Best in Show: Unsuspecting Travelers Abroad (Pt. I of II)

5. Chernobyl Diaries 

(imdb.com)

This movie's gotten a bad rap. Featuring a pretty standard group of characters who engage with one another and their situation in a way not much unlike real life, Chernobyl Diaries reinforces the idea that when traveling, you should stick with the typical. Extreme tourism feels right up the alley of many who decide to go abroad, and for this group, that decision comes with a hefty price. This film is a scary reminder that sometimes, those areas that are off-limits should remain just that: off-limits. 



(imdb.com)

4. The DescentThe Descent has been widely covered on list after list on this blog. But, it's relevancy to horror is far too paramount to be excluded. The Descent seeps into pretty much every subgenre out there as it's perfectly shot, intensive plot and stellar cast all make for a terrifying but completely compelling endeavor. At the center of this film, Sarah isn't just in an unknown cave, she is quite literally out of her element; having just crossed the Atlantic to for an annual trip with friends. She of course gets far more than she bargained for as a group of strong-willed ladies become trapped in a cavernous maze of death. The Descent should scare both local cave-divers and those looking for more international adventures alike.

3. Hostel

(imdb.com)

For whatever reason, horror filmmakers seem to have a pension for gore abroad. Like Wolf Creek and Borderland, Eli Roth's Hostel is the type of gross-out fest that easily makes the stomach turn. Hostel follows a pair of tourists who get caught up in a seedy, underground business of (literally) gut-wrenching proportions. Hostel is a dark and sick movie that'll have even the most versed travelers feeling uneasy about visiting places off the beaten path. It's the type of film that utilizes foreign barriers and the resulting isolation to create an atmosphere of absolute dread. For those homebodies out there, this movie presents nothing more than a confirmation that perhaps keeping local is the best way to go.





(imdb.com)

2. As Above, So Below/Devil's Pass

Both As Above, So Below and Devil's Pass share the unique similarities of travelers intentionally looking for mystery. In each, a group of explorers end up in a downward spiral of chaos. In As Above, So Below, an archaeologist and her newly formed group of spelunkers travel into an unexplored part of the Paris Catacombs and practically descend into hell. In Devil's Pass, some American students run off to Russia to make a documentary about some missing hikers. Both are found-footage, both have some truly scary moments and each is notable for their horrific execution. While Devil's Pass suffers from some weak graphics, there's enough atmospheric suspense - similar to The Blair Witch Project - to make it quite the journey. As Above, So Below was also the center of some criticism despite some truly scary moments that'd make anyone's skin crawl.

(imdb.com)

1. An American Werewolf in London 

The pinnacle of this list and by far the most deserving of the top spot is An American Werewolf in London. Like all of the unfortunate victims of circumstance on this list, perhaps none are more unsettling than this pair of Americans who encounter a beast on an English countryside. Equally funny as it is scary, An American Werewolf in London has aged better than most 80s horror films. Featuring the isolation of being in a foreign country with some old nostalgia and lore typically met by backpackers exploring desolate area, every moment of this film feels holistically thought through. The humor is never distracting, the jump scares are never predictable and throughout, viewers will be drawn closer and closer into one of the best werewolf movies ever.