23 Underrated Horror Movies That'll Actually Scare The Crap Out Of You

You'll never sleep again.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite underrated horror movies. Here are the must-see results.

1. The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

MGM Distribution Co.

What it's about: "In an abandoned house in Poughkeepsie, New York, murder investigators uncover hundreds of tapes showing decades of a serial killer's work."

Why you need to watch it: It's so real and terrifying that I had to do a solid hour of research after watching it to convince myself that it wasn’t based on a true story.

—torid4761cb099

2. Terrifier (2017)

Epic Pictures Group

What it's about: "A maniacal clown terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way."

Why you need to watch it: The death scenes are done so well, the story is solid, and the villain who never speaks will haunt your dreams forever. The end perfectly seals the movie, and there are even a couple of jump scares, which is always a bonus.

Editor's note: The was also the most-suggested movie on this entire list!

—juliem455bdc8ad

3. The Changeling (1980)

Associated Film Distribution

What it's about: "A man staying at a secluded historical mansion finds himself being haunted by the presence of a spectre."

Why you need to watch it: This is the film that made me fall in love with horror movies. It’s so simply done and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand every single time. The scene with the ball on the stairs has stayed with me for the 20 years since I saw it for the first time. AMAZING.

—mehganrobinson

4. The Wailing (2016)

Side Mirror

What it's about: "Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter."

Why you need to watch it: Korean horror movies in general are very scary, yet people rarely talk about them. This one is super psychological, and after I watched it I couldn’t sleep for a week.

—kimmjimenez1705

5. Clinical (2017)

Netflix

What it's about: "A psychiatrist tries to put her life back together after a violent attack by seeking to repair the life of a new patient, but he has his own terrifying history."

Why you need to watch it: My friend made me watch it because I'm a psychology major in college (and the protagonist is a psychiatrist), but this movie messed me up so badly! It's so spine-chilling and so well-written and directed.

—wittikitty

6. High Tension (2003)

EuropaCorp

What it's about: "Two best friends decide to spend a quiet weekend at one of their parents' secluded farmhouse, but their idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror."

Why you need to watch it: My friends and I saw it in an almost-empty theater, and we thought it was just gonna be another lame jump-scare movie. About halfway into it we were all holding hands and hiding in our sweatshirts!

—melissac4fb238e7a

7. Tusk (2014)

A24

What it's about: "A brash and arrogant podcaster gets more than he bargained for when he travels to Canada to interview a mysterious recluse who has a rather disturbing fondness for walruses."

Why you need to watch it: Whenever I ask if someone has seen it, the answer is usually no. The movie is a brutal and a total mindfuck. A lonely, older guy turns Justin Long into a walrus (yes, a walrus). It was intended to be a little silly, but it also gave me nightmares. It's super, super creepy and sad.

—laurag40 and e4b74

8. Suspiria (1977)

Produzioni Atlas Consorziate

What it's about: "An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders."

Why you need to watch it: It’s a disturbing, scary film but has a great screenplay and is beautifully shot. It was so good that it just got remade by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name). I highly recommend seeing this before the remake. You won’t regret it!

—katiei4898e8274

9. The Haunting (1963)

MGM

What it's about: "A scientist doing research on the paranormal invites two women to a haunted mansion. One of the participants soon starts losing her mind."

Why you need to watch it: This was an unexpected favorite. It's a testament to subtlety, with a few big scares and a lot of ambiance. It's equal parts terrifying and tragic.

—CaesarVulpes

10. Lovely Molly (2011)

Amber Entertainment

What it's about: "Newlywed Molly moves into her deceased father's house in the countryside, where painful memories soon begin to haunt her."

Why you need to watch it: I very rarely get scared by horror movies, and this is kind of a typical ‘an adult moves into their childhood home and crazy stuff starts to happen’ type of movie, but for some reason, this movie REALLY freaked me out. I’ve owned the DVD of it for years but have only watched it about 1.5 times because I get so freaked out.

—cheyenneshadows

11. Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)

Troma Entertainment

What it's about: "A man and his assistant run a show in which, under the guise of 'magic,' they torture and murder people in front of their audience. But what the punters see as a trick is actually real."

