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If you saw Robert Eggers creepy folktale, The Witch, over the weekend, you’re probably thanking your lucky stars you don’t live anywhere near woods. Unless you do and, in that case, we’re very sorry.
The deep, dark unknown has, in one vessel or another, always been personified in horror. The forest, however, has been an active villain within the genre since the beginning of, well, folklore, which fits the premise of The Witch a little too perfectly. Set in 1630’s New England, Eggers’ haunting tale follows a family of devout Christians who have been banished from their plantation because of their patriarch’s (Ralph Ineson) failing to follow the word of God. Pushed to a secluded area of a dense, vast forest, they set up for the long haul. But when their newborn son suddenly vanishes and all of their crops rot on the vine, they begin to turn on the oldest daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), assuming their wicked curse is caused by some form of witchcraft or black magic. Unbeknownst to them, however, turning on one another leaves them as weakening prey for a sinister stranger living in the woods.
Below are ten essential horror movies set in the forest — ranked on their sheer scream power — you need to either revisit or check out for the first time after you see Eggers’ film.
'Preservation' (2014)
Written and directed by Christopher Denham (Manhattan, Argo), this mildly jumpy forest fright flick is a token tale of what begins as a fun hiking and camping getaway turns into a drastic fight for survival. With the tagline, “Man is the only animal that kills for fun…” you can probably imagine that, in this case, the hunters quickly become the hunted.
'The Cabin in the Woods' (2012)
A postmodern horror gem, The Cabin in the Woods is part-woodsy slasher, part-sci-fi, and 100% terrifyingly awesome. Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, the duo turns the teenage prey trope on its head in this thoughtfully twisted adventure. Following five friends to their, huh-huh, cabin in the woods, they discover a basement full of odd trinkets, including a diary that seemingly awakens a family of zombies whose origin is a bit more calculated than meets the eye.
'Honeymoon' (2014)
Starring Rose Leslie of Game of Thrones, Leigh Janiak’s Honeymoon is an exquisitely framed look at the unnerving secrets of marriage told through the eyes of mysterious Bea, whose disturbing sleepwalking habit takes a turn for the violent amidst her and her husband’s secluded newlywed bliss.
'Cabin Fever' (2002)
When five college friends plan their weekend getaway at a picturesque campground, they didn’t expect a disease stranger to crash their party. After panicking, burning the infected man, and dumping his body in the lake, they soon succumb to a grotesque, flesh-eating virus that seems to be spreading through their drinking water. Written and directed by the inimitable Eli Roth, Cabin Fever is a cheeky nod to the done to death trope while also establishing itself as an honest to goodness scary movie.
'Wrong Turn' (2003)
Lost in the rural backroads of West Virginia, six strangers find themselves entwined in a sick game of cat and mouse with cannibalistic hunters who exhibit superhuman resilience after generations of in-breeding. Packed with cover your eyes-worthy moments and one kill after another, Wrong Turn is a modern cult classic of sorts, featuring appearances from Eliza Dushku of Dollhouse, Emmanuelle Chirqui of Entourage, and Desmond Harrington of Gossip Girl before they were famous.
'Sleepaway Camp' (1983)
A cult classic that, somehow, gets creepier with age, Sleepaway Camp is remembered for featuring one of the original major horror twists. Determined to get her socially acclimated, The Bakers send their reclusive daughter Angela to summer camp with her cousin. But three months of fun quickly becomes a living nightmare for anyone who crosses the young teen’s path.
'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)
In addition to being a viral marketing marvel back in ’99, the found footage staple also acted as a taught thriller because, hilariously enough, not all that much happens until the very end. But a mix of word-of-mouth hype and jerky, unpredictable camera movements added to the building tension that something very well could happen and that was just enough to keep audiences at the edge of their seats.
'The Evil Dead' (1981)
Bruce Campbell stars in his iconic role of Ash Williams in this classic cabin in the woods adventure that started it all. Written and directed by Sam Raimi, a party getaway turns into a fight against the living dead for Ash and his friends, who accidentally released an army of flesh-eating demons.
'Deliverance' (1972)
Determined to get back to their manly roots, four best friends ditch their wives and responsibilities for a once in a lifetime white water rafting trip in Northern Georgia. But when the locals take notice of the outsiders’ path down the Cahulawassee River, they begin to stalk and hunt them for the hell of it. Starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox; Deliverance isn’t technically a horror film in the most literal sense, but yeesh, is it terrifying.
'Friday the 13th' (1980)
Last but certainly not least is Sean S. Cunningham’s essential slasher staple: Friday the 13th. Starring Adrienne King, Kevin Bacon, and Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees, Friday the 13th follows a group of haplessly horny camp counselors and the masked killer who offs them one by one. The birth of a ten-film franchise (plus a remake), we’re still obsessed with Camp Crystal Lake over thirty years later.
