Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Gothic horror is something most people are familiar with or have heard of, but when it comes to the subgenre of Southern Gothic, things can get a bit more complex.
A genre that blends dark or supernatural elements with the setting of the American South, it often explores that region’s history, people and social issues through the lens of mysticism, magic and the macabre. What this also means is unlike gothic horror that lends to a specific period in time, southern gothic can be set in any timeline, giving the genre that unique sense of being both something old and modern.
There are a whole host of great films built around this subgenre with the most recent, Sinners, pitting vampires against southern folk in the 1930s, and that’s just one of many memorable movies within this genre. So now that we’ve got the preamble out of the way here are Five Sothern Gothic Movies Worth Watching.
#5 The Skeleton Key (2005)
Caroline (Kate Hudson) plays a hospice nurse who seems to have no sense of self-preservation. Jokes aside, she takes a job at a creepy old New Orleans plantation home, taking care of the husband of elderly Violet (Gena Rowlands) who turns out to be much more than she seems.
I’ll admit to dismissing this movie after my initial viewing. I think Caroline rubbed me the wrong way as one can argue she’s the architect of her own destruction. But as a self-proclaimed fan of everything New Orleans, I loved the setting and the southern gothic atmosphere that surrounds this story. A thriller wrapped in a mystery with supernatural elements based on Hoodoo folklore, The Skeleton Key was definitely better for me the second time around and a solid entry in the southern gothic subgenre.
#4 Frailty (2001)
I’m not usually a fan of a movie that starts at its ending and then takes us backwards, but when it’s executed as well as it was in this movie, I’m one hundred percent on board!
A man (Matthew McConaughey) walks into an FBI agent’s office (Powers Boothe) and proceeds to tell him the story of his religiously fanatic father (Bill Paxton). He claims his father received visions that show him people who needed to be killed because they were in fact demons.
It breaks my brain to think there are people who love McConaughey’s work and yet, have never seen this movie. Considering this film dropped in the heyday of his romantic comedy stardom, it was such a shock to the system (and a brilliant casting choice) placing him in a role such as this because it sort of sneaks up on you, making the final reveal all the more impactful.
Directed by and starring the awesome Bill Paxton (RIP), this intimate story of a father and his two young sons takes you on such a journey emotionally, it’s hard to categorise it as any one genre. Dramatic, thrilling, suspenseful and horrific, Frailty is all those things while also adding in a possibly supernatural element that creates a southern gothic tale that stands apart from most.
#3 The Gift (2000)
Besides Sinners, this is the last southern gothic movie I’ve (re)watched and it’s one that I think doesn’t get enough kudos as there is a lot here to appreciate.
One aspect/theme found in southern gothic stories has always been the secrets found in small towns. How these seemingly idyllic locations can be home to truly heinous townsfolk.
A psychic woman Annabelle (Cate Blanchett) begins to have visions of a young rich socialite named Jessica King (Katie Holmes) who has disappeared. Her visions lead not only to the grisly discovery of Jessica’s body but as things progress, her gift threatens to expose not only the killer, but the secrets of everyone she comes in contact with.
With a stellar cast led by powerhouse Cate Blanchett, one could argue the story itself isn’t anything you wouldn’t see in a simple “movie of the week”, yet the atmosphere, direction and believably grounded performances by Blanchett, J.K. Simmons, Giovanni Ribisi, Hilary Swank and Keanu Reeves in one of his rare (and scary good) turns as an antagonist, makes The Gift surprisingly memorable and a rewarding watch for any fan of the southern gothic genre.
Honourable Mention – Eve’s Bayou (1997)
How many movies can you think of that explore the southern gothic genre through the eyes of a child? Eve’s Bayou is a drama, but it also brings magic and mysticism through voodoo and the powerful women that surround Eve. An absolute must-see for fans of not just the southern gothic genre, but of brilliant films period!
#2 Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Set mostly in the seventeenth century, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire might be considered purely a gothic tale by some, but when you throw the “magic” of New Orleans into the mix one can easily place this tale of love, betrayal, loneliness and supernatural hunger into the southern gothic category.
A vampire tells the tale of his creation. That’s basically what this movie is about, but being set in New Orleans alone doesn’t make this movie southern gothic though as the genre is much more complex than just placing the story in the south. It touches on societal issues as well, ranging from slavery, racism and classicism, Interview with the Vampire has depictions of all of this and like Sinners (as you can probably tell by now, I really enjoyed that movie) it uses the “otherness” of these inhuman white folk as a way of exploring the vulnerabilities and very real horrors faced by people of colour in these settings.
Straight up, I prefer the television series which is doing a phenomenal job of exploring these characters and their dynamics, but the movie definitely leans heavier into the southern gothic subgenre and is as eternally beautiful to behold as the vampires that inhabit its world.
#1 The Night of the Hunter
Have you ever listened to a song, a hit song that everyone is going crazy for, only to notice the beat or melody sounds familiar? You search your mind (and maybe Google) until you finally find the original song which itself might’ve been a hit but as time has passed not many people have heard of it or ever listened to it.
Director Charles Laughton (as well as writers Davis Grubb and James Agee) created a southern gothic story — told almost like a fairy-tale — about a self-proclaimed preacher who marries a widow with two young children. A holy man only on the surface, Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) has his sights sets on $10,000 which the children’s father (and Powell’s cellmate) had stolen in a robbery and managed to hide before being captured.
This movie. Forgive me, but MY GOODNESS THIS MOVIE! If you’ve never seen it, I say drop whatever you’re doing and rectify that right quick! Mitchum is absolutely terrifying as Powell, almost mythical in his mannerisms, it’s easy to see how the con man could convince lonely widows to marry him. The timelessness of this tale also lies in the smart choice to create a setting that seems otherworldly.
With camera angles drawing from German Expressionism (think Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror) shadows and lighting that draw from classic horror like 1931’s Frankenstein and a story that plays like a mix of Grimm fairy tales such as “Hansel and Gretel” and “Red Riding Hood”. I would go as far as to state that The Night of the Hunter is the forge that the southern gothic subgenre was born in.
So that’s my list. Which of these is your favourite? And you can check out more horror/thriller content below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More