A Glean movie guide
Hidden Horrors: The Best Kept Secrets
Beyond the mainstream.
Skip the blockbusters for these overlooked gems that deliver genuine chills.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Empty Man
An ambitious cosmic horror odyssey that rewards viewers looking for deep, unsettling lore.
On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.
- 02
One Cut of the Dead
A brilliant, inventive meta-comedy that completely redefines the zombie genre in its final act.
Real zombies arrive and terrorize the crew of a zombie film being shot in an abandoned warehouse, said to be the site of military experiments on humans.
- 03
Red Rooms
A cold and clinical psychological thriller that explores the darkest corners of internet obsession.
The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the case’s puzzle.
- 04
Pontypool
A claustrophobic, high-concept thriller that uses sound and language to create a unique kind of terror.
When disc jockey Grant Mazzy reports to his basement radio station in the Canadian town of Pontypool, he thinks it's just another day at work. But when he hears reports of a virus that turns people into zombies, Mazzy barricades himself in the radio booth and tries to figure out a way to warn his listeners about the virus and its unlikely mode of transmission.
- 05
Lake Mungo
A haunting mockumentary that masterfully builds a sense of inescapable, slow-burn dread.
After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at a local dam, her family experiences a series of strange, inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of a psychic and parapsychologist, who discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. At Lake Mungo, Alice's secret past emerges.
- 06
Possessor
A visceral and visually stunning exploration of identity through the lens of high-tech body horror.
Tasya Vos, an elite corporate assassin, uses brain-implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies to terminate high profile targets. As she sinks deeper into her latest assignment, Vos becomes trapped inside a mind that threatens to obliterate her.
- 07
Caveat
An Irish indie standout that relies on pure, suffocating atmosphere and one very creepy toy rabbit.
A lone drifter suffering from partial memory loss accepts a job to look after a psychologically troubled woman in an abandoned house on an isolated island.
- 08
The Blackcoat's Daughter
A slow-burning, atmospheric nightmare that captures the isolation of a deserted prep school.
Two young women at a prestigious prep school are assailed by an evil, invisible power when they're stranded over winter break.
- 09
A Dark Song
A grueling and meticulous look at ritual magic that prioritizes character depth over cheap scares.
A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.
- 10
The Devil's Bath
A bleak and beautifully shot folk horror film that finds terror in historical religious obsession.
In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison.