Robert Eggers’ thought-provoking and slow-burning terror married frights with substance, and was a breath of fresh air in a genre prone to falling into repetitiveness. So if you are seeking out movies like The Witch, you’re in the right place!
Below, I have gathered together ten of the most chilling titles that will stay with you long after the credits have faded to black. Let’s get started!
Top 10 Creepy And Unsettling Horror Movies Like The Witch
1. Hereditary (2018)
A family tragedy wrapped up in supernatural stylings, Hereditary’s major strength is Toni Collette’s showstopping lead performance as the matriarch of the Graham family.
A lot of movies like The Witch benefit from a strong central performance, and there’s few to be found in the history of the horror genre that can match Collette’s incredible work in the lead role.
The setup is familiar to The Witch, but the execution is entirely original and unexpected as director Ari Aster firmly put himself on the map as a talent to keep a close eye on.
2. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
One of the most terrifying movies of the last decade, The Autopsy of Jane Doe slowly unravels the mystery at the center of the story as events become increasingly sinister.
Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox are phenomenal as the father/son duo that feature in almost every scene, and the tension ratchets up with each passing moment.
Movies like The Witch don’t always have to subvert expectations to succeed, but it definitely works in the case of The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
3. It Follows (2014)
Supernatural, psychological, suspenseful, and above all scary, It Follows takes an ingenious concept and turns it into one of the most original horror movies in years.
The plot follows a malevolent entity that relentlessly follows its latest victim, but only they can see it, leading to a desperate race to both prove they’re not crazy and pass the curse onto someone else before it’s too late.
A contemporary twist on the ghost story, It Follows will have you checking your shadow for the foreseeable future after you’ve made it to the credits, such is the way it sinks its teeth in.
4. The Babadook (2014)
The title character may have become an unlikely cultural icon, but The Badadook is more a story about grief than a top hat-wearing ghoul that terrorizes the people that discover it really exists.
Jennifer Kent’s achingly patient movie never goes for the easy scares, and instead uses an uneasy sense of foreboding. There’s something lurking around every corner, whether you’re ready for it or not.
Movies like The Witch don’t have to bend themselves to the conventions of the horror genre, and The Babadook is one of the most startlingly original examples of the genre’s recent creative resurgence.
5. The Village (2004)
In terms of aesthetics, The Village is one of the closest comparisons to be made if you’re seeking movies like The Witch, with both set during roughly the same time period.
Of course, because this is M. Night Shyamalan we’re talking about, things aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem, and the third act brings the filmmaker’s inevitable twist ending.
The reveals might not be for everyone, but The Village is a well-acted thriller based on a solid idea that’s undergone something of a re-evaluation over the last few years.
6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
One of the most influential horror movies ever made, The Blair Witch Project spawned the found-footage phenomenon that dominated the genre for close to a decade.
Modern audiences might not understand what all the fuss was about, but at the time the low-budget flick revolutionized independent cinema and the Hollywood marketing system in general.
Movies like The Witch don’t need to rely on musical cues and special effects to frighten people, and The Blair Witch Project is one of the best examples of minimalism to be found in the genre.
7. The Ritual (2017)
The Ritual doesn’t win any points for originality, but strong performances from the leads and the cavernous setting of the Scandinavian wilderness make the end result far greater than the sum of its parts.
After their friend is killed in a robbery, four old buddies go hiking in Sweden to honor his memory, but soon discover that something supernatural is affecting both their psyches and their already fractured relationships.
A taut, efficient, and incredibly effective horror, The Ritual is one of many movies like The Witch that utilize production and sound design to their very fullest effects.
8. Mother! (2017)
If you want movies like The Witch, but want them to be twice as ambitious and ten times crazier, then Mother! could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Darren Aronofsky is nothing if not a filmmaker with a singular vision, and his existential horror split opinion right down the middle, but is packed with artistic and allegorical flourishes.
The cast sell the plot’s devolution into madness incredibly well, and the ending will leave you questioning whether or not what you just saw actually happened.
9. It Comes At Night (2017)
A lot of movies like The Witch are enhanced by ignoring the standard rules of horror and using the ‘tell, don’t show’ approach, and It Comes at Night definitely falls into that category.
The post-apocalyptic chiller does more with suggestion and looming darkness than it could with a whole host of jump scares, packing every frame with a lurching sense of dread that can’t be escaped from.
Not strictly horror in the truest sense of the word, but It Comes at Night is a massively effective and threadbare chiller nonetheless.
10. The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Pattinson further cemented his reputation as one of the most daring young actors in the business with another fearless turn in the macabre psychological thriller.
If you’re looking for movies like The Witch that offer something completely different in terms of tone, The Lighthouse hails from the same director and is often an unflinching and unsettling watch.
The black and white period piece might not be for everyone, and isn’t strictly a horror movie, but it remains a fascinating watch.