The 10 most glamorous horror movies of all time
The horror genre is most commonly associated with guts and gore, but that doesn’t mean horror movies can’t be beautiful. Sometimes, the most brutal content leads to the most beautiful visuals, as horror movie directors regularly level up the scare with striking visuals.
Aesthetics are a vital part of playing with the uncanny. Whether it be bold reds being used to colour slasher movies or the way some directors use bright sunny scenes to contradict the terrors being played out – the visuals of a horror movie remain undeniably crucial.
Glamorous horrors especially have carved out their own cult fanbase. Mixing horror storytelling with a total dedication to stunning visuals, sometimes beauty can be the scariest thing of all. Leaning into the sins of lust, pride and gluttony, enchanting horror films cash in on excess with vast landscapes, striking colours, evil elegancy and beautiful brutality.
Not a new phenomenon by any means, you can trace the start of highly aestheticised horror movies back to the 1960s and ’70s, a time when arthouse horror became a booming industry. More and more directors started leaning into the horror genre rather than seeing it as cheap or distasteful. Today, studios like A24 know the power of a glamorous horror movie as the genre continues to grow in popularity. Helping to convert watchers to the dark side, visually beautiful horror films undeniably hook people in.
So, whether you’re a seasoned horror film fan or a scaredy-cat dipping your toes in, here at ten of the most drop-dead gorgeous, glamorous horror films.
The 10 most glamorous horror films:
10. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
So glamorous it is repeatedly referenced in modern pieces, the original film adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie is a masterclass in beautiful horror. Telling the story of Carrie White, a sheltered high schooler who unlocks evil powers, the movie’s finale prom scene is iconic.
Full of bright colours as the oversaturation of the ’80s crept closer, Carrie’s horror is in its beauty. The twinkling lights of the prom scene add a sparkling glamour to the gore of the climax. Under the disco lights, the bright red blood dumped on Carrie’s head looks so rich and alluring. The religious aesthetics of her mother’s home also make the 1976 flick an aesthetic treasure trove. With Sissy Spacek playing the titular role, it would be impossible to make a film that wasn’t glamorous with her starlet beauty.
9. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
The late 1970s were a huge moment for aesthetic horror films. After the sexual revolution of the 1960s, ’70s cinema leaned into lust. Becoming obsessed with aesthetics and glamour, the decade birthed a whole host of sexy cinematic masterpieces, but none quite as stunning as Suspiria.
Beautiful and terrifying in equal measure, the 1977 film from Italian director Dario Argento is revered most for its striking visuals and use of interesting lighting. Set at a German dance school as American ballerina Suzie Bannion arrives at an instantly brutal scene, Suspiria is tense from the first second to the finale. Featuring the infamous soundtrack score by Goblin, the visuals and sonics of Suspiria have made it a cult classic.
Lit throughout with rich red, pink and blue lighting, even the most horrifying moments look beautiful. Remade in 2018 featuring Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton and Mia Goth, both versions of Suspiria are visually striking and utterly haunting.
8. Midsommar (Ari Aster, 2019)
A modern masterpiece, A24’s Midsommar became an instant classic upon release in 2019. Starring Florence Pugh and becoming one of her most defining roles, the movie is acclaimed for its refusal to fall into the trap of dark, gloomy horror tropes. Instead, Midsommar is bright and beautiful. Set almost entirely in daytime, under the glaring sun of Swedish midsummer, it tells the story of Dani, a young woman who finds herself at the centre of a pagan cult ritual. A film so emotionally brutal, even lead actor Florence admitted to feeling like she abused herself to get through it.
Littered with visual easter eggs as clues hide in artworks throughout the film, the attention to detail in Midsommar is awe-inspiring. Directed by Ari Aster, the man behind Hereditary and Beau Is Afraid, his signature uncanny style always leans towards the aesthetic. But in Midsommar, glamour is overflowing as every scene is beautiful.
Ending with a flower-clad Pugh staring down the barrel of the camera, the finale image is a shining example of terrifying glamour.
7. Raw (Julia Ducournau, 2016)
You can always count on the French to deliver on glamour. Sweeping awards on the film festival circuit for its stunning visuals, Raw is a brutal body horror. The story of a young veterinary student who gets a taste for flesh, the contrast between the crisp, clean light of the daylight shots versus the rich blood red makes it a feast for the eyes.
