This article contains graphic depictions of gore and violence.
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Scandinavian films are often overlooked in favor of American-made movies, but these countries have produced some incredible horror movies. Just like any other country, these horror movies take a variety of different genres and forms, including everything from art house masterpieces to traditional slasher horror. Many of these movies take inspiration from the best horror movies of all time, with some even receiving American remakes.
The Scandinavian countries, including places like Iceland, Denmark, and Sweden, have a massive catalog of movies just waiting to be discovered by American audiences. Just like in film, there are many horror television shows from other countries that have gone unnoticed as well. When it comes to horror, the best of the best are often both deep and shocking, marrying the otherworldly brutality of horror with the cruel reality of the human condition.
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10 I Remember You (2017)
This Swedish Detective Thriller Takes A Horrific Turn
I Remember You is a Swedish horror film with two interwoven plotlines, one about a detective who struggles to cope with the loss of his son and another about a recovering couple who purchase a strange, old house to turn it into a bed and breakfast. A string of killings leads to several supernatural incidents, and it is discovered that the detective, Freyr, is being haunted by the ghosts of those who died. Much of the focus is on Freyr, whose shattered emotional state can often be difficult to watch.
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Although it does not always deliver in the grotesqueries its horror premise might suggest, the grounded nature of I Remember You‘s plot makes it more terrifying than other supernatural thrillers.I Remember You does not shy away from showing the brutal state of its dead, with much of the horror lying in the sinking feeling that it all feels inevitable. The slower pace of the film only helps to build tension, leading up to the moment where both of its plots finally intersect.
9 Lake Bodom (2016)
The Slasher Film Is Inspired By A Real 1960s Tragedy
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Lake Bodom Not RatedHorrorMysteryThriller
Lake Bodom is a Finnish horror film directed by Taneli Mustonen. The story follows four teenagers who camp at Lake Bodom, the site of an infamous unsolved mass murder from the 1960s. As night falls, they soon realize they might be in danger as the past seems to catch up with them. The film combines elements of thriller and horror to explore themes of fear and survival.
Director Taneli Mustonen Release Date May 18, 2017 Writers Aleksi Hyvärinen , Taneli Mustonen Cast Nelly Hirst-Gee , Mimosa Willamo , Mikael Gabriel , Santeri Helinheimo Mäntylä , Pirjo Lankinen , Ilkka Heiskanen , Sami Eerola , Otso Ahosola Main Genre Horror
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Taking place in Finland at Lake Bodom, the site of an unsolved mass murder, Lake Bodom follows a young group of friends who make the poor decision to go camping there. What follows is a bloody spectacle as an unknown killer slowly begins to pick off the group one by one. The film is gory and unrepentant, with incredible sound design that really makes the film stand out in a subsection of horror that is filled with great movies.
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Not only is the film a through and through great slasher movie, but it is also award-winning with incredible performances by its cast. The film itself won awards for Best Picture and Sound Design, and the lead actress, Mimosa Willamo, won Best Actress at the Jussi Awards and at Screamfest. All in all, the film is a thrilling ride from beginning to end, immediately leaving viewers to wonder if anyone will survive until morning.
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8 Dead Snow (2009)
Zombies Are Brought To Life In This Gory Horror Flick
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Dead Snow RComedyHorror Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Director Tommy Wirkola Release Date January 9, 2009 Writers Stig Frode Henriksen , Tommy Wirkola Cast Vegar Hoel , Stig Frode Henriksen , Charlotte Frogner , Lasse Valdal , Evy Kasseth Røsten , Jeppe Laursen Runtime 90 minutes Main Genre Comedy Expand
Drawing on the Scandinavian legend of the Draugr, zombie-like undead who exist solely to protect their hoard of treasure, Dead Snow adds the twist that its zombies are the corpses of dead Nazi officers. While the story itself is rather simple, focusing on a group of students who have their Easter vacation disturbed by a zombie attack, the gore itself is spectacular in how disgusting it can be. The scenes with the most gore depict explosions, flying limbs, and plenty of blood.
Dead Snow
received a sequel titled
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead
in 2014.
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While the concept of Nazi zombies is nothing new, showing up in media as early as the 1940s, Dead Snow helped to popularize this trope in the 2000s. This popularity is in large part due to its stellar visuals, as the special effects used throughout are well executed. The film was originally shot in Norwegian, but later received an English dub because of its popularity.
7 Hatching (2022)
Grotesque Doesn’t Begin To Describe This Body Horror Film
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Hatching Not RatedHorrorDramaFantasy
In Hatching, 12-year-old gymnast Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) is desperate to please her image-obsessed mother, whose popular blog ‘Lovely Everyday Life’ presents their family’s idyllic existence as manicured suburban perfection. One day, after finding a wounded bird in the woods, Tinja brings its strange egg home, nestles it in her bed, and nurtures it until it hatches. The creature that emerges becomes her closest friend and a living nightmare.
