20 great horror movies that were never released in theaters

If you love both horror movies and goth rock (and, let’s be honest, that’s a Venn diagram with some serious overlap), you need to see Spellcaster. This haunted house horror is the most ’80s thing to ever happen, from the post-punk aesthetic to Adam Ant playing a demonic homeowner who challenges people to find a million-dollar check in his mansion. Unfortunately, the film’s production company went bankrupt before release, so Spellcaster limped its way onto video in 1992.

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First screened in October 2022 then released on Shudder the following May, Influencer was perfectly placed for both a world returning to tourism post-pandemic and modern Instagram culture. Cassandra Naud plays a predator who despises yet idolizes social media influencers, kidnapping them and taking their places during their travels. She quickly grows bored, however, and targets even more victims. The commentaries on the hollowness of social media and the jealousy it inspires aren’t new, but this is still a smartly constructed thriller all the same.

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Mike Flanagan has become Netflix’s go-to guy for horror, a position that began with Hush but was affirmed by his ability to adapt this “unfilmable” Stephen King story. Based on the master of horror’s 1992 novel, Gerald’s Game follows Jessie, who’s stuck handcuffed to a bed after her husband has a heart attack mid-kinky sex. Thanks to Flanagan’s tense direction and the powerhouse performance of Carla Gugino, this adaptation was a hit with viewers and critics when it was released on the streaming service in September 2017.

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A new approach to the concept of a film trilogy, Fear Street was released in three feature-length installments on Netflix during the summer of 2021. Set in 1994, 1978, and 1666, respectively, the slashers replicate their settings faithfully, with stacked soundtracks and vibrant visuals, even if some of the writing falls flat. Despite being adaptations of the R.L. Stine teen books of the same name, this series feels more like a love letter to the history of the slasher subgenre.

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Director McG is no stranger to trashy titles, from Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle to Terminator: Salvation. Netflix’s The Babysitter is no exception, yet with its meta references and gallons of blood and guts, its schlocky nature feels more like a knowing wink towards classic slashers than genuinely bad filmmaking. The dynamic performance by Samara Weaving and loads of laugh out loud one-liners affirm that this film actually knows what it’s doing. It’s too bad the sequel was legitimately terrible, though.

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Centered on creatures so horrific that even the sight of them would drive a human being mad, H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos has been deemed by many as unfilmable. But in 2005 this low-budget silent film actually brought the story to life, and did it well. Andrew Leman’s The Call Of Cthulhu is an ode to not only Lovecraft’s works, but also the dramatic style of the German expressionist movement. It’s an endearing watch, thanks to its practical sets and stop-motion creature, all captured in a dialogue-free format that Hollywood filmmakers would never dare touch nowadays.

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This British horror, which was only released theatrically in the U.K., recently found a cult following thanks to images of its central monster that were making the rounds on TikTok. That big baddie—a jötunn—definitely looks incredible, with human body parts mangled into an elk-like form to make for an uncanny valley nightmare. However, The Ritual also boasts tremendous chemistry between its leads (four friends lost in the Swedish forest) and an unrelenting, foreboding atmosphere. The Scandinavian scenery is absolutely gorgeous, as well.

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Wrong Turn 2 is still one of the biggest surprises in horror history. Although its theatrically released 2003 predecessor was a modest box office success, it failed as a tribute to ’70s cannibal thrillers, feeling cliched and sloppy. Expectations for the direct-to-DVD follow-up were low, yet it was actually a sequel with purpose. Dead End introduced a hyper-committed turn by punk legend Henry Rollins, plus a glorious overload of splattering viscera. It’s a shame none of the subsequent Wrong Turn home video sequels lived up to this one.

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Cam is far from the scariest film in the world, yet its brilliance comes in deciphering the exact meaning of what it’s trying to say. In the film, camgirl Alice discovers that she has been replaced by a doppelgänger on her online account, with how and why remaining a mystery throughout. Critics have pondered whether it’s a commentary on A.I., the social stigma around sex work, or the difference between one’s real identity and their online persona. Either way, this enigmatic gem keeps you guessing.

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Although ostensibly a primal horror, The Platform is more a criticism of trickle-down economics. It’s set in a dystopian future where prisoners in a tower block-like facility are fed by food on a descending platform. Although there’s enough for everyone, those randomly assigned to the top floors always inevitably eat more, leaving those at the bottom to starve. The film was released theatrically only in its native Spain, then distributed everywhere else on Netflix. Watch the subtitled version, not the crummy dub, for the most haunting experience.

