Foreign Horror Recommendations?

[horrorwimp]

Hi Y'all,

I've been looking for some good *Foreign* horror films, but I keep on coming across the same movies over and over again (the [Rec] series, anything by Guillermo del Toro, Kidnapped, Julia's Eyes, High Tension, Wolf Creek, The Others, Ju-on, Let the Right One In, Audition, Dead Snow, The Tale of Two Sister's, etc.).

Can someone help me find some lesser known titles that haven't already been covered in every top 25 list of the past decade? :D

Many thanks!

[Sicknero]

What kind of thing are you after in particular..? There are loads of European horrors in all sorts of sub-genres. I watched Snuff 102 the other day, it's ok in an extreme kind of way but I wasn't massively impressed. Trollhunter is pretty good. American Psycho I watched yesterday for about the fifth time, that's a great film imo although it's a bit older than the last decade.

There are a few in your list which aren't European, by the way.

*Edit; I'd definitely recommend Eden Lake and The Seasoning House if you're a fan of British horror.

[horrorwimp]

What kind of thing are you after in particular..? There are loads of European horrors in all sorts of sub-genres. I watched Snuff 102 the other day, it's ok in an extreme kind of way but I wasn't massively impressed. Trollhunter is pretty good. American Psycho I watched yesterday for about the fifth time, that's a great film imo although it's a bit older than the last decade.

There are a few in your list which aren't European, by the way.

Haha, I just realized that I put "foreign" in the title but then specified European in the thread! I meant to just write foreign films in general. My bad :)

I recently saw Troll Hunter and thought it was fantastic! Probably one of my top five found footage films. Noroi the Curse was another in this genre that also really stood out to me.

I suppose I'm looking for foreign horror that is actually terrifying. I know that's not much of a sub-genre, but I'm always on the lookout for foreign horror that is atmospheric and has a strong narrative. I don't know much about foreign sub-genres, which is why I'm asking for some recommendations.

I have always been a fan of films that take place in asylums, haunted houses (cliché, I know), backwoods, carnivals, etc. I like the appeal of horror as it pertains to location.

[shadyJ]

It sounds like your in the mood for more modern horror. A fantastic Japanese horror film that took me by surprise a few years ago is called Pulse aka Kairo. In the Japese horror genre about haunted 'stuff' like Ringu, I think it is by far the best. It is streaming on netflix. Another movie you might check out is a Hungarian movie set in a messed up subway called Kontroll. It's a horror film but not really a hardcore splatter film. Its really well made, been a few years since I seen it, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit. Definitely worth checking out.

[TheFext]

Inside is a great french movie. Very disturbing and gory but still suspense as hell.

[AmericanIdiot]

check out The Butcher. Its on netflix. The one with the picture of te man with the pig mask on.

[AmericanIdiot]

Grotesque is another pretty brutal film. This film and the butcher are both tortue films. another good french film is 13 Tzameti. its a thriller but its great. You will be thanking me.

[roshiq]

Here are some recommendations from recent years...I just love them all:
Cold Prey I & II (2006-08) [Fantastic Norwegian Slashers]
Gen (2006) [A solid psychological thriller from Turkey]
Coisa Ruim aka Blood Curse (2006) [A twisted-gripping Portuguese Horror flick]
The Orphanage (2007) [My most favorite Horror movie from last decade: 00-09]
The Chaser (2008) [Highly gripping Serial killer flick from South Korea]
Sauna (2008) [A stunning period-war horror-drama from Finland]
Loner (2008) [Another good K-Horror]
The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (2009) [A sad but brutal 'snuff' flick from Serbia]
5150 Elm's Way (2009) [A highly engaging French psychological thriller from Canada]
Cold Fish (2010) [Japan] Gory psychological action-thriller
Confessions (2010) [Gripping revenge drama from Japan]
Dream Home (2010) [Hong Kong]
No Mercy (2010) [South Korea] A solid bloody revenge thriller from Korea.
I Saw the Devil (2010) [South Korea] ^^
The Silent House (2010) [psychologically twisted a POV-One shot(!) haunted house flick from Uruguay]
Isolerad aka Corridor (2010) [A Swedish psychological thriller with Hitchcockian flavor!]
We are what We are (2010) [A cannibalistic Horror-drama from Mexico]
Bedevilled (2010) [A bloody-beautiful revenge flick from South Korea]
Revenge: A Love Story (2010) [A brutal revenge action-thriller from Hong Kong]
Black Death (2010)
[B]Kalevet aka Rabies (2010) [A solid horror-thriller from Israel]
Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps (2010) [Quite an interesting Horror-fantasy from Switzerland!]
Wake Wood (2010) (A decent Britt Horror flick]
No Reason (2010) [A pretty weird & brutal flick from Germany]
Rammbock (2010) [A decent German Zombie flick]
Sleep Tight (2011) [Spanish Psycho-thriller]
Harold's Going Stiff (2011) [A beautiful Britt Zom-com]
The Devil's Business (2011) [A gripping Britt horror-drama]
Livid (2011) [A French horror-fantasy from the makers of INSIDE]
The Cat (2011) [Another beautiful K-Horror]
Juan of the Dead (2011) [A decent Zom-Com from Cuba]
The Skin I Live In (2011) [A bit shocking Spanish thriller]
Taped (2012) [A Dutch tourist-survival thriller]
Fairytale aka The Haunting of Helena (2012) [A decent Italian Horror flick]
Don't Click (2012) [Another typical but entertaining K-Horror]

