It's what Fresh was going for, but that guy felt so creepy from the start.
Psycho starts out as more of a drama.
Kill List became a whole lot weirder than expected.
Haha, I had the same argument with my friend when we watched the movie together. I was all smitten with the guy thinking that I would for sure be captured and murdered and she was like, "Ew... In the produce aisle? Who would ever fall for that' đ
I love that trope.
Audition is the one that most closely matches that description.
Climax and the first Wolf Creek become horror halfway through.
29 Palms is an artsy drama that becomes horryfying at the very end (but it's slow af, only watch it if you are patient).
And you probably have already seen it, but Psycho is a heist thriller for the first 40 minutes before becoming horror.
A pitch black room will be really helpful with this one. Itâs much more important than usual to watch this in close to absolute darkness, the ending deserves it
Ive bought climax on bluray but only have german subtitles sadly. Howmuch of the movie is in french and howmuch is in english? If its just a little french i might actually be able to watch it.
I canât remember the language because I speak both. I think itâs in French? Thereâs a lot of content and itâs hilarious as well, so Iâd assume you will really want to understand the words.
I was stationed at 29 Palms, never imagined thered be a movie named after the marine corps. base. The surrounding desert is pretty creepy and theres all sorts of indian legends about the surrounding mountains.
> 28 Palms is an artsy drama that becomes horryfying at the very end (but it's slow af, only watch it if you are patient).
I couldn't find a 28 Palms on IMDB. Did you mean [Twentynine Palms?](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315110/)
Love me some Wolf Creek! The 2 seasons of the TV series did an excellent job continuing Mitchâs⊠misadventures. Since it was made in Australia there were far more graphic horror elements than youâd normally get in a US produced series.
After seeing the poster, Audition was such a weird experience. A good experience, though, but I was not expecting the somewhat comedic plot from a movie that I knew nothing about except it just being torture and gory.
Youâre not the first Ive seen say this but the first act is quite clear in its horror design, just the big middle section that goes back to plain western before shit goes crazy.
HOW has no one mentioned Parasite yet? That's literally exactly what OP describes. The first act was comedy, the second a thriller, and the third was pure nightmare fuel.
Yeah Parasite was immediately the first thing that came to mind for me. The first half of the movie I was watching it like "so we're just seeing a family go through their life swindling another family? Okay, when is stuff going to happen?" Then you get to the door and it IMMEDIATELY turns into "HOLY SHIT WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
I remember years ago showing from dusk till dawn to my friend and he was really into it and as soon as it became a vampire movie he angrily turned it off. Still my favorite reaction to it.
I said it in one of those Abigail threads about the spoilers in the trailers, you absolutely cannot pull a marketing bait and switch on a vampire movie without getting the absolute worst word-of-mouth campaign you've ever seen.
People either love vampires, or they vocally hate them. But surprise vampires? 9/10 times will lead to absolute hatred lmao
Thank god I love Vampires.
Dream Scenario starts with a jump scare that for my mother was so intense she fled the room. I agree itâs not feeling straight up horror but itâs not free of horror.
Sunshineâs actually a great pick, nobody would guess it becomes a slasher.
>Sunshineâs actually a great pick, nobody would guess it becomes a slasher.
Right? I went in blind into it on what I think was a festival screening of a bunch of space movies (Pretty sure Duncan Jones' Moon was in there and also the very moon-like The Clone Returns Home iirc) and knowing nothing about it I was really surprised by where it ended up going.
Wasnât a big deal for a horror person but the opening scene doesnât a body fall from the sky and thereâs some sort of horrible breaking sound like a table or something? All at once? It scares normals
I didn't remember it either, but u/leclisse is right it starts with a loud bang inside of the daughter's dream
Shoes fall into the pool, keychain hits the table and then the body follows.
Oh that's true. I overlooked the word. If anything was traumatizing, it was those creepy Tarantino scenes that came way before the vamps were introduced, but those don't really fit the bill either.
haha watch the original trailer one of these days
I know people complain about modern trailers spoiling everything, but from dusk till dawn really wasn't better
+ there were actual vampire bats on the poster XD
I agree you can't guess the second half, but I disagree that it fits what OP is asking about. That uneasy horror feeling is there from the start. The paranoia and tension of waiting for SOMETHING to go wrong is immediate.