Full of gore but never feeling too grim, Raw toes the line between a bloody horror and an arthouse movie. The aesthetics play around with repulsion, merging truly disgusting images with an overwhelming glamour. You might want to look away, but the beauty will keep your eyes glued to the screen.
6. The Love Witch (Anna Biller, 2016)
You’ve probably seen stills of The Love Witch floating around on social media thanks to its uber-quotable script and dedication to glamour. Designed to look like it was shot in the 1960s, the entire film has a real nostalgic, vintage feel that makes even the most minor details beautiful. From the protagonist’s striking blue eyeshadow to the bubblegum pink of the interiors, nothing was left unpolished in this campy, high-glamour horror.
Focussed on witchcraft, love spells and murder, The Love Witch feels like a horror film as seen and shot through the female gaze. Like Sofia Coppola meets Wes Craven, The Love Witch is a beautiful horror that mixes old Hollywood glamour with modern dark humour.
5. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)
Directed by one of the all-time greats, Francis Ford Coppola, this modern take on Dracula was always going to be incredible. Then add an all-star cast into the mix, featuring Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman, Monica Belluci, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves and more, and it seems impossible that Bram Stoker’s Dracula would be anything other than the glamorous horror hit it is.
Much like The Godfather series or the epic Apocalypse Now, Coppola is a master at making high-stakes action and violence look stunning. Even in the most brutal moments, his dedication to aesthetics is unwavering. In Dracula, gothic glamour reigns supreme, with dark, gloomy scenes being cut through with flashes of red or the bright white of vampire skin.
4. The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983)
A film about a love triangle featuring actors David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve was destined for glamour. An erotic horror film about vampires in New York, The Hunger is another cult classic that has become beloved for its highly stylised visuals.
In the film, Bowie and Deneuve play a married vampirical couple, with Bowie hungry for everlasting youth and Deneuvue for blood. On the surface, this seductive, blood-thirsty horror is a classic vampire flick, full of beautiful monsters and ruby red blood. But under the surface, The Hunger is a stunning and stark look at addiction in its many forms.
3. The Craft (Andrew Fleming, 1996)
Another horror that has entered the cultural zeitgeist is the 1996 teen supernatural horror film The Craft. Telling the story of a coven of snarky, cruel teen witches, The Craft follows the story of four friends navigating high school while developing their evil powers. Home to the iconic “light as a feather, stiff as a board” scene, The Craft got a whole new generation into witchcraft and tarot cards thanks to its stylised take on dark magic.
Rich with that classic ’90s grunge aesthetic, The Craft has become a style phenomenon thanks to its raw and rough glamour. All mixed up with the witchy aesthetics of wine chalices, pentagrams and waxy candles, The Craft is arguably the most glamorous witchcraft movie of all time.
2. The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
Truly the precursor to Midsommar, The Wicker Man is the defining picture in the genre of cult horrors. Filmed almost exclusively on location in Dumfries and Galloway, the film tells the story of a police officer sent to track down a young girl he fears has been abducted by a pagan cult. Treating the Scottish landscape almost like a character in the film, relying heavily on the greenery and woodlands to set the scene, vast outdoor shots make this horror film hauntingly beautiful.
With Midsommar clearly drawing inspiration from this 1973 movie, The Wicker Man also rejects the idea that a horror film has to be dark and dreary. Instead, the bright colours and glorious sun shining daylight make the movie even creepier as you never know where danger might be lurking. Full of creepy, highly aestheticised animal masks and climaxing in one big, fiery finale, The Wicker Man is one of the most glamorous yet eerie horror movies ever made.
1. The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016)
The story of a young girl tossed into the evil that is the modelling industry, Elle Fanning wows in the 2016 arthouse indie horror The Neon Demon. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, the man behind Drive and Bronson, he brings his signature slick aesthetics and strange storytelling to this modern horror. As a true psychological thriller, The Neon Demon doesn’t let you rest for a second. Throughout, it’ll have you on the edge of your seat as Elle Fanning’s character Jesse falls deeper into the dark and dangerous world of beauty.
Full of ominous imagery and downright creepy characters, this horror film warns of the terror that lurks in glamour while leaning heavily into just that. Packed with striking, colourful lighting and scene changes that throw you between the dark of night and the glaring light of camera flashes, The Neon Demon’s glamour lies in its stunning visual effects. As it gets increasingly deranged, the beautiful only tightens its grip as the world of LA models proves to be a cesspit of ruthless witches and villains.