Why you need to watch it: OK, so I do NOT get scared easily, but this one gave me nightmares! It's truly terrifying, and I consider it the scariest movie I've ever seen.

—aperel612

12. Bug (2006)

Lionsgate

What it's about: "An unhinged war veteran (Michael Shannon) holes up with a lonely woman (Ashley Judd) in a spooky Oklahoma motel room. The line between reality and delusion is blurred as they discover a bug infestation."

Why you need to watch it: It's a psychological thriller that'll make you question everything. There's a lot of body horror in it, but I highly recommend the movie, even though it made me want to throw up.

—evillady

13. Hush (2016)

Blumhouse Productions

What it's about: "A writer who's deaf retreated into the woods to live a solitary life and must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window."

Why you need to watch it: It brilliantly blends the slasher genre with a down-to-earth realness, and that’s not even mentioning how it marvelously plays with the senses by having a deaf (and badass) protagonist.

—spencep

14. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Tri-Star Pictures

What it's about: "Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death."

Why you need to watch it: It's an excellent psychological thriller that gives you the creeps with its believability. Very Hitchcock-esque.

—annabell4

15. The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)

A24

What it's about: "Two girls (Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka) must battle a mysterious evil force when they get left behind at their boarding school over winter break."

Why you need to watch it: It’s so underrated but has a cult following, and for a good reason. The movie stays with you for days and leaves this lingering, eerie feeling. It's one of those movies you'll never stop thinking about.

—mattiel

16. Ju-On (2002)

Pioneer LDC

What it's about: "A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides."

Why you need to watch it: It's the Japanese version of The Grudge, and it's HELLA scary! I was so traumatized after watching it that I couldn't be left alone for about three weeks. The film's scenes would just play over and over in my head.

—m4ce360da0 and ooophelia

17. As Above, So Below (2014)

Legendary Pictures

What it's about: "When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead."

Why you need to watch it: It may sound like a bad movie at first, but it honestly ended up traumatizing me. I love horror movies and have seen so many great ones from all genres, but I’ll be damned if any of them are as scary as this one. This movie was made by the devil himself. Damn.

—laurae42a5b87d6

18. The Invitation (2015)

Drafthouse Films

What it's about: "While attending a dinner party at his former home, a man thinks his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests."

Why you need to watch it: It's exceptionally scary and keeps you on your toes, since you can't tell if the protagonist is just paranoid or if there's something really sinister going on. The last 15 minutes are terrifying.

—caitlinm18

19. Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Lopert Pictures Corporation

What it's about: "While vacationing on a remote Scandinavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires."

Why you need to watch it: Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed this psychological thriller (think Hitchcock), and it's realllllly creepy. Also, you can't go wrong with iconic actors like Max von Sydow, Erland Josephson, and Liv Ullmann.

—emilya23

20. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Ulrich Seidl Film

What it's about: "Twin boys move to a new home with their mother after she has face-changing cosmetic surgery, but under her bandages is someone the children don't recognize."

Why you need to watch it: It's one of the best foreign horror movies I've seen. It will make your jaw drop.

—caitlinm18

21. The House of the Devil (2009)

MPI Media Group

What it's about: "In 1983, a college student takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger."

Why you need to watch it: It's an exceptional homage to vintage horror. It's a tension-filled slow burn that culminates to a wicked climax. You're welcome.

—spencep

22. The Transfiguration (2016)

Transfiguration Productions

What it's about: "When troubled teen Milo, who has a fascination with vampire lore, meets the equally-alienated Sophie, the two form a bond that begins to blur Milo's fantasy into reality."

Why you need to watch it: It is by far the most underrated horror movie ever. It'll send chills up and down your spine in the first 10 seconds alone.

—savannahdaniellef

23. Dead Silence (2007)

Twister Pictures

What it's about: "A young widower returns to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's murder, which may be linked to the ghost of a murdered ventriloquist."

Why you need to watch it: It has everything you could ever want in a horror movie: scary dolls, a creepy ghost lady, a super-attractive lead actor, and an awesome and eery soundtrack. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you do.

—rhunter8

Want to be featured in similar BuzzFeed posts? Follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter!