Horror Buffs Will Be Able To Name All Of These Movies From One Screenshot
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Horror movies took a huge turn a couple of years ago. They used to be the movies that would not do so well at the box office and targeted the niche market of teenagers who were out at the movies late at night. These frightfests would not be well received by the critics, pretty much automatically. However, in the past couple of years, the critics have been raving about horror movies that are rife with social commentary and beautifully cinematic suspense building techniques. We've had movies about families crumbling apart and blind guys' houses getting broken into and dancing clowns. Last year, 2017, gave us the highest grossing horror film of all time, which topped the previous holder on the record from way back in the 1970s by nearly doubling its monumental gross at the worldwide box office. Stephen King film adaptations seem to be ten a penny these days, and more often than not, they perform well at the box office and with the critics. Only a true fan of horror movies will be able to name all of these scary flicks from just one iconic, creepy, frightful screenshot. Got what it takes? Go ahead and give it a go!
What spooky horror movie is this?
This movie was released recently to critical acclaim, with some calling it a revelation that is not for the faint of heart. The movie's trailer campaign left out some important scenes and plot points in order to keep them a surprise. Is there anything more tantalizing than sitting in a movie theater and realizing that the trailers you've watched over and over again have totally misled you? Deadpool 2 did it this year, too. What spooky horror movie is this?
What Stephen King adaptation is this?
This movie adaptation of a seminal Stephen King novel broke the record set by The Exorcist last year to become the highest grossing horror film of all time with over $700 million grossed across the world. The novel is like 1000 pages long, so the film could not cover the whole thing. Instead, it did the first part, and the second part is coming up in a few months in a highly anticipated sequel. What Stephen King film adaptation is this?
What is this (almost) silent horror movie?
This is not a silent film, but it's the closest thing to it in the hundred or so years since the "talkies" were invented. John Krasinski was best known as Jim Halpert in The Office before he directed and starred in this movie as a man who seeks to protect his kids from the creatures that have taken over Earth using their acute sense of hearing (and their massive, sharp claws, of course). What is this (almost) silent horror movie?
What arthouse period horror movie is this?
This film was beloved by the critics, but audiences had a less enthusiastic response to its quiet, solemn, arthouse style. It relies more on the building of suspense and tension for an atmosphere of fear, rather than cheap jump scares that come out of the blue and make the audience jump in their seats. For some, this is the best kind of horror movie. For others, it's the worst, so it just depends. What arthouse period horror movie is this?
What multiple personality creeper is this?
This horror movie that was directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan was praised by the critics when it was first released back in the early months of 2017. Most of the praise was directed at James McAvoy whose lead performance as a man with multiple personality disorder forced him to create several distinctive characters all within the same performance. A sequel is in production now. What creepy horror movie about a guy who has multiple personality disorder is this?
What supernatural chiller is this?
This horror movie is praised by critics as being one of the finest horror films of recent memory, because its soundtrack and its production design and its dark, slick cinematography and its simplistic premise all call back to the classical horror of the '80s. One of the movie's detractors was Quentin Tarantino, who said that it didn't stick to its own mythology, but he is in the minority of people who didn't like the movie. What supernatural chiller is this?
What sociopolitically relevant thriller is this?
Jordan Peele was a guy who cut his teeth on Mad TV and then went on to play a screechy girlfriend on Comedy Central and then signed on to make a horror movie. Who could have possibly known that an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay was within his reach? But that's just how powerful his directorial debut was, as he tackled the race issue under the guise of a Stepford Wives esque thriller. What sociopolitically relevant thriller is this?
What is this home invasion thriller?
This movie was praised by critics for being smarter and more layered than the average home invasion thriller, partly because we are supposed to root for the ones breaking into the home as the good guys and the one who is having his home broken into, a blind man who wants to protect his property, as the bad guy. The movie has a sequel that is currently in development with a supposedly great premise. What is this home invasion thriller?
What haunted house chiller is this?
Most of the movies that are based on real life are crime movies or drama movies or epic movies, especially if they're historical. They are movies that go after Oscars and usually win them. But when James Wan gets his hands on the true story of a haunted house from the 1970s, he turns it into a critically acclaimed horror movie. This movie has become a post MCU successful cinematic universe with sequels and spinoffs. What haunted house chiller is this?
What terrifyingly dark horror movie is this?
This movie, directed by David F. Sandberg who is now working on the Shazam! movie for the DC Extended Universe franchise, preys on what is arguably the most primal fear for human beings: the dark. It's the first thing that people are afraid of when they're kids and this movie came out to critical acclaim and box office success and made adults scared of the dark all over again. A sequel is in development. What terrifyingly dark horror movie is this?