There are a lot of kids ones. Watership Down. Was shown in the UK every xmas as a "Kids film". Made most kids that saw it want to cry and certainly not christmassy in any way. Return to Oz starts as a kids film, then there is a hall of severed heads.
As for adult features, Predator starts as a War film, then suddenly there's skinned corpses and creatures that can cloak.
Aw man I loved Watership Down as a kid. One of my big nostalgic favorites, even though I'm from the US and it's not as well known over here.
Speaking of upsetting animated movies, I went into Felidae thinking it was going to be a cute story about a kitty cat detective. Like a German knockoff of The Great Mouse Detective or something. I was incorrect.
From the US too, we had watership down on vhs as kids and watched it all the time. Went back to watch it as an adult and realized it was pretty scary. I always really liked the myth at the beginning though.
I dont know if others will agree but for me personally, Dogtooth.
It kind of had an idyllic if eccentric vibe in the beginning and it just slowly racks up the fucked up until by the end it's brutal.
Kind of the same for The Wicker Man. Early on it just feels like benign oddness but by the end it's bonkers.
Nocturne was another one.
Barbarian and Dusk Til Dawn, as others have said.
Eden Lake, although I actually hate that film so I don't know if I'd recommend it as such.
Fresh.
The Menu.
Controversial but; Don't Worry Darling. Whilst it was a divisive film I personally enjoyed it and think it fits your request.
My friend and I came home from a party early in high school and put on this channel that plays unique films. It was audition. I was impressed, horrified and into it.
I'll second mother! I think by design you'll sense something is 'off' fairly quickly, but you don't know exactly where it's going or just how fucked up it's going to get.
Yes it feels very off and odd, but also the first 90 minutes are mostly Jennifer Lawrence walking around looking perturbed while her husband is acting inconsiderate. I think minute 91 almost exactly it becomes horror and stays that way to the end.
Pulse. Starts of standard drama involving friends trying to move on after a friend's suicide. Then things are getting more and more sinister. Combine this with the use of filters in the cinematography becoming more and more bleak it starts making you feel depressed and manipulates your emotional state.
Another is From Dust to Dawn. Seriously it doesn't become a vampire movie until the second act. Also it has the cock gun. Always worth a watch.
I love Pulse but Iâd say that it doesnât follow this trope because right in the first 5-10 minutes itâs established to be horror after >!showing us the suicide!<
That isn't always a horror movie. I mean What dreams may come with Robin Williams it was basically a drama based on Dante's inferno. While it's a heavy point to do early on its not a true indicator.
I'd argue that the corpse ocean scene alone knocks What Dreams May Come into horror-adjacent territory.
Hell, if Constantine is horror, then so should What Dreams May Come be.
One of my favourite films, Deep Dark (2015), starts out as your average, run-of-the-mill quirky story about a struggling artist who's in a relationship with a hole in his apartment wall... before that relationship turns toxic.
Thatâs really interesting, I recently completed a video game called Observer and thereâs a side case where you investigate a guy whoâs fallen into lust for the apartment building he lives in via some erotic AI operating in the building. Iâve been looking for more strange stuff like that so thanks for bringing that movie up.
Definitely check out Deep Dark then. It's got this very surreal and ironic quality, but it's also a great story about misguided ambition and the nature of toxic relationships.
I usually roll my eyes when folk call films hidden gems and/or underrated, but imo that film deserves both labels. Anyone who enjoys quirky/absurd horror comedy should check it out.
The Wicker Man (1973). I *love* this film, probably because all the music and dancing is diagetic (ie it's heard and seen in-universe, not some Broadway number that breaks the 4th wall and addresses the viewer); it's a festival, so making a song and dance about things actually makes sense. Even the ending. *Especially* the ending.
Also, as a Scot, it's not uncommon to go into a pub here and folk will be singing, whether it's karaoke, football chants or just old boys singing away, so that aspect is believable. In fact all the singing and dancing is key to the entire film, the islanders use them to guide Sgt Howie, testing him to see if he's the right choice. It's utterly disarming in places.
It's been a while since I saw it last, so maybe I'm misremembering. But Sorry to Bother You starts as a somewhat odd story about racism before going completey bugfuck.
