Top 10 Foreign Horror Films of the Past Decade; Modern International Classics from ‘Train to Busan’ to ‘The Wailing’

One of the most popular and extensively viewed media genres is horror. Horror movies, even those with different levels of quality, consistently draw large audiences and become quite popular. Although Hollywood produces a large number of successful horror movies every year, it’s also vital to acknowledge some distinctive and unconventional horror movies that originate from around the world.

There are many haunting, weird, and unique horror movies from the past decade that the entire world has to offer, whether it’s the highly gritty and terrifying features from Korea like Train to Busan or the surreal mind-bending visionaries from France with films like Raw.

1. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is one of the best scary foreign films you will rarely find. It is billed as the first Iranian vampire Western and tells the story of a ghost town full of loneliness and death, where the residents are unaware that a lone vampire stalks them at night.

The film transcends its genre to tell a very special kind of vampire romance that is impossible to resist falling in love with. It is brilliantly original and aesthetically stunning. Director Ana Lily Amirpour demonstrates with elegant style and creative skill that horror from outside Hollywood has a voice just as powerful and plenty of compelling tales to tell.

2. Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)

You won’t think of cracking your knuckles in the same way again after viewing the Mexican horror drama Huesera: The Bone Woman. It’s the spooky tale of Valeria, who has always dreamed of motherhood but feels strange after finding out she’s pregnant. It’s brilliantly directed and features an eerie sound design.

In Huesera, postpartum depression and the ways that domesticity’s constraints drive queer people to suppress their identities are horrifyingly portrayed. It’s one of the greatest foreign horror films, an underappreciated treasure that merits greater recognition. It’s thoughtful, truly terrifying, and features an excellent performance by Natalia Solián.

3. Titane (2021)

Titane, Julia Ducournau’s highly surreal follow-up to her fantastic debut, is her second film. Raw is already strange, but this movie goes above and beyond. It narrates the unusual tale of a woman who, following a fatal car accident when she was younger, embarks on a downward spiral of events.

Titane is a very strange and disorganized movie, but despite its seemingly nonsensical events, it has a lot of unexplored underlying themes. It is a brutal, punk, and insane commentary on gender, family, and acceptance that is incredibly fascinating.

4. Raw (2016)

Raw by Julia Ducournau delves into topics that are likely to prick the consciences of most readers. In this spine-tingling teen horror film, a young woman enrolled in her first year of veterinary school experiences an unusual craving for flesh after trying it for the first time.

The movie is extremely eerie and doesn’t hold back when displaying some genuinely horrifying imagery. Because of the characters and setting, which are both equally modern and strange, it almost feels as though it is set in a slightly fantasized reality. Raw is an extremely strange mash-up of concepts that will make you feel scared, disgusted, and even enthralled.

5. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Goodnight Mommy is a worthy addition to the pantheon of the most well-known horror films ever made, even though there aren’t many Austrian horror films. In it, their mother, who recently had cosmetic surgery, moves to a new home with her two twin brothers. But there’s someone the boys don’t recognize under the bandages.

The film gradually creates a spooky atmosphere that will make your skin crawl if you can bear it. Easily one of the scariest foreign films of the year, it’s a masterful example of elevated horror that should be seen at least once by all slow-burn horror enthusiasts.

6. Train to Busan (2016)

Even though zombie movies seem to be going extinct, movies like Train to Busan show that you can use the undead to tell a thought-provoking and original story. This excellent South Korean horror movie follows the crew as they discover they are in the midst of a zombie outbreak and, appropriately, is set aboard a train traveling to Busan.

Because of its setting, the movie is especially suspenseful and compelling. The cramped train compartments significantly increase the terror factor, especially in light of the limited area available to hide or flee from the ferocious zombies.

7. The Wailing (2016)

Apart from films from more mainstream directors like Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho, South Korea has a ton of outstanding movies, and The Wailing is undoubtedly one of them. The movie follows a policeman as he looks into a case of an enigmatic illness that starts to spread through a small village following the visit of an unusual stranger.

The movie starts as an incredibly interesting mystery before gradually turning into a real horror. It does a fantastic job of drawing you into the feel of this little town and holding your interest while you work to solve the puzzles the story presents.

8. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

The Japanese horror film One Cut of the Dead is undoubtedly one of the funniest ones available, even though it’s not the scariest. It is best to approach this movie with as little prior knowledge as possible. All you have to know is that it’s a zombie movie shot in one take, and you should definitely keep watching after the credits roll.

The movie is a hilarious roller coaster with amazing choreography and performances galore. It’s easy to classify this as one of the greatest foreign horror films of recent years because it has a genuinely original concept that has never been done before, making it a wild and unique experience.

9. Climax (2018)

One of the scariest and most upsetting movies of the past few years is Climax, which is possibly too painful to see twice. This spectacular French film follows a group of dancers as they take a party drink that has been spiked and begin to experience a terrifying drug trip.

Gaspar Noé genuinely possesses a talent for terrifying yet powerful cinematography. The stories he tells have a lot of eerie elements, even though they aren’t explicitly horror films. Climax, though, seems to be the closest thing he’s created to true horror. It becomes more terrifying the more you consider it. Watching these dancers lose control of their minds is a very moving experience.

10. The Lure (2015)

It may sound like a strange fever dream to combine the words “mermaid,” “horror,” and “musical,” but that is precisely what the Polish The Lure is. The story of two mermaid sisters who get caught up in a dangerous romantic triangle after one of them falls in love with a young man is told in the must-see horror musical film.

The film’s distinct look contributes to its surreal atmosphere, which leaves a lasting impression. Even if you only ever see this movie once, it will always be a memorable experience for you. It’s an animated, frantic image that resembles a twisted, surreal, and contemporary version of The Little Mermaid.