10 Spooky Horror Movies Like Old You Need To Watch
If you know anything about M. Night Shyamalan, you probably know him as the writer of the most iconic horror movie line of all time — "I see dead people," from the 1999 film "The Sixth Sense." In a way, that famous line encapsulates what nearly every Shyamalan movie is known for: psychologically jarring horror with a shocking twist.
Shyamalan has released an impressive 11 films since, many of which, like "The Sixth Sense," are supernatural thrillers grounded in very real human fears. Most recently, Shyamalan directed the horror film "Old," which delivers on an especially chilling premise. The film follows a family on a tropical holiday who discover a seemingly secluded beach. There, they encounter several other vacationers, all of whom quickly realize that the beach is causing them to rapidly age. Unable to escape the beach, the group has to reckon with the fact that they are aging by approximately two years per hour.
Like most Shyamalan movies, there is indeed a twist, but we will not spoil it for you here. Whether you've seen "Old" or not, we imagine you're here because you're looking for something new to watch, and for that, we've got you covered. If you like plot twists, a group of strangers trapped in a hostile environment, or just a general sense of eerie uncertainty, then this list is for you. Keep reading to find out which spooky horror movies like "Old" you should watch next.
The Others
The biggest similarity between "Old" and "The Others" is that they both have a twist that will leave your jaw on the floor. Obviously, we're not going to spoil the twist or the ending here, so let's just start with the basics. "The Others" came out in 2001 and was directed by Spanish-Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. It stars Nicole Kidman as Grace, a devoutly religious woman and the mother of two children. During World War II, Grace decides to move her children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), to an old house on the English coast.
She spends her time there waiting to hear from her missing husband and trying to protect her children from a disease that causes them to be seriously burnt by the sun. Alone in a dark house with only the servants to keep them company, strange things begin to occur. Anne tells her mother she is seeing ghosts, and Grace eventually finds out that things are not what they seem.
Though it has more in common with "The Sixth Sense" than it does with "Old," "The Others" is nonetheless an appropriate follow-up if you found "Old" wonderfully disturbing. You may want to steer clear of old, dark houses after watching it, but Kidman's harrowing performance is well worth the psychological terror it may arouse.
Sea Fever
In "Old," it's the environment itself that takes a monstrous shape. For reasons unknown to the tourists, there is something sinister about the beach they find themselves at. While "Old" takes the seemingly friendly, tranquil sandy beach as its setting for horror, 2019's "Sea Fever" is set in a location that is already eerie for some — the middle of the ocean.
Written and directed by Irish filmmaker Neasa Hardiman, "Sea Fever" follows Siobhan (Hermione Corfield), a Ph.D. student in marine biology. In order to study the behavior of organisms in the deep sea, Siobhan joins the crew on a fishing trawler led by skipper Gerard (Dougray Scott) and his wife, Freya (Connie Nielsen). After the trawler travels into an exclusion zone, the ship is attacked by a squid-like life form that punctures the hull. Soon after, the crew begins succumbing to a mysterious infection, and it is up to Siobhan to convince everyone of the danger before it is too late.
Though it sadly flew under the radar upon its initial release, "Sea Fever" is totally worth watching. It combines several horror themes — monsters, the deep sea, contagion, a group of strangers trapped in a small space — to create an entirely cohesive and satisfying product. It's certainly indebted to monster movies of the past — most notably "The Thing" — but that only makes it more enjoyable to watch if you're a fan of the genre.
The Cabin in the Woods
Unlike in "Old," "The Cabin in the Woods" lets audiences know who's behind the horrors befalling its characters from the get-go. Directed by Drew Goddard and co-written by Joss Whedon, the film follows five college friends who take a vacation to a remote cabin in the woods for the weekend. Little do they know that their actions are being controlled by a pair of scientists (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford), who are able to manipulate the monstrous goings-on.
As the weekend progresses, the friends come face to face with terrifying zombies that they seem powerless to stop. As death and carnage surround them, it becomes clear that there is more to the cabin than meets the eye. When two of the friends discover what is really behind all of the monsters, they're not sure they can live with what they know.
