The best horror movies that play on your fear of the dark, ranked

summary

• Horror movies like Darkness Falls use the fear of the dark to induce anxiety and physical reactions.
• Tackling common phobias, movies like Lights Out can be spine-tingling for viewers afraid of the dark.
• In horror movies like Them and The Babadook, the use of light, shadow and sound creates suspense and scares the audience.

Data shows that about 50% of American adults have some degree of nyctophobia – the fear of the dark. Based on these results, filmmakers use this common phobia to their advantage. Like horror movies Darkness FallsThe howeverand them Feelings of anxiety, tense body muscles, and sweating, all characteristic symptoms of people who are afraid of the dark.

On the bright side, on the other hand, horror films that play on the fear of the dark can be used to counter and overcome this weakness by using horror cinema to strategically create a physical response. These movies are especially spine-tingling for viewers who are afraid of the dark.

8 Light out

A brilliant combination of shadow and sound

• Release Date: August 4, 2016
• Running time: 1 hour 21 minutes
• Director: David F. Sandberg
• Streaming: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video

From the director of Conjuring, Light out Takes fear of the dark to a whole new level. The film is about a dead woman, Diana, who haunts the family home and is only able to walk in the dark. She feeds on it and appears when someone turns off the light, and disappears when the light is on.

The film undermines the audience by tricking them with shadows, sounds and camera angles. Reviews mention great visuals and quick scares. Overall, reviews agree that it's overall fun, but nothing scary.

7 them

A horror based on true events

• Release Date: July 19, 2006
• Running time: 1 hour 17 minutes
• Director: David Moreau, Javier Palud
• Streaming: Netflix

them It is a horror film based on a true incident that took place in France. The movie follows the lives of a couple: Clement, a school teacher, and Martil, a novelist who lives in a village house. One evening, a couple of kids break into the house and turn it into a house of terror.

It is the authenticity of the story that makes it them scary Its base can be anyone, making it scary to watch. The film's directors played with light, shadow and sound to deliver suspense and pure terror.

6 Night House

A ghost story starring Rebecca Hall

• Release Date: August 20, 2021
• Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes
• Director: David Bruckner
• Streaming: Disney+

Night House Takes the audience to another ghost story. The plot is set in an isolated river house and features Beth (played by Rebecca Hall) as the main protagonist dealing with her husband's suicide. He leaves a note that she will now be safe – but from what?

The director uses a haunting soundtrack and explores the fear of darkness with disturbing visuals, creating fear for the audience.

5 The boogeyman

Adaptation of Stephen King's short novel

• Release Date: June 2, 2023
• Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes
• Director: Rob Savage
• Streaming: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

The boogeyman is a psychological and supernatural horror film that touches on themes of loss, grief and parental neglect. It tells the sad story of an overwhelmed father, who works as a doctor while going through the loss of his wife. He is unable to provide proper mental support to his grieving children, and neglects them. After the patient meets the father at home, he unleashes a supernatural power that changes everything.

Shadows and dark spaces are prominent in movie scenes and are used to create tension. Viewers also get to see two kids dealing with common childhood fears and phobias playing out in the fear of the dark.

4 Don't be afraid of the dark

An incredible child in a haunted house

• Release Date: November 6, 2010
• Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes
• Director: Troy Nixie
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

Conspiracy of Don't be afraid of the dark Centers around Sally, an eight-year-old girl, who moves with her father and soon-to-be stepmother into a spooky Gothic mansion in need of renovation. In this house, there is a basement. Sally, a very smart child, is curious but afraid to go downstairs. Eventually, he finds a hidden cave with animals that whisper and lure them free. Despite trying to let Babu know that she didn't like the place, she ignored it.

This film is a remake of the 1973 original. Director Troy Nixey uses a dark basement with little lighting to bring out the fear of the dark. Throughout the film, viewers will also notice the rudimentary use of shadows and darkness, allowing the creatures to move and hide in an eerie way.

3 however

A storybook that becomes real and terrorizes a grieving mother

• Release Date: May 22, 2014
• Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes
• Director: Jennifer Kent
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

however Has to be one of the greatest horror movies around. It all begins when a mother, Amelia, who is grieving the death of her husband, is left alone at home with her young son, Samuel. One night, she reads a bedtime story to her son, Mr. Babadook, and everything changes. He tries to burn the book to stop scary things from happening at night, but fails.

Jennifer Kent, an Australian director, focuses on interior scenes. No matter how tense anyone is in the presence of darkness, viewers are presented with dark spaces with eerie shadows peeking out from the corners.

2 Darkness Falls

When the tooth fairy returns as an evil spirit

• Release Date: January 24, 2003
• Running time: 1 hour 26 minutes
• Director: Jonathan Liebesman
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

Darkness Falls Centers around Matilda, also known as the Tooth Fairy. The townspeople falsely accused him of abusing children. Eventually, she dies and returns as an evil spirit. Driven by revenge, Matilda decides to hunt down the town and target the children who lost their baby teeth. This evil only attacks at night, and kills all who close their eyes to him.

The film focuses heavily on the fear of the dark to build tension and terror. Viewers can expect a fast pace of shadows and terror with every light-up.

1 extraordinary activity

A couple decides to record the disturbing events of the night

• Release Date: February 5, 2010
• Running time: 1 hour 26 minutes
• Director: Oren Pelley
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

extraordinary activity Revolves around Katie and Micah, a couple who decide to set up a camera in their bedroom during the night. The girl shares that she has been haunted since she was a child, and even though her boyfriend doesn't believe her at first, he decides to do it for her. Viewers can expect jump scares and scares in the dark between 1 and 4 AM when the monster wakes up.

Nighttime, darkness, and night-vision footage serve as a source of suspense and anxiety about what is about to happen. Additionally, dim lighting and manipulation of static make the audience uncomfortable, forcing them to stare.