Best Horror Movies That Explore Mature Themes

Summary

• Horror movies explore mature themes, provoking intense emotions and reactions from viewers.
• The films discussed delve into dark and sinister topics like abuse, addiction, and supernatural forces.
• Movies such as “Gerald’s Game,” “The Conjuring Series,” and “Get Out” showcase psychological horror and terrifying narratives.

Films are gateways into strangers’ lives, no matter what the plot may be. From heroes saving the day to a group of teenagers trying to outrun a masked killer, movies can send viewers to different worlds and take them on rides down amazing and tragic paths. Movies are incredibly versatile in their themes and settings, encapsulating a myriad of topics and situations.

More often than not, horror movies take the road less traveled and focus on extreme or mature themes that invoke a dark feeling emanating from the characters present on screen. Due to their subject matter, horror movies are granted a wide range of situations and themes. Some elevate the film’s story, while others increase the level of visceral reactions from viewers. Here are some horror movies that explore mature themes.

8

Gerald’s Game

A Simple Yet Unnerving Thriller

Carla Gugion stars in this Netflix original as Jessie Burlingame, a woman who becomes trapped in a perilous predicament. Her husband Gerald, played by Bruce Greenwood, suffers cardiac arrest during an intimate moment, and leaves her strapped to a bed in the middle of nowhere.

While panic starts slow, as the days go on, hunger and thirst strip Jessie of her senses. She begins to hallucinate and revisit the past trauma of abuse from her father. All the while, she is haunted by the shadows of the room she’s in and a tall figure whose eyes peer into her soul.

7

The Conjuring Series

A Demon Torments Many Lives Over Many Years

The Conjuring films revolve around several intense situations and trauma, depending on the story. The entire franchise is made up of four films, each where a married couple of paranormal investigators, Lorraine and Ed Warren, played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, try to aid individuals who are plagued by sinister attacks from dark forces.

The Conjuring franchise follows themes such as the occult, child abuse, murder, and suicide that have all been caused by a suspected demonic figure from hell. Lorraine Warren serves as a psychic who discovers the demon and works endlessly to save the lives of the people caught in its web.

6

1408

A Reporter Steps Into Hell On Earth

John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a disturbed traveling reporter who investigates supposed hauntings across the country. Tormented by the loss of his wife and daughter, Enslin seeks to find a shred of hope that the other side exists and that he may see his family again, yet he is still a harsh skeptic of anything paranormal.

His travels lead him to the famous hotel room of the Dolphin Hotel, where an unspeakable experience awaits him. Room 1408 is an infamous room that has claimed many lives, and Mike Enslin seeks to prove it, and expose the hotel manager as a sham. Unfortunately for Mike, whatever possesses the room sinks its teeth into him and sends him down a road of his own trauma and of those that came before him. Suicide, addiction, and grief are all explored in this Stephen King adaptation.

5

The Devil’s Rejects

A Classic Gruesome Slasher Film

The Devil’s Rejects is a genuinely dark and gruesome film from Rob Zombie‘s mad mind. Breaking away from monsters and demons, it revolves around three psychopaths as they carve a bloody path through a small town and leave horrific scenes in their wake. The film follows the duo of Baby (Sheri Zombie) and Otis (Bill Mosbey), who go on the run after being raided by the local police.

Together, they team up with the elder of their family, Captain Spaulding, played by the late Sig Haig, and continue to dismember and disfigure anyone in their path. As the film goes on, it shows that there is no line the Devil’s Rejects won’t cross.

4

American Mary

The Perfect Revenge Story

Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) was on her way to becoming a doctor, but like many college students, she found herself in financial distress. While working as an exotic dancer, she becomes the go-to surgeon for a number of shady clients. An infatuation with her professor turns sour when he drugs Mary and assaults her.

Afterward, Mary’s life goes down a spiral, and she now uses her surgical skills in back-alley body modification jobs. Unfortunately, as her trauma grows more and more severe, Mary’s mind breaks under the stress. Instead of moving on, she decides to take revenge. Mary has her attacker kidnapped and begins using him as a practice cadaver while he’s still alive.

3

The Black Phone

Victims Speak From Beyond The Grave

This dark horror story stars Ethan Hawke as The Grabber, a serial killer who targets young boys in his neighborhood. The movie follows Finney Shawe (Mason Thames), who’s been abducted by the maniac and must play his situation carefully if he hopes to escape the predator’s basement.

During his captivity, Finney is visited by the supposed spirits of past victims and warned in ways that give him an advantage against The Grabber, who has a sick and twisted ritual he must commit before he can kill the young boy.

2

Get Out

Mind Control & Body Sapping

Jordan Peele exploded onto the horror scene with this instant cult classic that deals with racial injustice, stereotype tropes, and organ trafficking wrapped in a dramatic tale of body snatching and hypnotizing. Chris Washington goes on a trip to his girlfriend’s family home out in the country. As an interracial couple, Chris prepares for the stark contrast between cultures.

However, expecting a few shady looks turns into a bleak situation. Chris not only becomes the target of a sadistic plot to harvest his body for white purchasers, but learns that his loving partner is in on the entire thing.

1

Hereditary

A Curse That Follows

Hereditary begins after the death of Ellen Graham, mother of Annie Graham (Toni Collette), who must now work to keep her family together after this devastating loss. However, the matriarchal figure’s passing leaves a void inside Annie and unleashes a force that seeks to do her family harm.

As strange occurrences begin to follow Annie and her family, she struggles to deal with the mental strain, and tragedy soon strikes again. Hereditary is a spine-tingling film that explores mental health, neglect, and familial trauma with added supernatural threats.