Television series

The Visit

Name: The Visit
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Released: 2021
Cast: Dina Elsherbiny, Takla Chamoun, Carol Abboud, Elie Mitri, Serena El Shamy

Other titles called The Visit: the 2015 film.

Horror
Fantasy
Very dark

A Lebanese supernatural thriller following a woman who arrives in 1980s Beirut to exorcise a family curse, only to uncover a horrifying connection to her own past. Atmospheric and genuinely unsettling, with the paranoia and dread building through personal revelation rather than jump scares. For anyone who wants their horror rooted in character and consequence.

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The Exorcist1973

The foundational possession film that proves the genre's power lies in slow-burn dread and the clash between faith and rationality. Unflinching about suffering and the limits of belief.

But At fifty years old it can feel familiar if you've absorbed its influence through other films, and the pacing is deliberate to the point of testing patience.

Insidious2011

A masterclass in creeping supernatural terror that respects the audience's intelligence. The scares earn themselves through character investment and atmosphere rather than cheap tricks.

But Relies on some jump-scare conventions that won't surprise anyone versed in modern horror, and the third act opts for spectacle over subtlety.

The Orphanage2007

A Spanish ghost story that wraps mystery and tragedy together—you're always uncertain whether what you're seeing is supernatural or psychological, and both possibilities haunt differently. The final revelation lands because the film earned it.

But Subtitled, and the emotional weight might feel heavier than pure horror if you're looking for scares over heartbreak.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Visit

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Martyrs2008

Both examine how family curses—literal or inherited trauma—force characters into situations where their only survival is understanding what cursed them in the first place.

A French-Canadian horror film that asks whether suffering can bring enlightenment, and whether belief justifies brutality. It's not supernatural—the horror is entirely human—but it operates in the same register of dread and revelation as The Visit, with a protagonist searching for truth inside violence.

But Intensely graphic and philosophically bleak. This is not entertainment in the conventional sense; it demands you sit with real cruelty to think about its meaning.

The Haunting of Hill House2018

A miniseries that understands haunted houses are metaphors for family trauma. Character-driven, gorgeously shot, and genuinely frightening in ways that linger because they're rooted in recognizable pain.

But The ensemble cast means no single thread dominates, and if you need a tight plot you'll find the family dynamics occasionally repetitive.

Dark City1998

A neo-noir mystery where reality itself is manipulated by unseen forces. The production design is hypnotic, and the paranoia is existential—nobody can trust their own memories or surroundings.

But More cerebral than visceral, and the pacing can feel sluggish if you prefer straightforward scares to puzzles wrapped in atmosphere.

The Wailing2016

A South Korean thriller that layers mystery, folk horror, and moral ambiguity so densely that it rewards multiple viewings. The investigation spirals into questions about faith, blame, and whether anyone is truly innocent.

But Nearly three hours, subtitled, and deliberately refuses to answer everything—some viewers find that frustrating rather than fascinating.

A Tale of Two Sisters2003

A Korean gothic fairy tale about two sisters haunted by something that may or may not be supernatural. Visually stunning and deeply unsettling in its refusal to explain itself fully.

But The ambiguity about what's real extends to the ending, which means some viewers feel cheated rather than intrigued by the lack of clarity.

The Others2001

A ghost story that plays fair with the audience and executes a twist that recontextualizes everything. Eerie, beautifully composed, and proof that restraint and suggestion often scare harder than gore.

But Once you know the twist, the rewatch experience changes completely—and the second viewing can feel manipulative rather than clever.

Sinister2012

An investigation into supernatural crimes that starts as a mystery thriller and gradually transforms into something genuinely disturbing. The atmosphere is suffocating and the mythology is original.

But Some of the scares rely on loud audio cues that work in a theatre but feel cheap at home, and the final act gets more conventional than what came before.

The Invisible Man2020

Both pit a female protagonist against a malevolent force that nobody else can fully see or accept, forcing her to become an expert in her own haunting to survive it.

A modern reworking that's actually about gaslighting and emotional abuse wearing the costume of sci-fi horror. It understands that invisible threats—ones people refuse to believe in—are more terrifying than visible ones, and that paranoia is the rational response to unseen danger.

But It's a mainstream Hollywood film disguised as elevated horror, and if you're after pure scares rather than social commentary, the allegory can overshadow the thrills.

Goodnight Mommy2015

Like The Visit, it's rooted in the question of whether we can trust our perception of people we should know intimately, and whether a curse or evil can hide inside the familiar.

An Austrian horror film about two children convinced their mother has been replaced by something else after facial surgery. It's visually composed like an art film, morally murky, and genuinely disturbing because you can never quite trust what you're seeing or who deserves sympathy.

But Slow-burn to the point of glacial, with a twist that upends the narrative so completely some viewers feel the first half was a waste. Also quite violent in its final act.