01
Eraserhead (1977)
- Overall
- —
- Fear
- —
- Gore
- —
- Atmosphere
- —
First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Subgenre Guide
The Best Body Horror Movies
Transformation, mutation, and the violation of the flesh, from Cronenberg to the new wave
FilterTagged: body horror · every film that matches
By Alan WilleyLast updated
A ranked guide to body horror, the subgenre that locates its fear in the human body itself: transformation, mutation, disease, and the loss of bodily control. The list below leads with the proto-foundational texts and the core run of David Cronenberg, then continues through the contemporary revival.
02
Possession (1981)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 4.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.
03
The Thing (1982)
- Overall
- 9.1
- Fear
- 8.5
- Gore
- 7.4
- Atmosphere
- 10.0
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
04
Videodrome (1983)
- Overall
- —
- Fear
- —
- Gore
- —
- Atmosphere
- —
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.
05
The Fly (1986)
- Overall
- 8.8
- Fear
- 7.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
When Seth Brundle makes a huge scientific and technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.
06
Dead Ringers (1988)
- Overall
- 7.8
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 2.5
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
Elliot, a successful gynecologist, works at the same practice as his identical twin, Beverly. Elliot is attracted to many of his patients and has affairs with them. When he inevitably loses interest, he will give the woman over to Beverly, the meeker of the two, without the woman knowing the difference. Beverly falls hard for one of the patients, Claire, but when she inadvertently deceives him, he slips into a state of madness.
07
Titane (2021)
- Overall
- —
- Fear
- —
- Gore
- —
- Atmosphere
- —
A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who's reunited with his missing son after 10 years.
08
The Substance (2024)
- Overall
- 7.0
- Fear
- 2.5
- Gore
- 7.5
- Atmosphere
- 5.5
A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.
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09
Alien (1979)
- Overall
- 9.5
- Fear
- 8.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 10.0
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
10
Aliens (1986)
- Overall
- 9.0
- Fear
- 7.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
11
Carrie (1976)
- Overall
- 8.6
- Fear
- 5.5
- Gore
- 3.5
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from her classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a dark and violent turn.
12
Smile 2 (2024)
- Overall
- 8.6
- Fear
- 7.6
- Gore
- 8.0
- Atmosphere
- 9.5
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
13
Smile (2022)
- Overall
- 8.4
- Fear
- 7.4
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 9.0
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
14
Get Out (2017)
- Overall
- 8.3
- Fear
- 6.9
- Gore
- 4.4
- Atmosphere
- 7.7
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
15
Ex Machina (2014)
- Overall
- 8.2
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 1.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
16
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
- Overall
- 8.1
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.5
During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. The doctor's assistant, wife of the local foreman, tends to him in prison. That night, the town is attacked and they both disappear—only the arrow of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and the foreman's wife.
17
The Skin I Live In (2011)
- Overall
- 8.1
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 1.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
A brilliant plastic surgeon creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
18
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- Overall
- 8.0
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.
19
District 9 (2009)
- Overall
- 8.0
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens' welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.
20
Evil Dead (2013)
- Overall
- 8.0
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 8.5
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
Mia, a drug addict, is determined to kick the habit. To that end, she asks her brother, David, his girlfriend, Natalie and their friends Olivia and Eric to accompany her to their family's remote forest cabin to help her through withdrawal. Eric finds a mysterious Book of the Dead at the cabin and reads aloud from it, awakening an ancient demon. All hell breaks loose when the malevolent entity possesses Mia.
21
Hellraiser (1987)
- Overall
- 8.0
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 8.5
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
A hedonistic man finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons a group of gruesome beings known as the Cenobites. These otherworldly entities open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.
22
Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)
- Overall
- 8.0
- Fear
- 7.1
- Gore
- 8.5
- Atmosphere
- 8.2
The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.
23
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
- Overall
- 7.9
- Fear
- 7.5
- Gore
- 8.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.8
A reunion between two estranged sisters gets cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
24
Sunshine (2007)
- Overall
- 7.9
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.
