In recent times, lo-fi horror movies have become increasingly popular among moviegoers. Lo-fi stands for “low fidelity” and refers to a filming aesthetic that is low in production value. The term is also used for music and TV shows. Lo-fi horror movies have grainy shots, found footage styles, and fuzzy colors that give a surrealist feel. This technique of shooting become very effective in horror films as it creates ambiguity and an unsettling atmosphere. So, if this is or could be something that you could explore, here’s a compilation of 20 such lo-fi horror movies that will send a shiver down your spine.
1. Lake Mungo
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Joel Anderson is the director of the Australian psychological horror film Lake Mungo, which is filmed in a found footage, pseudo-documentary format. The film focusses on a family's process of accepting the fact that their daughter has drowned herself. The eerie events that torment the family later are shown in the movie. The film has won praise from critics and developed a cult following.
2. I Saw the TV Glow
I Saw the TV Glow is a horror drama directed by Jane Schoenbrun and co-produced by Emma Stone. Two unhappy high school teenagers are the main protagonists of the film. The two watch a late-night television program that quickly starts to distort their reality and causes them to doubt who they are. The film received good reviews for its visual aesthetic and the overall message is highly symbolic.
3. The Outwaters
Directed by Robbie Banfitch, The Outwaters, is a horror movie shot in the "found footage" genre and revolves around a group of friends who take a trip to the Mojave Desert in 2017 in order to shoot a music video. The movie follows the mysterious incidents that they experience from the memory cards of their equipment. The movie received critical appreciation for its transgressive style and character-driven approach.
4. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
In Jane Schoenbrun's coming-of-age psychological horror film, We're All Going to the World's Fair, a teenage girl named Cassey (Anna Cobb) accepts a mysterious online challenge that goes viral and starts recording the ensuing physical and mental transformations. The film was well received by critics for its experimental approach and eerie images when it was first released.
5. Gretel & Hansel
Based on the German fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, the movie Gretel & Hansel, is a fantasy horror film directed by Osgood Perkins. The movie follows the titular siblings, who get lost in a forest and find a witch’s home. The movie received praise for its cinematography, acting, and visuals. Viewers who want to explore lo-fi horror should keep this one on their list.
6. Skinamarink
A Canadian horror movie, Skinamarink, is directed by Kyle Edward Ball and follows a young brother and sister, who wake up at night and begin experiencing paranormal occurrences. The siblings begin to learn that they cannot find their father and that the windows, doors, and other things have started disappearing. The movie was praised for its experimentalism and themes of childhood fear.
7. Hostile Dimensions
A Scottish horror movie, Hostile Dimensions, is a typical lo-fi horror movie with low budgets and shaky visuals. The movie has a found footage style of production and is directed by Graham Hughes. It follows a graffiti artist, who enters a mysterious portal of multiple worlds after she enters a door that stands on its own in an abandoned building. The movie also focusses on a pair of film-makers who find the door and decide to explore.
8. This House Has People in It
Directed by Alan Resnick, This House Has People in It, is an analog horror movie that is shot using the found footage style. The movie is framed as surveillance footage inside a home and follows a parents’ attempt to save their daughter, who begins to bizarrely sink through the floor, while their son’s birthday party is going on. The movie is only eleven minutes long and has been praised for its unsettling tone.
9. Butterfly Kisses
A found footage horror movie, Butterfly Kisses, is directed by Erik Kristopher Myers and revolves around a filmmaker who finds a box of videotapes that shows disturbing footage as a pair of film students uncover an urban legend known as 'Peeping Tom'. The filmmaker becomes obsessed with the videos and decides to prove the legend is indeed true. The movie has been viewed as a deconstruction of the found footage genre.
10. Eraserhead
One of the first examples of lo-fi horror is David Lynch's independent, surrealist, body-horror film Eraserhead. The black-and-white film, which marks Lynch's directorial debut, centres on a man (Jack Nance) who raises his malformed child against the backdrop of bleak industrialism. The film has a cult following and has received accolades for its avant-garde concepts, style, and imagery.
11. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Another older horror movie that ticks off many boxes of lo-fi horror, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, is a Czechoslovak gothic and surrealist fantasy horror movie directed by Jaromil Jireš. Based on a novel by Vítezslav Nezval, the movie is about a young girl living in a bizarre dream that contains priests, vampires, and more. The movie has erotic, fantasy, and gothic themes, and is a cult classic.
12. Inland Empire
Directed by David Lynch, Inland Empire is an experimental psychological horror film starring Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, and others. Like many lo-fi movies, the film is shot on a low-resolution camera that is handheld by Lynch. The movie is about an actress who begins to encounter personality changes after shooting a cursed film. Like other Lynch films, the movie has a strong surrealist atmosphere.
13. Dead Mail
Directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy, Dead Mail has a unique premise as it tries to answer the question about where letters get lost. The movie revolves around a bloody letter that connect it to a lonely man and an analog synthesizer engineer. The movie transforms the mundane facts of life into an unsettling atmosphere and feels like a crime thriller with various twists and turns.
14. Beyond the Black Rainbow
A Canadian psychedelic sci-fi horror movie, Beyond the Black Rainbow is directed by Panos Cosmatos. It revolves around a research institute that reconciles science and spirituality to find a ‘New Age’ of happiness. Within the institute, Dr. Barry Nyle, conducts experiments on a subject, Elan, who can communicate telepathically and has psychic abilities. The movie was appreciated for its ambiance and score.
15. Session 9
Directed by Brad Anderson, Session 9 is a psychological horror movie about an asbestos abatement crew that cleans an abandoned mental asylum and starts to experience paranormal events. The film features David Caruso, Josh Lucas, and others. Session 9 also includes parallelly, audio-taped sessions of an asylum patient that enhance the movie’s disturbing tone. The movie has become a cult film and has been appreciated for its subtle yet sinister environment.
16. Enys Men
Directed by Mark Jenkin, Enys Men is a British folk horror movie that is shot on 16 mm film and stars Mary Woodvine, Edward Rowe, and others. Set in 1973, it takes place on a desolate island, where a volunteer records her daily observations about a rare flower. The flower strangely begins to force her to question her reality. The film also has psychological elements with mysterious characters like a preacher and a fisherman.
17. Broadcast Signal Intrusion
A suspenseful horror movie, Broadcast Signal Intrusion is directed by Jacob Gentry and is set in 1999. It revolves around a man, who is archiving video tapes for a television station and stumbles upon a broadcast intrusion, which makes him investigate a mysterious phenomena. His investigation soon turns paranormal and links to a series of disappearances, which also include his wife.
18. The Blair Witch Project
Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez's horror film The Blair Witch Project is one of the most well-known instances of the discovered footage genre. In order to find out about a local legend known as the Blair Witch, three students plan to travel to Maryland's Black Hills, where they encounter terrible situations. The movie has won praise from critics and is regarded as one of the scariest lo-fi horror movies, ever.
19. Creep
Headed by Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice, Creep is a found footage psychological horror film directed by Brice himself. The movie is about a videographer who accepts to shoot a tape of an unusual client. The client tells him that he is dying of a terminal disease and wants to leave a video message for his pregnant wife. The movie has received positive reactions due to its twists and the eerie feel of the overall atmosphere it creates for the viewer.
20. Landlocked
Landlocked is a suspense horror film directed by Livia Cheibub, and it tells the story of a young man who returns to his childhood house, which is being demolished. He discovers an old camcorder that triggers many of his suppressed memories. The character becomes fixated on the camcorder, picturing himself as a younger man. The film depicts heartfelt themes about death and the significance of time and relations.
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