[neverending]

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52522

[Anthropophagus]

Some great choices by Rohig there and one that stands tall is I Saw the Devil,a tour de force of a movie.

[ferretchucker]

The Spanish language version of Dracula (1931) is pretty decent. I prefer the performances in the English language version, but the Spanish one is famously artistically superior. Granted this is a US made film, but it's not English language so I count it.

[Giganticface]

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52522

Sweet, a thread I haven't stumbled upon yet! I've seem about half of them, but there's plenty there for exploring. Thanks!

Here are some recommendations from recent years...I just love them all:

...

Yeee-haw! Gold mine! Thanks, roshiq. Plenty here I haven't seen, especially from countries with a less active horror trend (Portugal, Israel, Switzerland, Netherlands). Based on the quality of the ones you mentioned that I have seen, I have high hopes for the ones I haven't.

[horrorwimp]

It sounds like your in the mood for more modern horror. A fantastic Japanese horror film that took me by surprise a few years ago is called Pulse aka Kairo. In the Japese horror genre about haunted 'stuff' like Ringu, I think it is by far the best. It is streaming on netflix. Another movie you might check out is a Hungarian movie set in a messed up subway called Kontroll. It's a horror film but not really a hardcore splatter film. Its really well made, been a few years since I seen it, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit. Definitely worth checking out.

I enjoy a lot of modern horror, but my favorite sub-genre of all times is definitely the Italian Giallo. However, I really enjoyed Pulse! It scared the shit out of me and I don't think I'll be leaving my computer on at night anymore...

I'm watching Kontroll tonight. Thanks for the great recommendations!

[horrorwimp]

Inside is a great french movie. Very disturbing and gory but still suspense as hell.

Hmmm, i will check it out.

Do you happen to know of any other french horror film that is more in the style of "Eyes Without A Face"?

[horrorwimp]

check out The Butcher. Its on netflix. The one with the picture of te man with the pig mask on.

thanks for the rec! it was a bit too gory, but still really good. :)

[neverending]

I highly recommend any film by Jose Mojica Marins, Brazil's only horror film director. Pure insanity.

[horrorwimp]

I highly recommend any film by Jose Mojica Marins, Brazil's only horror film director. Pure insanity.

Oh shit! I'm actually a big fan of Brazilian Cinema as a whole, but I never explored any horror films. I'll definitely check him out too. Do you know of any other latin american directors who are lesser known but still pretty talented in the horror genre?

Here are some recommendations from recent years...I just love them all:
Cold Prey I & II (2006-08) [Fantastic Norwegian Slashers]
Gen (2006) [A solid psychological thriller from Turkey]
Coisa Ruim aka Blood Curse (2006) [A twisted-gripping Portuguese Horror flick]
The Orphanage (2007) [My most favorite Horror movie from last decade: 00-09]
The Chaser (2008) [Highly gripping Serial killer flick from South Korea]
Sauna (2008) [A stunning period-war horror-drama from Finland]
Loner (2008) [Another good K-Horror]
The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (2009) [A sad but brutal 'snuff' flick from Serbia]
5150 Elm's Way (2009) [A highly engaging French psychological thriller from Canada]
Cold Fish (2010) [Japan] Gory psychological action-thriller
Confessions (2010) [Gripping revenge drama from Japan]
Dream Home (2010) [Hong Kong]
No Mercy (2010) [South Korea] A solid bloody revenge thriller from Korea.
I Saw the Devil (2010) [South Korea] ^^
The Silent House (2010) [psychologically twisted a POV-One shot(!) haunted house flick from Uruguay]
Isolerad aka Corridor (2010) [A Swedish psychological thriller with Hitchcockian flavor!]
We are what We are (2010) [A cannibalistic Horror-drama from Mexico]
Bedevilled (2010) [A bloody-beautiful revenge flick from South Korea]
Revenge: A Love Story (2010) [A brutal revenge action-thriller from Hong Kong]
Black Death (2010)
[B]Kalevet aka Rabies (2010) [A solid horror-thriller from Israel]
Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps (2010) [Quite an interesting Horror-fantasy from Switzerland!]
Wake Wood (2010) (A decent Britt Horror flick]
No Reason (2010) [A pretty weird & brutal flick from Germany]
Rammbock (2010) [A decent German Zombie flick]
Sleep Tight (2011) [Spanish Psycho-thriller]
Harold's Going Stiff (2011) [A beautiful Britt Zom-com]
The Devil's Business (2011) [A gripping Britt horror-drama]
Livid (2011) [A French horror-fantasy from the makers of INSIDE]
The Cat (2011) [Another beautiful K-Horror]
Juan of the Dead (2011) [A decent Zom-Com from Cuba]
The Skin I Live In (2011) [A bit shocking Spanish thriller]
Taped (2012) [A Dutch tourist-survival thriller]
Fairytale aka The Haunting of Helena (2012) [A decent Italian Horror flick]
Don't Click (2012) [Another typical but entertaining K-Horror]