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*Availability in US Director Hanna Bergholm Release Date March 4, 2022 Writers Ilja Rautsi Cast Siiri Solalinna , Reino Nordin , Sophia Heikkilä , Jani Volanen , Saija Lentonen Runtime 87 minutes
When a little girl finds an egg in the middle of the forest, she decides to bring it home with her and take care of it until the egg hatches. However, the creature that hatches from the egg turns out to be dangerous and terrifying in equal measure. As the story progresses and the monster that hatches continues to grow, the audience is left worrying about the little girl that hatched the egg and brought this monster to life.
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Digging into the genre of body horror, Hatching finds new and innovative ways to scare while also standing on its own as a story about the rigors of parental expectation. It was even considered one of the best horror films of 2022 by Rotten Tomatoes. The monster itself is especially well done, starting as an animatronic puppet and moving on to portrayals by different actors as it grows, using special effects makeup to create body horror that looks more realistic than it would have if done with CGI effects.
6 Rift (2017)
This Icelandic Thriller Is Queer Horror At Its Finest
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Rift begins with a pair of exes, Gunnar and Einar, who reunite after Gunnar receives a cryptic phone call from a distraught Einar. The film progresses as the two attempt, perhaps in vain, to come to terms with their relationship. Gunnar and Einar are haunted by more than their past relationship, however, as a supernatural presence begins to loom over them, threatening to tear them apart once again.
Rift
itself is haunting for more than just the supernatural elements in its plot, marrying incredible cinematic direction with the bleakness of the Icelandic landscape.
Rift itself is haunting for more than just the supernatural elements in its plot, marrying incredible cinematic direction with the bleakness of the Icelandic landscape. More of an art house slow burn, the film uses its horror elements in service to the larger plot, digging into the complexities of Gunnar and Einar’s relationship. A bit ambiguous in its presentation, Rift is the perfect horror film for anyone looking for a story steeped in personal drama.
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5 Lamb (2021)
This Folk Horror Film Is A Co-Production Between Iceland, Sweden, And Poland
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Lamb RHorrorMysteryDrama
Lamb is a 2021 Icelandic drama directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson, starring Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason. The film tells the story of a childless couple who discover a mysterious newborn on their sheep farm, which brings both joy and unexpected disruption to their lives. Set against the stark, captivating Icelandic landscape, Lamb weaves elements of folklore and psychological depth into its narrative.
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*Availability in US Director Valdimar Jóhannsson Release Date October 8, 2021 Writers Valdimar Jóhannsson , Sjon Cast Ingvar Sigurdsson , Hilmir Snaer Guonason , Björn Hlynur Haraldsson , Nommi Rapace , Ester Bibi Runtime 106 minutes
Originally premiering at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Lamb plays out more like a horrifying folktale than a traditional horror movie. It details the birth of a mysterious child, half sheep and half human, and the bittersweet nightmare that surrounds the family that adopts the child as their own. The horror in Lamb is more unsettling than it is outright gory, taking what seems like every opportunity to make the viewer uncomfortable.
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Lamb follows what seems to be a trend of slow-moving modern horror films, starting hopefully and ending in the bleakest of ways. The film’s simplicity only adds to its unnerving nature, keeping to its strengths and focusing on only a few characters. This is only amplified by how seriously the premise is taken, with this half human and half sheep child being the crux of the entire film.
4 Thelma (2017)
This Supernatural Horror Film Explores Repression And Loneliness
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Thelma
Thelma is a psychological thriller directed by Joachim Trier. It follows a young woman named Thelma, who leaves her religious family to attend university in Oslo, where she begins to experience dangerous, supernatural abilities. As Thelma’s powers intensify, she uncovers dark secrets from her past, confronting the frightening implications of her newfound abilities. Starring Eili Harboe in the titular role, the film delves into themes of repression, identity, and the supernatural.
Director Joachim Trier Release Date November 10, 2017 Cast Eili Harboe , Kaya Wilkins , Henrik Rafaelsen , Ellen Dorrit Petersen Runtime 116 Minutes
Thelma is the story of the eponymous Thelma, a young woman from an incredibly strict, religious family who slowly begins to realize that she is developing supernatural powers. This comes as she also realizes she is in love with another woman, something that her family would see as completely unacceptable. As her powers progress, so too does the horror in the film, centering on Thelma herself similarly to films such as Carrie.
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At its heart, Thelma is a story of queer liberation told through the lens of dramatic supernatural horror. While Thelma is the source of any visual horror, the real horror comes from the life of loneliness and self-hatred her family would have her trapped in. Deeply hopeful and emotionally moving, Thelma is truly beautiful in the way it depicts its main character, freeing her from her life of solitude.