25
Antlers (2021)
- Overall
- 7.8
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 7.8
- Atmosphere
- 8.5
A small-town Oregon teacher and her brother, the local sheriff, discover a young student is harbouring a dangerous secret that could have frightening consequences.
26
Cuando acecha la maldad (2023)
- Overall
- 7.8
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
When brothers Pedro and Jimi discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse, they attempt to evict the victim from their land. Failing to adhere to the proper rites of exorcism, their reckless actions inadvertently trigger an epidemic of possessions across their rural community.
27
Life (2017)
- Overall
- 7.8
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
28
Upgrade (2018)
- Overall
- 7.8
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.
29
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
- Overall
- 7.7
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 1.7
- Atmosphere
- 6.8
The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth.
30
The Hidden (1987)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 2.5
- Gore
- 5.5
- Atmosphere
- 5.5
When average, law-abiding citizens suddenly turn to a life of hedonistic behavior and violent crime, Detective Tom Beck is tasked with helping young FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher determine the cause.
31
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.2
When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.
32
Splinter (2008)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 5.0
When their plans for a nature trip go awry, Polly and boyfriend Seth decide to check into a motel. On their way, they're carjacked and kidnapped by low-rent crooks Dennis and Lacey, who take the victims and their SUV to a nearby gas station. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly terrifying horde of parasites, and if any of them intend to survive, they'll have to outsmart the deadly organisms.
33
Pandorum (2009)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 7.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.9
Two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone – and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined.
34
Alien: Romulus (2024)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 6.7
- Gore
- 7.7
- Atmosphere
- 8.6
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
35
The Evil Dead (1981)
- Overall
- 7.5
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
In 1979, a group of college students find a Sumerian Book of the Dead in an old wilderness cabin they've rented for a weekend getaway.
36
The Howling (1981)
- Overall
- 7.4
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 4.5
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.
37
Significant Other (2022)
- Overall
- 7.4
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 4.5
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
Ruth and Harry decide to take a romantic backpacking trip through the Pacific Northwest, but amongst the beautiful scenery, Ruth makes an unexpected discovery that sets her off on a strange, frightening new path. The couple aren't alone in the woods, and they might not be the same when they come out...if they come out.
38
Slither (2006)
- Overall
- 7.4
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
39
Together (2025)
- Overall
- 7.3
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.
40
Clown (2014)
- Overall
- 7.3
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize the suit is part of an evil curse that turns its wearer into a killer.
41
Prometheus (2012)
- Overall
- 7.3
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
42
Cold Storage (2026)
- Overall
- 7.2
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 4.0
When a mutating, highly contagious fungus escapes a sealed facility, two employees – joined by a grizzled bioterror operative – must survive the wildest night shift ever to save humanity from extinction.
43
Evil Dead Burn (2026)
- Overall
- 7.2
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 8.6
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life... live on even in death.
44
Pet Sematary (1989)
- Overall
- 7.2
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
After the Creed family's cat is accidentally killed, a friendly neighbor advises its burial in a mysterious nearby cemetery.
45
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
- Overall
- 7.2
- Fear
- 4.5
- Gore
- 7.5
- Atmosphere
- 7.3
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
46
Frankenstein (2025)
- Overall
- 7.2
- Fear
- 2.5
- Gore
- 2.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
47
Bring Her Back (2025)
- Overall
- 7.2
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 6.5
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Following the death of their father, a brother and sister are sent to live with a foster mother, only to learn that she is hiding a terrifying secret.
48
V/H/S/Beyond (2024)
- Overall
- 7.1
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 5.0
The infinite playground of forbidden worlds and dangerous lifeforms offered by the sci-fi horror genre will lead to the biggest, maddest, bloodiest V/H/S ever.
49
V/H/S (2012)
- Overall
- 7.1
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire one rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they had bargained for.
50
Malignant (2021)
- Overall
- 7.1
- Fear
- 6.5
- Gore
- 8.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.5
Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities with a mysterious tie to her past.
