Gothic horror is a genre that finds its roots in literature long before the invention of film. It is characterized by its atmosphere, psychological terror, and supernatural elements against the backdrop of grand mansions to tell stories of madness, terror, and supernatural haunting. It is a cinematic space where the macabre and the elegant intertwine effortlessly; in gothic horror, the setting is always one of the main characters.
While many great gothic horror movies like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Interview with the Vampire have achieved recognition and love from the critics and the horror community, many other deserving movies have not. These are the most underrated gothic horror movies that deserve more recognition, from modern gothic horror efforts to older classics that should be a must-watch for any cinephile.
10 ‘I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House’ (2016)
Directed by Oz Perkins
Before Oz Perkins captured the world with Longlegs, he wrote and directed the slow-burn gothic horror I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. The movie follows Lily Saylor (Ruth Wilson), a live-in nurse hired to take care of Iris Blum (Paula Prentiss), an elderly, reclusive horror novelist with dementia living in a remote house. Lily starts experiencing strange events, including hearing noises and hallucinations. After discovering the rough drafts of one of Iris’ novels, she suspects it is the retelling of a real-life murder that happened in the house.
On the surface, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a haunted house horror movie. However, Perkins subverts the genre, creating an atmosphere full of dread and anticipation instead of using jump scares and scary apparitions. The movie opens with Lily telling the audience that she will die, and the slow-burn suspense Perkins crafts keeps watchers on edge, wondering when and how it will happen.
9 ‘Marrowbone’ (2017)
Directed by Sergio G. Sánchez
Marrowbone stars Mia Goth and Anya Taylor-Joy before becoming household names. In Marrowbone, Rose (Nicola Harrison) brings her four children, Jack (George MacKay), Billy (Charlie Heaton), Jane (Goth), and Sam (Matthew Stagg), to her isolated childhood estate after escaping her abusive husband. Things start well, and the children befriend local teenager Allie (Taylor-Joy). However, Rose suddenly falls ill and makes Jack promise to hide her death until he is 21 so the children won’t be separated by social services. After Rose’s death, a malevolent spirit starts haunting the house.
Marrowbone shifts between psychological horror elements and supernatural horror elements against the backdrop of an isolated, decaying estate. Marrowbone is not a straightforward haunted house movie either; instead, its plot is layered with themes of trauma, guilt, and the protective bonds of family. There is one major plot twist that is emotionally complex, sad and shocking, adding to the tragic horror of the movie.
8 ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ (2018)
Directed by Stacie Passon
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is an adaptation of Shirley Jackson‘s novel of the same name. Sisters Merricat (Taissa Farmiga) and Constance (Alexandra Daddario) and their ailing uncle Julian (Crispin Glover) are the only surviving family members of the Blackwood family after several family members died during a dinner. Due to the tragedy, the sisters and their uncle are shunned, living in isolation in their large mansion on the outskirts of the town, only visiting the town when necessary. The family’s life is disrupted when their estranged cousin Charles Blackwood (Sebastian Stan) arrives, harboring ulterior motives.
One of the most compelling aspects of the movie is how it immerses its audience in the isolated world of the Blackwoods’ mansion, both a sanctuary and prison for the family. Moreover, the characters are very complex and nuanced. Merricat is a very peculiar character who practices magic to protect her family. Her sister, Constance, is gentler but refuses to step out of the safety of the mansion due to deep fear.
7 ‘The Awakening’ (2011)
Directed by Nick Murphy
The Awakening follows Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall), a skeptical paranormal investigator and author who debunks supernatural phenomena. When Florence is approached by teacher Robert Mallory (Dominic West) to investigate the death of a student at the boarding school he works at, supposedly caused by the ghost of another student, she is dismissive. Florence eventually agrees, thinking she can easily debunk the case but experiences events she cannot explain.
Taking place in a boys’ boarding school post-World War I, The Awakening nails the gothic horror atmosphere. Moreover, The Awakening explores themes of grief, trauma, and the need for closure, using the usual scaring techniques, such as jump scares, while also relying on unnerving the audience. The Awakening‘s blend of supernatural horror elements and the characters’ inner turmoil elevates the horror.
6 ‘The Orphanage’ (2007)
Directed by J. A. Bayona
J. A. Bayona made his debut in horror with The Orphanage, which was produced by horror maestro Guillermo del Toro. It follows Laura (Belén Rueda) as she returns to the orphanage where she lived as a child with the intention of reopening it as a home for disabled children. Laura is accompanied by her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and their terminally ill adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep). Strange things start happening in the house, but Laura dismisses them until Simón disappears.
The Orphanage prioritizes the perspective of children. Once the family arrives at the orphanage, Simón makes a new group of imaginary friends who play a game of hiding things that are precious to others, eventually becoming hidden himself. The Orphanage doesn’t rely on any cheap scares, instead favoring atmospheric dread. With its decaying interior, labyrinthine corridors, and eerie lighting, the titular setting doesn’t only act as a physical place but also as a purgatory of repressed memories and unresolved childhood trauma.
