This history of the human race is absolutely brimming with stories of the paranormal and unknown. Historical settings provide a rich background to explore all the modern and ancient terror the world has to offer. The subgenre of historical fictionhorrorelevates a movie far beyond the normal trappings of one set in the present day.
The best of them don’t just keep us up at night - they captivate us, transporting us to a time and place that is vastly different from our own and encouraging us, as the enthralled audience, to envision ourselves there. Films like this include but are not limited to,A Field in England,The Awakening, andThe Devil’s Backbone. So, if you’re looking for a break from modern-day slashers and body horror, here are ten of the best historical fiction horror movies to check out.
Updated June 22, 2025: In honor of Halloween, this list has been updated by Amanda Minchin with more entries for those who are a fan of creepy horror with a historical twist.
15Apostle (2018)
Gareth Evans, the action director behindThe Raidand its equally explosive sequel, stepped just a bit out of his comfort zone in 2018 with the release of his period folk horror filmApostle.
The movie takes place in 1905 and follows Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens), a British man who travels to a remote Welsh island inhabited bya mysterious cultto rescue his sister, who has been kidnapped and held for ransom by their leader, Malcolm Howe (Michael Sheen). Posing as a potential convert, Richardson quickly becomes entangled in the convoluted politics of the secretive cult, learning the island is overseen by a mysterious woman known only as The Goddess, who possesses supernatural abilities that protect the island and its inhabitants.
Taking a lot of inspiration from films likeSilent HillandThe Wicker Man,Apostleis a compulsively watchable trip to a terrifying past that gradually builds to an explosive (and satisfyingly gruesome) third act that’s just one for the books. The set design, cinematography, evocative music, sound design, and strong acting from all players involved make for a positively wild horror adventure.
Times of war are a common backbone to many a historical horror flick, fromOnibabatoDeathwatch. What makesValley of the Deadunique, however, is how it interweaves the human carnage of war with reanimated zombies.
Also known asMalnazidos, this Spanish film is set in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War. In it, two opposing factions must band together to face the growing undead around them, the result of an untoward Nazi experiment. This adaptation of Manuel Martín Ferreras' book is also novel in its interpretation of war and zombie conflicts. This film pits all types of players from this historical conflict together, from soldiers to financiers. Not one of them is spared from this microscopic lens.
Bordering between humor and horror at times, the landscape of Catalonia provides a lush and tumultuous background that serves as the perfect jumping-off point forthis Netflix-approved feature.
13The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)
The newest film on this list,The Last Voyage of the Demeter,is a retelling of one section of the classic Dracula story. Detailing the trip from Transylvania to England,The Last Voyage of the Demeterwas lovingly referred to online as “Dracula on a Boat”. It is a good pitch and essentially allows the filmmakers to make a 19th-century version ofAlien, but with Dracula in place of the Xenomorph and killing off various members of the crew. The film opts for a more monstrous Dracula, one removed from the more romantic take on the character and one that pays homage to Nosferatu. While a bomb at the box office, it is certainly worth checking out.
12Bone Tomahawk (2015)
For the record, Director S. Craig Zahler is a director that’s definitely worth watching. His last two films,Brawl in Cell Block 99andDragged Across Concrete,are tough-as-nails crime thrillers that feel ripped straight out of the 1970s. His debut film,Bone Tomahawk, is also a period piece, but, in this case, it’s also a gritty, no-frills horror western.
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Set in the 1890s,Bone Tomahawkkicks into gear after the abduction of three people from a small township by supposed “troglodytes,” inbred cannibals that hide out in the most desolate, barren region of the desert. Sheriff Franklin Hunt (who is impressively played by Kurt Russell) forms a small posse of men - including Deputy Chicory (Richard Jenkins), hotshot John Brooder (Matthew Fox), and the husband of one of the abducted townspeople, Arthur O’Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) - to hunt down the monsters responsible for the crime.
What follows is a grim journey into thedark recesses of the American West, one that is tinged with the undercurrent of pitch-black comedy for which Zahler has become so well known. The filmculminates in a truly shocking third act, which features perhaps one of the gnarliest on-screen kills ever committed to celluloid. Not for the faint of heart,Bone Tomahawkis most certainly a horror picture worth watching.
11Ravenous (1999)
When Antonia Bird’s historical cannibal filmRavenouswas first released back in 1999, it failed to make much of its modest $12 million budget back in the pocket. In the decades that followed, however, this film has developed a ratherravenouscult following.
The film takes place in California during the Mexican-American war. It follows Second Lieutenant John Boyd (played by Guy Pierce), a soldier whose cowardice in action results in his exile to Fort Spencer, an isolated military post deep in the heart of the Sierra Nevada. Shortly after his arrival, a stranger by the name of Colqhoun arrives at the fort looking for help. He tells the horrific story of how his traveling party became trapped in the snow for three months and how they resorted to cannibalism to survive. Boyd and Private Reich - another unfortunate soul stationed at the fort - organize a search party to investigate Colqhoun’s claims. Together they come face-to-face with previously unimaginable horrors.