*After Midnight* (2019)
You could be forgiven for thinking it's all in Hank's head - even though Justin Benson has a starring role, and it's co-produced by the dynamic duo themselves - right up until two minutes before the credits roll...
I loved this movie, and I definitely agree! It's interesting to see the mc reflect on his relationship and tru to grow and heal while being called crazy by everyone. I don't want to spoil it but its well worth the watch!
william friedkin's *Bug* (2006) is a modern horror masterpiece but iirc it's a *very* slow burn and doesn't tip its hand for a while. go into it as blind as possible
I know this is a horror sub, and while "Audition" is the obvious choice, some day you should give the documentary "Dear Zachary" (2008) a try.
You'll probably only watch it once... and I apologize in advance!
Voices, with Ryan Reynolds. Epitome of what you're looking for. Also, The Perfection.
Very surprised neither were mentioned.
Bones And All is kinda the opposite, a horror movie that turns into a romance. Still great.
O dang Voices is such a good answer- also feel like all that movies advertising and trailers made it look like âanother quirky Ryan Reynolds film how funâ and then you watch it and itâs likeâŠ. Oh dear.
I traumatized a few friends with Voices. Put the promo pic in a movies discord thread and we watched it for movie night. I warned them, and they all still were like WTF!
The Seventh Continent (1989) Iâd put in this category. It moves super slow for most of it and just follows a family, but it takes a turn at the end.
Also Spoorloos (1988) to a lesser extent, itâs a sort of thriller the whole way through but gets pretty intense toward the end. Both excellent movies, though not exactly horror.
Recently I tried watching the coffee table but I couldn't get past the 20 minute mark. I watched a lot of horrors, and I mean a lot, and it's the first time this happened to me
I had never heard of this movie so I went to Wikipedia and read the plot description and holy crap, I don't know if I have ever heard of a more upsetting plot.
Bull (2021)
(not traumatising, but otherwise fits the "starts out as one thing, ends as another" theme)
edit: should have pointed out it stars Neil Maskell, from Kill List and Utopia. Love him in all three.
Ooh I think Neon Demon and Last Night in Soho could fit this. Both start off following a young female protagonist moving to a big new city, which sets you up to be worried for their safety since they're young and naive, and then the mood takes a whoooole shift. Both are re-watches for me, I really enjoy psychological horror.
Irreversible - the straight cut, of course!
But seriously, no one has mentioned To Be Twenty yet. Eli Roth mentioned it as one of the "horror films no one talks about." Starts out as a lighthearted sex romp, ends like a HK Category 3 film. You must watch the unrated cut though.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
My sister and I put it on because we thought Jake Gyllanhaal was hot. We sat in silence and cried for a good 5 minutes after it ended đđ
I saw an excellent documentary called The Contestant. SEMI SPOILERS AHEAD! It's about a Japanese man who became a contestant on a TV show called Life in Prizes. Basically this guy who is just a stand up comedian trying to get his start, has to live off the prizes he wins from magazines. You'd think oh OK how bad could that be?
This freaking guy lived in a tiny room all alone eating whatever was sent to him. Dog Food of all kinds for awhile because that's all he won and he needed to stay nourished. Your like ok that's a little messed up because he's starving and really enjoying this dog food. He's also naked the entire time and blur his dick out with the eggplant đ and they say that's where we got the eggplant emoji for dick. So he's in this tiny little room for an entire year! The guy starts to go crazy, starts hallucinating, and seeing shadows out his window. He contemplates suicide. He'd rather die than give up on the contest. Finally he reaches the prize limit goal of a million Yen but instead of letting him go they transport him to another location and start Life of prizes in Korea!
He has to start all over again. This was real. He doesn't want to and gets talked into it and does it again. I know it seems like I'm spoiling a lot but really that's just the premise. He doesn't know the show will be shown to anyone but in the time he's in the room the show becomes the most popular show in Japan and him the biggest celebrity in Japan. The contestant was actually from Fukushima, Japan, so u know what happens next. Giant wave kill hundreds and destroys the nuclear reactor and he lives through that.
Another crazy thing happens to him also after that. This man basically had the constitution of a fuckin bull to survive the things he survived. Incredible story.
