10 Most Horrifying Urban Nightmare Movies

10. Visiting Hours

Starring William Shatner and Michael Ironside in prominent roles, Visiting Hours is a Canadian slasher film that really deserves a second look because of the themes it addresses which were different amongst other slasher films at the time: themes of feminism, misogyny, and stalking.

Like many slasher films made in the early 1980s, Ironside’s villainous Colt Hawkins is nothing more than a psychopath with a bloodthirst. However, the inclusion of Hawkins’ misogynistic beliefs and intense stalking tactics draw frightening parallels to modern day news stories of psychopaths and stalkers who have shocked the world.

Scenes demonstrating how far he’ll go to pursue Deborah, the film’s feminist protagonist, are terrifying to witness because of the realism; Hawkins smashing his forearm onto a rack of bottles to cut himself open in order to pursue Deborah at hospital is a memorable example.

Although Visiting Hours may not be the best horror film to come from Canada, the characters and plot themes elevate it above other slasher films of 1982, making it still very relevant today. It may have been banned in 1984, but it's one of those banned films that has more content than what’s offered at face value. Nonetheless it certainly demonstrates a frightening reality that nobody should ever go through.