10 Horror Movies That Break The Genre

Unlikely horror movies from the strangest of places...

By Cameron Mcmurdie /

We’ve all seen our fair share of stereotypical horror movies in our day. The sort of movies that you watch with your friends when you’re 16 - they often include gruesome, disgusting gore, loud noises when things get scary, and the characters don't have a brain cell between them.

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However, there are some films out there that don’t take quite such a cliched approach to their story. There are certain horror films that defy categorisation - they break the rules, and don’t fit into the set mould.

From the outset, these films look completely different. They aren’t the sort of horror films that dismantle and take apart the genre, like satires in the vein of Scream or The Cabin in the Woods, or genre hybrids like Shaun of the Dead or Get Out, but instead, horror films that don’t feel like horror films.

Oftentimes, these films don't get the attention and popularity they deserve, and fly under the radar. But, here, we will shine a light on 10 of the best horror films that break the genre...

10. Under the Skin

Scarlett Johansson is often known for appearing in big blockbuster franchises (such as the Avengers movies), but one of her lesser-known ventures is Under the Skin, a strange 2013 science fiction effort.

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Johansson stars a beautiful young woman, revealed to be from another planet. She then starts hunting young men in Scotland, taking them to a black void in her house.

What is so extraordinary about this film is how it subverts typical slasher plot conventions. Instead of a man preying on women, we see a woman (and a gorgeous, beautiful one, no less) preying on young, defenceless men.

A truly terrifying, unique experience, Under the Skin is a movie that you will struggle to believe actually exists. Director Jonathan Glazer gives the film a real sense of dread and tension, and makes sure to disturb with its brutal sci-fi imagery.

Whoever thought that Scarlett Johansson seductively taking a man back to her house would ever be so terrifying?

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