got like 100 episodes in. I need to listen to it again

12 hours ago, Through The Living Grass said:

You should! I've listened to all of it (Though I need to finish the sequel, the Magnus Protocol)
Imo it just keeps getting better

[Treamayne]

12 hours ago, Through The Living Grass said:

ive been trying to get a list of like, actually good horror stuff- books, films, games, and i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence.

I think the conversation needs to start with some definitions and boundaries. Wikipedia:

Quote

One defining trait of the horror genre is that it provokes an emotional, psychological, or physical response within readers that causes them to react with fear. One of H. P. Lovecraft's most famous quotes about the genre is that: "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

There there are types of horror - For example, horror can be considered one or more of the following: 

• Body Horror (Dysmorphia)
• Ghost Story 
• Gothic Fiction 
• Jiangshi
• Monster (Supernatural Horror)
• Occult Stories 
• Psychological Horror
• Splatterpunk (Gore Horror)
• Survival Horror 

So, which subsets of horror are you specifically trying to identify or avoid?

Hope that helps

[Rynturning_Light She/Her]

2 minutes ago, #1 Taln Fan said:

You should! I've listened to all of it (Though I need to finish the sequel, the Magnus Protocol)
Imo it just keeps getting better

Yeah, I know is supposed to get really good

G out listened me, and she would rave to me about how insane is was getting

I just need to find time to get back into it. I don't have a lot of mindless tasks to do right now, so I can't really lock into listening

[Verdance he/him]

I was just generally trying to spark discussion about the topic- though i do lean more towards psychological or cosmic horror.

Did i mention edgar allen poe? The guy influenced the way i look at the world in a huge way- for instance, i tend to categorize most evil undet a: human nature, b: nature not caring about humanity, or c : demons

[Returned he/him]

14 hours ago, Through The Living Grass said:

i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence

I don't know if I can hit all of the constraints precisely, but I'll offer a few recommendations trying to suit them:

• Hereditary (Movie, one of my favorites)
• Midsommar (Movie)
• Late Night with the Devil (Movie, pleasantly surprised me)
• When Evil Lurks (Movie, some disturbingly gross effects but very effective and a breath of fresh air in the demonic possession horror genre)
• The Substance (Movie; very heavy-handed and has enough effective body horror gross out sequences that it might be too yucky for you, but I was pleasantly surprised by it)
• Let the Right One In (Movie; the original is better than the American remake. Great tone and perspective on an established subgenre)
• Midnight Mass (TV show, excellent)
• Haunting of Hill House (TV show)
• The Hole in the Ground (Movie, very effective and with a strong psychological element)
• The Conjuring 1 and 3 (or 2 and 3, 1 and 2 are similar enough to feel repetitive) (Movies)
• Insidious (Movie, first movie especially, second one OK, skip the rest)
• Sinister (Movie)
• Cobweb (Movie, very good)
• Old (Movie, try not to think of it as an M. Night Shyamalan movie and you'll probably enjoy it more. I did)
• A Dark Song (Movie; I was ultimately a little disappointed by it, but it meets your criteria and I don't know of another movie at all like it)
• The Mothman Prophecies (Movie, maybe a little more on the thriller side rather than horror, but I loved it. Criminally underappreciated)
• Phantasmagoria (Video game, old and possibly ineffective or even unplayable today, but I remember being scared by it in junior high)
• Totally Killer (more of a comedy than a horror movie, but if you're tired of slasher flicks it's a pretty funny parody of them while still hitting the beats)

I sympathize with being tired of slasher movies and gross-out torture-porn movies, and a lot of popular horror movies are less than innovative which cuts against the experience of horror a lot.

Edited March 6 by Returned

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

46 minutes ago, Through The Living Grass said:

I was just generally trying to spark discussion about the topic- though i do lean more towards psychological or cosmic horror.

Did i mention edgar allen poe? The guy influenced the way i look at the world in a huge way- for instance, i tend to categorize most evil undet a: human nature, b: nature not caring about humanity, or c : demons

I love Poe! His writing so good. (Have you read How to Write a Blackwood Article? Probably my favorite one of his, and has a very out-of-the-ordinary horror theme)

 

This isn't media at all, but Betrayal at House on the Hill is an awesome horror board game that lends itself really well to roleplay as well. 

[Verdance he/him]

1 minute ago, Through The Living Ash said:

I love Poe! His writing so good. (Have you read How to Write a Blackwood Article? Probably my favorite one of his, and has a very out-of-the-ordinary horror theme)

 

This isn't media at all, but Betrayal at House on the Hill is an awesome horror board game that lends itself really well to roleplay as well. 

