10 Great Modern Horror Movies That Were Made For Next To Nothing

7. Absentia (2011)

Having been made for a reported $70,000, this one's a megabudget blockbuster by comparison with many of the other films on this list. Even so, it warrants inclusion as firm proof that, so long as you have a professional-standard cast and script, other limitations needn't be of too much concern.

Absentia is also notable as the breakthrough movie of US director Mike Flanagan, who has since hit the big time with Oculus, plus the upcoming Before I Wake and Hush. The 2011 movie set the tone for Flanagan's mainstream work - it's an intelligent and understated affair which is just as interested in presenting fully-rounded characters as building tension.

The film was partially funded via Kickstarter when the initial budget ran out. Flanagan also rewrote the script to accommodate the pregnancy of actress Courtney Bell, who portrays a woman set to declare her husband legally dead in absentia seven years after he mysteriously vanished. However, her recovering drug addict sister (Catherine Parker) comes to suspect something supernatural may be afoot.