Summary

• Hiking horror movies turn serene settings into chilling tales of survival in the wilderness.
• From supernatural creatures to human villains, these films use different approaches to terrify.
• The best of this genre blend picturesque beauty with chilling terror, elevating the hiking experience.

The horror genre can often take pleasant experiences and turn them into terrifying concepts, such as with hiking horror movies. This subgenre has been surprisingly popular and makes for some of the best horror movies set in the woods, as it finds characters out in the wilderness and fighting for survival against the elements, other people, animals, or some unexplained evil threat. Horror movies with a hike-gone-wrong plot have been very effective, often mixing picturesque beauty with chilling terror. The wilderness can be an intimidating location, as civilization and safety seem so close but also out of reach.

The best hiking horror movies highlight all the different approaches that can be taken to the subgenre, with entries that range from grounded stories of survival to supernatural tales of creatures and evil spirits. They can also differ in the types of locations used, from dense forests that make it easy for people to lose their way to barren deserts where there is no place to hide. These movies find the most effective ways to bring out horror in the great outdoors and turn hiking from what's considered to be a safe pastime into a dangerous and deadly experience.

30 Exists (2014)

A Bigfoot Monster Attacks In A Found Footage Movie

Exists is a 2011 found-footage monster movie about friends hiking through the woods while running from a bigfoot creature. Exists starts as many of these horror films do, with the friends heading out to a cabin in the woods. However, they end up hitting something with their car and have to hike the rest of the way to the cabin. They quickly realize the cabin is in no condition for them to stay and then discover that what they hit might have been a small Bigfoot creature, and now its parents want revenge.

Director Eduardo Sánchez co-directed The Blair Witch Project.

Exists is a low-budget indie horror film by Eduardo Sánchez, the co-director of The Blair Witch Project. Exists was his fifth and so far final feature-length film, likely because it received scathing reviews, sitting at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has its ers who praise the movie's editing and musical score while also understanding it is mostly a low-budget movie for horror fans.

29 Troll Hunter (2010)

A Found Footage Movie About Troll Hunters In Norway

Troll Hunter is a Norwegian found-footage horror movie that plays out as a mockumentary. It was a film festival favorite in 2010 following young filmmakers who set out to find the mysterious Hans, a man many claim to be an illegal bear poacher.

However, when they catch up with him, they learn the bear poaching story is a cover, and he works for the government as a troll hunter, keeping the nation's trolls corralled off into a safe area while keeping their existence a secret.

The film does a good job of only showing the trolls in small bits until toward the end, when one of them begins to rampage. Unlike many found-footage horror movies where the monsters kill all the characters, this one has a more ominous ending, with the government making the filmmakers disappear. Troll Hunter was a critical success and earned both a Saturn and Fangoria Chainsaw Awards nomination.

28 Cargo (2017)

A Father Tries To Protect His Daughter In A Zombie Apocalypse

Cargo is a survival movie that Netflix released in the United States with Martin Freeman (Black Panther) in the lead role. This film is a post-apocalyptic zombie thriller. However, it does a lot to separate itself from other zombie movies by ignoring the zombies and focusing almost exclusively on the survivors. Freeman is Andy, and his wife Kay dies early on after being bitten, leaving him to care for their baby, Rosie.

Andy mostly lives on the run, hiking through the Australian woods and trying to find Aboriginal survivors who, he learns, might be able to help protect them. The film bears a similarity to The Road, although Rosie is a baby and needs protection at all costs. It received great reviews, sitting at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also received five AACTA nominations and two more from the Falngoria Chainsaw Awards.

27 The Grey (2011)

Survivors Have To Hike To Safety After A Plane Crash

The Grey is a 2011 survival thriller that plays out equally as a horror movie. Liam Neeson stars as John Ottway, a sharpshooter working at an Alaskan oil facility. He ends up in a plane crash with other workers in the Alaskan wilderness, and he is the only one equipped to protect them when a pack of grey wolves attack. However, as the group hikes to find safety, the wolves aren't the only threat to their survival.

The cast is great, with Dermot Mulroney and Frank Grillo making the humans as dangerous as the grey wolves, which made the movie suspenseful, although the wolves tracking them were also terrifying. Directed by Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces), the film remains tense and frightening to the dark, ending with John facing off with the wolves one last time. Critics praised the movie, with an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score.

26 An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Two Friends Hiking Across Europe Encounter A Werewolf

John Landis created one of the best werewolf movies in history when he directed An American Werewolf in London in 1981. The film follows two young friends hiking across Europe, only to cross paths with a werewolf. One friend dies, and the other turns into a werewolf after it bites him. The survivor begins to hallucinate various things when he isn't turning into a werewolf and killing people. An American Werewolf in London was a huge success and remains a beloved classic.