What claustrophobic thriller is this?
The Cloverfield cinematic universe has been expanding rapidly (much like our own actual universe) in the past couple of years. This one was originally announced as The Cellar before it was revealed to be Cloverfield. It was a classic case of JJ Abrams shrouding a movie that he had produced in mystery in order to get some buzz built up around it. That strategy paid off as the movie went on to be a big box office hit. What claustrophobic thriller is this?
What is this high school-set found footage horror movie?
This movie did not do so well with the critics, but there were a few people who thought that it was a terrifying found footage movie that managed to stick its head out above the over saturated market of found footage horror films back in 2015. It's set in a high school and sees some kids trapped with the ghost of a boy who lost his life some years ago. What is this high school set found footage horror movie?
What is this satirical meta horror comedy?
Joss Whedon has always been known for his world building abilities. He created the worlds in which The Avengers movies and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse are set. When he was making the first Avengers movie, he also found the time to direct an adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing and also co write this meta satirical horror comedy with the writer Drew Goddard. What is the name of this satirical meta horror comedy movie?
What movie makes crime legal for 12 hours a year?
This horror movie spawned a whole franchise of sequels and spinoffs that has most recently released a prequel movie that gives some back story on its fictional universe. This includes a 12 hour period that is singled out every year in which all crime is legal. The movies have some soft social commentary in them and have been the subject of a lot of analysis in the past couple of years. What movie makes crime legal for 12 hours a year?
What ghost story stars Daniel Radcliffe?
This movie was the first starring vehicle for Daniel Radcliffe following his more than a decade long tenure as the boy wizard Harry Potter from JK Rowling's books. The plan with this Victorian ghost story adapted from the novel by Susan Hill was for the actor to shake his public persona as Harry Potter and become known not as the guy who played Harry Potter, but simply as the actor Daniel Radcliffe. What Victorian ghost horror story stars Daniel Radcliffe?
What is this geriatric horror flick?
This movie saw M. Night Shyamalan get his groove back as he ventured into the horror sub genre of found footage movies. This is the story of two kids who travel up to see a pair of grandparents who they have never met before, only to be shocked by what they later discover. This was the first Shyamalan movie to be well received by critics in years and it led to a revival of his career. What is the movie?
What is this western horror movie?
The western genre went out of fashion a long time ago, as public opinions about the cowboys of the Old West began to change when society became more progressive and modern, but there are still some western movies being made today. Quentin Tarantino has made two of them and the Coen brothers have made a couple, too. This one combines the western genre with the tropes of gory body horror, about a cannibal tribe. What is this western horror movie?
What Stephen King adaptation is this?
In the year of 2017, there were three movies based on the novels of Stephen King: there was It and 1922 and The Dark Tower and this story of a wife who is left handcuffed to the headboard of a bed in a cabin in the middle of nowhere when her husband chains her there and then passes away right in front of her eyes. This was a Netflix original movie last year. What Stephen King movie adaptation is this?
What demonic horror movie is this?
Director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell made a name for themselves with their debut feature film Saw, and they made somewhat of a comeback in 2010 with this horror movie about a pair of parents who begin to believe that their young son who is in a coma has been possessed by a demonic force of some kind. This movie spawned a bunch of sequels, both some with the original cast and some without. What demonic horror movie is this?
What creepy monster movie is this?
There are very few horror movies with a critical reception that is as glowing as the one that this movie was met with. It is about a single mother who has been widowed and has a kid who is scared of the monster that he believes to be lurking in the shadows in their house. She doesn't believe in it at first, but then she finds that there is actually a monster in the house. What creepy monster movie is this?
What is this teen horror movie?
This Blumhouse produced horror movie, written and directed by Kick Ass 2 and True Memoirs of an International Assassin helmer Jeff Wadlow, made a big splash at the box office earlier this year. It cost only $3.5 million to produce it and it ended up making more than $93 million at the global box office, which is quite some profit margin. The story is about a high school game that becomes a bit too real. What is this teen horror movie?
What horrifying movie is this?
This movie stars Ethan Hawke, who was on a horror movie trip at the time with roles in this and also in the first The Purge movie, as a true crime writer who starts looking into an old case and finds that it enters his life in the most terrifying and real ways. Suddenly his home is populated with ghosts and his family is being terrorized by the spirits of some long forgotten children. What horrifying horror movie is this?
What is this anthology horror movie?
This anthology horror movie became a franchise, because of its inventive premise and the versatility of the format. It's basically a series of short horror films that have been compiled into a feature length movie. It is connected together with segments where people find the tapes and put them in a tape player. There is also usually a connecting narrative that is going on in these parts, like there's someone in the house or something. What is this anthology horror movie?
