Z Film Horror Movies To Watch
If you love horror films, then you have to watch some z-grade movies. These are not your typical mainstream horror films that focus more on blood and gore. These are usually considered worse than average due to their ridiculous storylines and poor acting. They’re typically rated much higher because of this!
Many people refer to these types of movies as “zombie horrors” or “horror with a social message” because they deal with issues such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and capitalism. Some even consider them to be art!
Z grade movie trailers often feature very loud music which helps set the tone for what kind of film it is. This article will talk about five of my favorite zombie horror films and why I like them.
I would recommend starting with The Evil Dead trilogy (The Original, Army Of Darkness, and Dawn Of The Dead) before moving onto next level content.
The Exorcist
Many consider The Exorcist to be one of the greatest horror films ever made. It is very popular now, with many re-watchings occurring all over the world. While it may seem like a scary movie at first, most people agree that it more or less features an evil spirit trying to possess a young girl.
The film was adapted from William Peter Blatty’s 1969 novel of the same name. Both the book and the movie feature two main characters - Regan (Fiona McLeod) and Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller).
Karras is a priest who has been assigned to help Regan deal with her problems. However, things quickly go wrong when the demon begins to take control of Regan. She becomes increasingly violent as she tries to attack him.
McLeod gave a powerful performance as Regan. Her acting earned several award nominations for the movie.
The Omen
One of the most well-known horror films is unquestionably The Omen. Based on an early 1970s novel, this movie follows young orphan Gregory as he comes into his inheritance and finds that it is not easy to survive in a corrupt world. He must protect himself both physically and spiritually, which does not seem possible.
The film begins with Gregory (played by Richard Chamberlain) arriving at the Vatican for his new position as ambassador. There he meets Pope Leo (Alejandro Jodorowsky), who informs him that he has received word that Gregory’s father was murdered and that Gregory may be next. This warning only adds fuel to Gregory’s already growing paranoia.
He later learns from his secretary that there have been several sightings of what appear to be demonic children running around outside the embassy grounds. When he goes out to check things out, he is attacked and left for dead. Luckily, however, he survives and makes his way back home.
Once he regains consciousness, he realizes that something far more sinister than just kids running around is going on. It seems that someone wants him gone so they can take over his money or power.
This person will do anything to make sure that does not happen, even if it means killing Gregory. With nowhere else to turn, Gregory decides to track down the source of all this evil himself.
What made The Omen such a successful horror film is its intense use of atmosphere and setting.
Rosemary’s Baby
In many ways, Rosemary’s Baby is an allegory for our times. It examines issues such as racism, motherhood, sexuality, and power in relation to a story that seems almost beyond satire. The movie revolves around Ira Sternwood (John Cassavetes), a successful architect who comes home one day to find his wife, Marie (Eva Martin) brutally murdered and their two-year old son Regan missing.
Ira is shocked by what he has just witnessed but not surprised. He knows something isn’t right with his wife, she doesn’t seem herself recently, ever since they found out she was pregnant. Even though he loves her deeply, he can’t put up with it anymore and asks for a divorce.
After leaving the house together, he goes back home alone where he finds Regan sitting next to his dead mother. When asked about his whereabouts earlier that morning, he says he took care of some business before coming home. But there’s more going on here than meets the eye and Ira must figure out what before someone else does for him.
He calls the police and then takes off after Regan while trying to process what happened. On his way to meet his son, he runs into Elsie Dannon (Mia Farrow), a neighbor who invites him in to talk.
The Sentinel
A Sentinel is a horror film that was released in 1990. It follows three college students who take an apartment tour of a recently purchased house. While exploring the basement, they come across some old equipment and two strange men dressed in black with heavy make up.
The next day, one of them calls the other guys to tell them not to go outside or use the bathroom because something isn’t right. They then drive off and leave him behind.
It turns out he survived by eating his roommate’s heart and drinking his blood. He also killed another student before being caught and locked away in an abandoned mental hospital.
While he was watching TV, he noticed there were no more channels. So he tuned into this movie called The Sentinel.
