10 Terrifying War Horror Movies You Need To See

10. Jacob's Ladder

Fatal Attraction director Adrian Lyne swapped steamy thrillers for the supernatural with this story about a shell-shocked Vietnam vet haunted in his everyday life by vivid hallucinations and strange visions of nightmarish creatures.

Tim Robbins stars as the frazzled US infantryman, Jacob Singer, a man still reeling from the death of his young son as well as the experience of seeing his comrades die during an attack on the Mekong Delta.

Blending elements Gothic horror with the grim reality of warfare, Jacob’s Ladder also veers into good old-fashioned thriller territory, with Jacob eventually discovering many of his GI friends have suffered similar nightmarish visions.

He sets off in search of the truth. Was he drugged as part of some US military experiment? Or was something else at play?

A well-paced and visually inventive horror effort, Jacob’s Ladder could have fallen apart in the wrong hands, but Lyne paces the story well, offering glimpses of the terror lurking beneath the surface of Jacob's existence without dwelling too much on the blood and guts.

He’s careful to keep the focus on Jacob too, with Robbins delivering a performance to rival his very best – we're looking at you Shawshank Redemption. It all builds to a surprising crescendo you’ll probably love or hate with a passion. Either way, the film is one hell of a ride.