Travel horror movies are one of those films which answers your question, “What could go worse on this trip?”
Well, these movies then push the boundaries of your imagination: there are serial killers, mad scientists, criminals, mysterious diseases, zombies waiting to ruin everyone’s vacation.
So here are 15 travel horror movies make you think twice before going on your vacation (or maybe about what to pack):
1.Hostel (2005)
What could be the worst thing that could happen when travelling across Europe? How about being preyed on by a mysterious organisation that tortures and kills kidnapped tourists?
Not for the faint-hearted, this travel horror flick there are a lot of torture scenes and severed bodies.
These are the last few things you could expect when checking into a hostel. Hostel later went on to become part of a trilogy.
2.The Human Centipede (2009)
Here is another movie not for the faint-hearted. A German surgeon kidnaps three tourists and joins them surgically, mouth to anus, forming a human centipede. The movie premise is so disgusting, yet apparently there are no scenes of excrement and it went on to win several international accolades in the horror movie genre. This film also had sequels made, but the final in the sequence was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards.
3.Cabin Fever (2002)
When director Eli Roth (who also directed Hostel) went to Iceland for a trip, he got infected with a skin infection. Inspired by his experience, Roth co-wrote and directed this travel horror comedy film.
It is about a group of college graduates who rent a cabin in the woods and get infected by a flesh-eating virus. (Yes, it is a far leap from a skin infection.)
4.Eden Lake (2008)
When a couple choose a remote lake in the English countryside for a break, it means they clearly need a break from everything.
Their vacation is interrupted as a group of teenage delinquents target the couple, first stealing their belongings and then terrorizing and torturing them throughout the movie.
5.Frozen (2010)
Which one is scarier? Being stuck out in the snow as you freeze to death or being stuck in the air where you cannot come down?
How about a situation combining both? The movie follows a trio of skier and snowboarders stranded on a chairlift near the top of the mountain at a ski resort. Now, they have a choice of having to leave the chairlift or freeze to death.
6.The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Here is another slasher film on the list and it stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth and Anna Hutchison.
It is about a group of college students going for a retreat to a remote forest cabin. No, there is no serial killer in this movie… just some crazy scientists, zombies and werewolves.
7.Afflicted (2013)
The found footage concept may not be for everyone; sometimes it is too dizzying and eventually, annoying to watch.
This concept however, is suitable for this travel horror flick as it follows a pair of childhood friends travelling the world while filming a web series.
Their adventure gets cut short when they catch a disease during their stop in Barcelona.
8.A Lonely Place to Die (2011)
Be careful if you rescue a girl in the wilderness during your climbing trip. That girl could be: a) a ghost, or b) a kidnapping victim whose kidnappers are out to kill you after you rescue her.
A Lonely Place to Die (2011) is about a group of mountaineers who discover a girl buried alive in a small chamber in the forest of the Scottish Highlands.
9.The Hills Have Eyes (2016)
When someone tells you there is a shortcut you can take during your road trip, do not take their advice; it will be a trap.
There could be a serial killer or a blood-thirsty bear lurking along the so-called shortcut.
In this travel horror movie, there is a group of cannibalistic mutants targeting a family whose car breaks down after taking a ‘shortcut’.
10.The Shallows (2016)
Surfing is a fun thing to do when you do some solo travelling. But it is not so fun when you get stranded 180m from shore and there is a white shark waiting to have a piece of you.
The story follows medical student Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) who travels to a secluded beach in Baja California following the death of her mother.
Although it’s not likely that you will be stalked by a vengeful great white shark, it reminds yourself to prepare for all contingencies when you solo-travel, especially to a secluded beach.
11.The Last House on the Left (2009)
When a group of men who rape and almost kill your daughter take refuge at your vacation home, what do you do? You turn the place into a murder scene as you exact your revenge.
And what makes a good murder weapon other than the microwave which you used to make your family’s dinner?
This is a story of how a normal family could be driven into doing something evil when you cross them.
12.Turistas (2006)
It stars familiar names like Josh Duhamel, Melissa George and Olivia Wilde. This travel horror story turns ugly when a group of international backpackers in Brazil find themselves caught in an underground organ harvesting ring.
The twist is that the victims in the movie find that their organs are used for the poor.
13.The Ruins (2007)
What if your trouble during vacation comes not in the form of a human but in a form of a murderous plant instead?
The Ruins follows two young American couples enjoying their vacation in Mexico. When they visit a Mayan temple, they find themselves at the mercy of a vine that moves around and kills people.
14.Wolf Creek (2005)
This Australian travel horror thriller film takes you to the Wolf Creek National Park in Western Australia.
There, a serial killer lurks, waiting to abduct and kill tourists while taking their possessions as trophies.
The movie actually inspired by real-life The Backpacker Murders. It is a series of murders which took place in New South Wales between 1989 and 1993.
Authorities eventually arrested and charged Ivan Milat for killing seven backpackers including three German and two British nationals.
15.The Strangers (2008)
One of the worst things could happen to anyone is a random act of violence. There is no cause or closure or even obvious cure for these kind of cases.
The Strangers (2008) opens the viewers’ minds that death or crime could happen to anyone at random time or place.
It follows Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) whose stay at a vacation home is disrupted by three masked criminals who break into thee house.
Do you have any other 15 travel horror movies you would like to suggest? Let us know in the comment box.
