Elevated horror, or art horror, is a made up subgenre to describe extremely good thrillers that critics appreciate. It's not really a thing, but that hasn't stopped countless essays and forums from labeling the past decade of really good horror as being the "elevated horror film" era, which was cemented by the success of filmmakers like Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and film's like "Get Out," Jordan Peele's debut and much-deserved Oscar-winner.

The best way to think of art horror: the closer you get to "Rosemary's Baby" the better, and the closer you get to "Freddy vs. Jason" the worse off you are. Slashers and torture porn like "Saw" are not what we're going for here. Here are eight films you should check out.

'Possessor' (2020)

The Cronenberg family tree is filled with messed up artists who love showing off deranged stories that are gory and mix technology with the human body in interesting and never-before-seen ways. "Possessor" is about assassins using other people's brains and bodies to whack their targets, except when one subject fights back.

For fans of: "Mother!," "Antichrist," "Mandy," "Videodrome," "Possession."

Watch on Hulu.

'Pulse (Kairo)' (2001)

This might be the single scariest movie ever made, and yet nobody knows it exists — unless you're a fan of video essays. "Pulse" is about teenagers investigating a series of suicides connected to the internet, and then ghosts haunt the ever-loving heck out of them.

For fans of: "A Ghost Story," "The Babadook," "It Comes at Night," "Old Boy," "Parasite."

Rent it here.

'Titane' (2021)

Maybe the least-scary movie on the list, this is still undoubtedly disturbing, intoxicating, violent and filled with more twists and turns than a Twizzler. Here's what's about to go on: a woman has sex with a car and gets pregnant, and that's the least crazy thing about this movie. I promise.

For fans of: "Raw," "Lamb," "Teeth," "Hereditary."

Watch on Hulu.

'Men' (2022)

Alex Garland is a master of great sci-fi fables, but he dabbled in full-on horror with this very bloody and poignant film about a widow who gets harassed by — you guessed it — men. It's a very slow burn and features an outrageous finale that's just child birth with CGI. But, if you want a real thinker, this is your best bet. Hope you don't get easily queasy at the sight of some broken bones.

For fans of: "Get Out," "Us," "Barbarian," "Malignant," "Midsommar," "The Witch," "The Lighthouse."

Watch on Hulu.

'The Empty Man' (2020)

A thirty-minute opening prologue. A cult deep within a city. A mystery that runs so far you won't ever see where it leads to. "The Empty Man" is based on a graphic novel, and there's a lot to chew on with this movie. Not to say anyone in the story gets chewed on, because that would be cannibalism...

For fans of: "It Follows," "Pearl," "X," "In the Mouth of Madness."

Rent it here.

'A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night' (2014)

Labeled and promoted as the "first Iranian vampire western," this is a gorgeous black-and-white noir horror film that pretty much sets up the plot in the title perfectly. Drugs, skateboarding, and vampires are all you really need in a movie to make it good, and this has all three of those.

For fans of: "Gaslight," "Cat People," "Let Me In," "Suspiria."

Rent it here.

'Swallow' (2019)

This is maybe more psychological profile and thriller, than horror, but I was scared thinking of someone who is pathologically addicted to eating inedible things. Plus, there are some added thrills and spooks along the way, that might not startle or frighten you but will gross you out and make you sweat a little if you want to empathize with the protagonist at all.

For fans of: "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," "Under the Skin," "Green Room."

Watch on Hulu.

'House' (1977)

Is this a horror movie? Is it a comedy? Is it experimental? Is it foreign? Is this even a film? Sure.

"House" is maybe the greatest cult classic you've never seen, and is such a rip-roaring good time, it's an easy recommend to all humans on planet earth. A bunch of girls go into a haunted house with ghosts and then the plot gets lost real quick since this is a Japanese screwball supernatural nightmare that was written by a child, scored by a rock band and edited by someone super high on mushrooms. Maybe the best thing ever made.

For fans of: "Cabin in the Woods," "Evil Dead 2," "Repulsion," "The Brood," "Saint Maud," "Night House," "Martyrs."

Watch on Criterion Channel.

If you enjoyed this list, we have more, like a pick of mindf—k films, or ones that people called boring.