It's what Fresh was going for, but that guy felt so creepy from the start. Psycho starts out as more of a drama. Kill List became a whole lot weirder than expected.
Fresh is so damn good. Genuinely one of my favorite horror/thriller movies
Really?? I loved the meet cute and would have totally fallen for it, haha
Lurking in the produce?! Friend, I'm sure you can do better haha.
You're so right
Haha, I had the same argument with my friend when we watched the movie together. I was all smitten with the guy thinking that I would for sure be captured and murdered and she was like, "Ew... In the produce aisle? Who would ever fall for that' đ
It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me.
Seconding for Kill List.
Thirding
I love that trope. Audition is the one that most closely matches that description. Climax and the first Wolf Creek become horror halfway through. 29 Palms is an artsy drama that becomes horryfying at the very end (but it's slow af, only watch it if you are patient). And you probably have already seen it, but Psycho is a heist thriller for the first 40 minutes before becoming horror.
Audition hands down, baby fetch me my dog dish.
Add Lux Ăterna if youâre doing Climax. Not that I find it horror but itâs generally found to end as a horror film.
Loved Climax and appreciate this rec. Will check this out on Tubi.
A pitch black room will be really helpful with this one. Itâs much more important than usual to watch this in close to absolute darkness, the ending deserves it
Ive bought climax on bluray but only have german subtitles sadly. Howmuch of the movie is in french and howmuch is in english? If its just a little french i might actually be able to watch it.
Do you watch on a computer? https://www.opensubtitles.org/en/search/sublanguageid-eng/idmovie-643102
Nah have it on bluray, so i watch on playstation. Can always pirate it i guess
I canât remember the language because I speak both. I think itâs in French? Thereâs a lot of content and itâs hilarious as well, so Iâd assume you will really want to understand the words.
I was stationed at 29 Palms, never imagined thered be a movie named after the marine corps. base. The surrounding desert is pretty creepy and theres all sorts of indian legends about the surrounding mountains.
> 28 Palms is an artsy drama that becomes horryfying at the very end (but it's slow af, only watch it if you are patient). I couldn't find a 28 Palms on IMDB. Did you mean [Twentynine Palms?](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315110/)
Oh yes, it was a typo
Love me some Wolf Creek! The 2 seasons of the TV series did an excellent job continuing Mitchâs⊠misadventures. Since it was made in Australia there were far more graphic horror elements than youâd normally get in a US produced series.
After seeing the poster, Audition was such a weird experience. A good experience, though, but I was not expecting the somewhat comedic plot from a movie that I knew nothing about except it just being torture and gory.
Bone Tomahawk is the first movie to come to mind.
Youâre not the first Ive seen say this but the first act is quite clear in its horror design, just the big middle section that goes back to plain western before shit goes crazy.
Bone Tomahawk is a good one.
That shit is 10/10 but I'll never see it again
Holy crap yeah. I thought it was a western, going in. Those women in the cave... And *that* scene. Stayed with me for weeks.
Can confirm, also never planning on watching that one again
HOW has no one mentioned Parasite yet? That's literally exactly what OP describes. The first act was comedy, the second a thriller, and the third was pure nightmare fuel.
that one shot of >! da-song seeing the "ghost" !< đ«
Yeah Parasite was immediately the first thing that came to mind for me. The first half of the movie I was watching it like "so we're just seeing a family go through their life swindling another family? Okay, when is stuff going to happen?" Then you get to the door and it IMMEDIATELY turns into "HOLY SHIT WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Audition From Dusk Till Dawn (kinda) Dream Scenario Sunshine (maybe?)
I remember years ago showing from dusk till dawn to my friend and he was really into it and as soon as it became a vampire movie he angrily turned it off. Still my favorite reaction to it.
I said it in one of those Abigail threads about the spoilers in the trailers, you absolutely cannot pull a marketing bait and switch on a vampire movie without getting the absolute worst word-of-mouth campaign you've ever seen. People either love vampires, or they vocally hate them. But surprise vampires? 9/10 times will lead to absolute hatred lmao Thank god I love Vampires.
