A Glean movie guide
Masterpieces of Dread
Settle in for the long haul.
Atmospheric horror films that favor lingering tension over quick scares.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Witch
A Puritan family’s isolation in the wilderness descends into a masterclass of atmospheric, folk-horror dread.
In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways.
- 02
Hereditary
This deeply unsettling family drama uses psychological trauma to build an inescapable sense of doom.
Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.
- 03
The Wicker Man
A quintessential folk horror mystery that relies on cultural isolation and mounting unease rather than jump scares.
Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.
- 04
Let the Right One In
A melancholic and beautifully shot story of an unlikely friendship that slowly reveals its dark, supernatural core.
When Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.
- 05
The House of the Devil
A perfect homage to 1980s suspense that spends its runtime meticulously building tension in a single, eerie location.
A young college student who’s struggling financially takes a strange babysitting job which coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.
- 06
Lake Mungo
This quiet, mockumentary-style film uncovers a family's grief through a slow, hauntingly melancholic mystery.
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.
- 07
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
A clinical and deeply uncomfortable psychological thriller that builds tension through its cold, deliberate pacing.
Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways.
- 08
The Invitation
Social awkwardness and paranoia collide in this dinner party thriller that keeps you guessing until the final act.
Will and his new girlfriend Kira are invited to a dinner with old friends at the house of Will’s ex Eden and her new partner David. Although the evening appears to be relaxed, Will soon gets a creeping suspicion that their charming host David is up to something.
- 09
Under the Skin
An abstract, minimalist experience that uses haunting imagery to create a unique sense of alien dread.
A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.
- 10
Saint Maud
A gripping character study that follows a pious nurse’s descent into obsession and internal horror.
Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud arrives at a plush home to care for Amanda, a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. When a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye.