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Supernatural psychological horror

 A rookie with a long history at the Academy came up with the following request the other day:


I've seen the Australian Babadook 2014 and enjoyed it so much that I want to see more supernatural psychological horror films. I'm happy to receive film suggestions.


 The rookies dove into the request, and the following little list of movie tips resulted. 


Tittel År
14082007
The VVitch2015
The Wind 2018
The Innocents 1961
Grave Encounters 2011
Crimson Peak 2015
The Lighthouse 2019
Talk to me 2022
The Skeleton Key 2005
Below 2002
Sinister 2012
In the tall grass 2019




Others are checking out:

Automotive horror!

The term automotive horror , also referred to as "car horror" or "highway horror," refers to horror fiction where the primary source of dread, isolation, or violence is directly linked to vehicles and the culture of the open road. It essentially exploits the psychological terror of a machine turning malevolent or the vulnerability of being isolated on a desolate road. Automotive horror utilizes several distinct concepts to create terror: The Sentient/Evil Vehicle: The car itself is the monster. Christine (1983), anyone? It's often possessed, cursed, or supernaturally alive, acting with malevolent intent to kill, terrorize, or corrupt its owner. The topic of evil cars represents Technophobia , an underlying theme where technology, which is supposed to represent freedom and convenience, instead betrays you. Turns on you like a dirty street whore in the night.   The Highway Hunter: The vehicle is simply a tool used by a human serial killer or psychopath who us...

Damer i skrekk: Skrekkruttskolens Ladies Night

Ladies night satt som ei kule på Skrekkruttskolen!  Det er jo laget  mye bra horror av, om og med råtøffe damer. Without further adue: her presenteres 31 stalltips innen film med "women in horror, strong female characters, scream queens and horror divas".   Nr Tittel År IMDb 1 Whatever happened to baby Jane? 62 8,1 2 The Exorcist 73 8 3 Rosemarys baby 68 8 4 Misery 90 7,8 5 Texas chainsaw Massacre 74 7,5 6 Carrie 76 7,4 7 The Descent 2005 7,3 8 Audition 99 7,3 9 The Nanny 65 7,3 10 The Devils rejects 2005 6,9 11 Ms ...

Escapism in horror, sci-fi and absurd film

  Quite a reality we live in, huh? 🥴 It's kinda messed up. Kamikaze-trained harp seals with GoPros on their heads swim around our oceans while geopolitical toxic masculinity literally spills out across all continents. On top of it all: AI. There seems to be no end to it all. That's why the Horror Rookie Academy offered a whole week of escapism in early February 2025. ...but what exactly is escapism in horror, sci-fi and absurdist film? It's not a genre, is it? We introduced the topic like this: - SUBJECTIVE: For some, _all_ films can actually be an escape from reality. Here we are looking for tips on which films/series (horror/sci-fi/absurd) are an escape from reality for you. There are no right or wrong answers here. 😁 - HUMOR: Humor strikes me like a joker in this game. For example, I laughed my way through The Human Centipede; for me it was a very unrealistic comedy - and then I know that my mother would perceive the film a little differently. (I accidentally saw David...

Isolasjon i horror og sci-fi

  Skrekkruttskolens Isolation Week(end) satt i grunnen som ei kule!   Det som begynte som en temahelg med fokus på isolerte steder og isolerte mennesker utartet til å bli et ukeslangt dypdykk i isolasjon innen horror, scifi og absurd film.    (Og thriller, må vi nok føye til denne gangen. Vi har vel aldri inkludert så mange thrillere i en liste før.)   Without further adue: her er seksogfemti stalltips innen fet isolasjonsfilm! :)     Nr Tittel År IMDb 1 Alien 1979 8,5 2 The Shining 1980 8,5 3 Das Boot 1981 8,5 4 The Thing 1982 8,2 5 Moon 2009 8,0 6 Gravity 2013 8,0 7 Predator 1987 7,9 8 Lifeboat 1944 7,8 9 The Tenant 1976 7,8 10 Misery 1990 7,8 11 Bad Boy Bubby 1993 7,5 12 REC 2007 7,5 13 The Nanny 1965 7,4 14 Cube 1997 7,4 15 De Dødes tjern 1958 7,4 16 The Descent 2005 7,3 17 Runaway Train 1985 7,3 18 The Mist 2007 7,2 19 I am legend 2007 7,2 20 The last man on ...

Yūrei: pray you never encounter one!

Dear reader: a violent storm is approaching Scandinavia. Red alerts of all sorts have been issued, and the populus is busy removing loose objects, filling up their water tanks and checking if they have enough batteries to last. Later tonight, when all Hell breaks loose , they will huddle together, step away from the windows, brace themselves and excert a nordic form of calm born through experience with hellish weather. But i digress. Now, let me take this occasion, to tell you about the nightgown - wearing ghost. Her face is covered by her long black hair. She is the one that comes crawling down the stairs and out of closets in you nightmares.  The ghost that make this throat gurgling "moaaaaaaaaaaaaa" - sound that makes your skin crawl. The one that that comes crawling towards you, behind you, in the darkness to pull you... away. Away from this world.  Let me tell you about yūrei! I will do so by telling you about one of the world's most well known and dreaded yūrei: Kay...

Queer roles in horror

At the Horror Rookie Academy , a very interesting exchange of opinions emerged in the spring of 2022 on the topic of queer roles in horror . In the following, I will explain why I think it is both okay and important to lift queer roles in horror films. The text represents the author's opinion. In the wake of a really interesting analysis done by Dread Central (a must-read!), it was suggested that queer roles may take the focus away from the horror in horror films. This got me thinking. Thinking real good. Could it be that queer roles, roles protraying people like me,  among the majority may be perceived as unnecessary to the plot in horror films?  As something forced? Queer people are very used to seeing a different type of love than our own being central to the films we watch.  One of the things that makes me love films in general, and horror in particular, is that you get to enter situations where you are sort of exempt from constantly having to connect your own situat...

Love hurts! Horror films about love

Love is multifaceted. Sometimes it spins out of control, and it gets ugly. Really ugly. 'The things you do for love' are not just roses and cuddling. Sometimes they include psychological terror, violence, panic and death. The Horror Rookie Academy has made a wee list of horror films where love is key. Enjoy! 💛💔👄 Tittel År IMDb Requiem for a dream 2000 8.4 Slipp den rette inn 2008 8 Bram Stokers Dracula 1992 7.5 Re-animator 1985 7.3 Warm Bodies 2013 7 Sightseers 2012 6.5 Society 1989 6.5 Rammbock 2010 6.4 Mary Shelley`s Frankenstein 1994 6.4 My Bloody Valentine 1981 6.1 Mutants 2009 5.6 My Bloody Valentine 2009 5.5 The perfect marriage 2011 4.6 Teeth 2007 5.4 The Hunger (serie) 97 - 2000 6.2 Only lovers left alive 2013 7.2 The Gorge 2025 6.8 The last of us S01E03 "Long, long time" 2023 8.1 Spring 2014 6.7 AHS S02E07 "Necro" 2022 6.4 Nekromantik 1998 4.8 Haute Tension 2003 6.7

Feinschmecker giallo films!

  It's really hard not to like giallo when you like horror movies. If you ask me. It has the seventies feel to it, it has slashing, practical effects, razors and negligees, black gloves and mansions. ...and the names of these movie, my goodness. "Aunt Martha does dreadful things", for example. 😍 One of our rookies is a regular cornucopia of knowledge of giallo, and he dug into his mind looking for the more obscure giallo movies.  Enjoy! ✌ Murder Obsession (Riccardo Freda, 1980; Italian: Follia omicida) aka Fear, aka The Wailing, aka The Murder Syndrome The Secret of Seagull Island (Nestore Ungaro, 1981; Italian: L'isola del gabbiano) Madhouse (Ovidio Assonitis, 1981) aka There Was a Little Girl Tenebrae (Dario Argento, 1982) aka Unsane The Scorpion with Two Tails (Sergio Martino, 1982; Italian: Assassinio al cimitero etrusco / Murder in the Etruscan Cemetery) A Blade in the Dark (Lamberto Bava, 1982; Italian: La casa con la scala nel buio / The House with the Dar...

15 years of Academy headers!

A good header is a great thing ! Since 2011, the Horror Rookie Academy has focused quite a bit on page headers. The header constitutes the graphic profile of the Academy. It is what first meets the eye,  what gives the first impression, and it sets the tone.  Design- wise, we have kept the headers simple and symmetric -and a bit classy. We present to you: 15 years of Academy headers!         (Laget av skrekkrutt Sørbø.)                              (Artwork: Kim Holm)       

Derfor bør ingen noensinne bade i havet

  Det lusker mangt under overflaten!   Enten man ferdes på havet, rusler elvelangs eller tar en dukkert i de glitrende innsjøer skal man huske at knivskarpe tenner og hungrige mager kan lure juuuuust below the surface.   Skrekkruttskolen presenterer her firogfemti stalltips innen skrekk og gru fra dypet!   Nr Tittel År IMDb 1 Jaws 75 8,1 2 The Abyss 89 7,6 3 The Host 6 7 4 Ocean Of Fear 7 7 5 The River 12 6,8 6 The Deep 12 6,7 7 Rogue 7 6,3 8 Dagon 1 6,3 9 Below 2 6,2 10 The Deep 77 6,1 11 Deep rising 98 6 12 Sphere 98 6 13 Alligator 80 5,9 14 Piranha 78 5,9 15 The Reef 10 5,8 16 Jaws 2 78 5,7 17 Deep Blue Sea 99 5,7 18 Leviathan 89 5,7 19 Open Water 3 5,7 20 Lake Placid 99 5,6 21 The Bay 12 5,6 22 Piranha 10 5,6 23 12 days of terror 5 5,5 24 Ghost Ship 2 5,4 25 Open water 2: adrift 6 5 26 Reykjavik Whale watching massacre 9 4,9 27 Frankenfish 4 4,8 28 The last Shark 81 4,6 29 Anaconda 97 4,5 30 Troglodyte 8 4,3 31 Eye of the beast 7 4,2 32 R...