The 25 Best Camping Horror Movies
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- 1Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby
The original Friday the 13th is what helped solidify the campgrounds as one of the most beloved and terrifying locations any horror movie could ever be set in. With a creepy killer hunting down unsuspecting teens as they do unfathomable acts around Camp Crystal Lake, the film is one of the most cherished horror films of all time for good reason, it helped define the slasher genre and unleashed a new terror on the world. Specifically, one that would go berserk at your local campgrounds. While it may be a bit clunky by today's high standards, we must always pay respect to our great horror elders.
- 2Rafe Spall, Rob James-Collier, Arsher Ali
Just when you thought it was safe to go back out into the woods, The Ritual shines a light on all the things that go bump in the night. Following a group of friends as they plan a backpacking/camping trip across Sweden in honor of their friend who just passed away, The Ritual is a devastatingly haunting and terrifying tale of what happens when the hunters become the hunted. Some of the most shocking and vile creatures of any film on this list make their shocking and abrupt appearance on this list, and for those who still want to go camping after this film, you are just asking for trouble.
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- 3Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
Chilling, confusing, and haunting down to its very core, The Blair Witch Project is the film 90s babies are terrified of, and for good reason. One of the first instances of the “found footage” subgenre of horror hitting with the masses, the film follows a group of young twenty-somethings as they venture into the woods to find and study the titular Blair Witch, but as they camp out in the dark, dangerous and deadly events begin to unfold. The film is absolutely chilling to the bone and will persuade any and all campers from ever wanting to go out into the woods ever again.
- 4Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker
When a group of friends decides to stay at a secluded cabin in the woods for a fun little getaway, they stumble across something more sinister than anything the world has ever seen and unleash it onto the world in The Evil Dead. One of the most shocking, vile, disturbing, and disgusting mainstream horror films of the 80s, The Evil Dead helped define the “college kids in a creepy cabin” trope in horror movies, and while it may be a bit stale by today's standards, back in 1981, it was a game changer. All too many local camping trips were canceled thanks to Ash and the Necronomicon, with many still afraid to step foot in a cabins basement to this day.
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- 5Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui
Watching a group of friends stranded in the woods in Virginia with a cannibalistic family hunting them down is enough to make anyone rethink their next camping trip. While it may be bogged down with an unfathomable amount of terrible sequels today, back in 2003, Wrong Turn was a shocking, terrifying, tense, and wonderful horror film about the dangers of venturing out into the woods, and the horrors that lie just beyond our reach. A terrifying game of cat and mouse, the film is a standout in the camping horror subgenre and a film that will send shivers down your spine just at the thought of the woods.
- 6Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt
The definition of a standout and absurd creature feature, Lake Placid takes all the absurdity of a monster movie and a camping horror film and beautifully bashes them together until an utter masterpiece of insanity has been born. Following a group of sarcastic characters always looking to get the final knife turn as they are hunted down by a giant crocodile, the film may lack realism, but does it ever provide moviegoers with a good time. Sit back, get the popcorn, and prepare for a film that will scare you just as much as it makes your sides split.
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- 7Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins
A nightmarish retelling of the events that transpired at Camp Nightwing, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is the beloved sequel in the trilogy of R.L. Stine books that depict the true terrors of the world. With a plethora of beloved actors and the knowledge that only one will come out alive, the tension, fear, and dread that surround this film is off the charts. Being one of the greatest camping horror films to release in years, and one of the only ones actually made it what feels like decades, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is a fantastic trip down memory lane that will remind audiences everywhere why sending your kids to local camps by themselves is never a good idea.
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- 8Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields
Come one come all to Camp Arawak, but be warned, once you enter Sleepaway Camp, you just might not ever leave… One of the campiest, strangest, and most outlandish horror films ever created, Sleepaway Camp is the shining example of a killer running lose on a group of unsuspecting teems at their local campgrounds. A film that, in all its bizarreness, feels incredibly real and genuine, Camp Arawak feels like a real camp for a vast majority of the film's runtime, and as the murders slowly start taking place, the more alive the movie becomes.