An American Werewolf in London is also forever known as the first movie to receive an Oscar for Best Makeup, a category created that year to honor the art for the first time. Rick Baker created the werewolf transformations using practical effects, and it remains a masterclass in creating terrifying effects without ever needing to use a computer or CGI effects.

25 Significant Other (2022)

An Engaged Couple Encounter Terror On The Trail In The Pacific Northwest

The lush splendor of the Pacific Northwest is the backdrop for Significant Other, a horror movie about a young couple who embark on a backpacking trip through the wilderness only to find that they may not be alone. Soon to be married, Ruth (Maika Monroe) and Harry (Jake Lacy) head out on a peaceful getaway. However, their trek puts them to the ultimate test, and their peril uncovers secrets that will push the limits of trust and commitment.

Horror staple Maika Monroe is particularly effective, continuing to secure a spot as a modern "scream queen."

A slick and sophisticated entry in the hiking horror movies genre, the beautiful and eerie cinematography showcasing the Pacific Northwest and engrossing performances by the leads make this a fully immersive experience. Horror staple Maika Monroe is particularly effective, continuing to secure a spot as a modern "scream queen." Engaging with it until the end makes the twist that much more enjoyable (and unsettling).

Significant Other is available to stream on Paramount+.

24 Coming Home In The Dark (2021)

New Zealand Thriller Proves Hiking Horror Isn't Limited To The US

Some hiking horror movies deal with the terror of being alone in the wilderness with no help to be found. However, Coming Home in the Dark, along with several other movies in the genre, deals with the terror that comes from encountering the wrong people out in the wilderness. What's supposed to be a holiday in the backcountry becomes a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a couple of villainous drifters arriving to rob them.

While this setup is gripping enough, the encounter with the drifters takes an unexpected and brutal turn which brings up secrets from the past and turns the situation even more harrowing. There are some shocking twists and bleak nature to the movie that delivers a stunning impact on the audience. The 2018 movie received critical praise as an impressive debut from director James Ashcroft.

Coming Home In The Dark is available to stream on Netflix.

23 A Perfect Getaway (2009)

Scenic Hawaii Becomes Deadly In This Whodunnit

Many hiking horror movies brilliantly use the picturesque locations and convert them into eerie settings for the story. Likewise, A Perfect Getaway manages to fill the beautiful and laidback vibe of Hawaii with tension and thrills. A hike through gorgeous Hawaii sounds like the perfect way to celebrate their honeymoon, but when a couple of newlyweds get news of a pair of runaway murderers in the area, they have to reevaluate their choice to be so far removed from civilization.

This movie then becomes a thrilling whodunnit as the small cast of characters, which includes Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, and a pre-Thor role for Chris Hemsworth, all become suspects. Unlike many movies in the genre that has wild animals or monsters, this has very human villains. A Perfect Getaway uses its lush and beautiful scenery, normally reserved for peace and relaxation, and manages to bring out as much dread as possible.

22 Cocaine Bear (2023)

Horror Comedy With An Unbelievably True Premise

Cocaine Bear infuses a lot of comedy while still being a gory tale about terror on a stroll through nature.

While hiking horror movies can often be grim and hopeless stories, Cocaine Bear infuses a lot of comedy while still being a gory tale about terror on a stroll through nature. The movie is set in the 1970s and tells of the bloody misadventures that come about when a bag full of cocaine drops into a national forest and is found by a hungry bear. The fact that Cocaine Bear is loosely inspired by a true story feeds into the fun energy of the movie.

Cocaine Bear never loses sight of its ridiculous plot as the drug-fuelled bear attacks helpless hikers and anyone else it finds. Though it doesn't take itself seriously, its horror sequences are effective and the gruesomeness of the kills is never watered down. The movie was a surprise box office hit, grossing nearly $90 million (via Box Office Mojo).

Cocaine Bear is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

21 Gerry (2003)

Grounded Terror About A Death Valley Hike Gone Wrong

When two friends named Gerry decide to hike Death Valley, one wrong turn leads to a desperate situation. Lost and disoriented, they have nothing to do but rehash the glory of their youth and crack inside jokes. Eventually, the gravity of their hopeless situation sinks in, and the desert wasteland begins to wreak havoc on their minds. Only one Gerry emerges from barren isolation, disoriented and confused, certain he has killed his friend.

What happened out there, among the shape-shifting mirages and the endless stretches of sand becomes a haunting question in this experimental arthouse movie by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant. This disturbing horror movie stands out as the isolation, rather than a monster or murderer, is the source of the terror. Matt Damon and Casey Affleck further elevate the movie with natural and grounded performances.

Gerry is available to stream on Peacock.