10 Horror Films That Are Really Something Else

After the financial and critical success of The VVitch, moviegoers were eagerly looking forward to Robert Eggers' follow-up, The Lighthouse. Although fans were expecting another dreamlike horror flick, no one was ready for this.

Watching the two caretakers lose touch with reality and turn on one another leaves every scene drenched in palpable tension. And when Greek mythology, Sascha Schneider imagery, and mermaid sex is thrown into the already arcane narrative, The Lighthouse becomes its own animal.

Thanks to the avalanche of haunting visuals, it's easy to forget Eggers' creepy thriller is surprisingly funny. Not only is the comedy hilarious, these moments amplify the horror elements and heart-pumping conflicts, since they are jarringly out-of-place.

Even though the directing, editing, and cinematography is on point, Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson's tour-de-force performances serve as the the movie's anchor. Because of the actors' utter conviction, it's hard to not to be entranced by their scenes, even when they are difficult to follow.

The Lighthouse is so much more than a horror. It's a character study, a Greek tragedy, a psychological drama, and above all, a one-of-a-kind experience.