Over the years, filmmakers around the world have mastered the horror genre and produced some brilliant, terrifying cinematic experiences for horror junkies who love a good jump scare or enough gore to make them squirm. The horror genre is more popular now than ever, and it gives us a safe space to face our darkest fears in the comfort of our own home (preferably behind a pillow). There’s no doubt that exploring horror globally broadens the representation of the genre and can spark even more joy for horror fans. Here is just a small sample of some of the best international, non-English horror movies.
7 Ringu
1998’s legendary Japanese horror film Ringu is about a cursed videotape that seems to haunt and kill anyone who watches it. After seeing the grainy tape, a young journalist sets off on a mission to uncover its origins to save herself and anyone else who views it. Ringu was an extremely influential movie of its time, based off a novel from 1991 by Koji Suzuki, and the adaptation was so successful that it kicked off a surge of sequels. Ringu 2 and Ringu 0 were made in Japan, as well as the fantastic American remake, The Ring, which was followed by two sequels of its own, though nothing surpasses the uniquely dark fear of this first film.
Ringu‘s success popularized J-horror internationally and was a huge box office success, earning a Japanese Academy Award for Most Popular Film in 1999, as well as director Hideo Nakata winning four other awards for this beginning of a new wave in horror. We can largely thank Ringu for the popularity in Asian cinema (especially horror) which has developed over the past two decades.
6 The Orphanage
This Spanish-language horror classic hit theaters late 2007 and was the debut feature for Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona. The Orphanage follows Laura, who brings her husband and son, Simón, to an old orphanage in the hopes of turning it into a home for children with special needs. This movie is crawling with horror and is guaranteed to give you the shivers when, after an argument with Laura, Simón disappears and the search for him reveals some dark and disturbing secrets about the orphanage’s past.
The Orphanage is superbly atmospheric but also extremely emotional, as we watch a mother try to save her family from the nightmare she unwillingly led them into. The movie was extremely successful and won multiple Barcelona Film Awards, including Best New Director. It is part of a great wave of Spanish horror that director and producer Guillermo del Toro helped kickstart.
5 Verónica
For supernatural horror lovers, Paco Plaza’s Spanish horror movie, Veronica, is a must-watch. It was released in 2017 and instantly received amazing and terrified reviews. The film follows a teenage girl, who tries to summon spirits with a Ouija board during a solar eclipse with her friends, but in true horror film fashion, it doesn’t go to plan, and she becomes possessed. It is reported that the movie is actually loosely based on true events from the 1991 Vallecas case, where EstefanÃa Gutiérrez Lázaro mysteriously died after using a Ouija board.
When Veronica was first released to Netflix, fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the movie, with one saying that the movie was too scary to finish, and warning each other of the nail-biting experience that follows watching the film. However, despite being terrified, fans were going crazy for the movie, and it remains one of the great horror success stories of recent years.
4 Raw
Raw is a 2016 French coming of age horror film, directed by Julia Ducournau, which follows a young vegetarian girl in her first year of veterinary school. When she tastes meat for the first time, she develops a disturbing and unstoppable craving for flesh.
The film tackles some truly troubling and disturbing themes and explores the most fundamental aspects of humanity, though it also received critical acclaim for the successful blend between horror and coming-of-age teen drama. Concerning bloodlust, murder and cannibalism, as well as a tale of selfhood, identity, and the dangers and consequences of teenage independence, Raw goes to a new level of psychological and body-horror films, making it not only scary but also important. The movie was loved by fans, though also sparked controversy for its extremely graphic content.
3 Train to Busan
Horror fans will know that there have been countless brilliant zombie movies over time, though the Korean zombie flick Train to Busan, directed by Yeon Sand-ho, broke viewing records in 2016 and without a doubt created another truly horrifying take on the genre. On a fast-moving train, a zombie apocalypse breaks out in the city beyond, threatening the safety of the passengers as they try to survive and worry about their next stop.
The movie became a huge hit and garnered a worldwide box office total of $98.5 million, becoming the highest-grossing Korean film of the year. The direction and cinematography also gained positive reviews from viewers for its truly terrifying claustrophobic sequences and white-knuckle tension throughout. Train to Busan deserved all the acclaim it received, and an America remake of the now-classic zombie movie has been confirmed, titled The Last Train to New York.
2 The Devil’s Backbone
2001 Spanish horror movie The Devil’s Backbone, from the aforementioned Guillermo del Toro, is set during the civil-war and follows 12-year-old Carlos who, after his father’s execution, gets sent to an orphanage. As he makes a horrid discovery, Carlos unveils a series of tragic secrets about the school.
As Carlos tackles the supernatural terror in front of him as well as the civil unrest of his nation, the film surrounding him becomes extremely unsettling and was one of the first great horror films of this new century. Now, The Devil’s Backbone is considered a classic ghost story, which has aged well and still remains Guillermo del Toro’s best horror film.
1 Baskin
Directed by Can Evrenol, Baskin is a 2015 Turkish horror movie centering around a group of police officers as they respond to a late-night call and unintentionally wander into Hell. They find themselves in a place where they are doomed and punished for their sins in this twisted and disturbing tale with an intentionally disorienting narrative that doesn’t allow the viewer any sense of reality as they get dragged into the horror.
With terrifying scenes of sadistic torture and gory imagery, Baskin is a disgusting delight to horror fans and definitely not for those who are squeamish. The movie excels in ways that are both extremely obscure and totally grotesque, and while it’s
Read Next
About The Author
