In horror movies, the source of the terror can be introduced in a number of different ways. It can be hiding in movies like The Watcher, or it can openly present itself right on someone's doorstep. It's this third brand of horror movie that seems to have cultivated a certain flavor.
It's one thing for horror to be discovered, to be summoned, or to be disturbed. It's when it will fully, consciously, and purposefully shows up that things get more intense. That might come in the form of a mask serial killer, a demonic entity, or a generational curse, but when it comes, it's certainly a challenge to stop.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Aptly named, this underrated Disney movie written by Ray Bradbury is the textbook definition of "when horror comes to town." The autumn stillness of a sleepy little town is briskly awakened by the arrival of a strange and mysterious carnival, along with a sinister ringmaster who has the ability to grant a person's deepest desire, for a price.
Like in so many stories of this vein, only a small group of characters recognize the evil that lies behind the late show and the grease paint. Eventually, it's up to Jim, Will, and Mr. Holloway to fight Cooger and Dark's Shadow Show and save the souls of the town.
Needful Things (1993)
Taking heavy influence from the previous entry, Stephen King's Needful Things uses a similar approach as horror comes to Castle Rock in the form of Leland Gaunt and his mysterious antique shop. His trinkets and keepsakes have a similar effect to Mr. Dark's carnival, only the results are far more damning and dangerous.
The devilish Gaunt arrives in Castle Rock to turn neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and sow the seeds of chaos. The image of the devil being a destructive trickster instead of a fallen angel is alive and well in this adaptation of King's novel, and the results are just as entertaining as they are unsettling.
Slither (2006)
Sometimes horror comes to town in the form of a man with a long black coat, sometimes it's a masked murderer with an ax to grind, but other times it can crash land in someone's backyard in a meteor from outer space. Before he slammed into the MCU, James Gunn's slimy and slick directorial debut featured a hick town set upon by a slithering mass of slug-like aliens who want nothing more than to feed and breed.
Local yokels fighting off monsters is a popular pastime in horror movies, whether it's aliens, zombies, or vampires. That being said, there's something extra gnarly about these slithering terrors from beyond the stars.
Clownhouse (1989)
To quote the great Lon Chaney, "there is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." That's a fact that can be assertively said with 1989's Clownhouse. When the circus comes to town, so do three escaped mental patients with an iration for face paint and twisting the necks of their victims.
Left alone in their house at night, three brothers must use their wits to evade and escape a trio of painted nightmares when they come stalking around their family home. Although it lacks any major amount of blood and gore, the result is unquestionably disturbing.
30 Days Of Night (2007)
The idea of unseen creatures hiding in darkness even in the place most people call home is pretty terrifying, and the fact that these creatures are a particularly ravenous clan of vampires only sweetens the deal. The fanged fiends seen in 30 Days of Night are easily more predatory than the typical bloodsucking vamp, and certainly leagues scarier than most others of their species.
The conflict of man versus monster will always be a staple of the genre, but the way it unites a community is certainly remarkable. That all being said, the monsters in question are certainly a force to be reckoned with regardless of the Alaskan tundra.
The Mist (2007)
Sometimes horror can bring a community together, other times it can turn them into monsters themselves. The Mist puts a group of shoppers in a grocery store against an alien invasion when a thick fog engulfs the town. The creatures are too large to enter the store, and it soon becomes a waiting game to see who loses their civility first before being picked off by a tendrilled monstrosity.
The aliens themselves are pretty terrifying, but the way friends and logical individuals are so quick to turn on each other to spare themselves from a gory demise is shocking. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and they bring out the worst in people as well.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Keeping with the theme of King, his sequel to The Shining shows what happens when horror doesn't just come to town, but comes back to haunt the living as well. The theme of alcoholism and its effects on those suffering from it was prominent in the original novel, and it's only reemphasized in the sequel.
Danny Torrance's struggle to stay on the wagon is only one of his problems as a clan of energy-draining vampires called The True Knot starts feeding on kids who shine. After teaming up with Abra Stone, Danny must face his old demons and even return to the Overlook to stop Rose the Hat and her nomadic clan before they kill again.
The Devil All The Time (2020)
Not all visiting horror has to be something supernatural, monstrous, or demonic. Sometimes it's the human monsters that are the things that keep people up at night. The Devil All The Time is one of the most successful and chilling southern Gothics released in recent years and it runs the gamut of scary small-town horror.
There's a heavy focus on religion, family secrets in relationships, and more than a few gruesome murders to tie everything all together. Throw in a set of stellar performances from a star-studded cast including Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Bill Skarsgard, and Robert Pattinson, and it's a recipe for a truly terrifying and soul-shattering experience.
Jaws (1975)
A great white shark, even one as gigantic as the one seen in Steven Speilberg's blockbuster classic Jaws, isn't truly that abnormal. However, its particularly vicious appetite for human victims is what separates the shark in Amity from any regular predator of the deep.
The reason the shark is such a big threat to the way of life in Amity is that it disrupts the otherwise pristine and tranquil setting of a beachside town. The shark isn't just a threat to their population, but a threat to their tourism industry as well. Only when children are almost eaten do things start getting taken seriously.
Halloween (1979)
Dr. Loomis said it best, "death has come to your little town, Sherriff." Sometimes, the simplest approach is the best, and John Carpenter's iconic slasher film is a living example. Years after a terrible murder occurs in Haddonfield, a masked killer returns to finish what he started.
Michael Myers acts as sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy, he's a ghost story come to life and the town of Haddonfield has been subconsciously afraid of him for years. As Laurie and Dr. Loomis soon find out, they can't kill the boogeyman. Either way, Halloween Night will never be the same for this small town.
