Genre · ranked
The best folk horror films of all time
25 ranked · updated August 2026
Folk horror thrives where ancient traditions collide with modern anxieties, unearthing the dark, ancestral secrets buried beneath the soil of isolated communities. This collection explores how geography, religious fervor, and generational curses transform rural landscapes into terrifying stages where the past refuses to stay dead and buried.
How this ranking works
Ranked by a Bayesian-weighted score (rating average + rating count) across films classified as Folk Horror.
Sinners
Ryan Coogler
This film masterfully anchors its supernatural dread in the raw, personal weight of family secrets and the inescapable pull of a haunting hometown return.
Explores: Returning Home, Family Secrets, Redemption.
The Wailing
Na Hong-jin
The film earns its place by expertly weaving xenophobia and religious doubt into a suffocating atmosphere of inevitable, encroaching evil within a small village.
Explores: Good vs Evil, Xenophobia, Religious Doubt.
Midsommar
Ari Aster
Its brilliance lies in the jarring contrast between bright, sun-drenched pastoral aesthetics and the crushing, visceral reality of grief and toxic relationship dynamics.
Explores: Grief, Trauma, Toxic Relationships.
The Wicker Man
Robin Hardy
This foundational classic remains essential for its chilling depiction of how deep-seated religious conflict and isolation can lead to the total loss of innocence.
Explores: Religious Conflict, Isolation, Loss of Innocence.
Exhuma
Jang Jae-hyun
The film excels by grounding its visceral occult scares in the meticulous, high-stakes rituals of shamanism and the inescapable consequences of disturbing ancestral graves.
Explores: Ancestral Curse, Grave Robbing, Shamanism.
Onibaba
Kaneto Shindō
Its haunting power stems from a stark, minimalist portrayal of survival and greed, where the desperation of war breeds a uniquely grotesque form of jealousy.
Explores: Survival, Greed, Sexual Jealousy.
Kwaidan
Masaki Kobayashi
This anthology earns its spot through a masterful, atmospheric exploration of karma and the supernatural, elevated by its rich and timeless traditional storytelling craft.
Explores: Karma, The Supernatural, Revenge.
The Witch
Robert Eggers
The film captures the suffocating dread of isolation, using the rigid constraints of Puritanism to frame a devastating story of religious fanaticism and possession.
Explores: Religious Fanaticism, Puritanism, Isolation.
When Evil Lurks
Demián Rugna
It redefines rural horror by presenting demonic contagion as an unstoppable, visceral force that quickly consumes the sanity of a terrified small town.
Explores: Demonic Possession, Rural Horror, Contagion.
Fear Street: 1666
Leigh Janiak
By linking a historical witch-hunt to modern teenage experiences, the film provides a compelling look at how generational trauma leaves lasting scars on a community.
Explores: Witchcraft, Colonial History, Generational Trauma.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Peter Weir
The film is a masterclass in atmospheric mystery, utilizing the haunting Australian landscape to mirror the social repression and inexplicable disappearance of its young subjects.
Explores: female adolescence, unexplained disappearance, social repression.
Suspiria
Luca Guadagnino
This work stands out for its bold, art-house approach to occultism, framing the dark history of a dance company through the lens of intergenerational trauma.
Explores: Occultism, Female-led ensemble, Intergenerational trauma.
Bone Tomahawk
S. Craig Zahler
It earns its spot by brutally deconstructing the Western genre, replacing typical frontier tropes with a harrowing, claustrophobic clash against hidden, primal cannibalistic forces.
Explores: Rescue Mission, Brutality of the West, Cultural Clash.
Tumbbad
Rahi Anil Barve
The film is uniquely effective due to its dark, atmospheric exploration of greed and family curses set against the backdrop of colonial-era Indian folklore.
Explores: Greed, Family Curse, Colonial India.
Don't Torture a Duckling
Lucio Fulci
This giallo classic remains vital for its unflinching examination of how mob mentality and deep-seated superstition can turn an entire town against outsiders.
Explores: Mob Mentality, Superstition, Misogyny.
The Medium
Banjong Pisanthanakun
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Shamanism, Demonic Possession, Family Curse.
The House with Laughing Windows
Pupi Avati
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Religious Horror, Small Town Secrets, Restoration.
Belzebuth
Emilio Portes
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Good vs Evil, Infanticide, Religious Conspiracy.
Ravenous
Antonia Bird
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Wendigo Mythos, Survival Horror, Moral Decay.
Antichrist
Lars von Trier
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Grief, Misogyny, Nature as antagonist.
The Unholy
Evan Spiliotopoulos
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Faith vs. Fanaticism, Miracles, Good vs. Evil.
The Old Ways
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Ancestral heritage, Exorcism, Cultural superstition.
Jeepers Creepers
Victor Salva
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Rural Horror, Siblings, Coming of Age.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
André Øvredal
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Small Town Secrets, Haunted House, Curse.
Drag Me to Hell
Sam Raimi
A standout of folk horror films.
Explores: Curse, Greed, Moral Choice.
Common questions
What are the best folk horror films set in rural or isolated locations?
Many top-tier folk horror films utilize isolation, such as The Wicker Man's remote island village, The Witch's 1630s New England wilderness, and the rural setting of When Evil Lurks, where a demonic presence spreads through a small town.
Which folk horror movies feature themes of religious fanaticism or cults?
The Wicker Man is a definitive look at religious conflict between a policeman and an island cult. Similarly, The Witch explores Puritanical religious fanaticism, while Midsommar focuses on the horrific rituals of a Swedish commune during a festival.
Are there any folk horror films that include ancestral curses or shamanism?
Yes, Exhuma is a prominent example focusing on shamanism and ancestral gravesites. Additionally, Tumbbad explores the consequences of a family curse and greed in colonial India, while Fear Street: 1666 deals with a centuries-old curse stemming from a colonial witch-hunt.