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- 9Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison
In what starts out as the prototypical college kid camping horror story, The Cabin in the Woods elevates this wonderful subgenre of horror into something holistically unique and never before seen. With shocking plot twists seemingly at ever turn and a cast of characters audiences love but know just won't make it to the end, the film does a wonderful job of staying true to its eerie and melancholic camping roots, while elevating the story around it and bringing some incredible moments of terror and science fiction along the way. This titular Cabin in the Woods will have local AirBnB-ers rethinking their next trip.
- 10Corey Feldman, Tony Goldwyn, Ron Palillo
Just when the Friday the 13th franchise was beginning to feel old, tired, and played out, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives showed the world that Jason Voorhees still had a few tricks up his massive machete swinging sleeves. One of the most over-the-top, ridiculous, and sensational campy horror camping films of all time, the film doesn't take itself seriously at all, but still manages to have genuine moments of terror and excitement. While it may not strike fear in the hearts of campers like its predecessor, it is an exhilarating and utterly brilliant take on a franchise that was beginning to lose its audience.
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- 11Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci
The remake of the classic and beloved horror franchise of the same name, Evil Dead did something almost no horror fan thought was possible, create a more disturbing, shocking, rancid, and masochistic film than its predecessor. While the story is more or less a beat-for-beat retelling of the original, what separates the 2013 remake is the jaw-dropping amounts of gore, violence, blood, and disturbing imagery throughout the film. Evil Dead is not for the faint of heart as many scenes will make even the toughest stomachs squirm, but for those brave enough to venture back into the cabin in the woods, a hellaciously good time awaits.
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- 12Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
While it may not be as downright terrifying as its predecessor, Evil Dead II may just be not only one of the most important camping films but one of the most game-changing horror comedies of all time. Set in the exact same cabin as the first installment, Evil Dead II instead decides to play the same story of the first as a much more comedic, but equally violent adventure into madness. With Bruce Campbell stealing the show in every scene and giving a generational performance, the creepy cabin in the woods plays a much bigger role in this film, and the bonkers ending will leave audiences' jaws dropped.
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- 13Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Rider Strong
The directorial debut of horror legend Eli Roth brought one of the nastiest, gnarliest, and most ghastly horror films to life with Cabin Fever overwhelming and horrifying the senses. Like many stereotypical cabin-in-the-woods-esque horror films, Cabin Fever follows a group of young twenty-somethings as they venture out to a local cabin for a getaway, where things go terribly wrong. What separates this from the others, however, is the shocking and truly disturbing body-horror elements that pair with a flesh-eating virus trapped in the cabin with these people. You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who wants to rent out a cabin for a good long while after watching this masterpiece of unease.
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- 14Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Alexander Ludwig
A surprisingly fun twist on the camping horror subgenre, The Final Girls is a movie within a movie within a movie, and while the meta-commentary could be enough to make horror fans' heads explode, it is done in a surprisingly fantastic way. When a group of women unsuspectingly find themselves trapped inside a cheesy slasher film, they must use their knowledge of the genre to survive and thrive in a spooky cabin in the woods with a slasher trying to get them. While it has a much more lighthearted and comedic tone than any other film on this list, The Final Girls is still a wickedly fun time.
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- 15Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer
The first of many films to jump aboard the Friday the 13th train of murderers running wild on a campground killing unsuspected teens, The Burning did so with immense style, violence, and some of the goriest gore horror fans will ever see. Quickly climbing the ranks as one of the most underrated horror movies of the 80s, while it may not have Jason Voorhees, the film has one of the most shocking and vile killers who has his own unique and beloved weapon of choice. Further instilling why campgrounds are always a bad idea, The Burning is one of the strongest contenders for great Friday the 13th homages.
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- 16Jessica Morris, Peter Guillemette, Michael Stone
If a story was to put all the beloved horror icons of the 80s in a blender with the meta-ness of Scream and the budget of The Blair Witch Project, it would probably come out looking like Bloody Murder. A film that is wacky, weird, and uber-violent, Bloody Murder is a deep cut for hardcore horror fans and one that will surely not disappoint. Don't go in expecting a superb story or great acting, because the only thing this film has going for it is the ridiculous amounts of blood, guts, and mayhem.
- 17James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott
17 years after the first installment of the franchise, fans are asked to go back into the woods as they hunt for the ritual Blair Witch one final time. A direct sequel to The Blair Witch Project, Blair Witch continues the found footage woodsy terror of the original, this time with a much larger budget and many more scares to be had. Wonderfully balancing both the originals and its worlds views, the story of Black Hills Forest and the titualr witch of the woods comes to a shocking and terrifying end, one that will undoubtedly scar a new generation from ever wanting to go out in the woods again.
