Lock Your Doors: 11 Terrifying Home Invasion Movies

The home invasion thriller is one of the most terrifying sub-genres in film. It turns your house into a battleground and average citizens into both victims and heroes. As Idris Elba’s ‘No Good Deed’ breaks into theaters, here’s a look back at some of the genre’s most intense entries. 

Panic Room (2002)

Director David Fincher traps Jodie Foster and ‘Twilight’s’ Kristen Stewart in the titular safe room and keeps the audience at the edge of their seat. 

You’re Next (2013)

A home invasion thriller with a twist; this time, the assailants find themselves locked in a house with one very deadly heroine.  

The Strangers (2008)

People with scary masks and knives break into a married couple’s home and lots of nightmares ensue. Mostly ours.

Kidnapped (2010)

This Spanish-language thriller is one of the genre’s most underrated and disturbing films. Watch it with all of your doors locked and windows bolted.  

Desperate Hours (1990)

This 1990 remake of the Humphrey Bogart thriller pits criminal Mickey Rourke against homeowner Anthony Hopkins. 

Vacancy (2007)

Technically, this one’s more of a “motel invasion thriller,” as Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson rent a room at a joint that doubles as a location for making “snuff” films. With no AAA discount. 

Funny Games (2007)

Michael Haneke directed both the 1997 original film and this remake, which centers on Tim Roth and Naomi Watts being terrorized by two home invaders with murder on their minds.

Inside (2007)

In this bloody, violent thriller, a pregnant woman struggles to evade a mysterious, scissor-wielding lady intent on stealing the unborn child. From flamethrowers to exploding heads, this movie has everything.  

The Purge (2013)

More psychos wearing scary masks take to breaking and entering in a world where, for one 24-hour period, all crime is legal. Including murder. (Gulp.)

Wait Until Dark (1967)

Violent criminal Alan Arkin terrorizes a blind Audrey Hepburn in this slow-burn thriller that holds up better than most of its contemporaries. Based on a popular stage play. 

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

Skip the 2006 remake and check out this one instead, which centers on a babysitter being stalked by a murder-fueled psycho.