Shudder recently released a new coming-of-age body horror film calledGrafted. Directed by Sasha Rainbow, the movie follows a Chinese student named Wei who suffers from a genetic facial defect as she moves in with her cousin in New Zealand to attend a prestigious university. Her cousin is resentful of her Chinese heritage, and she has trouble fitting in with the other students because of her low self-esteem due to her skin defect.
After working with the university’s science professor on perfecting the skin grafting formula her dad had worked on,Wei’s life starts to spiral out of control. Almost like the teenage version ofThe Substance,it blends body horror with typical teenage/young adult social problems.
Horrorandcoming-of-ageare vastly different film genres that go surprisingly well together. It makes sense that they mesh so well when you think about the core of each genre. Growing up and entering adulthood is terrifying for many of us. Between puberty, making friends, and trying to fit in while being our own person, it’s a rather uncomfortable time in our lives. As a genre, horror reflects the worries of the time while creating a visual manifestation of many of our worst fears. Coming-of-age horror movies may not be the first subgenre that comes to mind when thinking about horror, but plenty of films fit this unique genre blend. We have picked 10 horror coming-of-age movies if you need a fix afterGrafted.
10’Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person' (2024)
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Part coming-of-age and part romantic comedy with a sprinkling of horror elements,Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Personis a fresh take on vampire movies. Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is a young vampire who only drinks the blood that her parents bring home for her after hunting. She has a strong emotional reaction to seeing humans in pain, and therefore cannot bring herself to hunt a human to feed on. When Sasha’s mother becomes frustrated with her inability to hunt on her own, she forces Sasha to live with her cousin to learn how to hunt. Instead, she meets a young man on the verge of ending his life.
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A Unique Take on Vampires
Choosing to have the vampire protagonist be completely against harming humans, even if it means she starves to death, was a bold creative choice that ended up working well. Sasha agrees to drink from Paul (Felix-Antoine Benard), effectively ending his life, if he agrees to confront his bullies at school. She forms an unlikely bond with Paul as they go around town confronting the people who have made his life harder. Together they realize that what they truly want for their lives is much different than what they initially thought.
9’Jennifer’s Body' (2009)
Jennifer’s Body
Karyn Kusama’sJennifer’s Bodywas not received well when it was released in theaters, but in the nearly 16 years since it came out, it has become a bona fide cult classic. The movie follows the titular high school cheerleader (Megan Fox) who becomes possessed by a sinister demon that turns her into a succubus. Jennifer develops a penchant for seducing and eating her male classmates, and only her best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) stands in her way.
A Bloody Good Time
The script by Diablo Codyis equally hilarious as it is gruesome. It features much of the humor expected in a teen coming-of-age comedy with the bloody fun expected from a monster horror movie. Jennifer defies the character tropes of a popular cheerleader by becoming gross and murderous. Meanwhile, Needy subverts the expectations of the nerdy friend by becoming a strong-headed girl determined to stop her friend’s murderous rage.
8’Carrie' (1976)
Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novelCarrieremains one of the horror genre’s staple films. The film revolves around the titular character, an extremely sheltered teenage girl with an overbearing religious mother as she tries to find her place among her peers. As her classmates continue to taunt her, and she continues to experience strange events, Carrie begins to suspect she has supernatural powers.
The Horrors of Being a Teenager
Carrie is undoubtedly one of the most influential supernatural horror movies of the 20th century. It also portrays the cruelty many teenagers face for being different from their peers. Carrie is painfully shy and utterly unaware of what the world is like because of her strict mother, making it nearly impossible for her to connect with other teens. Instead of befriending Carrie and showing her kindness, her classmates weaponize her naivety against her. Eventually, Carrie has enough and unleashes her telekinetic powers on the student body.
7’Summer of 84' (2018)
Summer of 84
One of the darker coming-of-age stories out there,Summer of 84follows a group of 14-year-old boys during the mostmemorable summer of their lives. When Davey (Graham Verchere) begins to suspect his police officer neighbor is a local serial killer going after young boys, he and his friends hatch a plan to collect evidence. As Davey and his friends get closer to discovering the truth, the summer takes a dangerous turn.
A Summer Adventure Gone Wrong
Much of this film features the boys being typical young teenagers in the ’80s. They ride their bikes everywhere, play neighborhood manhunt games, stay up past their bedtimes, and sneak out. Even though Davey seriously suspects his neighbor is the serial killer in the newspaper headlines, he approaches the matter naively. He thinks it will be easy to gather evidence and present it to his parents, not thinking that his neighbor is a respected community member who people will stick up for. Not to mention that he may actually be a dangerous criminal. When Davey finally begins to understand the gravity of the situation he’s put himself in, the film’s tone becomes much more sinister and unnerving.
6’Lisa Frankenstein' (2024)
Lisa Frankenstein
Directed by Robin Williams' daughter Zelda Williams,Lisa Frankensteinis a horror comedy set in 1989 about a misfit teenager named Lisa (Kathryn Newton). Lisa finds solace hanging around the graveyard to talk to the souls resting there, and one night she accidentally reanimates the corpse of a Victorian man. Needing a friend she can be herself around, Lisa decides to build him into her dream man.