He becomes obsessed with it and studies every frame looking for clues about what happened here. Unfortunately, nothing makes sense so he assumes someone made it up and it inspired him to do the same thing.
After killing again, he notices people are starting to disappear so he alerts police but nobody believes him until he shows them where the bodies are.
The Shining
One of the most well-known horror films is The Shining. Stanley Kubrick’s film premiered in 1980, which makes it one of the newer entries into his collection. It was also nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay.
The movie takes place at an isolated hotel that belongs to the Overlook Hotel Company. Jack Nicholson portrays Dick Halloran, who becomes the new head of the company after his father dies suddenly. He brings his wife and two children to stay in what has become known as the “Overlook Suite.”
However, there are some ominous occurrences happening around him. At night, he hears strange noises coming from outside and then things begin changing around the room. When he goes out to check, he finds no cars or people anywhere and everything looks blurred and distorted.
He returns home with his family where they find their house locked up and empty. They go back to the hotel and discover all the windows have been boarded up and there seems to be something wrong with the key card system.
It takes them several hours to get back inside the rooms and even longer to settle down for sleep. During this time, they experience several more odd happenings such as heavy rain dripping onto the bed and furniture, mice running across the floor, and unexplained sounds and smells.
When morning comes, they realize someone had broken into their room while they were asleep.
They Came from Within
Many people consider horror to be in the genre of frightening, scary stories that typically have psychopathic killers or gore-filled scenes. While those are important components to horror films, there is another key element at play here.
Horror movies can often times be about something much more profound than just scary situations or gruesome deaths. Some storylines focus on societal issues such as racism, classism, sexism, or other forms of inequality.
Other films may explore themes such as death, rebirth, fear of mortality, or the afterlife. Only true horror fans know all of these things about these movies!
There’s one common factor among all of these movies though - they are all very human. In their own way, each story tries to make you feel for the characters, show empathy, and/or identify with them.
This is what makes it so powerful. You are not only scared for yourself but also for someone like you who might go through a similar situation. This adds an extra layer to the movie which most people miss.
It also helps keep the viewer awake because you get invested in the storyline instead of being distracted by the noises and effects.
The Rats
One of the most famous horror films is undoubtedly George Romero’s 1978 classic, Dawn Of The Dead. In it we are introduced to two groups of people who have now become zombies-the living and the rats.
The living are in an apartment building that has been overrun by hordes of undead rodents. Some survivors take refuge in the sewers while others try to stay awake during the night so they can defend themselves.
At one point, a group of three men make their way up to the roof where they find some sort of machine gun. As they begin firing into the crowds below, more zombies start pouring out of the sewer grates all around them.
It seems as if there’s no end to how many dead creatures exist and keep coming back to life!
With nowhere left to run, the trio decides to commit suicide together by shooting each other. Unfortunately for them, this doesn’t work out quite the way they planned since two of them aren’t really dead yet.
One of the still moving bodies gets pulled away by a bunch of zombified corpses which then devour its companion. After eating everything else, the next zombie raises itself up tall enough to look at its new prey.
That’s when things get weirdly meta!
We see the face of the survivor from before covered in blood and gore with what looks like a rat sticking out of his mouth.
The Haunting of Hill House
While not necessarily considered horror films, the The Haunting of Hill House is an eerie movie that will keep you on edge for the entire length of the film. Released in 2016, this movie follows five individuals who are traveling to the home of their dreams- until they discover there’s something very wrong with it.
The setting of this movie makes for some haunting imagery. All of the homes in the area seem abandoned and dilapidated, leaving little hope for anyone wishing to live there. Add in all of the mysterious sounds and sensations experienced while exploring the house, and you have got yourself an extremely spooky place to spend the night.
There are many similarities between the plot of The Haunting of Hill House and actual ghost stories. Many people can relate to at least one part of this story because we have all been in or visited places that leave us feeling unsettled for hours afterwards. This effect usually does not wear off until morning, making going back more difficult than before.
Overall, The Haunting of Hill House was an excellent addition to any collection. It is unique enough to appeal to both casual viewers and hardcore fans, making it easy to find.