War by itself is a horrific enough subject for a movie. Add some psychological terror or supernatural distress into the mix, and the result is a paralyzing cinematic exploration of combat and hostility. The best horror movies about war are actually metaphors for how these types of large-scale conflicts affect people.
The aftermath of war is felt for generations, leaving indelible marks on history, culture, and the arts. While some war-horror movies are based on real fights waged by real people, others are fictional dives into how humanity handles itself both on the battlefield and once the clash is over.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Tim Robbins gives the performance of a lifetime in this surreal, nightmarish look into the life of a Vietnam War veteran. Robbins plays a postal service worker in New York City who is haunted by traumatic memories from his experiences overseas in the Mekong Delta.
Mohawk (2017)
Set during the War of 1812, Mohawk is an impressive feature considering director Ted Geoghegan's budgetary restraints. The movie follows a Mohawk woman and her two lovers - one a member of her tribe and the other a British soldier - as they exact vengeance against American soldiers slaughtering Native American tribes in their region.
Kaniehtiio Horn stars as Okwaho, AKA "Oak," who wages a bloody war against the soldiers who want to eradicate her. Without sacrificing scares, Mohawk's sociopolitical messaging makes its plot all the more potent.
Izo (2004)
Takashi Miike, one of the most extreme and prolific Japanese horror movie directors, is responsible for the gruesome Izo. Based on the story of a real-life 19th-century samurai named Izo Okada, Miike's gory war film sees the vindictive warrior's spirit transmuted to present-day Tokyo.
In the big city, Izo's ghost is fueled by disappointment over what his contemporary countrymen have done to Japan. Full of hallucinogenic sequences and insane examples of body horror, Izo is a difficult (but compelling) take on the afterlife.
Dead Snow (2009)
Nazi zombies invade rural, snowy Norway in Tommy Wirkola's horror-comedy Dead Snow. These undead war criminals are what's left of a German force's occupation of the area during World War II, where locals were able to ambush and kill many of the soldiers as the brutal war came to an end.
In the present, the SS ghouls - after thawing out - plan to devour everyone in sight. A group of vacationing medical students must defeat the flesh-eating fascists using whatever weapons and tools they can find in their remote cabin.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Pan's Labyrinth is a demented fairy tale written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. The movie's events unfold in 1944, five years after the traumatic Spanish Civil War that led to Francisco Franco's autocratic regime taking control of the country.
A young Spanish girl named Ofelia es her days exploring the grounds of her new home, where she stumbles upon an overlain labyrinth monitored by a large faun. The faun, clearly meant to represent the Greek deity Pan, invites Ofelia deeper into the labyrinth - where a world of monsters, myths, and impossible tasks await her.
The Third Part Of The Night (1971)
This under-the-radar Polish horror film takes place during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II. The Third Part of the Night centers around a man named Michael, whose life becomes a phantasmagorical disaster after his family is killed by the SS.
Michael falls into a dissociative state, where he is confused by every aspect of his waking life. Director Andrzej Żuławski, known for 1981's Possession starring Sam Neill, is responsible for this emotionally evocative film.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi satire is a monster movie at heart. Starship Troopers stars Caspar Van Dien as a mobile infantry officer in the far future, where humans are engaged in a deadly interstellar war against a species of alien arachnids.
Space-bound carnage and violence ensue, and Van Dien's character Rico learns a lot about wartime hostilities. Even though it was critically derailed when it was released, Starship Troopers has become a cult classic since its release - noted for its hard-hitting criticism of totalitarianism.
Overlord (2018)
Overlord is a revisionist World War II movie set on the eve of D-Day in . A group of paratroopers on a mission to destroy a German radio tower falls behind enemy lines when their plane is shot down.
On the ground, the survivors soon realize the Nazis have been experimenting on locals while developing a serum to revive the dead. Produced by J.J. Abrams, Overlord is a total gore-fest that contains enough substance, stellar acting, and social commentary to justify all the bloodshed.
Predator (1987)
The ultimate action movie interlaced with moments of intense sci-fi-fueled horror, Predator's success at the box office spawned a major franchise. Predator centers around an elite paramilitary force hired to save hostages in Central America.
While trudging through the jungle, the soldiers find themselves targeted by a mysterious, highly-skilled alien that blends into the background. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers amplify Predator's "shoot-em-up" undertones, while the eponymous creature - designed by Stan Winston - highlights humankind's love for hunting as "sport."
Under The Shadow (2016)
This riveting and political Middle Eastern horror movie evolves in 1980s Tehran, Iran, where bombings are commonplace due to the Iran-Iraq War. When her apartment building is hit by a missile, Shideh becomes convinced a spirit known as a djinn is trying to possess her young daughter.
The ongoing supernatural conflict Shideh deals with at home becomes a metaphor for all the social unrest rocking her home country in Under the Shadow. Narges Rashidi gives a harrowing performance as Shideh, whose acting makes the horrors around her character feel especially prescient.