3 Speak No Evil (2022)
The Original Speak No Evil Was A Danish Horror Film
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7/10 Speak No Evil Not RatedHorrorThriller
Speak No Evil is a psychological horror film directed by Christian Tafdrup. Released in 2022, the movie follows a Danish family who accepts an invitation to visit a Dutch family they met on vacation. As their stay progresses, the Danish couple starts to uncover the unsettling reality behind their hosts’ hospitality, leading to a tense and disturbing climax. The film explores themes of social awkwardness and the dark undercurrents of human interaction.
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*Availability in US Director Christian Tafdrup Release Date March 17, 2022 Writers Christian Tafdrup , Mads Tafdrup Cast Morten Burian , Sidsel Siem Koch , Fedja van Huet , Karina Smulders , Liva Forsberg , Marius Damslev Runtime 97 minutes Main Genre Horror Expand
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Speak No Evil is a Danish horror film that follows a couple who, while on vacation in Italy, meet what seems to be another pleasant couple. However, things quickly begin to devolve as the film’s protagonists slowly realize that they haven’t met a pleasant couple at all, but rather a pair of unrepentant serial killers and kidnappers. From then on, the movie continues as any horror movie might, with the villains uncovered and stakes at their highest.
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Deeply paranoid from the very beginning, Speak No Evil is a testament to the fact that you never really know someone, no matter how nice they may be on the outside. The build up is expertly crafted, creating tension in the slightest of things and subtly showing the viewer that things are not as they seem, progressing until the big reveal of the film’s horror premise. The movie was so popular and well-regarded that Blumhouse released a high-grossing American remake of the original film, showing just how classic Speak No Evil really is.
2 Let The Right One In (2008)
Vampire Fiction Has Never Been So Compelling
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Let the Right One In RRomanceFantasyDramaHorrorCrime
Based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 novel, Let the Right One In is a romance horror/drama that follows Oskar, a kindly young boy who is bullied relentlessly upon moving to a new Swedish neighborhood with his mother. Oskar’s fortunes begin to change when he befriends the dour but enchanting Eli, despite her dark and deadly supernatural secret.
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*Availability in US Director Tomas Alfredson Release Date December 12, 2008 Studio(s) Magnolia Pictures Distributor(s) Magnolia Pictures Writers John Ajvide Lindqvist Cast Lina Leandersson , Karin Bergquist , Kåre Hedebrant , Henrik Dahl , Per Ragnar Runtime 114 minutes Expand
Beginning as a novel of the same name, Let the Right One In is about a young boy named Oskar and the mysterious little girl he meets after she moves in nearby. Oskar quickly discovers that this little girl is actually a vampire, and the two begin to develop a very close and unique bond. Showing a cold world surrounding a pair of warm hearts, Let the Right One In is equal parts budding romance and bloody vampire drama.
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An English language remake of
Let the Right One In
titled
Let Me In
was released in 2010.
Let the Right One In has won countless awards, with fans and critics alike praising everything from its acting and direction to its cinematography and screenplay. The young actors featured in the film give outstanding performances, really managing to show wildly different sides to their characters in a way that feels grounded and realistic. The film somehow manages to make beauty out of fear and pain, making it one of the best horror movies in the past couple of decades.
1 Midsommar (2019)
This Modern Horror Classic Managed To Scare During The Day
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11 6/10 Midsommar RMysteryDramaHorror
Ari Aster’s Midsommar follows a group of American college students who travel to a friend’s isolated rural hometown in Sweden to experience their renowned midsummer festival. What starts out as idyllic quickly becomes a disconcertingly violent pagan ritual, with the friends engaged in a ruthless competition that will test more than just their friendship. Florence Pugh stars alongside Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, and William Jackson Harper.
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*Availability in US Director Ari Aster Release Date July 3, 2019 Writers Ari Aster Cast Julia Ragnarsson , Rebecka Johnston , Henrik Norlén , William Jackson Harper , Gunnel Fred , Anna Åström , Will Poulter , Archie Madekwe , Louise Peterhoff , Björn Andrésen , Isabelle Grill , Jack Reynor , Florence Pugh , Liv Mjönes Runtime 147 minutes Main Genre Horror Expand
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Created as a co-production between Swedish and American filmmakers, Midsommar shows one of the most brutal depictions of grief ever seen in a horror movie. It begins with an emotional gut punch, showing in graphic detail how the sister of the main character, Dani, not only committed suicide, but also killed their parents in the process. From this point on, Dani meets misfortune after misfortune, beginning with a boyfriend that no longer cares for her and ending with a conspiratorial cult’s deadly machinations.
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Ari Aster’s films are all full of shocking moments, and Midsommar is no different. Even though the majority of the film takes place during the day, it will still have viewers on the edge of their seats, eager to see what terrible thing will come next for the film’s characters. Midsommar is a masterclass in horror, emotional resonance, and subverting expectations, making it the best Scandinavian horror movie of all time.