51
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
- Overall
- 7.1
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
Two hundred years after Lt. Ripley died, a group of scientists clone her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the new Ripley is full of surprises … as are the new aliens. Ripley must team with a band of smugglers to keep the creatures from reaching Earth.
52
The Bay (2012)
- Overall
- 7.0
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 5.5
- Atmosphere
- 6.8
Two million fish washed ashore. One thousand blackbirds dropped from the sky. On July 4, 2009 a deadly menace swept through the quaint seaside town of Claridge, Maryland, but the harrowing story of what happened that Independence Day has never been told—until now. The authorities believed they had buried the truth about the tragedy that claimed over 700 human lives. Now, three years later, a reporter has emerged with footage revealing the cover-up and an unimaginable killer: a mysterious parasitic outbreak. Told from the perspective of those who were there and saw what happened, The Bay unfolds over 24 hours through people's iPhones, Androids, 911 calls, webcams, and whatever else could be used to document the nightmare in Claridge. What follows is a nerve-shredding tale of a small town plunged into absolute terror.
53
Demon Seed (1977)
- Overall
- 7.0
- Fear
- 5.5
- Gore
- 2.5
- Atmosphere
- 7.5
A scientist creates Proteus, an organic supercomputer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creator's wife.
54
The Ruins (2008)
- Overall
- 7.0
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
Americans Amy, Stacy, Jeff and Eric look for fun during a sunny holiday in Mexico, but they get much more than that after visiting an archaeological dig in the jungle.
55
The Faculty (1998)
- Overall
- 7.0
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 3.0
- Atmosphere
- 5.0
When some very creepy things start happening around school, the kids at Herrington High make the chilling discovery that confirms their worst suspicions: their teachers really are from another planet!
56
Alien: Covenant (2017)
- Overall
- 7.0
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.5
The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise but is actually a dark, dangerous world.
57
Color Out of Space (2019)
- Overall
- 6.8
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 2.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
The Gardner family moves to a remote farmstead in rural New England to escape the hustle of the 21st century. They are busy adapting to their new life when a meteorite crashes into their front yard, melts into the earth, and infects both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly colour. To their horror, the family discovers this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches—including them.
58
The Thing (2011)
- Overall
- 6.7
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 8.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
When paleontologist Kate Lloyd travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.
59
Ginger Snaps (2000)
- Overall
- 6.7
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
The story of two outcast sisters, Ginger and Brigitte, in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger's wounds miraculously heal but something is not quite right. Now Brigitte must save her sister and save herself.
60
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)
- Overall
- 6.6
- Fear
- 1.6
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.5
Brigitte has escaped the confines of Bailey Downs but she's not alone. Another werewolf is tailing her closely and her sister's specter haunts her. An overdose of Monkshood - the poison that is keeping her transformation at bay - leads to her being incarcerated in a rehabilitation clinic for drug addicts where her only friend is an eccentric young girl by the name of Ghost.
61
American Mary (2012)
- Overall
- 6.6
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
A young medical student struggling to pay tuition is drawn into the shady world of underground body-modification.
62
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
- Overall
- 6.5
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 2.0
- Atmosphere
- 3.0
An insurance investigator visits a small town while looking into the strange disappearance of a popular horror novelist. He soon finds that the impact of the author’s books is far more than inspirational.
63
Species (1995)
- Overall
- 6.5
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 2.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
In 1993, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Project receives a transmission detailing an alien DNA structure, along with instructions on how to splice it with human DNA. The result is Sil, a sensual but deadly creature who can change from a beautiful woman to an armour-plated killing machine in the blink of an eye.
64
Old (2021)
- Overall
- 6.5
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 0.0
- Atmosphere
- 2.0
A group of families on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are staying is somehow causing them to age rapidly – reducing their entire lives into a single day.
65
Resident Evil (2002)
- Overall
- 6.5
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.3
When a virus leaks from a top-secret facility, turning all resident researchers into ravenous zombies and their lab animals into mutated hounds from hell, the government sends in an elite military task force to contain the outbreak.
