We’ve all gone on a camping trip at some point in our lives, right? Packing guides are useless because we always forget something that would have worked for the trip, bathroom breaks are extremely uncomfortable, and we usually end up missing our beds and crying ourselves to sleep.Survival in the wildis not for everyone, but everyone has to try it at some point.
This is one of the few situations in which paying attention to the movies could actually help. Only a handful of them offer good and science-based advice, but most of them will be definite proof why camping in the woods isn’t for everyone. In the case of horror movies about camping in the woods, you will simply think twice about entering the dark and musty forest to sleep. Those who do, never encounter anything good when they wake up in the morning and their stuff is all messed up.
to honor those who have paid attention to thescary moviesabout camping trips gone haywire and those who are still thinking about entering the woods tonight and sleeping in the middle of bugs and ghouls, here’s a list of the best camping horror films that will make you think twice before entering the woods or any other area that doesn’t look very friendly.
10The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Blair Witch Project
In Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’sThe Blair Witch Project, three filmmakers enter the woods in order to finish shooting a documentary they’re making about the Blair Witch, a local Burkitsville legend that supposedly haunts the woods. Heather, Michael, and Josh grab their stuff and go deep inside the woods. Instantly, spooky stuff starts taking place. Very, very spooky stuff.
The other films on the list will make you think about your trip, whileThe Blair Witch Projectwill make you cancel it, and it will never leave your mind.
The Best Found Footage Film Ever Made
The Blair Witch Projectwas released in 1999, at the end of a decade in which horror wasn’t exactly huge, with a few exceptions. However, theexceptionally well-marketedfound footage film claimed to contain real evidence of what befell the young filmmakers when they messed with the wrong witch. People panicked, vomited, and lost sleep after watching it, because of its realistic depiction of the events in which Heather, the leader, asks for forgiveness because it was her idea, because it was her project. Some viewers still haven’t recovered.
Watch the trailer forThe Blair Witch Projecthere.
Stream on The Roku Channel
9Willow Creek (2013)
Willow Creek
InWillow Creek, Jim and Kelly are a couple trying to find some evidence of the existence of Bigfoot. He believes such a creature exists, and she’s just in it for emotional support. They travel to Six Rivers National Forest, the site of the Patterson film (the footage you’re thinking of, that shows the large and hairy humanoid walking), to see if they can get some footage. The local lore is obvious but misleading, as no one seems to take the legend seriously, but when the couple goes camping, you can already imagine what they find.
The Lack of Exposure Works
Directed by prominent comedian Bobcat Goldthwait,Willow Creekis a very underrated creature feature that follows the standards of the found footage format. However, when it decides to confirm its nature, the film turns into asubtle nightmarish filmthat subjects its characters to definite proof of the creature.
InWillow Creek, Bigfoot is real, but he’s never exposed with huge effects, digital or practical. This one is all about sound, and you will experience this, especially in the sequence that puts Jim and Kelly inside the tent as they hear something outside. The existence of the monster becomes clear, with nuances not often seen in modern horror.
Watch the trailer forWillow Creekhere.
Stream on Tubi
Related:The 15 Most Underrated Found Footage Films of All Time
8Eden Lake (2008)
James Watkins’Eden Laketakes us to the English countryside, where Steve and Jenny are going on a romantic getaway trip. They’re sure nothing will ruin their trip when they start getting harassed by… teenagers. As harmless as they could be (because they’re actual teenagers), things take a dark turn when Steve and Jenny decide to fight back. Ultimately, they’re subjected to a horrific set of acts that a) will make you question the innocence of teenagers from now on and b) will make you return from your next camping trip if you see any teenagers in the woods.
The Unfathomable Threat
Eden Lakeworks mostly because of its leading performances by Kelly Reilly andMichael Fassbender (in one of his underappreciated roles). They’re able to embody that sense of panic, as they realize they’re basically left at the mercy of young people whose nihilist views of the world won’t exactly restrict them from doing the unthinkable.
