15 Horror Movies You Really Shouldn't Watch Alone

By Jack Pooley /

1. The Vanishing (1988)

Argos Films

Perhaps no other film in horror movie history has so convincingly depicted the terrifying banality of evil as George Sluizer's masterful Dutch suspense thriller.

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Beginning with the disappearance of a young woman, Saskia (Johanna ter Steege), the rest of the movie sees her boyfriend Rex (Gene Bervoets) driven to his wits' end attempting to track her down.

The most bold and impressive thing The Vanishing does is introduce audiences to the man responsible (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) early in the film, who turns out to be the furthest thing imaginable from a typical movie psychopath.

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What follows is a maddening and quietly devastating look at desperation, morbid curiosity and sociopathy, leading to an unforgettably chilling climax that absolutely shouldn't be spoiled.

Making a convincing case that the most monstrous members of our society could easily be living next door and operating on the quiet, The Vanishing trades jump scares and supernatural creatures for a more grounded and palpable real-life horror.

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Which of these supremely unsettling horrors have you dared to watch alone in the middle of the night? Got any other suggestions? Shout them out in the comments!