Best French Horror Movies

Since I was a kid, I have been an horror freak. I remember, back in the 80's, when I was about four years, I used to sit with my daddy to watch Movie Macabre episodes. Once, I told my daddy "I would like to be like Elvira when I grow up", my dad looked at me and gave me the sweetest smile. I love horror flicks to death, and French horror movies are the best, no wonder why ... France created the horror films.

To watch the movies, just click in the titles, you'll be redirected to pages where you can watch them.

My top French Horror Movies:


14. Calvaire (The Ordeal) (2004)
Directed by Fabrice Du Welz 
Written by Fabrice Du Welz  and Romain Protat
Cast: Laurent Lucas, Brigitte Lahaie and Gigi Coursigny

France call it up with the hillbillies. When the performer, Marc's (Lucas) car breaks down in the middle of the night, he has no choice to spend the night at Bartel's (Jackie Berroyer) hotel.  Bartel , misses his departed wife very much, he feels lonely and wants Marc's company, he will do anything to keep him by his side. There's a dark secret between the male townsfolk and Bartel. This film has a bit of everything. Even Gigi Coursigny, a famous French Porn Star of the 70's, did a cameo. The film is a complete nightmare.

13. Vertige (High Lane) (2009) Full Movie
Directed by Abel Ferry
Written by Johanne Bernard, Louis-Paul Desanges
Cast: Fanny Valette, Johan Libereau

Ignoring the warning, a group of friends decide to go rock climbing to Croatia. The camera really captures the vertigo of one of the characters, I freaked out in the whole bridge scene. One of them disappears, there's tension between exes and broken ropes, but it's not all, they'll soon discover they are not alone.
 
12. Saint Ange (House of Voices) (2004) Full Movie 
Directed and written by Pascal Laugier
Cast: Virginie Ledoyen, Lou Doillon and Catriona MacColl 

A ghost story in an abandoned orphanage in 1958. A young pregnant lady, Anna (Ledoyen) starts cleaning an old building along with the company of a cleaning lady, Ilinca (MacColl) and the only remaining orphan child, Judith (Doillon). She soon discovers that there's a dark secret between the walls. It's a ghost story that ends up the way you would never think it will end.
 
11. Dans Ma Peau (In My Skin) (2002) Full Movie
Directed and written by Marina De Van, 2004
Cast: Marina De Van, Laurent Lucas & Léa Drucker





Esther (Van), unwittingly injure her leg, she soon becomes obsessed with her injury and self-mutilation. It's a freaking weird, weird movie.

10. Mutants (2009) Full Movie

Directed by David Morlet
Written by David Morlet, Louis-Paul Desanges
Cast: Helene de Fougerolles, Francis Renaud, Dida Diafat

A zombie, mutant and love story like no other. Sonia (Fougerolles) pregnant, and her husband, Marco (Renaud), are trying to survive in a world filled with mutant zombies. I'm not into zombie movies, but this one really deserves two thumbs-up.

9. Ils (Them) (2006) Full Movie

Directed and Written by David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Cast: Olivia Bonamy, Michael Cohen, Adriana Mocca

The movie was inspired by true events. A couple is being terrorized through the night. Some noises could warn you about the horror that is to come. Leaving you in panic, your home alone nights won't be the same.

8. Baise-Moi (Rape Me) (2000) Full Movie

Directed and written by Virginie Despentes & Coralie Trinh Thi
Cast:  Karen Lancaume & Rafaella Anderson

This may be the most shocking film on this post. These ladies are like Thelma and Louise gone wild. Graphic and uncensored, every sex scene is unsimulated, even the rape scenes. Nadine (Lancaume) is a part-time prostitute and Manu (Anderson) a slacker who will do anything to get by in their small town. After being both raped and abused, these two ladies, embark on a killing spree across France. Both, Lancaume and Anderson were porn actors at the time. Five years after the movie was released, Lancaume committed suicide. The movie has a lot of gore and graphic sex scenes. 

7. Irreversible (2002) Full Movie
Directed and written by Gaspar Noe
Cast: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel

Alex (Bellucci) is brutally raped. Marcus (Cassel), her boyfriend with her ex, Pierre (Dupontel) are seeking for the man who rapes his beloved girlfriend. They'll go into a bloody revenge with the help of two criminals. The film is unfold in a reverse-chronological order. BTW, Bellucci is married to Cassel since 1999.
 