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- 18Gaylen Ross, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones
Loosely based on the Cropsey Manian urban legend, Madman saw yet another film attempt to steal the thunder from the beloved Friday the 13th series, with varying results. While the film was brutal, violent, and fun, it sadly has become one of the more forgotten 80s slasher films due to its incredibly difficult nature to get ahold of. The film is a stunning and wonderful tale of camping gone awry, and for those lucky enough to find a copy and have the time to watch, the film will not disappoint in its absurdity and frightful fun.
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- 19Ruggero Deodato, Luca Barbareschi, Robert Kerman
A vile, masochistic, and astonishingly heartbreaking horror film, Cannibal Holocaust is a film that many horror fans should see one time in their lives, and then try to never think about it again. One of the first-ever instances of the “found footage” subgenre, the film puts audiences in the middle of one of the most terrifying and despicable camping trips as a group of friends sets out on an adventure to uncover a tribe of cannibals. While the film is disturbing enough, the making of it is even more haunting, with actors being treated terribly, the location abused by its people, and some depictions of actual deaths on screen. The film is shocking and vile, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
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- 20Harriet Dyer, Ian Meadows, Aaron Pedersen
A dirty, nasty, and brutal throwback to 70s exploitation films, Killing Ground is a film that will make you terrified to ever look at the grass again. When a couple decides to go on a camping trip, they could never picture the living nightmare that is about to become their lives, as they have entered a hunter's game, and they are the prey. Suspenseful, gnarly, brutal, and deeply haunting, Killing Ground is a film that will shock and appall audiences to their very core, and by the time the credits roll, this masochistic thriller will be all they can think about for weeks.
- 21Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper
Hauntingly beautiful, masochistically saddening, and wickedly evil, Midsommar is one of the most fascinating camping horror films to be released in decades. When a group of friends travel to a small town in Sweden and spend an extended period of time backpacking and camping there, a horrifying mystery begins to unravel as these lovely townsfolk aren't exactly who they appear to be. With a deep and deadly look at grief and the turmoil of a relationship, Midsommar will undoubtedly have partners looking sideways at each other the next time they go camping.
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- 22Tim Roth, Betsy Russell, Leif Garrett
One of the quintessential campy campaigning horror films of all time, Cheerleader Camp is a ridiculously good time for anyone who is willing and able to let the absurdity of a film completely wash over them. On a trip to the titular Cheerleader Camp, what begins as a fun and innocent getaway turns into a waking nightmare as this maniacal gore-fest goes off the rails in a hurry. While it may not be the highest regard for the art form, Cheerleader Camp is simply a good time with no strings attached.
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- 23Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver
While it may not be the stereotypical camping movie many people first think of, there is no doubt about the cultural impact and relevance of the hit 2018 Netflix Original, Bird Box. A film that follows the last remaining group of survivors hiding from a devilish entity that drives them mad if they look into its eyes, the film takes an incredible if somewhat unbelievable, journey as our protagonists venture off into the woods with blindfolds on their eyes. While the film may be a bit ridiculous in its premise, the execution is phenomenal and had many wondering if they could actually complete the Bird Box challenge.
- 24Chuck Connors
Based on two beloved books that have nothing to do with horror, William Butler's The Butterfly Revolution and Willaim Golding's Lord of the Flies, Summer Camp Nightmare is a violent and maniacal depiction of what happens when boys are left on their own and have to survive. An incredibly unique and strange take on these classic tales, the film never takes itself too seriously, but does offer audiences a fairly interesting take on a classic.
- 25Matt Dallas, Brendan Bradley, Kyle Lupo
An over-the-top and bizarrely goofy throwback to the classic camping horror films of the past, Camp Slaughter takes a 2005 approach to classic 80s horror with mixed, but interesting results. Completely embracing the gore-filled extravaganzas its homaging, the film has a shocking amount of death and destruction for something labeled a horror comedy, but this is a film for those who love the sleazy subgenre, and fans will more than get their money's worth. A fun time capsule of a time capsule, Camp Slaughter reminds audiences why they have always been afraid to go back into the woods.