5 ‘Incident in a Ghostland’ (2018)
Directed by Pascal Laugier
Pascal Laugier is not an unknown name in the horror community; he is best known for writing and directing one of the darkest horror movies ever made, but Incident in a Ghostland is a lesser-known effort. It follows Colleen (Mylène Farmer) and her teenage daughters, Beth (Emilia Jones, Crystal Reed) and Vera (Taylor Hickson, Anastasia Phillips), who move into a secluded country house they inherited from their aunt. On their first night, they are attacked by intruders, and Vera has a hard time moving on. Sixteen years later, Beth is a successful horror novelist living with her husband and son, but when she goes back home at the request of Vera, she starts to question her sanity.
Incident in a Ghostland heavily explores the theme of entrapment, a pillar of gothic horror. The movie explores physical and psychological turmoil as the characters are trapped in their minds due to their trauma. Ghostland also plays with the duality of reality and illusion, repeatedly questioning the line between them and implementing traditional elements of the gothic horror genre while putting a modern spin on them.
4 ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ (1964)
Directed by Roger Corman
The Masque of the Red Death is based on gothic horror icon Edgar Allan Poe‘s short story of the same name. The movie incorporates storylines from Poe’s story “Hop-Frog” as well and follows the Satanic and tyrannical Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), who orders the burning of a village due to the spread of a mysterious illness called The Red Death. Prospero decides to lock himself in a castle alongside his aristocratic friends to wait the plague out.
Decay is a very central theme in the movie, whether it is the literal decay of people due to illness or a moral degradation among the wealthy.
The Masque of the Red Death follows a story written by an author who shaped gothic horror in its early formation. Decay is a very central theme in the movie, whether it is the literal decay of people due to illness or a moral degradation among the wealthy, especially Prince Prospero. Moreover, there is a physical depiction of the illness in the form of a red hooded figure that haunts the village. Finally, there is a lingering sense of dread, whether because of the deadly plague or the Satanic rituals that take place.
3 ‘The Tomb of Ligeia’ (1964)
Directed by Roger Corman
The Tomb of Ligeia is another entry into Corman’s Poe anthology movie series, also starring Vincent Price. The movie opens with the funeral of Ligeia (Elizabeth Shepherd), who has told her husband, Verden Fell (Price), that she will never truly die. Devastated and obsessed with the idea that her soul still lingers, Verden secludes himself from the world in his decaying, ancient abbey. However, Fell meets and falls in love with Rowena Trevanion (Shepherd), and the two get married, only for Ligeia’s spirit to start haunting them.
The Tomb of Ligeia mixes gothic horror with romance. The movie is characterized by its central themes of death and obsession while adding supernatural elements. Ligeia’s presence is felt throughout the movie, whether through physical depictions or unexplainable events in the abbey. Unlike other movies, The Tomb of Ligeia has a central doomed tragic love between Verden and Rowena, adding a romantic layer to the horror and ever-present sense of doom.
2 ‘The Woman in Black’ (2012)
Directed by James Watkins
James Watkins’ The Woman in Black is an adaptation of Susan Hill’s eponymous novel. It stars Daniel Radcliffe and follows Arthur Kipps, a lawyer struggling with the death of his wife during childbirth. Arthur is assigned to retrieve documents left by Alice Drablow, the deceased owner of Eel Marsh House, located in a remote village. When Arthur arrives at the village, he is met with hostility from the villagers, who plead with him to leave. As Arthur begins his work at the abandoned mansion, he is haunted by visions of a woman dressed in black.
The movie takes place in the 20th century in the isolated, decaying Eel Marsh House in the remote village of Crythin Gifford, haunted by an atmosphere of dread and melancholy, elevated by the dark, muted color palette. Most importantly, the movie explores themes of grief and loss, whether it’s Arthur’s struggles or the curse that haunts the Woman in Black and leads to her status as a specter. Although far from perfect, The Woman in Black is guaranteed to terrify Its audience.
1 ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ (1945)
Directed by Albert Lewin
Oscar Wilde‘s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of the most popular gothic literature novels ever and has been adapted multiple times. Albert Lewin‘s 1945 adaptation of the novel is considered the best to date despite multiple differences between the movie and the source material. The Picture of Dorian Gray follows young Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield), who wishes to remain youthful while his portrait ages and carries the burden of his sins. Gray indulges in a life of moral decay, causing his portrait to become a grotesque depiction of his soul.
Masterful in its achievement to depict such complex issues,
The Picture of Dorian Grey
does justice to its seminal source material.
Set in Victorian London, The Picture of Dorian Gray explores its titular character’s descent into moral decay due to his lack of conscience. One of the best movies about doppelgänger, it employs the use of duality between Dorian’s very beautiful appearance and his very corrupt soul reflected in his portrait. Masterful in its achievement to depict such complex issues, The Picture of Dorian Grey does justice to its seminal source material, cementing its place as a triumphant yet criminally underappreciated gothic horror.
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