In recent years it’s hard to think of a more impactful horror film than Get Out. Starring Daniel Kaluuya and his flawless American accent, the movie was incredibly entertaining, full of whipsmart symbolism, and an excellent deconstruction of the complexities of racial politics in America, especially in a post-Obama world.
With that said, Get Out isn’t solely about race in America (although anybody acquainted with the country’s recent history around black and brown people will know that’s a horror story as gruesome as anything even the most creative minds could invent). The film also touches on being isolated by forces who seek to harm you and has its fair share of gore as well, which explains some of the inclusions on the below list. Without further ado, here’s our pick of eight horror movies like Get Out that promise to chill your very soul this spooky season!
Candyman
Although there have been some middling attempts to remake this 1992 classic, the original film remains the best of the bunch. Based on a story by Clive Barker, Candyman follows a graduate student who is writing a thesis on urban legends when she comes across the tale of Candyman, a mysterious ghoul who appears and murders anyone who says his name in front of a mirror five times in a row.
The initial belief conveyed in the film is that the creepy character was a way for impoverished residents to deal with the violence in their community. Although the supernatural creature ends up being real, it sends a strong social message about the realities of racism in America. There’s also plenty of blood and guts to go around, as well as numerous tense chase scenes.
Antebellum
Antebellum treads on the ground that will be familiar to those who love the works of Octavia E. Butler, especially her celebrated novel Kindred.
The film, which was hotly anticipated before it was released on VOD in the States in 2020, follows a woman who wakes up to find herself in the middle of a plantation, with no means of escape. With lots of brutal scenes and plenty of violence, there’s no doubt this movie will shock you, but Antebellum also does a great job of showing the throughlines between American chattel slavery and how black folks are treated in the U.S. today. While at points the film wanders, allowing viewers to slip out of its world, all in all, it’s still an entertaining watch.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Director Charlie Kaufman is known for his thought-provoking and reality-bending films, and although I’m Thinking of Ending Things is probably one of his more accessible works, it’s still a real trip from start to finish.
Explaining the plot won’t really help you decide if you’d like it or not, but if you love films that offer a creeping sense of unease as an increasingly isolated character realizes they’re in danger, then this Netflix original movie (based on a novel of the same name) should be right up your alley. Also, like Get Out, there are fantastical elements to the movie too, even though it’s marketed as more of a psychological horror than a fantasy.
Us
Jordan Peele’s sophomore directorial effort didn’t quite have the same level of success as Get Out, but it certainly is worth watching for fans of the comedian-turned-director.
The movie takes us into a world where there’s a violent race of doppelgängers, called ‘The tethered,’ who have been living underground but are now coming out en mass in an attempt to reclaim the Earth. The obvious theme here is the “othering” that goes on in American society, whether it be against people of color, the LGBTQ+ population, or those with less money. Us might not be as entertaining or accessible as Get Out, but it’s certainly on point with its social commentary.
The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives might lean more into the comedic side of dark humor than Get Out does, but there’s no doubt that this iconic film (based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Ira Levin) and Peele’s directorial debut have plenty in common. This time, though, it’s not black folks whose bodies are being used while their minds are abandoned, but women (Levin christened his book a “feminist horror”). Nicole Kidman stars as Joanna, a woman who moves to Stepford with her family only to realize things aren’t quite what they seem in this picture-perfect town.
The Wicker Man
This 1972 classic is known to many thanks to the truly awful Nic Cage remake (and the associated “not the bees” scene), but the original remains one of the best psychological horrors of all time. Like Get Out, it involves an outsider entering a community, only to discover that people he thought he may be able to trust are really all working against him, leading to terrifying consequences. Add in some cultish paganism, body horror, and an undercurrent of sexuality, and you have yourself a near-perfect horror movie.
The People Under the Stairs
As we know from the Scream franchise, Wes Craven is a master of blending comedy and horror. He manages to do it perfectly once again in this satirical horror comedy that delves into themes of inequality, racism, and the monstrous union of white supremacy, extreme religious morality, and capitalism in American society. The plot follows a thief and a child as they try to escape the house of a supposedly upstanding, wealthy, white couple, who in reality are engaged in systematic, wide-scale child abuse, and parasitic exploitation of those worst off in American society.
This critique of Reagan’s country has only grown more relevant with the passing of time, which is a sign of a smart film and well, a crumbling society.
Attack the Block
Smart, funny, and frightening in all the right places, this incredible British film follows a group of youths as they put aside their local beef to defend London against an alien attack. Starring John Boyega, Attack the Block is not only fast-paced and action-packed from start to finish, but also manages to say a lot about a demonized segment of British society, the urbanized black youth, mostly covering how those perceived to be violent have the potential to be a force for good if given the opportunity. There are also some great battle scenes, and plenty of laughs too!
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
