10 Canadian Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die

This gory slasher, shot on location in the abandoned Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, was infamous for having a total of nine minutes of screen time cut by the Motion Picture Association of America, which still haven’t been fully released to this day. Originally called The Secret, it was renamed to capitalise on the recent popularity of holiday-themed horrors such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and Black Christmas.

The film has a great twist, nicely setting up psychotic Harry Warden to be the killer, after going crazy trapped in the mine, then slaughtering the supervisors who had put him and the other miners in peril. His tragic story became warped into an urban legend in the town, and it is a big surprise when the real killer is revealed.

The 3D American remake in 2009 changes the story slightly, making Harry less sympathetic as he simply comes across as an angry psychopath, whereas in 1981 his situation could be seen to have driven him to madness in a more believable way.

The cast were kept in the dark about the identity of the killer until the final scene, and the mines were incredibly difficult to film in, leading to some convincing performances made all the more realistic by the claustrophobia felt by everyone involved in the production. The film is a great example of an early horror film misdirection, with the ‘obvious’ antagonist being switched in the final act, keeping the viewer on their toes right until the end.