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A joint Mexican and Peruvian production, Huesara: The Bone Woman got a theatrical release in its home countries but was denied one in the United States, instead coming out through Shudder. The film hauntingly connects the dots between the body horror genre and the real-life horrors of pregnancy. Protagonist Valeria (Natalia Solián) is having her first child, yet she’s plagued by visions and the supernatural, and the film implies she’s giving birth not for herself, but to satisfy society’s heteronormative ideals. It’s a tense, poignant, and visceral watch.

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By 2004, the Child’s Play franchise had gotten bogged down in black comedy and bizarre meta references, which caused it to be put on ice. When it was thawed out and revived in 2013, co-creator Dom Mancini directed a straight-to-DVD sequel so good that viewers complained about it not going to theaters. Curse Of Chucky re-established the franchise’s blood-soaked horror tone, before Cult Of Chucky took it in fresh, batshit directions. The subsequent revival in public interest inspired yet another Child’s Play reboot and then the Chucky TV show.

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Apostle sees director Gareth Evans jettisoning the action genre—for which he’d set a new benchmark with The Raid and its sequel—and returning home to Wales to dabble in folk horror. Obviously indebted to such ’70s masterpieces as The Wicker Man, Apostle is about a man journeying to a remote cult to save his sister. However, the film stands on its own with its gorgeous cinematography and delirious atmosphere. Dan Stevens acts his ass off as the lead, as well.

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Mike Flanagan was already on the radar of horror hounds after Oculus, but directing Hush brought the filmmaker to broader audiences when the phrase “Made by Netflix” was actually a guarantee of quality. Not only did the writer/director make a slasher before slashers became cool (again) in the late 2010s, he also injected a new twist by making the lead deaf and mute. The fact she’s also smart, a rarity among horror protagonists, seals this as a must-watch for any slasher obsessive with a Netflix account.

Creep is horror reduced to its basest elements. It’s a found-footage thriller where a videographer is hired by a California man with terminal brain cancer, ostensibly to film a vlog for his baby, who’ll be born after his death. It’s just two people and a camera, yet it’s crammed with twists. Creep 2, arguably, is even more inventive, as the same man hires a YouTuber in a plot that satirizes the internet’s desire to film the increasingly taboo in exchange for clicks.

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Host is a fusion of both timeless and nascent horrors. Famously, Rob Savage’s found-footage-ish nightmare was one of the first films to be made during the COVID-19 lockdowns: it was recorded over Zoom to depict a group of teens on a video call, hosting a seance to alleviate the boredom of being stuck in isolation during the pandemic. Although a cliched premise, it beckons both an invisible demonic force and a litany of inventive jump scares. Host was released exclusively on Shudder in July 2020.

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Despite being the feature debut of British writer/director Remi Weekes, His House demonstrated an instant mastery of the elevated horror genre. Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu star as refugees from South Sudan who’ve fled to the U.K., where they are haunted not only by supernatural goings-on but also racism and the looming threat of deportation. As a result, this horror was both scary and a poignant commentary on the treatment of immigrants. It was released exclusively on Netflix in October 2020.

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Technically, Trick ’R Treat did get a cinema release. However it wasn’t until 2022, 15 years after it was first screened and 13 years after its home video release, by which time it had amassed a cult following as the Halloweeniest flick ever. Director Michael Dougherty—who later made the Christmassy Krampus—revels in his love for the holiday in this anthology horror featuring interweaving tales taking place on Halloween night. It’s an essential watch on the spookiest day of the year.

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The direct-to-video release, the exploitation title, that microscopic budget—Castle Freak has all the hallmarks of a bottom-of-the-barrel cash grab. However, Stuart Gordon’s loose adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror is a suspenseful and shocking opus. The director reunites with Re-Animator star Jeffrey Combs, who portrays a father who’s inherited an Italian mansion. However, the thousand-year-old residence clearly has somebody else living on the grounds. The film was shot in producer Charles Band’s own castle, and it’s so transgressive you can understand why it never went to theaters.

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It’s often been said that zombie films should say more about the survivors than the undead, and Cargo poses the very human question of, “What would you do with 48 hours to live?” At the start of this Australian horror, the protagonist (Martin Freeman) is bitten and has to two days get his baby to safety in an outback strewn with zombie hordes. It’s a moving odyssey with a plethora of effective emotional beats and gorgeous cinematography that portrays the Australian wilds and indigenous cultures with utmost beauty. Although it was only released in cinemas Down Under, Cargo is available to stream. It also remains not just one of the finest zombie films to never get a wide theatrical release, but a paragon of the entire genre.

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