#host 2020

Day 18: Host (2020)

SLC Punk I Should've Gotten Him Help - newwwwusername - SLC Punk! (1998) [Archive of Our Own]

Host One Long Night - newwwwusername - Host (2020) [Archive of Our Own]

Good Boy Fear of Dogs - newwwwusername - Good Boy (2022) [Archive of Our Own]

LeapFrog: Letter Factory I'm Sorry, Little Bro - newwwwusername - LeapFrog (Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

Scream (1996) We're Criminal Masterminds! - newwwwusername - Scream (Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

Scream 2 I Can't Help but Blame Myself - newwwwusername - Scream (Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

Movie Theater Massacre At Least I'm Not Alone Up Here - newwwwusername - Movie Theater Massacre (2023) [Archive of Our Own]

Trick 'r Treat How Lucky - newwwwusername - Trick 'r Treat (2008) [Archive of Our Own]

The Kings of Summer I'm Just Biaggio - newwwwusername - The Kings of Summer (2013) [Archive of Our Own]

Scream 3 It's Just Me - newwwwusername - Scream (Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

Scream (1981) Just Too Easy - newwwwusername - Scream (1981) [Archive of Our Own]

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls I've Gotchu - newwwwusername - My Little Pony Generation 4: Equestria Girls (Cartoon 2013) [Archive of Our Own]

Companion True Happiness - newwwwusername - Companion (2025) [Archive of Our Own]

Friday the 13th Part III If Only - newwwwusername - Friday the 13th Series (Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

GOAT You Need to Take Care of This Guy - newwwwusername - Goat (Movie 2026) [Archive of Our Own]

Last year, I wrote a post about the 10 scariest movies I’d ever seen. I’ve since seen way more movies considered to be quite scary, and I have to say many of the ones on the old list I made aren’t scary to me at all these days haha. At least in comparison to many of the new and new-to-me movies I’ve seen since I made that original list. Some of them stood the test of time and remain on the updated list, but I hope you find some new recommendations. As before, this list is ranked and not definitive. Merely my opinion. Note: It has been a minute since I’ve seen some of these, so the trigger warning lists are not exhaustive.

10. Buried (2010)

Genres: Psychological, thriller

A civilian truck driver in Iraq must work against the clock to get himself out of a buried coffin with little more than a lighter and a Blackberry. 

Everything about this film is stressful. It starts stressful and doesn’t let up for the entire runtime. If you’re claustrophobic, maybe skip this one.

TW: claustrophobia

Streaming: HBO Max

9. Gaia (2021)

Genres: Horror, thriller, fantasy

A South African forestry employee takes shelter with survivalists after being attacked by mysterious creatures in the woods.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will just say I had a nightmare about plants growing out of the bottoms of my feet when I was a kid that sort of scarred me for life, and this movie plays on that fear. Admittedly, it is a personal reason why I find it so scary, but nonetheless, it is sure to make your skin crawl.

TW: body horror

Streaming: Hulu

8. See For Me (2021)

Genres: Thriller

A newly blind cat sitter is forced to rely on a seeing eye app in order to defend herself against dangerous intruders in the house she’s watching and unfamiliar with.

Home invasion is something that really gets under my skin personally, and I can’t imagine how terrifying it would be to have to navigate a situation like that while you’re losing the use of one of your senses. It’s not the best movie on this list, but it is quite tense.

TW: home invasion, violence

Streaming: Shudder

7. Last Night in Soho (2021)

Genres: Horror, thriller

A young modern fashion design student is mysteriously able to enter the life of her fashion idol, a 1960s wannabe singer through her dreams. As the student taps more into her muse, she learns not everything as it may seem.

On paper, it doesn’t necessarily sound terrifying, but it gets scarier and scarier as the story unfolds. Again, I don’t wanna spoil too much.

TW: SA, violence

Streaming: HBO Max

6. Host (2020)

Genres: Horror, found footage, supernatural

A group of friends hold a seance over Zoom to entertain themselves and spend time together during lockdown when a malicious spirit starts messing with them.

I’ll just leave what I typed for the original post: This entire film was written and produced during lockdown. Maybe that’s part of what makes it so scary. It uses one of the functions we found vital to stay connected during lockdown: Zoom chat. How terrifying would it be if you were talking to your friends over Zoom, they were being attacked, and there was nothing you could do about it? It really utilizes the format for its scares with its “less is more” mentality. 

TW: gore

Streaming: Shudder

5. The Strangers (2008)

Genres: Horror, home invasion, psychological

James takes his partner, Kristen, to the family vacation home for a relaxing weekend away that quickly sours due to random acts of harassment and violence.

The realism and arbitrary nature of the situation are what make this film terrifying.

TW: home invasion

Streaming: Nowhere rn

4. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Genres: Horror, found footage, supernatural, psychological

Three college kids head into a forest in Maryland in an attempt to make a documentary about a local cryptid for a college film course when the subject of their film takes an interest in them.

Your imagination is far scarier than anything shown on screen, but that’s what’s scary about it. You can’t see exactly what’s happening, and the confusion and uncertainty are what cause you discomfort.

TW: gore

Streaming: Hulu, HBO Max

3. Get Out (2017)

Genres: Horror, psychological

Chris goes upstate with his girlfriend for a weekend to meet her parents. Things are weird at first, which Chris perceives as racial awkwardness, but more and more disturbing discoveries begin to unravel as the weekend goes on.

This film is a disturbing reminder of how far people can, do, and would take racism. It’s also an exploration into how horrifying the loss of bodily autonomy is (a reality for some).

TW: racism

Streaming: Nowhere rn

2. The Invisible Man (2020)

Genres: Horror, thriller, scifi

Cecilia runs away from her abusive ex-partner, then soon after finds out he’s dead. Weird things start happening to her as she tries to put her life back together in the aftermath of their relationship.

Honestly, this is one of the most terrifying things as someone with mental illness, a history of being abused, and just as a woman. The camerawork is some of the best I have seen in my life. It and the music are *so* terrifying. I cannot recommend this movie enough.

TW: abuse, psych unit, self h*rm

Streaming: Nowhere rn

1. The Night House (2020)

Genres: Horror, psychological, supernatural

Beth is left alone to deal with her grief in her lakeside house after the death of her husband. Strange things begin to occur as she slowly uncovers disturbing secrets about a house he recently built.

I can’t really explain why this one freaks me out so badly. Definitely not without spoiling it, but also it scares me on a deeply existential level that I wouldn’t really be able to describe anyway, I don’t think. This might be one that you’d just have to watch and see for yourself. What scares me about this film is deeply personal. It captures a familiar desperate emptiness that I've tried so hard to hide away as my mental health has gotten better. It forces me to face something I don't want to face. But that's what makes the horror genre, dare I say it, something that can be so personal. It really is based on the life experiences we have that determine what we find to be the scariest.

TW: s*icide

Streaming: HBO Max