Though it's a genre positively packed with speculative and fantastical elements, many viewers often forget how realistic horror can be. As the saying goes, sometimes truth is stranger— and more terrifying— than fiction.
Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface might be icons of the genre, but it might be far scarier to consider a more realistic approach this year...
Ghostface (Scream)
Ghostface loses a few points for being a parody character in Wes Craven's tongue-in-cheek jab at the slasher movie genre. But with the dated '90s setting aside, the Woodsboro Slasher might be a touch more realistic than one might believe. He has no superpowers, no invulnerability, no magical weapon, and no undead status. He's a guy with a knife, a scary, mask, and a revenge-driven motive for murder.
Cujo (Cujo)
A rabid dog is scary on any given occasion, but if that rabid dog just happens to be a 200 pound Saint Bernard, things are going to get more than a little slobbery.
Although shots and modern veterinary medicine exist, and the chance of a dog getting bit by a rabid vampire bat are slim to none, rabies still exists. Given the right place, right time, and right breed of dog, Cujo could very well be the furry fiend in the yard next door.
The Shark (Jaws)
"You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July..." Yell shark at any beach, and it's going to get everyone practically sprinting out of the water to get to the shore. While the shark in Jaws, known to fans as Bruce, was a bit larger than the garden-variety great white, the idea of a shark in the vicinity of a popular tourist town is not so far fetched. To say this movie scared millions away from the ocean for years wouldn't be hyperbole.
The Ocean (47 Meters Down)
On the subject of sharks, why not take a more realistic approach with the idea? Don't let the creatures hog all the spotlight, let the tense pressure of an underwater environment provide some claustrophobic dread in a race against the clock.
In this survival-horror flick, a pair of divers become submerged and trapped in a shark tank after a malfunction. With one bleeding and disoriented, it's only a matter of time before a swarm of great whites shows up for a feeding frenzy.
The Red Death (Masque of the Red Death)
While the character of the Red Death might not be the most realistic element of this already over-the-top Roger Corman production, the threat of a plague or pandemic is as real as can be, something the world is currently all-too-aware of.
There are more victims of the blood plague outside Prince Prospero's castle than in the finale of the film, but that only makes for a higher body count when the streets run red with gore. It will take more than a classic Vincent Price performance to distract from that mess.
The Virus (Contagion)
No zombies, no mutations, no David Cronenberg abominations, but the virus in Contagion is certainly scarier a decade later given the events of COVID-19.
The film concerns a virus so deadly and contagious that it can be spread by skin-to-skin alone, and all the masks and hand sanitizer in the world wouldn't make a dent in this disease. With multiple plotlines and a race against the clock, the tension and thrills are downright infectious.
The Strangers (The Strangers)
The phrase "inspired by true events" is one that's thrown around a lot in horror movies nowadays, but in the case of The Strangers, Brian Bertino, the film's director, pulled from an actual childhood experience to find the inspiration for this unsettling flick.
Home-invasions are a rather common crime in some areas, and sometimes the results can be fatal. They might lack the horror-inspired masks, but malicious intent is always a potentially deadly factor.
Neo-Nazis (Green Room)
Neo-Nazis can range from boisterous, hateful fanatics to seriously scary and evil individuals. This film is certainly no exception in the strictest definition.
They might lack the leadership of the incomparable Sir Patrick Stewart, but the real inspiration behind the Arayan antagonists in Green Room are certainly as violent and vile as their real-world counterparts and should be treated as a threat in any movie, regardless of genre. Hate and want of carnage can be some pretty powerful motivators if the wrong people are involved.
The Man (Hush)
If Michel Myers were created in the 21st century instead of 1979, he'd more than likely resemble the masked slasher from Hush simply known as "The Man." Once more, a home-invasion film makes the list, but instead of a trio of masked strangers stalking a household, its a game of mano a mano. One deaf writer and one masked killer set in an enclosed environment is the main conceit of this tense flick. No over-the-top slasher tropes to save this final girl.
Buffalo Bill (Silence Of The Lambs)
While Leatherface might be the better known Ed Gein knockoff, it's Buffalo Bill who brought the crime into the modern era with Silence of the Lambs. Both the film and the book by Thomas Harris take inspiration from Gein's crimes, but Bill was twice as vicious and sadistic, preferring to skin his victims alive rather than rob corpses. Either way, it's still one horrific inspiration for an equally evil character.