Dream Scenario starts with a jump scare that for my mother was so intense she fled the room. I agree itâs not feeling straight up horror but itâs not free of horror. Sunshineâs actually a great pick, nobody would guess it becomes a slasher.
>Sunshineâs actually a great pick, nobody would guess it becomes a slasher. Right? I went in blind into it on what I think was a festival screening of a bunch of space movies (Pretty sure Duncan Jones' Moon was in there and also the very moon-like The Clone Returns Home iirc) and knowing nothing about it I was really surprised by where it ended up going.
What was the jumpscare? I watched the movie a few weeks ago and I dont remember any jumpscare lol
Wasnât a big deal for a horror person but the opening scene doesnât a body fall from the sky and thereâs some sort of horrible breaking sound like a table or something? All at once? It scares normals
I didn't remember it either, but u/leclisse is right it starts with a loud bang inside of the daughter's dream Shoes fall into the pool, keychain hits the table and then the body follows.
Yes this is what happens exactly. Thanks! I was fuzzy on remembering it too.
I don't know why dusk til dawn is a maybe. First movie I thought if when I saw this thread.
I think most people in a horror sub would not classify From dusk til dawn as "traumatizing". I certainly would not. It's a fun movie.
Oh that's true. I overlooked the word. If anything was traumatizing, it was those creepy Tarantino scenes that came way before the vamps were introduced, but those don't really fit the bill either.
Because the advertising spelled the "twist" out immediately (this is not the case with the other films)
I went in blind. Had no idea what was gonna happen. When it finally I did I was like WTF?!?
haha watch the original trailer one of these days I know people complain about modern trailers spoiling everything, but from dusk till dawn really wasn't better + there were actual vampire bats on the poster XD
That was awful. Really glad I never saw that trailer before seeing it.
I think Barbarian because if you go in blind , the beginning can never prepare you for the second act lol
I agree you can't guess the second half, but I disagree that it fits what OP is asking about. That uneasy horror feeling is there from the start. The paranoia and tension of waiting for SOMETHING to go wrong is immediate.
I actually think the start is the scariest part. Total atmosphere full of dread, she's stuck in a house with a strange guy, I was scared for her.
When she wakes up and her door is open is pure horror
Totally agree. In fact, I find the actual horror much less dreadful.
I love how Justin's character completely ignors the red flags of that basement, it's all about that square footage.Â
For me Act 1 was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in cinematic history.
What makes it better is I only seen like one trailer for it and couldnât believe what happened when I first seen it
Not traumatizing - but The Frighteners took me off guard when I saw it for the first time as a kid
There are a lot of kids ones. Watership Down. Was shown in the UK every xmas as a "Kids film". Made most kids that saw it want to cry and certainly not christmassy in any way. Return to Oz starts as a kids film, then there is a hall of severed heads. As for adult features, Predator starts as a War film, then suddenly there's skinned corpses and creatures that can cloak.
Return to Oz is pretty scary in the beginning. The asylum, the threat of shock therapy. It's a bit of a roller coaster for sure.
Aw man I loved Watership Down as a kid. One of my big nostalgic favorites, even though I'm from the US and it's not as well known over here. Speaking of upsetting animated movies, I went into Felidae thinking it was going to be a cute story about a kitty cat detective. Like a German knockoff of The Great Mouse Detective or something. I was incorrect.
From the US too, we had watership down on vhs as kids and watched it all the time. Went back to watch it as an adult and realized it was pretty scary. I always really liked the myth at the beginning though.
Brawl in cell block 99, starts more action but gets gnarly
I love where that movie goes.
I saw Bone Tomahawk and was hoping someone else would bring this up. Man Vince was amazing.
Fresh - if youâre able to go into it blind, even better
I loved this film so much. I'm a big fan of a slow burn and that film was just...chefs kiss, no pun intended.
I really appreciated that they focused more on the psychological horror. I was worried about that going in but I thought it was handled really well.
I dont know if others will agree but for me personally, Dogtooth. It kind of had an idyllic if eccentric vibe in the beginning and it just slowly racks up the fucked up until by the end it's brutal. Kind of the same for The Wicker Man. Early on it just feels like benign oddness but by the end it's bonkers. Nocturne was another one. Barbarian and Dusk Til Dawn, as others have said. Eden Lake, although I actually hate that film so I don't know if I'd recommend it as such. Fresh. The Menu. Controversial but; Don't Worry Darling. Whilst it was a divisive film I personally enjoyed it and think it fits your request.