66
Annihilation (2018)
- Overall
- 6.4
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 1.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.6
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
67
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
- Overall
- 6.4
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 6.6
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Now confined to a mental hospital, young Kirsty insists her supposedly dead father is actually stuck in Hell following his wife’s betrayal. Few believe the young woman’s lurid stories aside from the thrill-seeking Dr. Channard. Kirsty is undeterred and, with the help of a fellow patient, heads to Hell for a rescue.
68
Alien³ (1992)
- Overall
- 6.4
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more unwelcome visitor does. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and with aid being a long time away, the prisoners must simply survive in any way they can.
69
Dreamcatcher (2003)
- Overall
- 6.3
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 4.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Four childhood friends reunite for a hunting trip in the Maine woods, bound by a psychic force born from a childhood friend's dreamcatcher. They find themselves caught in a grotesque alien invasion that twists memory, sanity and reality into something far more sinister.
70
Wolf Man (2025)
- Overall
- 6.2
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 4.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
With his marriage fraying, Blake persuades his wife Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit his remote childhood home in rural Oregon. As they arrive at the farmhouse in the dead of night, they're attacked by an unseen animal and barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. But as the night stretches on, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable.
71
Virus (1999)
- Overall
- 6.0
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
When the crew of an American tugboat boards an abandoned Russian research vessel, the alien life form aboard regards them as a virus which must be destroyed.
72
Cabin Fever (2002)
- Overall
- 6.0
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
A group of five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals.
73
The Wretched (2019)
- Overall
- 6.0
- Fear
- 6.2
- Gore
- 1.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.7
A rebellious teenage boy, struggling with his parents' imminent divorce, encounters a terrifying evil after his next-door neighbor becomes possessed by an ancient witch that feasts on children.
74
Leviathan (1989)
- Overall
- 6.0
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
Underwater deep-sea miners encounter a Soviet wreck and bring back a dangerous cargo to their base on the ocean floor with horrifying results. The crew of the mining base must fight to survive against a genetic mutation that hunts them down one by one.
75
The Company of Wolves (1984)
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An adaptation of Angela Carter's fairy tales. Young Rosaleen dreams of a village in the dark woods, where Granny tells her cautionary tales in which innocent maidens are tempted by wolves who are hairy on the inside. As Rosaleen grows into womanhood, will the wolves come for her too?
76
Når dyrene drømmer (2014)
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Teenage Marie lives on a small island with her father and catatonic mother. Virtually friendless and sullen, Marie begins to experience frightening changes in her body that mark her as a dangerous threat.
77
The Shape of Water (2017)
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An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.
78
Breeder (2026)
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A poodle breeder obsessed with genetic perfection offers an MIT dropout a bizarre proposition — she wants to breed him with her daughter.
79
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
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The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.
80
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
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Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good.
81
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
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A psychiatrist, familiar with the knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger, helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.
82
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
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A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.
83
Candyman (2021)
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A Chicago artist's sanity starts to unravel, unleashing a terrifying wave of violence when he begins to explore the macabre history of the Candyman.
84
Sisters (1972)
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Inquisitive journalist Grace Collier is horrified when she witnesses her neighbor, fashion model Danielle Breton, violently murder a man. Panicking, she calls the police. But when the detective arrives at the scene and finds nothing amiss, Grace is forced to take matters into her own hands. Her first move is to recruit private investigator Joseph Larch, who helps her to uncover a secret about Danielle's past that has them both seeing double.
85
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
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After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.
86
Candyman (1992)
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The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
87
V/H/S/94 (2021)
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After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police SWAT team launches a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
88
Creepshow (1982)
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Five grisly tales from a 1950s-style comic, including a murdered father rising from beyond, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.
89
Society (1989)
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Bill Whitney is worried that he is different to his sister and parents. They mix with other upper-class people while Bill is more down to earth. Even his girlfriend seems a bit odd. All is revealed when Bill returns home to find a party in full swing.
90
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
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A "metal fetishist", driven mad by the maggots wriggling in the wound he's made to embed metal into his flesh, runs out into the night and is accidentally run down by a Japanese businessman and his girlfriend. The pair dispose of the corpse in hopes of quietly moving on with their lives. However, the businessman soon finds that he is now plagued by a vicious curse that transforms his flesh into iron.
