With Halloween fast approaching, it seems like now is as good a time as any to watch a horror movie. Everyone knows about all the American classics–The Halloween Series, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Silence of the Lambs, Paranormal Activity and the list goes on.  But in today’s globalized world, we have access to some incredible foreign cinema. From Canada to South Korea, here’s a countdown to my top 5 favorite picks for foreign horror flicks that will raise the hair on your back!

        5. Rezort

Starting off this list is essentially a modern day B-movie. Rezort is a British zombie outing that is what happens when you mix a zombie movie with Jurassic Park. Set after a zombie war, It takes place on an island where a resort has opened up, with the draw of the place being that you can kill zombies. And just like in Jurassic Park, everything goes to hell once the islands shoddy security systems releases all the zombies. The end result is a gleefully stupid zombie romp, perfect for those nights where you are tired of thinking.

However, due to the nature of it being a B-movie, there are some flaws that may hold back some people enjoyment. The biggest problem this movie has is its tone. This movie seems to want to take itself seriously, which is a problem. Aside from these “dramatic” scenes not having the impact the screenwriter hoped they would have, they tend to grind the pace to a halt. 

Luckily, there are plenty of zombies and gore to keep most people entertained. And for what it’s worth, watching a group of unlikely stereotypes fight against a swarm of undead is fun enough to be worth a watch if you find yourself bored late at night. 

4. Dead Set

Another British zombie movie (or rather, mini-series. I know I cheated), Dead Set is what Rezort wanted to be. When the zombie apocalypse hits the UK, a group of contestants on a Big Brother style reality show try to survive. So such an absurd premise, it works extremely well. 

In spite of all the characters being stereotypes of reality tv contestants, they are not as hateable as you would expect them to be. The character interaction and dialogue is top notch. The amount of development surviving characters get makes them feel less like the characters they are based off of and more like real people, making it surprisingly poignant. 

That being said, it remembers it a horror show, and can be terrifying and bloody when it has to be. The scares the show does have are very effective with the show successfully dragging out suspense and having it scares jump out at the right moments, making it not one for the faint hearted. If you want a genuinely scary zombie romp, check out Dead Seat. 

3. The Void

The Void is a creepy little film from our friends up north in Canada, and feel like what would happen if you gave Halloween Director John Carpenter a script for a Lovecraft adaptation. Starting off as a simple trip to a hospital, it quickly turns into a cosmic horror story, dealing with a strange cult, abominations made of the dead, and a mysterious realm known as The Void.

Its strong concept is equaled by strong directing, with the hospital the movie takes place in feeling decrepit and abandoned even before any of the horror happens. The sub-level of the hospital are even more creepy. The movie does a good job of creating an overall atmosphere of dread. And in spite of it most likely having the lowest cost of any movie on this list, it’s still look phenomenal, better than most big budget horror movie to come out as of late! 

Adding on to that are the incredible creature effects, which were done practically. They look astonishing and grotesque, like the truly inhuman creatures they are supposed to be. The scares they create are few and far between, as the movie relies more on atmosphere than making you jump, but the ones that do exist are effective. 

The Void is a supremely creepy movie with flaws few and far between. If your a fan of movies like The Thing or The Beyond, check this one out. 

2. Veronica

In my opinion the scariest film on this list, Veronica is a creepy and intense supernatural horror film from Spain. After a seance gone wrong, a teenage girl is haunted by a supernatural creature hellbent on torturing her and her siblings.

Like The Void, Veronica is a Movie that relies more on atmosphere than making you jump every other second. Also like The Void, the scares it does provide are expertly done, with plenty of terrifying imagery to go along with them. The whole movie has a tense, suspenseful atmosphere that will keep you heart racing at all times. 

The direction and writing are solid as well. The movie moves a slow pace, but still fast enough to not be dull. The characters are well written and their motivations make sense, and the camerawork, lighting, and dialogue makes you question whether all of the supernatural anomalies are real, or just in her head, which may be the most frightening thing about it. The theme of insanity and mental trauma is prevalent throughout the whole movie, with not real definitive answers until the very end. If you have the nerve to sit through the whole thing, find out for yourself.

1. Train To Busan

While not exactly a horror movie in the traditional sense, this South Korean zombie movie stands as a fairly scary film, as well as a thoroughly touching and an expertly made one. It follows a group of train passengers who are caught in the grips of a zombie apocalypse, and are trying to make it to Busan, which is the only safe city in South Korea, until infected passengers and tensions between survivors raise the body count.

The heightened tensions with the survivors and the zombies, as well as the cramped quarters of the train, help make the movie more intense, to say nothing of some survivors having to fight through five cars of zombies midway through the film. The unnatural movements of the zombies and their tendency to run only ratchets up the fear factor. This comes to a head during a station stop scene near the middle of the film. They are fast and violent, in the same vein as the zombies from 28 Days Later. The zombies in this movie are extremely well done.

The movie is also a surprisingly thoughtful one, too. Throughout the film, people bad choices and selfish decision making almost end up being as much of a problem as the zombies themselves. This is most expressed via Young-suk, a selfish businessman who gets multiple passengers killed in a bid to save himself. The movie shows that during a time of crisis, you have to look out for other people, and that looking after only yourself can have disastrous results.

Train To Busan is a fantastic movie. It’s scary, tense, thoughtful, and best of all, entertaining. Highly recommended.