This was one of the greatest lists I've ever been gven! Thank you for the descriptions too! I'm going to have a very good and scary November-ween. Gracias!

Some great choices by Rohig there and one that stands tall is I Saw the Devil,a tour de force of a movie.

I've seen this film already and it really was amazing. I think it actually lived up to the hype that people had made around it.

The Spanish language version of Dracula (1931) is pretty decent. I prefer the performances in the English language version, but the Spanish one is famously artistically superior. Granted this is a US made film, but it's not English language so I count it.

Hmmmm, I'll check this out. Some early horror is fucking scary, like Nosferatu. That movie scared the shit out of me, and all because it was filmed in an artistic way.

[neverending]

Mojica has directed many films, all bizarre horror.

[shadyJ]

I enjoy a lot of modern horror, but my favorite sub-genre of all times is definitely the Italian Giallo. However, I really enjoyed Pulse! It scared the shit out of me and I don't think I'll be leaving my computer on at night anymore...

I'm watching Kontroll tonight. Thanks for the great recommendations!

If you like Giallo, you may enjoy Kontroll. One heavily giallo styled film I saw recently was a crazy little Japanese ditty called Evil Dead Trap. I was so impressed with it that I gave it a small review here (http://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63724).

[Disturbia]

High Tension. Such a twist.

[Giganticface]

Hmmm, i will check it out.

Do you happen to know of any other french horror film that is more in the style of "Eyes Without A Face"?

It's not French (it's Spanish), but this one has similiarities...

The Skin I Live In (2011) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189073/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_16)

http://d3gtl9l2a4fn1j.cloudfront.net/t/p/w185/bg9LpMLrgSahHJDaoRaGh66JmCN.jpg

[Despare]

If you dig bizarre B-movies with some comedy and gore check out Plaga Zombi and the sequel, Mutant Zone.

[thietkelogo]

I have seen this movie, it is really horror movie.

[Tony Vilgotsky]

Try Olaf Ittenbach's movies (Germany). Especially No Reason.

[roshiq]

Just found this article...Empire's The Rise And Rise Of Spanish Horror (http://www.empireonline.com/features/rise-and-rise-of-spanish-horror/p1). Haven't seen 3 out of 8...Intacto, Agnosia and Hierro (Damn it! I think I've Hierro on my collection...probably it's in one of the boxes in the stores!!::embarrassment::)

[Baron Von Marlon]

-La Horde
France
Cops & Criminals & Zombies

-Sint (aka Saint)
Netherlands
It's about the evil Saint Nicholas. He's one of the sources of the Santa Clause origin.
Over here it's Sinterklaas or just the Sint. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas
You could compare the movie to a more serious and bloodier Dutch version of Santa's Slay in the city of Amsterdam.

-Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Finland
On Christmas Eve in Finland, Santa Claus is unearthed in an archaeological dig. Soon after, children start disappearing.

Lobos de Arga
Spain
After 15 years, Tomas comes back to the village where his family comes from, Arga, apparently to get an award. But he doesn't know the real reason why he is there, to end an old curse that is been haunting the village for the last hundred years.

-Black Sheep
New Zealand
Horror/comedy about killer sheep.

-Severance
United Kingdom
English company goes team building in the woods in Eastern Europe.

-The Cottage
United Kingdom
A kidnapping gone wrong.

-Evil Aliens
United Kingdom
A shitty tv crew end up in Wales to investigate alien abductions.

[Ferox13]

It's not French (it's Spanish), but this one has similiarities...

The Skin I Live In (2011) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189073/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_16)


I haven't seen it but I saw a film before skin' came out and I think it ripped off the book it was based on. It was THE VICTIM - I think the twist is the same.

[Tahrgat]

I know of two great French films directed by Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The City of Lost Children (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112682/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_6) and Delicatessen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_7) are both exceptional movies that feel very surreal and are laced in black humor.

