Throughout the long history of the horror genre, one of the most interesting and exciting facets has been the different international cinematic takes on the well-established tropes of the genre; France is no exception. French art has always been distinct and important to the global canvas at large, which naturally extends to the morbid world of French horror.
With leading movements such as the New French Extremity and the French New Wave contributing invaluable influence to the world of cinema as a whole, some of the country's horror offerings are some of the scariest and most important of all time. Here are the ten most terrifying horror entries from France, as ranked by their IMDb Score.
10 Calvaire (2004) - 6.2
Underground French horror director Fabrice du Welz made his feature film debut with this New French Extremity film that combines certain brutal tropes of that movement with some Christmas horror and extremely dark pitch black psychosexual comedy. Centering around a down-on-his-luck traveling musician who crosses paths with a bizarre and unsettling innkeeper in a secluded mountain town. A film that boasts an unusual amount of panache and bold grit, especially for a debut, the film is a unique and supremely uncomfortable journey into the world of the strange, Calvaire is a merciless, and underrated, entry in the nation's canon.
9 Inside (2007) - 6.8
Inside is a truly horrifying experience and a great entry point into the New French Extremity movement. Though the IMDb score reflects a somewhat divisive response, the mixed reception is indicative of the film's absolutely raw and unrelenting power. A feminist twist on the home invasion formula, Inside tells the story of a widowed mother-to-be on Christmas Eve who experiences a merciless and stomach-churning act of menace and vengeance. French horror icon Béatrice Dalle turns in one of the all-time scariest female villainous performances, and the film's unforgettable imagery make it a searing and brilliant trip into Hell.
8 Raw (2016) - 7.0
Julia Ducournau brought the world a fiercely intelligent tale of cannibalism mixed with coming-of-age poignancy when she made Raw. A weird and blackly funny dip into the world of a young woman, a vegetarian, who begins a torrid affair with a newfound craving for meat and flesh, the film's lense is a unique and distinctly female-helmed piece of work that both has a lot to say and a lot to show through some searing images of the girl's more extreme carnivorous habits. A critical and festival darling, Raw is one for the books, but not for the squeamish.
7 Brotherhood Of The Wolf (2001) - 7.0
A slick and highly entertaining hybrid of gothic werewolf horror and Matrix-esque action sequences, the crossover hit Brotherhood of the Wolf is a great entry point into French horror and a wild and crazy ride on its own terms.
The film's highly stylized plot concerns a man and his mysterious assistant who are dispatched to a small town to look into a series of grisly killings. Some of the film's latter sequences, including a tense scene in a secret hideout, are suspenseful to a point of being frightening.
6 Climax (2018) - 7.1
Really, one could put any Gaspar Noé film here and it would still function just as well. The notorious provocateur has been making waves since he first came on the scene with I Stand Alone. However, his latest full-length effort, Climax, is his most cohesive and rewatchable project. The film centers around a troupe of experimental dancers who hole up in an abandoned gymnasium overnight. After unknowingly drinking LSD-spiked Sangria, the dancers begin to spiral into violent delirium. Noé's infamous 'wandering camera' technique works extremely well within the context, and the entire experience is unlike anything ever made.
5 Martyrs (2008) - 7.1
A film that brought the New French Extremity movement to the forefront of underground horror films, Martyrs is a difficult film to reckon with. Initially beginning as a typical revenge flick, the film soon descends to unforgettable and transgressive pits of horror lined with musings on religion and the notion of the "Sublime."
Martyrs contains one of the scariest and most devastating climaxes in the entire genre. A French effort through-and-through, Martyrs contains an innovative combination of cerebral and visceral and led the way for more films in the associated movement to gain an international audience.
4 Possession (1981) - 7.4
Possession is a very, very, outrageously strange piece of filmmaking. A co-production between France and (West) Germany, the film is a gothic romance with an added bit of Lovecraftian freakiness for good measure. Sam Neil and Isabelle Adjani star as a couple who are in the throes of divorce and suspicions of adultery. Incredibly weird in its climactic imagery, director Andrzej Żuławski crafts an evocative and once-in-a-lifetime piece of genius that has since gained a devoted cult following that continues to grow to this day.
3 The Tenant (1976) - 7.7
Roman Polanski followed up Chinatown with the anxiety-soaked nightmare of paranoia that is The Tenant. A film that seems to be from another world, The Tenant is a movie that is less about the narrative than it is about the tension and atmosphere present in the mood-setting of the film, building layers upon layers of neurotic fear and conspiracies that all adds up to one of the decade's scariest pieces of filmmaking.
Initially received poorly by contemporary critics, the film has since received a reappraisal that has led to acclaim by critics and the horror community in general.
2 Eyes Without A Face (1960) - 7.7
A monumental and influential film, Eyes Without A Face is a quasi-surrealist portrait of guilt, obsession, and murder that contains some early elements of body horror and even slasher elements. A father, who happens to be a renowned surgeon, goes on a murderous quest to replace his daughter's disfigured face. While this film was initially relegated to double feature pairings with schlocky films, the decades since had revealed the film to be a masterpiece of imagery and fairy-tale type horror that has influenced countless films since its initial release, Eyes Without A Face is a must-see for horror fans.
1 Diabolique (1955) - 8.0
A precursor to the French New Wave movement, Henri-Georges Clouzot's film Diabolique is a mystery-horror film that is often mentioned alongside Hitchcock classics of the same era. The relatively "simple" plot focuses on a woman who joins forces with her abysmal husband's lover to murder the man. After they commit the act, a series of Shakesperean errors-of-circumstances occur, which leads to ever-mounting tension. The result is a clever and scary film that contains a brilliantly calculated ending and an unrivaled escalation of suspense that makes it one of French cinema's crown jewels.
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