[REC] 4: Apocalypse, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, Let the Right One In

As most people go about their busy daily lives in the U.S., devious minds are at work in Europe, dreaming up horrifying scenarios that are sure to induce nightmares.

Of course, we hurry to acknowledge that equally devious minds in this country are doing the very same thing! These devious minds are known, happily for us, as horror filmmakers, and their intention is not to harm anyone. Instead, they want to provide entertainment for the masses, inviting us into an environment that will frighten, and perhaps enlighten, viewers. Here are a few examples of their art, films that may be presented in a different language, yet feature horrifying imagery that is universally scary.

 

[REC] 4: Apocalypse (2014)

The fourth and final installment in the Spanish-language series finds that zombies have spread to a ship at sea, proving that no harbor is safe from the undead. Once the zombies are unleashed, you won't even need to read the subtitles.

 

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014)

If you think you can escape the Nazi zombie invasion by fleeing to frozen climes in Norway, think again! With its mix of action and very bloody slapstick, this one is very easy to follow, even for those who claim they're subtitle-averse.

 

Let the Right One In (2008)

Based on a Swedish-language novel with a unique view of vampires, this Swedish-language adaptation quickly establishes a very disturbing and unsettling atmosphere, as the clip below demonstrates. The film was quickly remade as Let Me In.

 

Martyrs (2008)

The French-language clip below picks up with the interrogation of a young girl named Anna in an orphanage. She is being questioned about her new friend Lucie, who is still suffering the effects of being abused for years. Thereafter the movie fast-forwards some 15 years, as the young girls become young women, yet are still traumatized by their horrifying past. Beware: the balance of the film becomes more torturous to watch as it plays out. Also note: an English-language remake is due out this year.

 

Frontier(s) (2007)

We'll repeat that advisory for another well-made, thoughtful, French-language thriller that is also extremely and explicitly violent. Here we find a small gang who take advantage of riots in Paris to pull off a robbery and escape to the countryside. But the quiet refuge they want and need at a small, family-owned inn turns out to be a house of horrors.