[Khaleesi]

I know of two great French films directed by Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The City of Lost Children (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112682/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_6) and Delicatessen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_7) are both exceptional movies that feel very surreal and are laced in black humor.

Delicatessen was funny. It's been a while since I saw it, but I remember giggling at the family who kept the grandmother busy crocheting by constantly unraveling the scarf she was making. I'm an avid crocheter myself, so appreciated that little joke.

Haven't seen The City of Lost Children, but I just added it to my queue.

As for other French horror, I have been wanting to see Livid for a while now, but I can’t find it anywhere. Does anyone know where I can rent it or stream it?

Likewise, I would recommend In My Skin or Dans Ma Peau, as it’s called in French. It is a pretty intense film about self-mutilation. There’s not a ton of blood, although the gory scenes are certainly not for the squeamish.

[ferretchucker]

Mama

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mama_(2013_film)

Won't lie, I didn't love this film - it peaks and troughs pretty badly. But it had some interesting effects, great performances from the surprisingly tolerable kids and a pretty spooky concept. Has a hint of fairytale about it.

You mentioned Nosferatu. If you enjoyed the creepiness of that you should really look more into German Expressionism. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a must, and its short running time is very digestable. Artistically beautiful - you know they actually painted on a lot of the shadows. Uninspired cinematography but the performances and sets are dynamic enough.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Expressionism

[Anthropophagus]

Evil Aliens

A shitty tv crew end up in Wales to investigate alien abductions.

Not only a shitty tv crew but a shitty movie too.Avoid.

[Baron Von Marlon]

Not only a shitty tv crew but a shitty movie too.Avoid.

All depends on your taste...

[ChronoGrl]

Yeah, I actually liked Evil Aliens. Found it incredibly entertaining.

Most of my favorites have been mentioned but I came across this interesting and eclectic list of less-know foreign horror fare as I was Googling around to fill in the gaps for this thread; some good ones on there.

http://www.imdb.com/list/P4ksYbLLnWI/

[newb]

All depends on your taste...

agreed....I liked it

[dblockdedicated]

CURE by kiyoshi kurosawa. Amazing film.

[Khaleesi]

Yeah, I actually liked Evil Aliens. Found it incredibly entertaining.

Most of my favorites have been mentioned but I came across this interesting and eclectic list of less-know foreign horror fare as I was Googling around to fill in the gaps for this thread; some good ones on there.

http://www.imdb.com/list/P4ksYbLLnWI/

That's a great list. I spent the better part of my morning adding a few overlooked movies to my queue. Thanks for sharing!

[ChronoGrl]

Wish I could take full credit for it. ::wink::

Welcome to the Forum, Mother of Dragons!

[Khaleesi]

Wish I could take full credit for it. ::wink::

Welcome to the Forum, Mother of Dragons!

Thanks! Always nice to meet other "Thrones" fans. ::smile::

Also, has anyone seen Taxidermia (2006)? It's a Hungarian film and possibly the most disgusting movie I've ever seen.

[DP McCoy]

Yeah, I actually liked Evil Aliens. Found it incredibly entertaining.

Most of my favorites have been mentioned but I came across this interesting and eclectic list of less-know foreign horror fare as I was Googling around to fill in the gaps for this thread; some good ones on there.

http://www.imdb.com/list/P4ksYbLLnWI/

I full on loved Evil Aliens,for me it's a low budget gem,like a British Bad Taste.

[Ferox13]

Also, has anyone seen Taxidermia (2006)? It's a Hungarian film and possibly the most disgusting movie I've ever seen.

I think Elvis Christ as but he is wierd and from OZ :-)

[urgeok2]

I think Elvis Christ as but he is wierd and from OZ :-)


nope - he's a Kiwi :)

[Angra]

I think Elvis Christ as but he is wierd and from OZ :-)

So have i. It's no biggie.

[Elvis_Christ]

Taxidermia was brilliant. Pretty wild flick well worth a look.

Calvaire was really good. It's a more twisted version of Deliverance with some dark humor thrown in.

[Ferox13]

Taxidermia was brilliant. Pretty wild flick well worth a look.

Calvaire was really good. It's a more twisted version of Deliverance with some dark humor thrown in.

I watched Taxidermia on your recommendation and loved it but not as much as Ex-Drummer which was your GOAT recommendation.

[Elvis_Christ]

I watched Taxidermia on your recommendation and loved it but not as much as Ex-Drummer which was your GOAT recommendation.

Glad someone watched it. Fuckin' outstanding flick with the best fake band in ever put to film.

[Joe E Ville]

Isolation. One of the better films I've seen lately aside from Wither which some of you already know I'm very fond of. Expiration isn't bad, not one in permanent rotation but worth a watch.

Avoid Thanatomorphose. I felt like I should be scraping it off the bottom of my shoe after a walk in the park.