It’s a very good example of the social decay claim that was made in Great Britain in the 2000s, and which people associated with youngsters wearing hoodies. Do you remember John Boorman’s effective adventure thriller,Deliverance, and how it made you feel? Well,Eden Lakeis able to renew that.
Watch the trailer forEden Lakehere.
Stream on Freevee
7The Ritual (2017)
The Ritual
David Bruckner’sThe Ritualtells the story of four friends who decide to go on a hiking trip in Sweden, to get over grief. One of them has been fatally shot in a robbery, and Luke blames himself for not intervening. The rest of them don’t exactly know what happened during the tragedy, but the trip seems like a good opportunity for them to be open with one another. Except the woods they go through during their trip host a deity that will make them forget their mundane existence if they wish to survive. This is one of the best modern creature features you can see today.
Lovecraftian Horror Meets Folk Horror
Call it Lovecraftian orCthulhu-themed,The Ritualis a genre-bending horror film that will make you afraid of that camping trip you’re planning right as the friends start encountering weird stuff in the woods. At first, it complies with just about every element in the equation of “camping horror,” but then the film ups the ante when it starts entering folk horror territory.
Based on the book of the same name by Adam Nevill,The Ritualis the only reason you need to stay away from virgin forests around the world. Yes, that creature that shows up is what you’re thinking of. The one that comes from Nordic mythology.
Watch the trailer forThe Ritualhere.
Stream on Netflix
6Wrong Turn (2003)
Rob Schmidt’sWrong Turntells the story of a group of young people stuck in the middle of a road in West Virginia. Right in the middle of what we can suppose are the Appalachian Mountains, and we all know what possibly lurks in the dark of the hiking trail that’s been the setting of countless horror films.
Chris crashes his car into another one that has stopped in the middle of the road. As it turns out, it belongs to a group of college students who saw their camping frustrated by a tire failure, and they suspect it wasn’t a coincidence. There’s something around them, and it’s out for flesh.
The Beginning of an Underrated Franchise
Wrong Turnis an underrated feature that not many people know about, which is a shame. It’s scary, it features a notable cast from the 2000s, and Stan Winston’s work on the creatures is one of the visual effects master’s contributions to the horror genre. It wasquite successfulduring its short run, and it spawned a straight-to-video franchise that always capitalized on the threat of the original film: cannibalistic hillbillies living in the deep woods with an insane skill to use weaponry. Regardless of your taste for slasher films, this one will creep you out if ever a tire fails in the middle of the road.
Rent on Vudu
5The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
The Cabin in the Woods
Drew Goddard’sThe Cabin in the Woodsfollows a group of college students who decide to spend the weekend in a remote cabin. Right as they arrive, spooky stuff begins to happen. But this isn’t the only story that you will see taking place.
In an underground bunker, the workers of a corporation observe the students indulging in the usual acts of every single horror movie that begins like that. There is a reason for their surveillance, and it’s the most original take you can think of. Just like the film’s poster says, “You think you know the story.”
Meta is Better
Theirreverent and originalhorror film,The Cabin in the Woods, isn’t exactly about camping in the woods. But it features enough tropes to make you think, at first, that you’re trapped watching another iteration of the same old story of “people trapped in an isolated place in the middle of nowhere.” Fortunately, writers Joss Whedon and Goddard designed a whole experience to feed off that line of thinking and deliver the most original horror experience in modern cinema. Do you know the meme with Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the screen? Well, your arm will get tired with this one.
Watch the trailer forThe Cabin in the Woodshere.
Stream on Hulu
4Lake Bodom (2016)
Straight from Finland comesLake Bodom, a very underrated horror movie that draws inspiration from a real-life event: the unsolved case of the Lake Bodom murders that took place in 1960. However, it only seems to be related by name. The story follows four friends who decide to go camping at the famous lake where the incidents took place almost 50 years ago. That same night, someone attacks them while they’re in the tent. Atte dies quickly from a stabbing wound, and in a bizarre turn of events, Elias gets killed as well. This is not your average “masked killer preys on teens” movie.
