War horror films are a thrilling and frightening subgenre that truly amps up the blood and gore factor within the backdrop of historical conflicts. The underrated but effective style of storytelling has dazzled audiences for decades, with only the best of the best leaving a lasting impression on viewers long after the final credits have rolled.
From Nazi zombies to terrifying psychological tales, nefarious demonic spirits and mysterious creatures, horror flicks set during infamous wars have truly left their mark on the cinema. A resilient mother battles against a djinn supernatural force in the lauded Persian hit Under the Shadow, while a group of American soldiers stumble upon unfathomable evil in the chilling historical horror drama Overlord. Let’s take a look at some of the best war horror movies out there.
9 R-Point
The 2004 psychological horror film R-Point takes place during the Vietnam War and centers on a South Korean platoon of soldiers who receive a mysterious radio transmission pleading for help, leading the group to venture into the dangerous jungle to find the distressed, lost men from the R-Point.
After stumbling upon a sacred tombstone, the brave platoon are plagued by frightening occurrences which make them question their own reality and what they're fighting for. In order to promote the chilling flick, the film studio released fictional articles, eyewitness accounts and internet news surrounding the eerie events that allegedly transpired in order to build up the mystique.
8 Dead Snow
What starts as a relaxing getaway during Easter vacation takes a terrifying turn when a group of Norwegian medical students are hunted and attacked by Nazi zombies in the 2009 horror comedy Dead Snow. The friends must fight to stay alive in a remote cabin in the snowy mountains of Norway with limited resources, as the undead creatures prowl the area in search of their next victims.
The premise of the entertaining flick is based on the draugr, a Scandinavian legend about a revenant that guards buried treasure after reanimating. Director Tommy Wirkola wanted to utilize a curse in Dead Snow, having once stated, "We went for the old-fashioned ones where they're cursed. For me there are two types of zombie films: the curse and the plague or virus. So we wanted ours to be like a ghost story mixed with Indiana Jones."
7 The Enemy
Set after the conclusion of the Bosnian War, 2011's horror drama The Enemy follows a unit of Serbian soldiers who are tasked with removing hidden mines from fields, only to discover a strange man sealed in the basement of an abandoned factory. When the group releases the perplexing stranger, they are unnerved when he doesn't feel hunger or the cold and simply asks for cigarettes.
It doesn't take long until soldiers begin to disappear one b one, causing those who remain to wonder whether the man is a savior or the devil himself. The Enemy is directed by Serbian cinema standout Dejan Zecevic, and earned immense praise for its thought-provoking themes regarding good and evil, and its taut suspense and chills.
6 The Third Part of the Night
The 1971 avant-garde psychological horror film The Third Part of the Night takes place during the occupation of Poland at the dawn of World War II, and chronicles a young man named Michal and his father's struggle to evade the Gestapo after his wife and children are brutally murdered. After fleeing to a nearby forest, Michal finds himself transported to a surreal alternate world plagued by shocking doppelgängers and perplexing wormholes, while also discovering a disturbing Nazi vaccine experiment.
The intense picture was lauded by critics upon its release, with Chicago Reader noting, "A sustained nightmare about societal and personal breakdown, it presents one man's descent into madness during the Nazi occupation of Poland, though the story is hard to follow (perhaps by design)."
5 Brotherhood of the Wolf
Christophe Gans directed the 2001 period action horror flick Brotherhood of the Wolf, telling the gripping tale of a chilling, mysterious creature terrorizing the people of the province of Gévaudan during the French Revolution. Powerful Knight Grégoire de Fronsac and his right-hand man Mani are sent to capture the dangerous beast by King Louis XV of France, but find the assignment far more difficult than they could have ever imagined when they discover the true nature of the creature.
Brotherhood of the Wolf was a smash hit with both critics and audiences, becoming one of the highest grossing French-language films of all-time in the U.S. and receiving a César Award and International Horror Guild Award nod.
4 Jacob's Ladder
Tim Robbins delivers a fantastic performance as an American infantryman in the Vietnam War plagued by bizarre and violent visions in the 1990 psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder, which follows the distressed young man as he returns home and slips into madness while fighting against his PTSD and dissociation. The title of the Adrian Lyne film references the Biblical story of the same name, which is the meeting place between Heaven and Earth.
Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin once expressed the meaning of the cult horror hit: "The horror of the movie would be in the revelation that hope is hell's final torment, that life is a dream that ends over and over with the final truth: that life was never real, that we are all creatures trapped in eternal suffering and damnation."
3 Overlord
Julius Avery directed the 2018 alternate history horror drama Overlord, centering on a skilled group of American paratroopers who are sent behind enemy lines on the brink of D-Day to complete a dangerous mission, only for the soldiers to uncover a malevolent Nazi experiment that results in an undead army.
The adrenaline-pumping picture features thrilling action sequences, plenty of blood and gore and sinister Nazi zombies; Overlord went on to win two awards at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and garnered positive reviews upon its debut. Entertainment Weekly declared, "A surprisingly well-made mash-up of old-fashion war movie tropes and proudly disgusting horror-flick shocks. It's a ton of fun."
2 Trench 11
Set during the First World War within the walls of a covert German bunker, 2017's Trench 11 depicts a team of British Army intelligence officers as they investigate a hidden shelter in the Argonne Forest, where they uncover a sinister evil lurking within. Audiences were on the edge of their seats as they watched the soldiers venture into the deep, dark passages of the underground trench, where infected and rabid enemies await them to attack.
Trench 11 garnered widespread critical acclaim, winning numerous accolades including Best Horror Film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The ghastly flick currently holds a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and was a knockout historical horror hit.
1 Under the Shadow
Babak Anvari made his superb directorial debut with his 2016 psychological horror hit Under the Shadow, chronicling a mother and former medical student's struggle for survival as she attempts to keep her daughter safe amid deadly missile attacks during the Iran-Iraq War. When Shideh's building is attacked in a war-torn Tehran, the young mother becomes convinced a malevolent supernatural force is haunting her home and that a djinn is attempting to possess her child.
Shideh must combat both her increasing PTSD and the menacing evil lurking to protect her family at all costs. Under the Shadow premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to nearly universal acclaim, with the Daily Beast writing in their rave review, "A ghost story both on its surface and far below it — a haunted house tale in which the tangible dangers of the war outside are so immediate that no one really sees what's happening within the walls."