May I present Part 2 of my Obscure Horror movies suggestions series:
Reality Warping Reels and
Romance from the Twilight Zone
Hardcore horror movies can be a little too spicy for some viewers. That’s why I put together a list of suggestions that are more cerebral than gory, and for those of you with a zero tolerance policy for all things scary, I’ve put together a list of obscure supernatural romantic movies.
If you’re brave enough to explore the spicier side of horror check out Part 1:
Real World Horror and
Supernatural Horror
Next week, I’ll be exploring the best obscure Found Footage and Mockumentary movies so stay tuned.
Reality Warping Reels
These films screw with your head without leaving you to clean brain matter out of your drapes. They’re more like lost Twilight Zone episodes than a horror films.
A dinner party turns chaotic when a comet bridges the gap between realities and the guests confuse each other with their doppelgängers.
Who will love this: People who like movies that play out like thought experiments.
Who will loathe this: People who get hung up on the scientific plausibility of the story will miss out on a fun fantasy.
A desperate man ties his meth idled buddy to a radiator, hoping to make him quit cold turkey. He discovers recordings foreshadowing their deaths around the building where his friend’s been squatting.
Who will love this: Fans of Charlie Kaufman’s meta storytelling style where the camera points itself at the audience. People who wished the Evil Dead reboot took its addiction/recovery plot seriously.
Who will loathe this: People who want their supernatural mysteries spelled out in the end.
Applicants for the most prestigious job in the world take an entry exam where the question isn’t clear and one false move results in immediate disqualification.
Who will love this: People who are frightened by corporate culture. People who already find the hiring process to be kafkaesque. Fans of the original Cube might enjoy another dark film where strangers butt heads to solve an impossible problem.
Who will loathe this: People who get claustrophobic watching one acts. People who need a clear or likable protagonist.
A desperate woman sets up to exonerate her brother in their parent’s deaths, by proving the culprit was a mirror with the power to distort reality.
Who will love this: People who love letting a warped premise work its way into their imaginations. People who wanted an edgier version of 1408.
Who will loathe this: People who expect Hard R from their R rated horror movies. This is right on the border of being PG-13.
Side note: If you enjoyed Oculus try to get your hands on the short film it’s based on Oculus Chapter 3. It shares the same setup, but ends differently. The white room and cheap digital look actually add an edge to the atmosphere.
Romance from the Twilight Zone
If you absolutely can’t handle scares, but are open to something weird try these romantic stories on for size.
A vampire prog-rocker, on the verge of staking himself, reaches out to his estranged lover. Their reunion is cut short when their destructive progeny drops by unannounced.
Who will love this: People who like patient character studies. People curious to see just how tricky eternal love could really be.
Who will loathe this: People expecting scares from their vampires. This movie is more concerned with what it’s like for a vampire seeking meaning than what it’s like to stalked by one.
A feuding couple is sent their therapist’s summer home, only to find another reality that challenges their marriage even more.
Who will love this: People who aren’t looking to be scared, but wouldn’t mind a relationship drama with a sinister edge.
Who will loathe this: A married couple on the verge of filing for divorce. People who find dialogue driven indie movies pretentious.
A lonely washed up writer, writes a character bio that turns into a real girl. Written and starring Zoe Kazan (who makes a second appearance on this list in In Your Eyes).
Who will love this: People looking for an indie rom com that’s just edgy enough not to feel cheesy. Writers looking for the rarely decent film about writing.
Who will loathe this: People who are so sick of the manic-pixie-dream-girl trope that they can’t even bear a clever riff on it.
When an ex-con and a bored housewife hear each other’s thoughts, from across the country, they develop an connection no one in their lives can understand.
Who will love this: Viewers yearning for a romantic movie, but can’t stomach the romantic comedy formula. Fans of Joss Whedon, though his patented banter is subdued here.
Who will loathe this: People who are looking for a light romantic comedy, set in the Village in New York aren’t going to find that familiar scenery here.
I am really enjoying browsing through these three lists, thanks! Nice selection. I’d say Irish/British film The Eclipse is another movie well worthy of inclusion on the Supernatural Romance list. The human story is extremely engaging and the scares, albeit scarce, were among the very few to seriously made me jump (at the age of 27 and having seen dozens upon dozens of horror films). I reckon that might be well up your street, if you don’t already know it.