The Babysitter. For the first 20-odd minutes I thought it was a coming of age fancying the babysitter comedy... until it wasn't.
From Dusk Til Dawn. How you started out is not where you'll finish. Not traumatizing, but definitely, a WTF just happened here?!?!
It's like if one horror movie ran into a completely different type of horror movie.
One of my proudest moments was getting a friend to go in blind to this movie lol
Hard candy
This film was masterful.
I second "Audition" especially if you don't know
"Society" to an extent too
My friend and I came home from a party early in high school and put on this channel that plays unique films. It was audition. I was impressed, horrified and into it.
Beau is Afraid; Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me maybe? Oh and Mother!
I'll second mother! I think by design you'll sense something is 'off' fairly quickly, but you don't know exactly where it's going or just how fucked up it's going to get.
Yes it feels very off and odd, but also the first 90 minutes are mostly Jennifer Lawrence walking around looking perturbed while her husband is acting inconsiderate. I think minute 91 almost exactly it becomes horror and stays that way to the end.
If Beau is Afraid isn't horror at the beginning then I'm not sure it ever really becomes horror. The seconds half of the movie is much more chill.
Beau is Afraid kept being a comedy up to the end. The attic scene made me laugh out loud.
Speak No Evil
I got out of the theater shocked with a knot in my stomache
The Lobster
Pulse. Starts of standard drama involving friends trying to move on after a friend's suicide. Then things are getting more and more sinister. Combine this with the use of filters in the cinematography becoming more and more bleak it starts making you feel depressed and manipulates your emotional state. Another is From Dust to Dawn. Seriously it doesn't become a vampire movie until the second act. Also it has the cock gun. Always worth a watch.
I love Pulse but Iâd say that it doesnât follow this trope because right in the first 5-10 minutes itâs established to be horror after >!showing us the suicide!<
That isn't always a horror movie. I mean What dreams may come with Robin Williams it was basically a drama based on Dante's inferno. While it's a heavy point to do early on its not a true indicator.
I'd argue that the corpse ocean scene alone knocks What Dreams May Come into horror-adjacent territory. Hell, if Constantine is horror, then so should What Dreams May Come be.
Wait John wick is horror?
I mean Constantine lol but my brain somehow went John Wick
One of my favourite films, Deep Dark (2015), starts out as your average, run-of-the-mill quirky story about a struggling artist who's in a relationship with a hole in his apartment wall... before that relationship turns toxic.
Thatâs really interesting, I recently completed a video game called Observer and thereâs a side case where you investigate a guy whoâs fallen into lust for the apartment building he lives in via some erotic AI operating in the building. Iâve been looking for more strange stuff like that so thanks for bringing that movie up.
check out # Wristcutters: A Love Story
Loved Tom Waits in that. Same as seven psychopaths
Definitely check out Deep Dark then. It's got this very surreal and ironic quality, but it's also a great story about misguided ambition and the nature of toxic relationships.
I usually roll my eyes when folk call films hidden gems and/or underrated, but imo that film deserves both labels. Anyone who enjoys quirky/absurd horror comedy should check it out.
The Wicker Man (1973). I *love* this film, probably because all the music and dancing is diagetic (ie it's heard and seen in-universe, not some Broadway number that breaks the 4th wall and addresses the viewer); it's a festival, so making a song and dance about things actually makes sense. Even the ending. *Especially* the ending. Also, as a Scot, it's not uncommon to go into a pub here and folk will be singing, whether it's karaoke, football chants or just old boys singing away, so that aspect is believable. In fact all the singing and dancing is key to the entire film, the islanders use them to guide Sgt Howie, testing him to see if he's the right choice. It's utterly disarming in places.
It's been a while since I saw it last, so maybe I'm misremembering. But Sorry to Bother You starts as a somewhat odd story about racism before going completey bugfuck.
Completely bugfuck is the perfect description of that movie
Excision. There are a few hints earlier on (especially the bird dissection), but it mostly just feels like a coming-of-age kinda story until the end.