Zany, Campy Horror
The script was also penned byJennifer’s Bodyscribe Diablo Cody, and has the same quirky adolescent humor that makes the characters so enjoyable. It is a delightfully weird coming-of-age film that doubles as a zany horror comedy that we rarely see anymore. It perfectly captures the charm of ’80s campy horror while being something entirely its own.Lisa Frankensteinis a fun, gothic, absurdist romp for all fans of monster romance.
5’We’re All Going to the World’s Fair' (2022)
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
We’re All Going to the World’s FairisI Saw the TV Glowdirector Jane Schoenbrun’s directorial debut. The film centers on Casey (Anna Cobb), a lonely teenager living with her single father. She decides to participate in the viral “World’s Fair” challenge on the internet. She records a video of her doing the challenge and posts it publicly, stating she’ll post updates if she notices any changes after doing the challenge. Soon, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur.
The Anxieties of Being Online
Schoenbrun has said thatWe’re All Going to the World’s Fairis the firstin theirScreen Trilogy, withI Saw the TV Glowthe second in the uncompleted trilogy. Many modern films attempt to capture what it’s like to be chronically online, especially late at night, but this film truly captures that experience. Many teenagers in the late 2000s and early 2010s made friends with strangers on the internet because they had common interests, something that still exists today. This film also captures that feeling of realizing you had an internet friend once that you never spoke to again. Through that, it captures the anxieties of being an adolescent in an age bound to something as invisible and fleeting as the internet.
4’Let the Right One In' (2008)
Let the Right One In
Let the Right One Inis a Swedish horror drama based on the 2004 novel of the same name. It follows a 12-year-old boy named Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) who is severely bullied at school. When the mysterious and moody Eil (Lina Leandersson) moves in next door, the two strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, their bond grows stronger, but it becomes apparent that Eli is not a normal little girl.
Childhood Innocence in Vampires
One of the reasons Let the Right One In is such an interesting take on coming-of-age stories involving vampires is that it focuses on two preteens rather than people in their late teens. Oskar and Eli still have some semblance of their childhood innocence intact. Although Eli is technically over 200 years old, she stopped aging at 12 and has had to live as a child that whole time. This allows her the opportunity to connect with Oskar. Their friendship is enveloped in naivety and the hope of fitting in. Even when she uses her vampirism to ward Oskar’s bullies away, it is done so in the vein of a child wanting to protect their friend.
3’Raw' (2016)
Julia Ducournau’sRawis an entry into theNew French Extremism horror movementthat is also a rather messed up coming-of-age story. The film revolves around a new veterinarian student named Justine (Garance Marillier) who comes from a family of vegetarian vets. Her older sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) also attends the vet school and guides her through the intense hazing rituals. Justine is forced to eat raw meat for the first time in her life as part of the hazing. The consumption of the meat brings about unexpected consequences as her true self begins to form.
Body Horror Coming-of-Age Nightmare
Rawis without a doubt a twisted coming-of-age story. Justine is only 16 years old but attends the vet school because she is a talented student, so fitting in with the college-aged kids was already going to be somewhat difficult. She’s still trying to find her place in the world and her family. When eating raw meat results in horrifying effects, her ability to control her impulses is essentially stripped away. She starts to scare her classmates and alienate herself from the student body. Her behavior becomes quite disgusting as the film quickly turns into a body horror nightmare.
2’Super Dark Times' (2017)
Another dark coming-of-age tale,Super Dark Timesis a psychological horror thriller that exposes the harsh realities of being young. Set in the mid-90s, the film follows best friends Zach (Owen Campell) and Josh (Charlie Tahan) who have been friends their entire lives. When a terrible accident leads to a panicked cover-up, the secret drives a wedge through their friendship. Through their guilt and grief, they are propelled down a rabbit hole of paranoia and violence.
Twisted Coming-of-Age Tale
Despite being best friends their whole lives, Zack and Josh often don’t see eye to eye, and that’s evident even before the fatal accident they witnessed. Josh is aloof and brooding, whereas Zack is funny and shy. After they cover up the accident involving their mutual friend, those differences in their personalities become even more apparent as they deal with the situation quite differently. Josh begins to exhibit increasingly alarming behavior that causes Zack to question whether the accident was actually an accident.
1’Bones and All' (2022)
Bones and All
Luca Guadagnino’sBones and Allis a horror romance that travels across late ’80s America. Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman abandoned by her father, embarks on a thousand-mile odyssey through the backroads of the country. On her journey, she meets a disenfranchised drifter named Lee (Timothee Chalamet). Despite their best efforts, their travels keep leading them back to their haunting pasts and a final stand that will determine whether their love can conquer all.
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Young Love and Sick Desires
For anyone who is a fan of gothic romance, fantasy romance, or young love,Bones and Allwill satisfy those desires. Maren and Lee’s love is strong and pure but tainted by the trauma of their past and the horror of their cannibalistic ways. Neither of them particularly enjoys eating the way they do, but find solace in the knowledge that they understand each other. They understand that the need to feed is beyond their control, despite them wishing their circumstances were different. It is a beautiful tale of tragic young love and a haunting story of sick desires.