What is this supernatural found footage thriller?
This movie was a big one. It single handedly relaunched the interest in found footage horror cinema. The audiences started coming out to see found footage horror movies in droves again and the studios and the producers began churning them out at a rapid rate again. This movie also launched a franchise of sequels and spinoffs, which each went on to similarly make a ton of money at the box office. What is this supernatural found footage horror thriller movie?
What darkly comic horror movie is this?
Sam Raimi began his career as a horror director when he made the indie hit The Evil Dead. He went on to direct the Spider Man trilogy that starred Tobey Maguire in the lead role of Peter Parker, and after he finished the trilogy with a not so well received third movie, he returned to his horror roots with this darkly comic horror thriller about a woman who is cursed by a gypsy. What darkly comic horror movie from the late 2000s is this?
What gruesome slasher movie is this?
Adam Wingard has proven himself to be one of the genre directors to beat in the film industry right now as he has made fun movies in the horror and action and thriller genres. This one is a take on the slasher movie sub genre of horror cinema. Some people stay up at a house in the middle of nowhere and find themselves being preyed upon by bad guys in animal masks. What is the title of this slasher movie?
What Stephen King adaptation is this?
Stephen King got the idea for the story of his that this Frank Darabont movie is based upon when he was in a supermarket with his son. He imagined a bunch of people being trapped in a supermarket while some terrifying creatures were swarming around outside, ready to pounce on them at any second. The movie stars Toby Jones and Thomas Jane in the lead roles as survivors being holed up in the supermarket. What Stephen King movie adaptation is this?
What is this Spanish horror movie?
The director of this creepy 2007 Spanish horror movie directed the recent summer blockbuster movie Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the latest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise of science fiction action adventure movies. He described his installment of the franchise as a cross between this Spanish horror movie and one of his other movies, the true life based disaster drama movie The Impossible. This was the movie that made him a star film director. What is this Spanish horror movie?
What horror movie features the line "I see dead people"?
This was the first ever feature film to be written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the master of the plot twist. It got joked about a lot in the recent roast of its star Bruce Willis on the Comedy Central network. Willis stars as the therapist of Haley Joel Osment's character, who thinks that he can see the spirits of the deceased and needs to get his life sorted out. What horror movie features the line "I see dead people"?
What is this creepy doll movie?
This movie about a creepy doll was based upon a character featured in the 2013 supernatural horror movie The Conjuring, which was directed by James Wan. This spinoff movie has since gotten its own sequel, with a third one currently in development that has been described as a horror movie version of Night at the Museum, likely involving a museum night watchman who is traumatized by the doll. What is this creepy doll horror movie and spinoff from The Conjuring?
What is this existential, allegorical horror movie?
This movie was controversial when it was first released last year, because half of the critics called it a masterpiece and the other half called it a terrible atrocity. Audiences did not take to it either, since it got an F rating on CinemaScore. It was directed and written by Darren Aronofsky and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem and Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer as allegorical character who never got proper names. What is this existential, allegorical horror movie?
What is this Christmas-themed horror movie?
A lot of horror movies have been made that revolve around the Halloween holiday, because it is an inherently scary holiday. The whole point of it is that people dress up as monsters and play pranks on each other in order to elicit a response of fear. But less horror movies have been made about other holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. One was made about the Christmas holiday, though, in 2015. What is this Christmas themed horror movie?
What is this Greek tragedy-inspired horror movie?
This movie made a big splash in 2017 with its interesting plot and sumptuous, dark visual style. It was the same director as the movie The Lobster, and he even brought back that film's star Colin Farrell to be in this one. This one is scarier than The Lobster. The unusual title of this movie is a combination of several titles and characters and motifs from the old Greek tragedies. What is the title of this Greek tragedy inspired horror movie?
What horror thriller pits Blake Lively against a shark?
Ever since Steven Spielberg burst onto the scene in 1975 with his movie Jaws about a great white shark terrorizing a small town, it has been tough to do shark movies without unfavorable comparisons being drawn. Spielberg's movie became the highest grossing movie of all time and also became the first ever summer blockbuster, a trend that has been followed ever since. Still, this Blake Lively shark movie managed to do well. What horror thriller movie pits Blake Lively against a shark?
What is this 3D horror comedy?
This movie was technically a reboot of an earlier franchise, the second installment of which was technically the directorial debut of James Cameron, the guy who would go on to direct the Terminator movies and Avatar and The Abyss and not to mention Titanic. He's directed two of the record breakers of the highest grossing movie of all time. The 3D reboot movie came out in 2010 and later had another sequel in "3DD." What is this 3D horror comedy?