6.Livide (Livid) (2011) Full Movie
Directed and written by Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Cast:Chloe Coulloud, Felix Moati, Jeremy Kapone

This is when beauty meets horror. I really enjoy the beautiful scenes of this horror film. It's "OOAK" film with glamour, horror, blood, thriller-suspense and with an amazing ending. I won't say too much of the film, I recommend not to watch the trailer or do online research about the synopsis, this would spoil the magic of it. Just watch it and enjoy it.
 
5. Sheitan (Satan) 2006
Directed by  Kim Chapiron
Written by Christian Chapiron, Kim Chapiron
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Olivier Bartélémy and Roxane Mesquida


Vicent Cassel is a freaking maniac in this movie. I really like this actor.  Eve (Mesquida) meets a group of friends at a night club and took them to her creepy house. By the road, she introduces them to Joseph (Cassel), a man with a funny smile who has evil plans for the group. Totally insane.

4. Switchblade Romance/Haute Tension (High Tension) (2003) Full Movie

Directed by Alexandre Aja
Written by Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur
Cast: Cecile De France, Maiwenn, Philippe Nahon

How far can you go with an obsession? For these two best friends, Marie (France) and Alexia (Maiwenn), obsession, fantasies and a killing spree would lead them to a hellish nightmare. Alexia, travels with Marie to the countryside to spend a couple of days with her family in their farm. The same night they arrive, a maniac killer ends up at their house and after a gruesome slaughter, the killer kidnaps Alexia. Marie, handles how to hide from the killer and fights to save her best friend. This movie would surprise you with a twisted end.

3. A l’interieur (Inside) (2008) Full Movie
Directed by Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Written by Alexandre Bustillo
Cast: Beatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis, Nathalie Roussel

After a car crash and her husband dead, Sarah (Alysson Paradis), a pregnant woman is sitting alone in her suburban home. Out of nowhere, Sarah hears a knock at the door; a stranger (Beatrice Dalle) asking to use her telephone. Soon, Sarah begins to "deal" with a woman who is seeking for revenge. Great performances, very disturbing and gore scenes, a movie worthy to watch.

2. Frontier(s) (2007) Full Movie
Directed and written by Xavier Gens
Cast: Karina Testa, Aurelian Wiik, Patrick Ligardes

Gore, Scary, Neo-Nazi family, Sexual Miscreants, Cannibalism, with a good level of acting and of course, a lot of blood. A gang of French Muslim thieves are attempting to escape, but destiny is gonna play a good joke on them when they decide to take refuge in a Bed and Breakfast near the frontiers. What could go wrong?

1. Martyrs (2008) Full Movie
Directed and written by Pascal Laugier
Cast: Morjana Alaoui, Mylene Jampanoi, Catherine Begin

There are no words for this film. There's so much stuff in this movie. Two friends, vengeful Lucie (Jampanoi) and her friend, Anna (Alaoui), on a barbaric revenge mission to murder the people who held her captive and tortured her as a child. The revenge ends up into a bloody, depressing, overwhelming torture and sad story. Awesome performances. "Martyrs" is a film you will never forget.



Other great French Horror movies:


Antichrist(2009) Full Movie

Their son dies while they, Willen Dafoewere and his wife Charlotte Gainsbourg, were fucking. With their marriage on the brink of failure, the couple decides to go and stay at their cabin in the woods to fix what's left of their marriage and to confront her fears. But the therapy stay, will bring nothing good.
 
Asylum Blackout (The Incident) (2011) Full Movie

Being chefs, in an asylum surrounded by murderers, cannibals, pedophiles, sexual predators and mentally ill inmates is not a good thing for members of a garage rock band. The only thing that separates them from the criminally insane inmates is a glass wall. But when the light's power is knocked out, the staff is locked inside the asylum, and all inmates are running through the halls, oh fuck no! You won't like to be there. A damn nightmare.

Desejo e Obsessao (Trouble Every Day) (2002)
Directed by Claire Denis
Written by Christian Chapiron, Kim Chapiron
Cast: Vincent Gallo & Beatrice Dalle

Shane (Gallo) and his new wife go on a honeymoon to Paris, but his wife doesn't know about his thirst for human flesh.

• The Theatre Bizarre (2011) Full Movie
• Rubber (2010)
• Promenons-nous Dans les Bois (Deep In The Woods) (2000) 
• Caché (2005) 
• The Broken (2008) Full Movie
• La Horda (2009) Full Movie

             

                

For more Foreign Movies click here.