91
Possessor (2020)
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Tasya Vos, an elite corporate assassin, uses brain-implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies to terminate high profile targets. As she sinks deeper into her latest assignment, Vos becomes trapped inside a mind that threatens to obliterate her.
92
Terrifier 2 (2022)
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A year after the Miles County massacre, Art the Clown is resurrected by a sinister entity. Art returns home, where he must hunt down and destroy teenage Sienna and her younger brother Jonathan on Halloween. As the body count rises, the siblings fight to stay alive while uncovering the true nature of Art's evil intent.
93
Black Swan (2010)
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A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
94
Grave (2016)
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Stringent vegetarian Justine encounters a decadent, merciless, and dangerously seductive world during her first week at veterinary school. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her principles and eats raw meat for the first time. She soon experiences terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge.
95
Re-Animator (1985)
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Conducting clandestine experiments within the morgue at Miskatonic University, scientist Herbert West reveals to a fellow graduate student his groundbreaking work concerning the re-animation of fresh corpses.
96
Les Yeux sans visage (1960)
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Dr. Génessier is riddled with guilt after an accident that he caused disfigures the face of his daughter, the once beautiful Christiane, who outsiders believe is dead. Dr. Génessier, along with accomplice and laboratory assistant Louise, kidnaps young women and brings them to the Génessier mansion. After rendering his victims unconscious, Dr. Génessier removes their faces and attempts to graft them on to Christiane's.
97
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
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A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.
98
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
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Dr. Frankenstein and his monster both turn out to be alive after being attacked by an angry mob. The now-chastened scientist attempts to escape his past, but a former mentor forces him to assist with the creation of a new creature.
99
Iron Lung (2026)
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The stars are gone. The planets have disappeared. Only individuals aboard space stations or starships were left to give the end a name -- The Quiet Rapture. After decades of decay and crumbling infrastructure, the Consolidation of Iron has made a discovery on a barren moon designated AT-5. An ocean of blood. Hoping to discover desperately needed resources they immediately launch an expedition. A submarine is crafted and a convict is welded inside. Due to the pressure and depth of the ocean the forward viewport has been encased in metal. If successful, they will earn their freedom. If not, another will follow. This will be the 13th expedition.
100
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
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A young boy tells three stories of horror to distract a witch who plans to eat him.
Common questions about body horror
- What is body horror?
- Body horror, also called biological horror, is a subgenre that derives fear from the human body itself rather than from an external threat. Its recurring subjects include transformation, mutation, disease, parasitism, and the loss of bodily autonomy or control. The effect comes from locating the source of dread inside the body rather than in an outside attacker, which distinguishes it from slasher or splatter forms where harm comes from external assault.
- Who is associated with originating body horror?
- There is no single inventor. The term "body horror" was coined by the Australian critic Philip Brophy in his 1983 essay "Horrality: The Textuality of the Contemporary Horror Film," where he traced the cinematic form through films such as Alien (1979) and The Thing (1982). Filmmaker David Cronenberg is the figure most widely associated with the subgenre and is frequently called a principal originator, having worked in it consistently from early films such as Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977) through Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986). He is generally credited with defining and consolidating the form rather than inventing it in isolation.
- Is body horror the same as gore?
- No. Gore refers to the graphic depiction of violence, blood, and physical injury, while body horror centers on the transformation, mutation, or violation of the body. Body horror can be disturbing through concept and imagery without relying on heavy gore, and films with extensive gore are not automatically body horror. The two often overlap but are defined by different qualities.
- What are some well-known body horror movies?
- Films widely cited in discussions of the body horror canon include David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986), along with John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Cronenberg's earlier films Shivers (1975) and The Brood (1979) are also frequently referenced. These are established critical reference points rather than a ranked list.
Changelog
- — Shipped (registered in SUBGENRE_HUBS) with a short factual stand-in intro; fuller curator essay pending. Structure + FAQ + pinned canon in place.