Episode 125: Modern Supernatural Horror Films

Rigor Mortis (2013), When Evil Lurks (2023), and Vicious (2025)

Pretty much from the very beginning of horror cinema—or cinema in general—supernatural horror has been part of the storytelling tradition. Granted, many of those early films were adaptations of famous works of literature dealing with ghosts, vampires, and other unworldly creatures, but more than a century later, the supernatural remains a huge gateway for creative filmmakers to walk through in order to create something interesting, and sometimes something genuinely new.

Many modern supernatural horror films deal with grief and how we cope with it. Some might call it cathartic, while in other films, it's just downright mean! In the three movies we discuss in this episode, you'll get a taste of all of that—and more. A couple of these films hit especially hard and will leave an impact on you days after the credits roll. You'll either be running to tell your closest friends that they absolutely need to watch them, or you won't say a word for fear that someone might ask, "Is everything okay at home?" But we think that films that can hit that hard deserve to be applauded. So, if you're game, take that next step- and hit play.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015), The Boxer's Omen (1983), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), The Dark and the Wicked (2020), Dream Home (2010), Errementari (2017), Exhuma (2024), The Exorcist (1973), Friday the 13th (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), The Golem (1915-1920), The Grudge (2002), Halloween (1978), Häxan (1922), Hellraiser (1987), Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), Hereditary (2018), Hostel (2005), House of the Devil (1897), Last House on the Left (1972), Killer Party (1986), Maniac (1980), Midsommar (2019), Mockingbird (2016), The Monster (2016), Mr. Vampire (1985), My Bloody Valentine (1981), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Nosferatu (1922), The Prowler (1981), Psycho (1960), Rigor Mortis (2013), Scream 7 (2026), The Strangers (2008), The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018), Terrified (2017), Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), The Uninvited (1944), Vicious (2025), When Evil Lurks (2023)