9. El Habitante Incierto (The Uninvited Guest) (2004)
The initial premise of this movie is fantastic: a man begrudgingly lets a stranger into his home to ostensibly make a phone call only to have them disappear- but he never saw or heard them leave. Probably the least-seen movie on this list, El Habitante Incierto is not without its problems or plot holes but that doesnt stop it from being an effectively creepy thriller. Having the protagonist be a recently-dumped and generally lonely man in a too-large house really sells the paranoia aspect of this one. He doesn't want to be alone, but then becomes totally terrified when he realizes he might not be. One of the best things about the horror genre is how it can subvert your expectations and boy does this movie succeed in that regard. The movie wildly changes directions around the midway point, allowing the audience to experience both the fear of home invasion and the fear of being caught as a home invader. This story is all about hiding people and hiding places, silhouettes in dim rooms and dark shadows under beds. While it ultimately falls a bit short in wrapping things up cleanly, there is absolutely no shortage of worthwhile moments along the way.
Joe Sippy grew up in Chicago and now resides in Los Angeles. He enjoys corn dogs, rap music, and horror movies. On weekends you can find him in the ocean, surfing very poorly.
