Okay, that title is a lie. Although I’ve hit the magical number of 1,000 foreign horror films, the end result is tremendously skewed. After all, many are co-productions, and some even have four nations involved.
I love foreign horror because it brings insight into what haunts other cultures. For instance, Asian horror cinema is loaded with revenge ghost stories that say much about their collective concerns for those who have passed on. Yet, many American fans of the genre fail to indulge in foreign terror tales because they hate to “read a movie.” Get over it. Dubbing is abysmal because the voice actors can’t capture the emotion the original actors brought to the narrative. In addition, native tongues bring a beauty and resonance lost in flat and usually emotion free dubbing. For instance, the fabulous vampire tale LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is amazing in its native Swedish, but the dub is horrendous and completely detracts from the viewing experience. (I think I threw up a little when I heard the lifeless voiceover.) Plus, the more subtitle based films you indulge in, the easier it gets to read and watch at the same time.
Here are the nations that serve as my top ten for horror, including how many films I’ve engaged in from that country:
- UK 206
- Canada 134
- Japan 119
- Italy 85
- France 75
- Germany 66
- Spain 55
- South Korea 38
- Australia 37
- Hong Kong 19
Most notably, if you avoid foreign horror because of subtitles, you are missing out on some amazing work from non-English speaking countries. Here are my top 33 favorite foreign horror films (the list excludes any co-production with the United States):
The Legend of Hell House (UK, 1973): A haunted house with a murderous attitude.
The Last Wave (Australia, 1977): The great Peter Weir brings more suspense and introspection.
The Changeling (Canada, 1980): One of the creepiest haunted house movies of all time.
Possession (UK, 1981): The most gut wrenching breakup every captured on screen.
Videodrome (Canada, 1983): Amazing thematic body horror from master David Cronenberg.
Cemetery Man (Italy, 1994): Quirky zombie horror comedy fantasy that mesmerizes.
Cube (Canada, 1997): Low budget character study with ramped up intrigue.
The Ninth Gate (France/Spain, 1999): Roman Polanski’s under-appreciate horror book hunt.
Audition (Japan, 1999): Takashi Miike “be careful what you wish for” freak out.
Blood: The Last Vampire (Japan, 2000): Mind blowing vampiric brilliance anime.
Ginger Snaps (Canada, 2000): Coming of age in grand lycanthropic fashion.
Dog Soldiers (UK, 2002): Pack versus pack! A stellar action horror from Neil Marshall.
A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea, 2003): Mind-bending suspense with punch.
Grimm Love (Germany, 2006): Gut twisting true tale of consensual murder and cannibalism.
The Orphanage (Spain, 2007): Amazing, dramatic horror for people who hate the genre.
Let the Right One In (Sweden, 2008): The greatest vampire film of all time?
Martyrs (France/Canada, 2008): Brilliant, disturbing film with one of cinema’s best final lines.
Pontypool (Canada, 2008): Horror’s most unique premise with the great Stephen McHattie.
Triangle (UK, 2009): After each viewing, more is learned from this stellar mind trip.
Antiviral (Canada, 2012): Celebrity obsession in the extreme.
What are your favorite non-American horrors?
(Photo from Thoughts on Film.)