Ravenouscombines cannibalismwith Wendigo mythos to make a bloody commentary on Manifest Destiny and America’s propensity for brutal expansionist policies. But, more than that, it’s just a hell of a lot of fun. The film features stellar production design and special effects. It is perhaps most well-known for its unique score, which is unusually quirky for an otherwise grim picture. This clashing tone is perhaps one of its most polarizing aspects. Those looking to cast judgment should try seeing it first.
10Victor Frankenstein (2015)
A reimaging of the classic Frankenstein story, this time from the point of view of the assistant Igor.Victor Frankensteinis not traditionally scary, but it is dripping with atmosphere and tells a compelling story that explores the relationship between Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) and Igor (Daniel Radcliffe). McAvoy steals the show, chewing every bit of scenery, but Radcliffe also holds his own as a very sympathetic reimagining of the Igor character. It delves into what exactly Frankenstein’s creation is that it is not just the Monster he is famous for, but he created Igor as well, and that can be a positive legacy.
9X / Pearl (2022)
It’s nearly impossible to decide which is the better of Ti West’s recentXfranchise, 2022’sXorPearl. Released within months of each other,Xtakes place in 1979 and follows a group of adult filmmakers who decide to use a ramshackle Texas farmhouse occupied by an elderly couple for their, ahem, filming activities.Pearl, meanwhile, goes right to the source, all the way back to 1918. This time period takes place during the great Influenza epidemic (sound familiar?), and includes an intimate portrayal of backstory for a character from both movies.
Being filmed in the same hot and heady atmosphere asThe Texas Chainsaw Massacrewas by no means a mistake. While both films in theXfranchise wound up being shot in New Zealand due to the pandemic, the chosen location was picked to emulate this, right down to the cornfields. Elements were also plucked fromThe Wizard of Ozfor the second film.
Pearl, you see, was filmed right afterXwithin a month after wrap, using the very same, albeit updated sets.Said West of the revamp, “There’s often a lot of waste on movie sets, and it was a great feeling to be able to reuse everything we built. Everything old was made new again…”. The once broken down barn was revamped to look like new, including some period accurate wallpaper.
8Crimson Peak (2015)
Guillermo del Toro is the master of gothic fantasy and horror. One of his more recent offerings was the period horror filmCrimson Peak, a movie that has beencriminally underseenin the years since its release. That being said, the film has an all-star cast, including Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Charlie Hunnam.
The story itself is set in England at the turn of the early 20th century and follows aspiring author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska), as she travels to a mysterious and remote gothic estate in Cumberland with her brand-new husband Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) and his sister Lucille (Chastain). But, shortly after moving into this new mansion, Edith begins to experience a number of ghostly visions, which lead her on a winding and deadly investigation into the mansion’s horrific past.
One ofdel Toro’s biggest strengths as a directoris his lavish set design and impeccable control of the atmosphere, which lends itself well to the setting. To be fair,Crimson Peakhas no shortage of either. While the film’s story has been criticized for being weaker than some of his other movies, the filmis absolutely gorgeous, making it a definite trip worth taking.
7Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Christophe Gans’French historical action horrormovieBrotherhood of the Wolfhas largely gone overlooked here in the United States in the years since its 2001 release in 2001. That being said, it’s more than worthy of your attention.
The film, which is set in 1764during the French Revolution, is loosely inspired by the infamous legend of the Beast of Gevaudan, who left more than one village corpse in his wake. The story is focused around knight Gregoire de Fronsac and his Iroquois companion Mani, who have been dispatched by the King to investigate the vicious - and possibly supernatural - murder of hundreds of innocent people by an unknown creature in the county of Gevaudan.
While the “real” monster at the heart of this story was most likely a wolf or their pack,Brotherhood of the Wolfgoes wild with the mythos to create a really fun, genre-bending movie that combines horror and historical drama with both martial artsandswash-buckling action. While the movie may be a bit on the bloated side at a mere 144 minutes!, this trip to historical France is one that’s certainly worth taking.
6The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe stand together looking out in The Lighthouse.
How does one begin to describe Robert Eggers’The Lighthouse? This incredible follow-up to his equally impressive debut feature is a horror pic, a psychological thriller, a survival film, and even a comedy at times. You wouldn’t be wrong to think those genres sound at odds with each other. However, under Eggers’ masterful direction, these disparate elements are merged into a feature that is wholly unique.
The Lighthousetakes place exclusively on a small island, which is home to the titular lighthouse. Set sometime during the close of the 19th century, the film centers around its two lighthouse keepers, aka wickies - The old, hardened captain (Willem Dafoe) and the mysterious rookie (Robert Pattinson). The two men, who are already at odds with each other, become trapped on the island by a nasty, never-ending storm. Tensions escalate to explosive and violent levels as they both slowly lose control of their sanity.
Shot in stark black-and-whiteand filmed in a 1.19:1 Academy aspect ratio,The Lighthouseis a visually sumptuous masterpiece. Coupled with great performances from both Pattinson and Dafoe, who carry the film on their shoulders, and an incredible score by Mark Korven (who also composed forThe Witch),Eggers’ second feature officially cemented him as an up-and-coming genre auteur to watch.
