The suburbs are a common horror movie location and for good reason, as it seems like nothing terrible could happen in a charming and picture perfect development. The houses all look the same, the lawns are cut at all times, and neighbors wave to each other while grabbing their morning paper or heading out to the office or to run errands. But underneath these clean, quiet streets lurks a lot of danger and mystery.
Perhaps the greatest suburban horror movie isHalloween, the 1978 slasher that led to so many amazing films. The latest film in the franchise,Halloween Ends, also focuses on the horrors hiding within seemingly innocent Haddonfield, Illinois. These other suburban horror movies deserve just as much love.
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Ginger Snaps (2000)
Ginger Snapsis a Canadian cult horror moviethat is an excellent story about teenagers, but it isn’t as widely beloved as some others. Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins) are closer than most sisters and when Ginger gets her period and then turns into a werewolf, their bond as they know it is at stake.
Suburbia is always one of thebest horror movie settingsandGinger Snapsis set in a place where everyone loves living in identical homes and copying what their neighbors are doing. Ginger and Brigitte hate this and dream of getting out, which is why it’s so emotional and horrible when Ginger begins changing and her sister is picking up the upsetting pieces.
Disturbia (2007)
Disturbiamight be a totally cheesy horror movie, but that’s why it’s enjoyable, and it’s likely more entertaining than most fans of the genre would expect. Unlike2000s horror movies that don’t hold up,Disturbiafollows the same story as Alfred Hitchcock’sRear Windowand, therefore, feels like atimeless 2000s horror movie.
The main character, Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf), is on house arrest after assaulting his teacher, and he begins thinking that his neighbor is killing people. Whether or not audiences believe him, it’s a good storyline that plays with the idea that people can look perfect and so can a suburban area, but there can be evil hidden anywhere.
Fright Night (2011)
Fright Nightis one of thebest horror movie remakesand also an impressive suburban horror film. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) is living a quiet life in a suburban development with his mom Jane (Toni Collette) when their new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell) seems to be a vampire. Unfortunately for Charley and his family, he’s right. And even worse for Charley, Jerry knows exactly what he’s up to.
Anunderrated vampire movieand a smart examination of how neighbors can be terrifying and no one really knows who they are living next door to,Fright Nighthas a fast pace and a great main character in Charley, who is sweet and earnest and just wants his life to go back to normal.
Summer Of 84 (2018)
A common theme with horror movies that take place in suburbia is that neighbors can be at best creepy and at worst, dangerous murderers. Acoming-of-age horror moviethat is set in the suburbs,Summer of 84is a truly horrifying look at how young and helpless teenagers can feel when faced with danger. Woody Woodworth (Caleb Emery), Curtis Farraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew), Tommy “Eats” Eaton (Judah Lewis), and Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) believe that their neighbor Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer) is a serial killer.
While the teenage friends are convinced that Wayne is the Cape May Slayer, everyone else has fallen for his good looks and charm.Summer of 84does a great job showing how peaceful the suburbs can look and how sometimes, people want to believe that nothing is ever going to go wrong here. That desire can be a powerful thing and can ignore some truly dangerous truths.
Run (2020)
Runis better thanMiseryand will remind horror fans of the dark, twisted, and memorable film based on a Stephen King book. Sarah Paulson’s character, Diane Sherman, has been raising her now teenage daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen) by herself, and since Chloe has a chronic illness, Diane keeps her home most of the time, allowing her to go to school. As Chloe gets closer to high school graduation and the freedom that she’s dreaming of, the truly sinister nature of this mother/daughter relationship becomes clear.
Diane and Chloe live in an isolated, suburban area that drives home how scared Chloe should be. Diane messes with Chloe’s medication and makes it impossible for her daughter to have internet access, and it’s likely that if Chloe lived in a big city, she would have more resources at her fingertips.Runis one of thebest thrillers on Huluand has a fantastic fast pace.
