10 Horror Movies to Watch If You Wish You Were Snowed In

According to the latest weather forecasts, there will be more snow in the mid-Atlantic (where I live) this winter than the last. Which I find good news. I love the snow, and my county only got 0.6 inches in the winter of 2019.

I especially love snow days, because I’m safe and warm at home while the white stuff piles up outside. In a year like this one, where things have been turned upside down by the pandemic, economic turmoil and an acrimonious presidential election, I frequently am nostalgic for the joy and innocence of a snow day. Remember when “snowflake” was a magical thing rather than an insult?

Photo: Ina Hoekstra at Pixabay.com

Well, if you’re a snow lover like I am and it hasn’t yet snowed (or will never snow) in your area, why wait for the weather? You can vicariously experience icy winds and plunging temperatures from the comfort of your living room in the movies below. It’d be like a snow day, except with more horror and action.

The list isn’t in any particular order. The snow is a central theme in some of the movies and a chilly backdrop in others.

1. The Shining (1980):

The Torrance family moves into a creepy old hotel in the mountains after the father is hired as its caretaker for the winter. As the weather deteriorates, the hotel’s eerie presences terrorize the young son and drive the father to madness and violence.

2. The Thing (1982):

Workers at an Antarctic research site find themselves holed up with a shape-shifting alien that kills its victims and assumes their appearance.

Confession: I haven’t watched the 2011 prequel to “The Thing.” The prequel garnered mixed reviews, but it may be worth catching even if it’s only half as exciting as the original movie, which was scary as heck.

3. 30 Days of Night (2007):

Barrow, Alaska, settles down for its annual month-long polar night. The darkness and snowy conditions that cut the town off from the outside world create the perfect hunting ground for a group of vicious vampires.

4. Ravenous (1999):

Soldiers in a remote outpost run low on rations due to winter storms. Then they discover a cannibal is amongst them.

5. The Unborn (2009):

Snow falls from a sullen Chicago sky as a malevolent entity haunts a young woman. The dybbuk won’t stop until it’s reborn.

Photo by Kurt Bouda at Pixabay.com

6. The Lodge (2019):

A woman experiences strange events in her fiance’s mountain cabin when she’s snowed in with his two children. The movie is now streaming on Hulu.

7. Wind Chill (2007):

Two students who crash on a remote, icy road while driving home from college are haunted by the spirits of people who died at the spot.

8. Dead Snow (2009) and Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014):

Nazi zombies menace a group of young people on a ski vacation. Part horror, part comedy, all gratuitous violence. Need I say more?

9. The Thaw (2009):

Svaha movie image from Netflix.com

Students who visit an Arctic research site encounter voracious prehistoric parasites. You may want to pass on this movie if you have an irrational fear of bugs.

10. The Marsh (2006):

A writer of children’s books rents a house that looks exactly like the one in her recurring nightmares. After she sees ghosts in the house, she hires a paranormal investigator to help her unravel the mystery behind her dreams.

Bonus Movie: Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019):

This Netflix Korean horror flick features a cynical pastor who is paid by religious organizations to investigate cults. He stumbles upon a Buddhist group that is hiding a hideous secret. The movie is atmospheric, fast-paced and well-written, in the style of author Dan Brown’s religious thrillers. Although the snow appears only in the latter part of the movie, it’s well worth the wait.