Clever Piece of International Horror
We won’t spoil the film because it’s better to go blind to it. ButLake Bodomhas enough drama to capture your attention early on, as Nora and Ida are the only ones remaining alive after the first attack. Apparently it all has to do with bullying and the girls' decision to do something about it. It’s very well-shot, cleverly written to expand on its unique premise, and will satisfy horror hounds looking for their next fix. It’sa solid international featureyou can stream today, but it won’t make you buy those tickets to visit Finland.
Watch the trailer forLake Bodomhere.
Stream on Shudder
3The Outwaters (2023)
The Outwaters
The Outwaters, by Robbie Banfitch, is the story of Robbie, Angela, Scott, and Michelle as they embark on a road trip through the Mojave Desert. Their goal is to shoot a music video, but on the very first night, they experience strange phenomena in the form of eerie sounds and a menacing presence that doesn’t exactly approach them. What follows is a film that’ll subject them to something inexplicable. But it’s not what you’re thinking. And we’ll be vague on purpose.
Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen Before
One of the best found footage filmsin recent years,The Outwatersis a hard-to-define horror experience whose viewers are still trying to comprehend. Robbie, the main character of the film, faces something that can’t be put into a single description. It’s an entity, a portal to another dimension, and the materialization of his greatest fears. Audiences described it as the most original approach to cosmic horror, and we can’t argue against that.
The desert doesn’t resemble the woods, but apparently the Mojave does host a horrific threat that’ll also make you think about taking that hike in one of the driest places on Earth.
Watch the trailer forThe Outwatershere.
2Horror in the High Desert (2021)
Horror in the High Desert
Horror mockumentaryHorror in the High Deserttells the story of a police investigation that tries to shed light on what has happened to a hiker named Gary Hinge. Hinge decided to go on a hiking trip in the Nevada Desert and mysteriously vanished without a trace. Some time passes, and Hinge’s truck is found with mysterious prints. Then, the greatest piece of evidence is found: Gary’s camera. The problem is that a severed hand still holds it, and the reason is on the tape that’s still inside the camera.
The Boogeyman Resides in the Desert
Horror in the High Desertworks in the same vein as other found footage films because the film’s third act consists of Gary’s final footage. Yes, the clues are eerie, but nothing will keep you out of the camping trip like that footage. This conclusion makes the film astrong piece of found footagethat viewers will have a hard time with. There’s nothing graphic, but what’s seen in that footage is much more effective than violence. This is what nightmare fuel is made of, and it will stop you from wanting to hike in the desert. Actually, it may drive you out of Nevada.
Watch the trailer forHorror in the High Deserthere.
Stream on Prime Video
Related:10 Recent Horror Movies That Should Have Earned a Best Picture Nomination
1The Ruins (2008)
The Ruins, based on Scott Smith’s novel of the same name, tells the story of two couples who try their adventurous side while on vacation in Mexico. When they meet Mathias, another tourist on vacation, they accept an invitation to visit an archaeological site where supposedly his brother is. When they arrive, they notice the locals are strangely cautious of the place. They realize they’re in the ruins of a Mayan temple, where something very much alive resides.
An Ideal Vacation Goes Berserk
One of the best “vacation gone wrong” moviesyou’ll ever see,The Ruinswas sadly a box-office flop. Curiously, it’s also a very effective horror thriller that doesn’t limit itself to showing its characters in peril. It explores the dynamics of their relationships when facing the crisis of something improbable, and yes, something happens. But it’s essentially a horror film where dumb tourists accept an offer no one should ever accept. While it’s not a “camping in the woods” movie, it will convince you to stay away from large bodies of vegetation.
Watch the trailer forThe Ruinshere.
To stay in the spirit of seasonal horror, here’s a video about the best winter horror movies you can see today:
