Horror films have the ability to strike an audience at a gut level, and movies like The Cell offer stunning visuals that emphasize the visceral impact on the viewer.
Tarsem Singh’s eye-popping sci-fi horror stars Jennifer Lopez as a psychologist hired to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer via experimental technology to find the location of his latest victim…
If you enjoy your horror with lashings of eye candy like The Cell, then check out these ravishing picks…
10 Visually Striking Horror Movies Like The Cell
1. Suspiria (1977)
An American ballet student arrives in Germany to study at a prestigious dance academy, only to find that it is home to a coven of witches…
Suspiria is a great entry point into the world of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, whose trademark was serving up superbly orchestrated kills with lashings of style.
Movies like The Cell make great use of colour, and Suspiria’s stunning palette is a real visual treat. Jessica Harper makes an appealing heroine.
2. Under the Skin (2013)
An alien seductress stalks young men on the streets of Glasgow, harvesting their flesh for the folks back home. However, contact with humans makes her start feeling something unusual…
Jonathan Glazer’s chilly sci-fi horror has mesmerizing imagery, a brilliantly discordant score from Mica Levi, and a stunning performance from Scarlet Johansson in her best role to date.
Under the Skin is otherworldly, meditative and challenging, and its trippy visuals make it a great pick for people looking for more movies like The Cell.
3. The Neon Demon (2016)
A young aspiring model arrives in Los Angeles and wows people with her unique look. However, she soon finds that people in this cutthroat world are dangerously jealous of her youth and beauty…
Nicolas Winding Refn’s psychological horror divided audiences, but almost everyone was unanimous in praising its hypnotically beautiful visual style. Elle Fanning commands the screen as the enigmatic young model.
The Neon Demon certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, as it flirts with boredom and repulsion. For those who can tune in to its specific rhythms, it’s a strange and wild ride.
4. Santa Sangre (1989)
A mentally disturbed man escapes from hospital to be with his armless mother. Acting as her arms, she forces him to commit a series of grisly murders…
Santa Sangre is Chilean madman Alejandro Jodorowsky’s most accessible film. Despite the plot’s basic similarity to Psycho, it’s a unique experience – gruesome, perverse, comical, bawdy, horrific and sentimental. The director’s son Axel Jodorowsky stars as our troubled protagonist.
With clowns, tattooed ladies, ghosts and trouser snakes, Santa Sangre has an overwhelming visual style, perfect for people who love movies like The Cell.
5. Dracula (1992)
Count Dracula travels to England to seduce the wife of his barrister, whom he believes is the reincarnation of his long-lost love…
Francis Ford Coppola turned up the style in this ravishing adaptation of Bram Stoker’s timeless novel. Gary Oldman inherited the fangs of the famous vampire, heading an all-star cast including Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins and Winona Ryder.
Coppola’s vision transformed the vampire movie and was a huge box office hit. It rightly won Oscars for makeup and costume design for redefining the Count’s whole look.
6. Annihilation (2018)
A biologist is enlisted to lead a team into a mysterious zone known as “the Shimmer”, where they encounter disturbing mutations to the flora and fauna…
Annihilation is an impressive follow up to Ex Machina from director Alex Garland. Natalie Portman brings her usual brittle determination to the lead role, with a strong supporting cast including Oscar Isaac and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Movies like The Cell are at their best when balancing disturbing imagery with beautiful cinematography, and Annihilation’s dreamlike visuals at times border on the hallucinatory.
7. Antichrist (2009)
A couple grieving the death of their son go out to a cabin in the woods to save their marriage, but are consumed by the nihilistic nature surrounding them…
Lars von Trier’s arthouse horror is a deadly serious exploration of grief and the meaninglessness of life, with powerful performances from Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Antichrist is grim stuff but beautiful to look at, thanks to Anthony Dod Mantle’s stunning black and white photography.
8. Crimson Peak (2015)
A young author travels to England to live with her shady husband in a huge rambling mansion, and finds that the old house harbours a ghostly secret…
Guillermo del Toro goes wild with the style in this sumptuous gothic horror, starring a strong cast including Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain.
As good as the cast are, the true star of the film is the mansion itself, a true masterpiece of production design. It’s a stunning place for the viewer to explore, making it a great pick if you’re looking for more movies like The Cell.
9. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Werner Herzog is not a director you’d necessarily associate with beautiful imagery, but here he creates a strikingly gloomy vision for his take on the Dracula myth.
An estate agent visits Count Dracula’s castle to sell the reclusive nobleman a house in his hometown of Wismar. Enchanted by a photo of the young man’s wife, the count heads to the coastal city, bringing a plague with him…
Herzog’s version of Bram Stoker’s tale takes its stylistic cues from F.W. Murnau’s silent classic Nosferatu, with Klaus Kinski’s make up being the most obvious homage.
10. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
Movies like The Cell are sometimes more about style than substance, so this oddball Iranian vampire western is a great way to complete our list.
The plot is very slim – the residents of a small town are stalked by a stylish female vampire. That’s about it, but Sheila Vand is appropriately striking as the chador-wearing bloodsucker.
The overabundance of style is the key selling point of Ana Lily Amirpour’s gorgeous, laconic horror, beautifully shot in high contrast black and white by Lyle Vincent. Each frame is a work of art.