Horror Movies that Draw from Niche Tales of Myth and What to Explore Next
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The horror movie genre is huge in its subject matter, spanning everything from serial killers to demon clowns, zombie invasions, and alien activity. For a film to be classed as a horror flick, it could include copious amounts of gore, an ever-present threat, jump scares, or just suspense in dark places.
One aspect that continues to intrigue, however, is that of drawing from myth. The most popular instances of these are zombies, werewolves, and vampires – even though the Twilight series completely tore up the script for the latter. Still, entities of myth and folklore have survived this long because they tap into very innate human fears, making them prime subject matter for horror movies when recreated well.
Some truly great mythical and lore beings have been drawn on for big-screen entertainment, but there are plenty more that could make for superb antagonists in future films.
Some of the great beings drawn from myth and folklore for movies
Starting off with a somewhat overlooked horror film from 2016, The Hallow is a survival horror that takes place in a sacred Irish forest populated by vicious and ghastly beings. The Corin Hardy-directed flick draws the inspiration for its creatures from Irish folklore beings known as Sluagh, which are the true incarnations of faeries intent on evil deeds. One of the biggest praises of the film was that the practical creature effects are highly satisfying, adding to the true threat of these ghastly entities. The 96-minute movie has made its way onto the Amazon Prime channel Shudder, which has a free trial on offer.
Perhaps one of the best, or, at least, the most inventive of modern horror movies also pulls heavily from myth and folklore: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). The dark fantasy that Guillermo del Toro delivers is nothing short of a masterpiece, with the guide of the movie, Fauno, being the half-man, half-goat Roman creature known as a faun. Despite the film’s English title, the Greek god Pan doesn’t feature, nor is ‘Pan’ the name of the faun.
Being a hybrid of several creatures, a popular horror trait, the show-stealer of this movie is certainly The Pale Man. The evil monster that has an appetite for small defenceless beings was named purposely by Del Toro, but draws from several mythical beings as they were painted by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The director has remained intrigued by the tale he told on the big screen, and has since released it as a novel Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun.
More mythological beings to put on the big screen
Ancient civilisations and even more modern cultures invariably feature entities or beings of myth and folklore that lend themselves perfectly to horror movies, but few are as packed with these things as Japanese myth. Of them all, the ox demon yōkai Ushi-Oni or ‘gyūki’ could be the most intriguing to focus on. Rarely seen outside of Japanese media, the mythical beast has been adapted for the Super Sentai franchise, which Toei Animation will reportedly put online for free and with English subtitles. Such a bizarre creature could certainly still evoke the fear factor if done well, much as the Gwoemul monster did in The Host (2006).
A more familiar and incredibly complex character that could make for a great lead, if done well, would be Medusa. Over the centuries, the gorgon’s depiction changed from a grotesque hybrid being into an alluring seductress, but the fear was always generated by looking upon the snake-haired being and being turned to stone. Now seen as a very early type of femme fatale, some tales of Medusa are particularly tragic, giving credence to her vengeful streak. This angle was taken in Uma Thurman’s quick stint in the action-adventure Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, but much more can be done.
While the gorgon is regularly cited, it's often done fleetingly. Few directors or designers are willing to commit to the character fully. The exception here would be in gaming, where this fascinating character is much more at the forefront where she belongs. Medusa appears in several titles as a boss or enemy, including Assassin's Creed Odyssey: The Hunt for Medusa, Medusa II: The Quest of Perseus, and Medusa's Labyrinth. This infamous Gorgon is so prevalent in gaming that she also features in online slot games, including Temple of Medusa, but also board games such as Perseus and The Sanctum of the Medusa.
So, in the right setting, we've seen that Medusa’s gorgon powers lend her to being an engrossing character to encounter. But the allures added to her mythos later could also be utilized by a savvy director, perhaps similarly to the sci-fi movie Under the Skin (2013). So let's give this timelessly fascinating, but completely terrifying being the screen time she deserves!
Finally, with the potential to create a great deal of suspense, the dreaded Nian could make for a fine choice. A creature of Chinese myth, the immortal beast would descend from its mountain home one day every year to feast in nearby villages. Villagers would batten down the hatches and hide in small spaces in the hope that the flat-faced beast with a huge mouth of razor-sharp teeth wouldn’t sense their presence.
The lucky ones would see all of their food stores destroyed and raided by the beast. Again, a seldom-used beast in pop-culture media, but Omen of the World of Warcraft universe was inspired by the legend of Nian. Having this ferocious creature come around once per year to terrorise the helpless just rings of the suspense of The Village (2004), but with more of the tension brought from A Quiet Place (2018).
Mythological entities have stood the test of time because they continue to tap into very deep fears experienced by so many people. With the right director and commitment to what makes them scary, Medusa, Nian, and even the bizarre Ushi-Oni could make for great additions to the horror movie space.