Though the film reveals the Shyamalan-like "twist" of its premise at the beginning, "The Cabin in the Woods" isn't without surprises. As in "Old," the film follows a group who cannot escape and whose only hope is to expose the truth. Unsurprisingly, given that it was written by Whedon, "The Cabin in the Woods" is much more cheeky than a Shyamalan film, but fans of "Old" might find it to be a similarly entertaining journey.
The Mist
If you've seen "The Mist," you might recall that it has one of the most devastating endings in horror movie history. But if you haven't seen "The Mist," we're obviously not going to spoil that ending. Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, 2007's "The Mist" is a sci-fi horror film directed by Frank Darabont. Set in Maine (surprise!), the film follows David (Thomas Jane), and his 8-year-old son, Billy (Nathan Gamble). After a storm damages their house, David and Billy go into town to stock up on food and supplies. As they are shopping, a thick fog rolls into town and traps them in the grocery store. The townspeople soon discover the fog is far from harmless, and with it comes terrifying creatures that kill everything in their wake.
Things inside the store become increasingly frantic as one woman, a religious zealot named Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), tries to convince the others that human sacrifice is the only way to stop the creatures from killing them all. David does everything in his power to protect Billy and get him home safely to his mother, but they may be beyond saving. It's a harrowing film made all the more upsetting by the fact that Darabont elected to change the ending from King's book — so don't expect a feel-good family story with this one. It may not exactly be a Shyamalan ending, but it will definitely leave you speechless.
Annihilation
Alex Garland's 2018 film "Annihilation" artfully threads the needle between science fiction and horror. As in "Old," "Annihilation" depicts the natural environment as something potentially dangerous that we may never be able to fully understand. The film follows Lena (Natalie Portman), a biology professor and Army veteran. Lena's husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), disappears while on a secret mission to investigate a mysterious area known as "the Shimmer." Kane eventually returns, and Lena learns he is the only person to ever come back from the Shimmer.
In order to learn what happened to her husband — and absolve herself of guilt from abandoning him — Lena joins another mission to enter the Shimmer. She is joined by a physicist (Tessa Thompson), a geomorphologist (Tuva Novotny), a paramedic (Gina Rodriguez), and a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Each woman has their own reasons for joining the operation — which is essentially a suicide mission — and as they enter the Shimmer, they find that it becomes harder and harder to maintain their senses of self. As they travel further into this unfamiliar landscape, they encounter mutated animals and plant life that defies explanation.
One of Natalie Portman's best films, "Annihilation" succeeds because of how it combines classic elements of horror (the monstrous) with those of science-fiction (intellectual exploration). More of a psychological horror film than anything else, "Annihilation" will have you questioning the nature of the self even as it scares your pants off.
The Ruins
There's something so satisfying about that familiar trope of tourists who go on vacation only to encounter unimaginable horrors from which they can't escape. Maybe it's the naivete of the vacationers that's so compelling, or maybe it's knowing they probably shouldn't have gone to a remote destination in the first place. Either way, films like "Old" play on these ideas to reach a thrilling conclusion.
If tourists being terrorized is a compelling idea to you, add 2008's "The Ruins" to your list. Directed by Carter Smith and based on Scott Smith's novel of the same name, "The Ruins" follows two American couples — Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Amy (Jena Malone) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) and Stacy (Laura Ramsey) — who go on vacation to Mexico. The group meets a German tourist, Mathias (Joe Anderson), whose brother went missing at a remote archaeological dig of a Mayan ruin in the jungle. The Americans decide to help Mathias find his brother.
Of course, the tourists get much more than they bargained for. They encounter Mayan villagers who will not let them leave, and they soon realize why. The jungle is filled with poisonous vines that attack and infect anyone who comes into contact with one, and the group must fight for their survival as they are trapped inside the ancient ruins.
It may not be prestige horror, but "The Ruins" is an enjoyable B-movie that achieves exactly what it sets out to do. We just can't say the same for those tourists.
