20 Small Town Horror Movies
The 20 horror movies on this list prove that small towns that look idyllic on the outside have the most terror lurking within them.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not only big cities that should be feared. Small towns are a hotbed for evil and hide far more sinister secrets than one could ever imagine. Something truly eerie exists beneath quiet small town streets and behind the curtains of seemingly friendly neighbors. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that everyone always has something to hide inside a close-knit community.
This is exactly why many of the greatest films in the genre are set in little municipalities and rural villages way beyond the outskirts of the city. From Haddonfield, Illinois to Derry, Maine, the 20 entries on this list prove you’re never really safe in a small town.
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma’s haunting coming-of-age tale is one of the most celebrated adaptations of any Stephen King novel. Set against the backdrop of the small conservative town of Bristol, Maine, it follows Carrie (Sissy Spacek), a lonely and bullied teenager with psychokinetic powers. At school, everyone is out to get her. At home, she cannot escape the abuse and oppression of her religious fanatical mother. When Carrie experiences the cruelest act of bullying by her peers on Prom Night, all hell breaks loose and it leads to one of the most tragic conclusions in the history of the genre. Carrie explores girlhood, the terrors of ostracization, and repression.
Halloween (1978)
Set in the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, John Carpenter’s classic remains one of the most influential horrors ever created. It cemented Michael Myers (Nick Castle) as an icon among slasher villains and brought to screen one of the most beloved final girls in the history of the genre, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). 6-year-old Michael murders his 17-year-old sister on Halloween night of 1963. 15 years later, he escapes the psychiatric hospital and wreaks havoc on the streets of his former hometown, terrifying its inhabitants for generations to come.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Something Wicked This Way Comes is another film that proves just how creepy the good ol’ Midwest can be during Halloween. Set in the small town of Green Town, Illinois, the atmospheric carnival horror follows two 12-year-old best friends, bookish Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and rebel Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson). When Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival arrives by train one evening, it promises to grant the townsfolk all their wishes, but the ominous owner Mr. Dark (Johnathan Pryce) has much more sinister things in mind. As Will and Jim will discover, his magic comes at a Faustian price. It’s up to them to save their community.
The Faculty (1998)
The Faculty is one of the most underrated sci-fi horror movies ever made. Set in a small town in Ohio, the movie follows a group of students of Harrington High School, cheerleader Delilah (Jordana Brewster), football star Stan (Shawn Hatosy), drug dealer Zeke (Josh Hartnett) and new student Marybeth (Laura Harris), as they uncover a deadly extraterrestrial invasion overtaking their community. If you’re a fan of both versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and 90s horror, then this film is for you.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Jennifer’s Body is a brilliant film that was criminally misunderstood at its time of release. The now cult feminist classic is set in the small town of Devil’s Kettle, Minnesota and revolves around two best friends, popular cheerleader Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and her nerdy sidekick Needy Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried). When Jennifer suffers a horrific ordeal at the hands of the talentless band of Low Shoulder, she’s transformed into a succubus who must feed on the flesh of teenage boys to survive. Needy, who loves her bestie dearly, knows she’s the only one who can put an end to her carnage. The movie meaningfully explores trauma, female sexuality, the complexity of female friendships, male gaze, and empowerment.
The House of the Devil (2009)
Ti West’s The House of the Devil is a period horror set in 1983 during the Satanic Panic in a remote area on the outskirts of a small upstate college town. The film, which pays homage to 70s and 80s horror, was shot entirely on 16mm film. It follows Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), a college student desperate to make enough money to afford the deposit on her new apartment. When she takes an odd babysitting job in a Victorian house in the woods on the night of a lunar eclipse, she becomes prey to something truly sinister and evil.
We Are Still Here (2015)
This indie horror movie directed by Ted Geoghegan is a terrifying exploration of grief. It stars the great Barbara Crampton as Anne Sacchetti, a grieving mother who moves to rural New England with her husband, Paul (Andrew Sensenig), following the death of their son. Shortly after moving in, the couple experiences bizarre occurrences and begins sensing a presence in their new home. Convinced it’s their son, the couple invites their spiritualist friends over to make contact, but all is not what it seems. Their newly purchased house comes with a dark history and the townsfolk know more than they’re letting on.
The VVitch (2015)
Set in the bleak world of 1630s New England, Robert Eggers’ folk horror masterpiece follows a devout Christian family after they’re exiled from their settlement over a religious dispute. When they make a new home on the edge of a dark forest, they begin experiencing strange and sinister going-ons. Their newborn baby mysteriously vanishes. Their crops fail. Their young twins speak to a black goat. Their son disappears in the woods and comes back mysteriously ill. Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), their eldest daughter, bears the blame and is accused of witchcraft by her own mother. The VVitch is an unnerving exploration of the destructive power of religion, repression, and familial trauma. Its ending, which brilliantly subverts the final girl trope, has a lot to say about female agency and empowerment.
Summer of 84 (2018)
Summer of 84 is a horror mystery set in the sleepy seaside town of Cape May, Oregon. When 15-year-old Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) begins to suspect his neighbor, local police officer Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer), of being responsible for the disappearances of 13 young boys, he and his group of friends decide to play amateur sleuths and prove his guilt. The movie masterfully captures the 1980s, evoking nostalgia for a bygone era. While much of the story plays like a fun-loving horror flick, its grim ending is a dark one you won’t soon forget.
When Evil Lurks (2023)
The brutal Latin American film When Evil Lurks is set in a remote Argentine village and offers one of the most unique takes on demonic possession. Written and directed by the incomparable Demián Rugna, the story takes place in a world where certain protocols must be followed for demonic possession. In this case, possession is akin to an infection that turns humans into hideous, bloated creatures. After a case is mishandled in the rural town, chaos and evil spreads to unimaginable proportions.
More of the best horror films set in small towns…
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Tobe Hooper’s classic sees a group of friends terrorized by a chainsaw-wielding maniac in rural Texas.
Salem’s Lot (1979) Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, this movie sees a writer return to his hometown only to discover its inhabitants are turning into vampires.
The Fog (1980) John Carpenter’s classic focuses on a mysterious fog that rolls into the small coastal town of Antonio Bay in Northern California 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its sea.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) The iconic villain Freddie Kreuger (Robert Englund) hunts down a group of teenagers of Springwood, Ohio in their dreams.
Scream (1996) The meta-horror is set in the small town of Woodsboro, California and follows a group of teenagers who become the targets of a serial killer, Ghostface.
30 Days of Night (2007) Hungry vampires descend on the small town of Barrow, Alaska as its inhabitants prepare for a month of darkness.
The Void (2016) Hooded cultists trap a group of people inside a hospital, which may be a gateway to unspeakable evil.
It (2017) This Stephen King adaptation is set in the town of Derry, Maine and follows a group of seven outcasts as they’re terrorized by Pennywise the Clown, a shape-shifting entity that emerges every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. In It: Chapter 2, the childhood friends return to their hometown as adults to destroy the evil once and for all.
The Vast of Night (2019) Set in a small town in 1950’s New Mexico, two teens investigate a mysterious frequency on the radio and uncover something extraterrestrial.
