Horror Buff StuffAre you the "horror person" on your virtual trivia team? Meet your new secret weapon: lists about everything even you don't know about movies scarier than the sound of a child's laughter in a cemetery after dark.
Updated May 23, 2022 11.8k votes 2.2k voters 46.9k views
Voting Rules
Vote up the horror films that tried to be groundbreaking in their form or message, but in a self-indulgent way that makes you roll your eyes.
When an intelligent horror film is released, fans of the genre often judge it by its level of pretension. Movies like The Silence of the Lambs and Get Out are widely accepted as well-done works of art - though that doesn't keep some viewers from critiquing their storytelling or refusing to name them as part of the horror genre altogether. The ultimate value of any work of art is, of course, subjective. However, people still ask, "Is this actually good, or is it just pretentious?"
There is a general consensus among horror fans that filmmakers like Lars von Trier - though he retains a dedicated fanbase - mostly produce eye-roll-worthy cinema. And although every item on this list has garnered enough attention to assume it merits some level of worth, horror fans on the internet have agreed these films rank among the most pretentious movies of all time.
As you vote on whether these films are groundbreaking or just showy artistry, contemplate what it means to be pretentious - and if these movies contribute to the genre in a valuable way.
A young woman spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband in the countryside. When a stranger knocks on the door one night, he becomes an unexpected guest in their home. Later, his wife and two children also arrive to make themselves welcome. Terror soon strikes when the beleaguered wife tries to figure out why her husband is so seemingly friendly and accommodating to everyone but her.
Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson
While a married couple (Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg) is having sex, their infant son in a nearby room falls out a window to his death. She becomes distraught and is hospitalized, but her husband, who is a psychiatrist, attempts to treat her. Deciding that she needs to face her fears, he takes her to a cabin in the woods where she spent a previous summer with the boy. Once they are there, she becomes more unhinged and starts perpetrating sexual violence on her husband and herself.
Actors: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm
Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor), a psychiatrist, has a new patient, Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling), who claims to be suicidal. In trying to diagnose him, Sam visits Henry's prior therapist (Janeane Garofalo) and also finds Henry's mother -- even though Henry has said that he murdered both of his parents. As reality starts to contradict fact, Sam spirals into an unstable mental state. Then he finds a clue as to how and when Henry may try to kill himself, and races to try to stop him.
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Elizabeth Reaser, Bob Hoskins
In five episodes, failed architect and vicious sociopath Jack recounts his elaborately orchestrated murders -- each, as he views them, a towering work of art that defines his life's work as a serial killer in the Pacific Northwest.
Actors: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Siobhan Fallon, Sofie Gråbøl
A barren soundstage is stylishly utilized to create a minimalist small-town setting in which a mysterious woman named Grace (Nicole Kidman) hides from the criminals who pursue her. The town is two-faced and offers to harbor Grace as long as she can make it worth their effort, so Grace works hard under the employ of various townspeople to win their favor. Tensions flare, however, and Grace's status as a helpless outsider provokes vicious contempt and abuse from the citizens of Dogville.