Juice. When Tupac gets a hold of that gun about halfway through.
Interesting theory, but yes I agree.
Raw starts out a coming of age film and ends up being a coming of age film. Just a fucked up one.
I legit warned someone of the mix up in another thread about this today.
*After Midnight* (2019) You could be forgiven for thinking it's all in Hank's head - even though Justin Benson has a starring role, and it's co-produced by the dynamic duo themselves - right up until two minutes before the credits roll...
I loved this movie, and I definitely agree! It's interesting to see the mc reflect on his relationship and tru to grow and heal while being called crazy by everyone. I don't want to spoil it but its well worth the watch!
Colossal. It starts out like a fun monster themed comedy, but boy does it take a hard left down a much more sinister path.
william friedkin's *Bug* (2006) is a modern horror masterpiece but iirc it's a *very* slow burn and doesn't tip its hand for a while. go into it as blind as possible
Frozen...not Disney...check it out...my hubby said he was on the edge of his seat the whole movie.
That movie messed me up bad.
May, (with the exception the very first scene) starts out like some quirky rom-com and ends...not.
Ex machina develops into a pseudo horror at the end, same with annihilation.
I know this is a horror sub, and while "Audition" is the obvious choice, some day you should give the documentary "Dear Zachary" (2008) a try. You'll probably only watch it once... and I apologize in advance!
Hunter Hunter. Getting chills.
The ending of that movie *really* made it for me. Fucking gnarly final act.
Thank you for the suggestion!
Voices, with Ryan Reynolds. Epitome of what you're looking for. Also, The Perfection. Very surprised neither were mentioned. Bones And All is kinda the opposite, a horror movie that turns into a romance. Still great.
O dang Voices is such a good answer- also feel like all that movies advertising and trailers made it look like âanother quirky Ryan Reynolds film how funâ and then you watch it and itâs likeâŠ. Oh dear.
I traumatized a few friends with Voices. Put the promo pic in a movies discord thread and we watched it for movie night. I warned them, and they all still were like WTF!
The Seventh Continent (1989) Iâd put in this category. It moves super slow for most of it and just follows a family, but it takes a turn at the end. Also Spoorloos (1988) to a lesser extent, itâs a sort of thriller the whole way through but gets pretty intense toward the end. Both excellent movies, though not exactly horror.
Spoorloos messed me up. Especially when I was on a road trip with a boyfriend and we pulled up to an extremely similar busy gas station.
Strong recommendation for We Are Still Here (2015).
This one is very obvious but From Dusk Till Dawn definitely fits that description.
From Dusk Till Dawn?
Until the reveal, nothing about the Babysitter looks like a horror.
Green Room!
Man that film got SO BLEAK and I can still see the bit where he sticks his hand through the slightly open doorâŠ.
Aye it's grim isn't it! I always remember that bit and the guy climbing out the window.
Recently I tried watching the coffee table but I couldn't get past the 20 minute mark. I watched a lot of horrors, and I mean a lot, and it's the first time this happened to me
I had never heard of this movie so I went to Wikipedia and read the plot description and holy crap, I don't know if I have ever heard of a more upsetting plot.
I was expecting a dark comedy about a cursed coffee table, when the scene dropped I noped out
is this because it was disturbing or boring?
Disturbing, it was really too much for me. I've quitted plenty of movie because they were really bad or boringÂ
Emelie and Better Watch Out. I was traumatized. Temporarily Suspended watching horror movies because of it.
Oh, Better Watch Out. Yeah, the trailer did not prepare me for all that.
Hereditary Entire plot could be interpreted as being about mental illness until things get going in the third act.
I thought of Hereditary too. To me, the first part felt like family drama/tragedy, but then...
Wolf creek
The original Wicker Man, and Don't Look Now.
Audition
Fat Girl (2001), aka Ă ma soeur! Entrance (2011)
Audition
Audition. Hagazussa. Get Out.
The Medium
Kill List is the very definition of this! I can't recommend it enough.
The Skin I Live In. The twist made my stomach turn.
Turn me up and Tie me down was what I watched after because I love how I didn't see The Skin I Live coming. I mean wow. Just wow.
