8 Horror Movies Twice As Terrifying On The Second Watch
These films keep the horrors coming, even after the big reveal.
Horror movies tend to fall into two categories. There are the ones you watch once and never again, whether due to disappointment, disengagement, or out of sheer unsettling unpleasantness. Whether they're the best, the worst, the most disgusting (or the most horrifying), they'll never pass your eyes again.
And then there are the ones you watch over and over again, the ones that become personal favorites. They're familiar - the cinematic equivalent of terror-filled comfort food.
But whether a film falls into the first category or the second, it's rare for a movie to grow more terrifying with additional viewings. Whether it's knowing who dies and when or having the big twist spoiled for you, few films are capable of harnessing the same emotional investment from the viewer.
This is about films with depths of horror, the ability to engross you in their story whether you know the twists or not.
But since we're discussing second viewings, we will naturally be covering first viewings, so consider this your SPOILER WARNING going forward.
8. The Eye
If you've never seen the original Cantonese version of this film - and not the hideous Jessica Alba Americanized version - then you are in for a real treat.
The concept is quite simple: a blind woman can now see after an experimental surgery, but struggles to deal with an unexpected side effect - she can also see spirits.
This is handled beautifully during the film, as the cinematography often places the viewer in the protagonist's shoes, meaning that we, like her, aren't entirely sure what she's seeing.
And in later viewings, that effect is deepened. Throughout the entire film, you see hints of faces everywhere, heightening the tension. It's almost as if the ghosts are hovering around her, waiting to be seen, which is a truly terrifying thought.
Need an example? Whether intentionally or not. As she rides the train, there's a face in the window near her, and it is never acknowledged.