The Invitation
Though her most well-known film is the cult-classic "Jennifer's Body," Karyn Kusama's follow-up, "The Invitation," is also worth your time. Like "Old," "The Invitation" follows a group of people who wind up in a situation that is much more sinister than it initially appears. The film centers on a man named Will (Logan Marshall-Green), who brings his girlfriend, Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi), to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, Eden (Tammy Blanchard), and her husband, David (Michiel Huisman).
Will immediately senses something strange about the gathering, and it turns out he is right to be worried. Eden and David announce that while they were traveling in Mexico, they joined a cult along with fellow partygoers Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch) and Sadie (Lindsay Burdge). While the other attendees think the cult in question is harmless — just another LA eccentricity — Will becomes increasingly tense and worried about the situation that seems to be unfolding.
We won't spoil what it is that Will has to be worried about, but we will promise you that it's worth the wait. The film is most certainly a slow burn, but to Kusama's credit, the energy remains taut and unnerving throughout. If "Old" was a little too obvious for you, try "The Invitation" for something of the more restrained variety.
Escape Room
As with many horror films that traffic in psychological terror, one of the most terrifying elements of "Old" is not just its eerie premise, but also the fact that the characters are powerless to escape what's happening to them.
If this kind of horrifying situation appeals to you, you might enjoy the 2019 film "Escape Room." From the title alone, you can probably guess the premise of the film. "Escape Room" follows six strangers who solve a puzzle cube and are invited to compete in an escape room for the chance to win $10,000. They travel to a nondescript building where the game immediately begins. The participants soon find that this is no innocent game — it's a life-or-death experiment that they may not survive.
Though they don't know it, the participants all have something in common, and whoever is in charge of the game is using knowledge they have about the players to their advantage. Only the luckiest among them will survive, but not without experiencing some extreme psychological torture first. A fair warning: You may be hesitant to take part in a real-life escape room after watching this film.
Devil
2010's "Devil" is another film that takes the "strangers trapped together" premise and runs with it. "Devil" was directed by John Erick Dowdle and produced by Shyamalan, based on a story from the "Old" filmmaker. The film follows five strangers trapped in an elevator together inside a Philadelphia office tower. The elevator is stuck for longer than expected, and the passengers soon begin to mistrust one another.
Earlier that day, a man committed suicide and left a note about the impending arrival of the Devil, and a security guard watching the elevator swears he sees the Devil on the monitor. The lights in the elevator keep flickering on and off, and each time the lights turn back on, a new horror is revealed. The passengers in the elevator soon realize that the Devil may be among them, but they aren't sure which passenger it is.
"Devil" takes an interesting premise and pulls it toward its natural conclusion. With a short runtime — it's only 80 minutes — it's a taut thriller that doesn't waste time with exposition or frivolous character development. Though not technically a Shyamalan movie, it pairs well with his other films, like "Split" or "Old," and is a great example of the fact that sometimes, less is more.
10 Cloverfield Lane
Some of the best horror films are ones that have you questioning the idea of truth. Shyamalan is especially adept at posing these questions, and "Old" is no exception. "10 Cloverfield Lane" is another film that doesn't reveal all its answers until the very end, something Shyamalan fans will likely appreciate.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and produced by J.J. Abrams, "10 Cloverfield Lane" is a "spiritual successor" to 2008's "Cloverfield." The film follows Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who wakes up after a car accident and finds herself in a bunker with two strangers. Chained to a wall with a broken leg, a man named Howard (John Goodman) explains to Michelle that there has been a massive attack on Earth that has rendered the air unbreathable, which means they must stay inside.
Michelle meets Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who is also trapped in the bunker with Howard. Michelle is skeptical of Howard's story and becomes increasingly wary of his controlling and erratic behavior. She makes plans to escape, but she may not be ready for the truth about what the world has become.
In terms of twists and truth-bombs, "10 Cloverfield Lane" is a pretty good story. We're obviously not going to tell you what Michelle discovers — you'll just have to watch it and find out for yourself. Can you handle the truth?