Skin Crawling Creepy

I love a good horror movie - but some transcend the genre conventions and turn into something much more creepy and unsettling. These are just very creepy films. 

1. Lake Mungo; Joel Anderson Click here to see trailer

I went into this film without knowing anything about it - and I suggest you do the same. This is, by far, the scariest movie I have ever seen and is so without any gore, jump frights, or over acting. It subtlety tells the story of life after death, and how a grieving family deals with the idea of this prospect. Shot as though it is a documentary makes it all the more scarier as it is so realistic and elegantly paced. 

2. The Gift; Joel Edgerten Click here to see trailer

Everyone wants to believe the mistakes they made in the past will stay there, but this film shows what happens when they come back to haunt you. Simon (Jason Bateman) bumps into an old friend, Gordo (Joel Edgerton), who although is slightly strange seems perfectly harmless at first. Gordo becomes increasingly concerning, leaving expensive gifts for Jason and his wife, and coming over uninvited. Gordo fills the audience with a sense of dread and we slowly discover why.  

3. Ex Machina; Alex Garland Click here to see trailer

This one is creepy for a different reason - more for the way it makes us think about how robotics and A.I are going and the ethics behind it. When programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is chosen to test the capabilities of a new and brilliant robot, he slowly discovers that not everything he's been told about her is the truth.

4. The Babadook; Jennifer Kent Click here to see trailer

I actually didn't enjoy this movie as a horror, but can still appreciate its well done special effects, uniqueness and comments on the human psyche. Amelia (Essie Davis) has lost her husband and is raising her strange and troubled son on her own, when she finds a creepy book about a monster called the Babadook. But the story doesn't seem to be fiction as it starts to haunt their everyday life. 

5. A Cure for Wellness; Gore Verbinski Click here to see trailer

Strange, mysterious, and very creepy, this film seems to combine the secluded setting of The Shining with the twists of Shutter Island. Young businessman Lockhart (Dane Dehaan) is sent deep into the Swiss mountains to find a CEO who has admitted himself to an unusual hospital, that seems to be sucking the life out of everyone who lives there. 

6. The Open House; Matt Angel & Suzanne Coote Click here to see trailer

Yes, this movie was terrible but, a very creepy premise all the same. Naomi (Piercey Dalton) and her son Logan (Dylan Minnette) take up residence in her sister's house which is currently on the market and holding Open Homes every weekend. After the first one, the pair start to notice strange stirrings in their home, and question the trustworthiness of the strange small-town neighbours. 

7. The Stanford Prison Experiment; Kyle Patrick Alvarez Click here to see trailer

This is the very true story of how psychologist Zimbardo (Billy Crudup) set up a highly controversial experiment based on the dynamic of guards and prisoners. Students of Stanford were the subjects and were randomly sorted into each role. The test was supposed to run for two weeks, but had to be stopped after less than one week when absolute chaos broke out and the guards began to exhibit sadistic behaviours towards their inmates. The creepy thing about this film is how easily normal people turned into monsters when given the power to. 

8. The Invitation; Karyn Kusama Click here to see trailer

This movie gives you the ultimate feeling of not knowing who to trust, and learning to listen to that niggling feeling that tells you there's a reason someone is so creepy. Will (Logan Marshall Green) and his new girlfriend are invited to his ex-wife's house for a lavish dinner party - but, the guests start to feel uncomfortable and for a good reason.