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The horror movie genre is huge in its subject matter, spanning everything from serial killers to demon clowns, zombie invasions, and alien activity. For a film to be classed as a horror flick, it could include copious amounts of gore, an ever-present threat, jump scares, or just suspense in dark places.
One aspect that continues to intrigue, however, is that of drawing from myth. The most popular instances of these are zombies, werewolves, and vampires – even though the Twilight series completely tore up the script for the latter. Still, entities of myth and folklore have survived this long because they tap into very innate human fears, making them prime subject matter for horror movies when recreated well.
Some truly great mythical and lore beings have been drawn on for big-screen entertainment, but there are plenty more that could make for superb antagonists in future films.
Some of the great beings drawn from myth and folklore for movies
Starting off with a somewhat overlooked horror film from 2016, The Hallow is a survival horror that takes place in a sacred Irish forest populated by vicious and ghastly beings. The Corin Hardy-directed flick draws the inspiration for its creatures from Irish folklore beings known as Sluagh, which are the true incarnations of faeries intent on evil deeds. One of the biggest praises of the film was that the practical creature effects are highly satisfying, adding to the true threat of these ghastly entities. The 96-minute movie has made its way onto the Amazon Prime channel Shudder, which has a free trial on offer.
Perhaps one of the best, or, at least, the most inventive of modern horror movies also pulls heavily from myth and folklore: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). The dark fantasy that Guillermo del Toro delivers is nothing short of a masterpiece, with the guide of the movie, Fauno, being the half-man, half-goat Roman creature known as a faun. Despite the film’s English title, the Greek god Pan doesn’t feature, nor is ‘Pan’ the name of the faun.
Being a hybrid of several creatures, a popular horror trait, the show-stealer of this movie is certainly The Pale Man. The evil monster that has an appetite for small defenceless beings was named purposely by Del Toro, but draws from several mythical beings as they were painted by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The director has remained intrigued by the tale he told on the big screen, and has since released it as a novel Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun.
More mythological beings to put on the big screen
Ancient civilisations and even more modern cultures invariably feature entities or beings of myth and folklore that lend themselves perfectly to horror movies, but few are as packed with these things as Japanese myth. Of them all, the ox demon yōkai Ushi-Oni or ‘gyūki’ could be the most intriguing to focus on. Rarely seen outside of Japanese media, the mythical beast has been adapted for the Super Sentai franchise, which Toei Animation will reportedly put online for free and with English subtitles. Such a bizarre creature could certainly still evoke the fear factor if done well, much as the Gwoemul monster did in The Host (2006).
A more familiar and incredibly complex character that could make for a great lead, if done well, would be Medusa. Over the centuries, the gorgon’s depiction changed from a grotesque hybrid being into an alluring seductress, but the fear was always generated by looking upon the snake-haired being and being turned to stone. Now seen as a very early type of femme fatale, some tales of Medusa are particularly tragic, giving credence to her vengeful streak. This angle was taken in Uma Thurman’s quick stint in the action-adventure Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, but much more can be done.
While the gorgon is regularly cited, it's often done fleetingly. Few directors or designers are willing to commit to the character fully. The exception here would be in gaming, where this fascinating character is much more at the forefront where she belongs. Medusa appears in several titles as a boss or enemy, including Assassin's Creed Odyssey: The Hunt for Medusa, Medusa II: The Quest of Perseus, and Medusa's Labyrinth. This infamous Gorgon is so prevalent in gaming that she also features in online slot games, including Temple of Medusa, but also board games such as Perseus and The Sanctum of the Medusa.
So, in the right setting, we've seen that Medusa’s gorgon powers lend her to being an engrossing character to encounter. But the allures added to her mythos later could also be utilized by a savvy director, perhaps similarly to the sci-fi movie Under the Skin (2013). So let's give this timelessly fascinating, but completely terrifying being the screen time she deserves!
Finally, with the potential to create a great deal of suspense, the dreaded Nian could make for a fine choice. A creature of Chinese myth, the immortal beast would descend from its mountain home one day every year to feast in nearby villages. Villagers would batten down the hatches and hide in small spaces in the hope that the flat-faced beast with a huge mouth of razor-sharp teeth wouldn’t sense their presence.
The lucky ones would see all of their food stores destroyed and raided by the beast. Again, a seldom-used beast in pop-culture media, but Omen of the World of Warcraft universe was inspired by the legend of Nian. Having this ferocious creature come around once per year to terrorise the helpless just rings of the suspense of The Village (2004), but with more of the tension brought from A Quiet Place (2018).
Mythological entities have stood the test of time because they continue to tap into very deep fears experienced by so many people. With the right director and commitment to what makes them scary, Medusa, Nian, and even the bizarre Ushi-Oni could make for great additions to the horror movie space.