I have not read that one. I need to get myself a full collection of his writings. 

Ive heard of that game, i dont think we have a copy anymore. It was a while ago

[Treamayne]

8 hours ago, Through The Living Grass said:

i do lean more towards psychological or cosmic horror.

Velocity is one of the few Dean Koontz books I enjoyed (Psychologic Horror)

Blurb:

Spoiler

Bill Wile is an easygoing, hardworking guy who leads a quiet, ordinary life. But that is about to change. One evening, after his usual eight-hour bartending shift, he finds a typewritten note under the windshield wiper of his car.

*If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours.*

It seems like a sick joke, and Bill’s friend on the police force, Lanny Olson, thinks so too. His advice to Bill is to go home and forget about it. Besides, what could they do even if they took the note seriously? No crime has actually been committed. But less than twenty-four hours later, a young blond schoolteacher is found murdered, and it’s Bill’s fault: he didn’t convince the police to get involved. Now he’s got another note, another deadline, another ultimatum…and two new lives hanging in the balance.

Suddenly Bill’s average, seemingly innocuous life takes on the dimensions and speed of an accelerating nightmare. Because the notes are coming faster, the deadlines growing tighter, and the killer becoming bolder and crueler with every communication—until Bill is isolated with the terrifying knowledge that he alone has the power of life and death over a psychopath’s innocent victims. Until the struggle between good and evil is intensely personal. Until the most chilling words of all are:

*The choice is yours*.

 

Edited March 7 by Treamayne
Blurb

[Eluvianii he/him]

On 3/6/2026 at 12:14 PM, Through The Living Ash said:

This isn't media at all, but Betrayal at House on the Hill is an awesome horror board game that lends itself really well to roleplay as well. 

That game is so good! Whenever my table wants to play board games I suggest that one at some point, since I really want to see all the scenarios some day. 100 is a lot, didn't know board games could have this much content. And since we only play board games when we have to cancel our Pathfinder session to begin with, we end up roleplaying it a bit. It's so fun.

 

 

 

On the topic of the thread, I've seen people suggest Hill House, so might as well mention The Haunting, the og movie. It's not particularly effective as horror today, but it was innovative, and it's pretty good psychological horror, which is not what I've come to expect from the 60s.

Edited March 8 by Eluvianii

[pureintonation she/her]

I get my horror fix from creepypastas... aka internet horror stories. They're not all good, and my favorites are some of the earlier ones. But it's hard to say what's good and bad since what creeps people out tends to be really different...

PenPal by 1000Vultures (Classic story about a man going through childhood memories)
Mother Horse Eyes (Really bizarre existential dread... very, very long. Personally creeped me tf out. Reddit user wrote it by replying to random comments in random subreddits every time s/he wrote a new chapter. Then disappeared from the face of the earth)
Ted the Caver (written as a blog entries from the perspective of a seasoned caver finding something strange. It's from the early 2000s but I'm not sure if the original angelfire website is still up)
Stairs in the Woods (From Reddit NoSleep, a SAR officer tells stories about his job. A bit reduntant after like the 5th installment but the creepy anecdotes hit)
Spire in the Woods (Apparently being made into a movie? And is a book now? Teenager trying to figure out why classmate unalived himself)
Dagons Mirror (Nice if ur a lovecraft lover)
The Hidden Webpage (If you were on the internet in the early 2000s u might like this... just early internet creepiness)

If You're Armed At the Glenmnot Metro, Please Shoot Me (dude take a drug that makes time go really slow... genuinely horrifying concept)
 

There's way more out there!! Those are ones that made me feel that fun feeling in my spine, but different strokes, ya know...
 

[ThroughTheLivingSequence she/her/they/them]

On 3/5/2026 at 9:05 PM, Through The Living Grass said:

Yall… I am not impressed with modern horror. Do we need a seventh sequel to a slasher movie that isnt scary at all outside of shick value, or yet another Steel Wool FNaF game?

ive been trying to get a list of like, actually good horror stuff- books, films, games, and i want to hear what yall think about legit horror that isnt yucky or weird, but makes you think and is actually able to be enjoyed without glorifying violence. so far i can think of: 

The King In Yellow

Kane Parson’s Backrooms

Iron Lung

Ever heard of Heretic?  That one was pretty scary... And very well done, I thought.