15 Obscure Horror Movies That Are Terrifyingly Good

These are obscure horror gems you've probably never heard of, but it doesn't mean they are any less terrifying.

1. Lake Mungo (2008)

Ever heard of a "mockumentary" that's not funny? Welcome to Lake Mungo. The Palmer family is grieving their daughter Alice's drowning death. But it gets weirder. They start experiencing paranormal activities around their home. Eerie photographs, unsettling videos – stuff you wouldn't want to see in broad daylight. Through a series of video footage and interviews, it's revealed Alice had secrets – like a sexual affair with a neighbor. But that's not all.

2. Session 9 (2001)

Nothing screams horror like an abandoned mental hospital. In Session 9, this asbestos cleaning crew, led by Gordon, lands a job cleaning out an old asylum. One of the workers, Mike, finds session tapes of a patient with multiple personalities. As the tapes go from Session 1 to 9, things get dark – quick. Crew members start disappearing, and in a shocking twist, it's revealed that it's not some ghostly entity behind the gruesome murders.

3. Coherence (2013)

In Coherence, eight friends gather for a dinner party on the night a comet is visible. Weird stuff starts happening. Phones crack, power cuts out, and they discover there's an identical dinner party happening in a nearby house. It turns out the comet created multiple realities. Trust is broken, identities get mixed up, and paranoia takes over as they try to stick to their original reality.

4. Triangle (2009)

Jess, a single mom, and her friends set sail on a yacht, only to get caught in a freak storm. They find an abandoned ocean liner and climb aboard. Here's when déjà vu takes on a horrifying twist. They get hunted by a masked killer, but every time Jess thinks she's died, the day resets. It's like a twisted Groundhog Day, but with a body count. Jess eventually figures out she's stuck in a loop, but can she break free?

5. The Witch in the Window (2018)

A heartwarming tale of a father and son bonding over a home renovation – only it's haunted, and all hell breaks loose. Simon and his estranged son Finn decide to flip an old Vermont home, except Lydia, the previous owner who was a witch, still 'resides' there. First, it's weird glimpses of her, then whole conversations. Eventually, Lydia tries to claim Finn as her own.

6. The Wailing (2016)

If you're into South Korean horror, then this one's a must-watch. In The Wailing, a rural village starts to unravel when a mysterious stranger shows up, and a strange illness follows. People are dying left and right, some even turning into zombie-like creatures. Police officer Jong-Goo gets on the case, but things get personal when his daughter shows symptoms. This desperate dad teams up with a shaman to exorcise whatever demon is at play.

7. The Ritual (2017)

In The Ritual, four British friends honor their dead mate by going on a hike in the Swedish wilderness. Bad idea. They stumble upon an abandoned cabin with a weird wooden idol inside, and from there, things just get spookier. They're hunted by an ancient Norse creature, which picks them off one by one.

8. Absentia (2011)

Ever wonder what happens to all those people who go missing? Absentia gives you an eerie answer you didn't want. Tricia's husband, Daniel, has been missing for seven years. Just when she's ready to declare him legally dead, her sister Callie discovers a tunnel near their home where multiple disappearances have occurred. After experiencing weird visions, Daniel suddenly returns, but he ain't normal.

9. Banshee Chapter (2013)

Based loosely on H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond, this one's for fans who dig the creepy science-gone-wrong genre. Journalist Anne investigates her friend James' disappearance after he takes an experimental drug. The drug, derived from the human pineal gland, allows people to perceive other dimensions. Cool, huh? Well, not when there are creatures in those dimensions that can now perceive you too.

10. Oculus (2013)

In Oculus, siblings Tim and Kaylie reunite to destroy a cursed mirror they believe caused their parents' deaths. Through a series of flashbacks and present-day scenes – cleverly manipulated by the mirror – it's revealed how their father killed their mother and then was killed by Tim. Now adults, they attempt to document the mirror's powers to prove Tim's innocence. Despite all their precautions, the mirror outsmarts them.

11. The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)

In The Blackcoat's Daughter, two students, Kat and Rose, are left alone at their school during winter break. Kat starts acting increasingly weird, while Rose is preoccupied with a potential pregnancy. The plot thickens as Joan, a mysterious third girl, embarks on a journey to the school. It turns out Joan is an older Kat, who had been possessed by a demon, killed her parents, and is now trying to return to the school for a demonic reunion.

12. May (2002)

Meet May, a socially awkward young woman who just wants a friend. She becomes infatuated with Adam, a local mechanic, but scares him away with her weirdness. When her childhood doll – her only "friend" – breaks, May starts to unravel. Her solution? If you can't find a friend, make one – literally. She goes on a killing spree to collect body parts and stitches together her own Frankenstein-esque pal.

13. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

A documentary crew sets out to film Deborah, an Alzheimer's patient, but soon discovers that her condition might be more supernatural than medical. She starts to exhibit strange behavior – speaking in tongues, levitating, you name it. The cause? She's possessed by a long-dead serial killer who needs to complete a ritualistic murder to gain eternal life.

14. Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass takes a weird job interview to another level in Creep. Aaron, a videographer, answers a Craigslist ad to film a man named Josef for a day. Josef claims he's dying and wants to leave a video diary for his unborn son. Sweet, right? Nah, it's weird from the get-go. As the day progresses, Josef's actions go from quirky to downright terrifying.

15. The Eyes of My Mother (2016)

Raised by a former surgeon, young Francisca witnesses her mother's brutal murder. What does she do? She imprisons the murderer in her barn and starts her own deranged experiments, of course! Flash forward, and adult Francisca is left desperately lonely after her father's death. She kidnaps a mother and child, in a futile attempt to recreate her lost family. Spoiler: it doesn't end well for anyone involved.