5 Great But Weird Cult Horror Movies That Will Haunt Your Brain Forever

Cults have a twisted sense of togetherness that tries to summon your deepest fears audaciously. Such movies take a bold step in storytelling about taboo subjects in society, which makes them worth watching. 

Movie Insiderz has a list of the five best but weird cult horror movies that are bizarrely interesting. 

The Wicker Man (1973)

The film is based on a unique and eerie society located on an isolated Scottish island, Summerisle. The case of a girl’s disappearance is assigned to a Christian police officer (Edward Woodward) who goes to the same island for answers. 

What was a simple investigation turned out to be a bone-chilling nightmare for the officer as he discovered that the community banned Christianity and followed Pagan fertility customs. 

The movie has a high Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb score as it sheds light on issues that were kept hush-hush. The intimate physical contact and pleasures were topics that no one wanted to talk about; the film openly addressed them. According to the BBC, it is a film that “truly resists categorization”.   

Children of the Corn (1984)

Another masterpiece that came a few years after The Wicker Man was Children of the Corn. Although the franchise has 11 entries after the 1984 original, the first one still remains undeniably the most disturbing horror film.

The film is based on a short story by Stephen King. It is mostly uncomfortable due to the cult of children. While traveling through the cornfields of Nebraska, a young couple, Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton), meet the youngest religious cult members. 

These children believe that anyone over 18 should die, and seeing the fanatical convictions of these young minds, the couple find themselves helpless. The kids created a nightmare scenario and took over the town by brutally killing the adults is horrific to watch to date. 

Showing children as antagonists with a creepy cult leader is the best form of horror that this film has given us, which makes it even harder to erase from our memories. In this classic cult horror, tension and fear have intertwined pretty well with an unseen force called “He Who Walks Behind the Rows”, controlling the children.  

The Sacrament (2013)

This movie took a different approach to the cult horror genre. Its found-footage approach created a unique perspective in the supernatural horror category.

The film is inspired by the Jonestown tragedy of 1978. It shows documentary footage of two journalists who go with their colleague to a religious community where the colleague’s sister resides. 

Seemingly, there is nothing wrong with the place, but as time passes, the details of the dangerous real-life workings of a cult start to show their signs. The helplessness of the two journalists becomes evident in some unnerving situations that they don’t feel right about. 

More realistic scenarios were used, not directly retelling the incidents but portraying the themes of cults, social issues, and consequences of blind faith, especially upon the cult leader Jim Jones, who ordered them to drink a poisonous drink that resulted in mass suicide. The director, Ti West, did a brilliant job in this creepy thriller that tries to explore what happened in Jonestown in reality.  

Want to watch another horror movie based on a real-life story? Check out The Conjuring: Last Rites, true investigative diaries from Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Ritual (2017)

This movie isn’t as big as Ari Aster has Hereditary and Midsommar, but the director David Bruckner made a standout film in the said genre for sure. The Ritual is his debut feature that tells the story of a small group of friends going hiking in the Swedish countryside.  

Their hike was meant to commemorate the death of one of the group members, but turns out to be a gory adventure. There is a sinister presence that does not want to spare any one of them. The evil presence is that of a demon whom the community members of the locality follow like a cult. 

The frightening atmosphere of the movie is due to the graphic violence that blends terrifically well with Norse mythology and psychological terror. The emotional impact entwined with the ambiance of dread creates a perfect palpable sense of fear, making it one of the best cult movies.   

Midsommar (2019)

One couldn’t imagine a movie with beautiful scenery and calm surroundings might have some of the most shocking secrets hidden. The cult traditions are insanely demonstrated in another of Ari Aster’s magnum opus.

This peculiar horror film focuses on Dani’s story, played by Florence Pugh. She joins her boyfriend and his friends on a trip to a Swedish festival. The traditions, which are punishments, were unfurled as soon as the first dining of all the cult members started.

The troubling silence at the table was an indication of something dreadful coming up, and that is when you know you are in for a hard-hitting cult classic. The multiple ritual murders and monstrous eldest members of the cult make it a controversial film regarding the worst tradition of Norse Paganism.  

What makes cult horror movies so addictively unforgettable?

A combination of psychological and physiological factors contributes to the cult horror movies’ unforgettable addiction. As cited earlier, the taboo themes are visually depicted, and the impact of cult members’ actions is shown openly, evoking extreme emotions.

The intense adrenaline rush that this genre’s devoted fans get from the extreme scenes cultivates their addiction. Horror plays with the individual interpretation of one’s feelings about a scary scene. The subjective nature of enjoyment when the fans watch a terrifying scene makes it particularly compelling for them, certainly giving them a memory for the rest of their lives. 

Cult horror movies break the mainstream trends and probe the forbidden themes, again, adding to the unforgettable experience of the fans. Even the disturbing imagery adds to another layer of their memorability.   

Which ones of these cult horror movies have you watched? Let us know about your favorite one in the comments below.