The Reel World: Be afraid, be very afraid

If you like things that go bump in the night and curl your toes when the clock strikes midnight, check out some of the scariest international horror films at the library! Many horror films that become popular in English were originally created in another language based on a local myth. The movie Ringu (1998) was based on a Japanese urban legend. The film was later remade in English as the popular The Ring (2002). Check out my recommendations of horror films from around the globe that all have English subtitles.

Let the Right One In (Swedish | 2009)

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Starring: Lina Leandersson, Kare Hedebrant

Let the Right One in was remade in English in 2011 with the title Let Me In. The original film in Swedish was nominated for 57 film awards and is considered to be the far superior film. We have them both so you can check them out and judge for yourself!

This film is a unique take on the vampire movie. A new friendship develops when Eli – a pale, serious young girl who only comes out at night – moves in next door to lonely, 12-year-old Oskar. Coinciding with her arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. Eli must continue to relocate to stay alive. However when Oskar faces his darkest hour, she returns to defend him the only way she can.

Eyes Without a Face  (French | 1960)

Director: Georges Franju

Starring: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli

Eyes Without a Face was edited and dubbed into an English film entitled The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus. The English version is out of print, but we have the original French film!

After causing an accident that left his daughter Christiane severely disfigured, the brilliant surgeon Dr. Génessier works tirelessly to give the girl a new face. He does so, however, by kidnapping young women and attempting face transplants. He has been woefully unsuccessful to date. The doctor's world begins to collapse around him when his daughter realizes just what he has been doing. –garykmcd

I Saw The Devil (Korean | 2010)

Director: Jee-Woon Kim

Starring: Lee Byung-Hun

I Saw The Devil has won 18 awards, and was nominated for 19 more. Although the rights for the film were sold to be remade in English, it was deemed too difficult for the film to translate well. Check out this revenge thriller in our collection!

Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways you cannot even imagine. His victims range from young women to even children. The police have been chasing him for a long time. One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state. Her fiance Soo-Hyun, a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means he must become a monster.

Ringu (Japanese | 2002)

Director: Hideo Nakata

Starring: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani

The Ring came out in 2002 and was one of the highest grossing horror remake films off all time, with more than $245 million in box office sales. The original came out in 1998 and was titled Ringu from Japan. Both are stories about what happens after you watch a cursed VHS tape.

A group of teenage friends are found dead, their bodies grotesquely contorted and their faces twisted in terror. Reiko, a journalist and the aunt of one of the victims, sets out to investigate the shocking phenomenon. She uncovers a creepy urban legend about a supposedly cursed videotape. The contents of the tape causes anyone who views it to die within a week unless they can persuade someone else to watch it and pass on the curse.

A Tale of Two Sisters (Korean | 2003)

Director: Kim Jee-Woon

Starring: Lim Soo-jung,Yum Jung-ah

When the film was released it became the highest-grossing Korean horror film of all time, and consequently the first one to be screened in American theaters. In 2009 it was remade for English audiences under the title The Uninvited. We have both!

After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Korean teen Su-mi (Yum Jung-ah) reunites with her beloved sister, Su-yeon (Im Soo-jung), and they return to live at their country home. The girls' widower father (Moon Geun-young) has remarried, and the siblings are immediately resentful of his new wife, Eun-joo (Kim Kap-soo). As Su-mi and Su-yeon try to resume their regular lives, strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.