Horror particularly lends itself to a short runtime. Often dealing in heightened tension with few characters and limited locations, horror is a genre that often does great things on a low budget, too, so ‘quick and dirty’ can make for some of the most efficient scary movies. Here are 13 compact and excellent horror films under an hour and a half:
Them (2006)
77 minutes
[REC] (2007)
78 minutes A TV reporter follows emergency services into an apartment building which is quickly put in quarantine with no escape for the people in the building. This Spanish found footage movie from Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza is packed with shocks, as an infection breaks out and spreads quickly through the building, ramping up the tension until a WTF ending that is one of the most notorious shocks in horror.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
75 minutes James Whale’s 1930 film Frankenstein is even shorter at a brisk 70 minutes – both are wonderful – but we slightly prefer the sequel starring Elsa Lanchester as both Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and the mate created to appease Victor Frankenstein’s poor abandoned creature. Iconic, moving, and pacey.
The Evil Dead (1981)
85 minutes
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
86 minutes Four vampires share a flat in New Zealand in this good-natured and very funny mockumentary-style horror-comedy from Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement. Clement stars alongside Waititi, with fellow Flight of the Conchords favorite Rhys Derby co-starring as Anton, the Werewolf alpha with impeccable manners (“We’re werewolves, not swearwolves!”).
Paranormal Activity (2007)
86 minutes The multiple sequels, spin-offs, and rip-offs have diluted the brand somewhat but the original film still holds up as a very effective and economic shriek-fest. The premise is simple: weird things are happening in the suburban house of Katie and Micah, so Micah sets up cameras to film them during the day and while they sleep. The home video release has several alternative endings, but the theatrical version is a serious jolty jump scare that works every time.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
83 minutes
Inside (2007)
82 minutes This brutal chiller from directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury was at the forefront of the ‘New French Extremity’ movement. It’s shocking, gory, and harsh as hell as a recently bereaved pregnant woman is stalked in her own home by a mysterious stranger who wants to steal her unborn baby from inside her. Eeps.
Sightseers (2012)
88 minutes Ben Wheatley’s most palatable horror is this black comedy, which plays like Natural Born Killers with caravans. Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, who also co-wrote the screenplay, play lovers who travel the English countryside knocking off strangers who are generally rude or annoying. Funny, sweet, and violent.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
89 minutes
Under the Shadow (2016)
84 minutes Here’s a creepy chiller set in post-revolutionary Tehran in the ‘80s that follows a mother and daughter who live in the war-torn city and find themselves haunted by a Djinn. It’s a very effective frightener with political subtext and was the directorial debut of Iranian-born Babak Anvari. The film won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.
Lights Out (2016)
81 minutes Developed from his very scary short of the same name, David F. Sandberg’s directorial debut is about a family haunted by an apparition that only exists in the dark. With subtexts relating to mental health issues and some clever set pieces involving intermittent light effects (camera flash, light from a gunshot, etc), Lights Out is an original horror which has already been earmarked for a sequel.
Lake Mungo (2008)
87 minutes