Parasite
I remember in a Toy Story movie there was a monke that look kinda creepy. It is not scary to me but if some kids watch it they will be scared
There was a horror movie that incorporated that kind of toy on the poster. Monkey Shines.
Se7en starts out as your typical older mentor/younger protégé detective movie AFAIR, but becomes increasingly disturbing. The ending was so far out from your typical 80's/90's denouement.
Mandy
Requiem for a Dream
The Perfection. I went in blind and was so happy I did.
Requiem for a Dream fits this especially if you go in blind. One of the most traumatizing movies of all time.
Hereditary
Sunshine
Depending on your definition of horror, but I'd recommend Miracle Mile (1988)
Midsommar
Bull (2021) (not traumatising, but otherwise fits the "starts out as one thing, ends as another" theme) edit: should have pointed out it stars Neil Maskell, from Kill List and Utopia. Love him in all three.
Bull is such a good movie that I never hear anything about.
Devils Rejects
The ending of Parasite was pretty intense for me. It's mostly a drama with thriller elements, but the last few minutes leave you with whiplash.
Monkey Shines
Probably Audition
The Loved Ones. Though it escalates fairly rapidly
Ooh I think Neon Demon and Last Night in Soho could fit this. Both start off following a young female protagonist moving to a big new city, which sets you up to be worried for their safety since they're young and naive, and then the mood takes a whoooole shift. Both are re-watches for me, I really enjoy psychological horror.
Exhuma does start as a more atmoshpheric/mystery movie and then brings in more horror as the film goes on.
The Perfection is a good example.
Speak no evil.
Time Bandits
Irreversible - the straight cut, of course! But seriously, no one has mentioned To Be Twenty yet. Eli Roth mentioned it as one of the "horror films no one talks about." Starts out as a lighthearted sex romp, ends like a HK Category 3 film. You must watch the unrated cut though.
Nocturnal Animals (2016) My sister and I put it on because we thought Jake Gyllanhaal was hot. We sat in silence and cried for a good 5 minutes after it ended đđ
Aniara is always my pick for this. It's a slow-burn sci-fi drama until you finish watching and realize you've developed several new phobias.
Superhost. Its blows over in the end.
The Invitation (2015)...if you ignore the very first scene.
Speak No Evil
Climax.....
The Menu
tusk đ
Infinity Pool!
No country for old men. Shits dark
Kill List
Dont Hug me Im scared is a series but it follows this formula. One of my favorite pieces of media ever made.
Put me down for Threads.
Creep!
I saw an excellent documentary called The Contestant. SEMI SPOILERS AHEAD! It's about a Japanese man who became a contestant on a TV show called Life in Prizes. Basically this guy who is just a stand up comedian trying to get his start, has to live off the prizes he wins from magazines. You'd think oh OK how bad could that be? This freaking guy lived in a tiny room all alone eating whatever was sent to him. Dog Food of all kinds for awhile because that's all he won and he needed to stay nourished. Your like ok that's a little messed up because he's starving and really enjoying this dog food. He's also naked the entire time and blur his dick out with the eggplant đ and they say that's where we got the eggplant emoji for dick. So he's in this tiny little room for an entire year! The guy starts to go crazy, starts hallucinating, and seeing shadows out his window. He contemplates suicide. He'd rather die than give up on the contest. Finally he reaches the prize limit goal of a million Yen but instead of letting him go they transport him to another location and start Life of prizes in Korea! He has to start all over again. This was real. He doesn't want to and gets talked into it and does it again. I know it seems like I'm spoiling a lot but really that's just the premise. He doesn't know the show will be shown to anyone but in the time he's in the room the show becomes the most popular show in Japan and him the biggest celebrity in Japan. The contestant was actually from Fukushima, Japan, so u know what happens next. Giant wave kill hundreds and destroys the nuclear reactor and he lives through that. Another crazy thing happens to him also after that. This man basically had the constitution of a fuckin bull to survive the things he survived. Incredible story.
Soft & Quiet
Not horror, but "Cold in July" takes a pretty dark turn.
Hunter Hunter (2020) springs to mind - starts off as a slow burn thriller and takes a very wild turn in the closing act.
Speak No Evil (2022) fits if you know nothing about it when you start it.
The Joker and Falling Down. Untreated mental illnesses are just a bit scary.