Bluesky, I need your help making a list of American "culture war" horror. I don't just mean political (most horror is). Movies that explicitly reference the political divide or hot-button issues of the moment (for better or worse). E.g., Red State, The Hunt, some of the Purge Movies, etc.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is about Internet culture and the generation divide
I remember one of my parents watching BrainDead (2016) with literal political brainworms.
We’ve talked about it before in another context, and it’s over 60 years old, but 2000 Maniacs kinda sorta fits the bill.
That one's already on the list!
Invisible Man (2020) and less seriously VFW are two that jump to mind
Haven't seen VFW yet but that's a good call
I went in expecting a cheesy good time, but it was honestly better than I anticipated. Ooh, and Green Room is another good one with a political divide featured
Eddington, for very much worse
More of a horror/comedy, but I really like 'THE BLACKENING'
Eh, these may not be exactly what you're looking for but: The Stepford Wives, They Live, maybe Videodrome, The Stand miniseries... I haven't seen it yet, but I'm pretty sure Eddington will be.
Stepford and They Live definitely! Have to watch or rewatch the others.
In The Mist, another Stephen King story, the monsters outside are rivaled by the danger inside from Mrs. Carmody and her religious zealots. That might be one to consider.
Yes! This is a great one!
Eddington very much qualifies
The People Under the Stairs, Combat Shock, La Llorona, Tigers Are Not Afraid, History of the Occult off the top of my head
HISTORY OF THE OCCULT is so good.
Masters of Horror "Homecoming", Black Christmas (2019)?
The Black Christmas remake is already on the list. Will have to look into that Masters of Horror
Black Christmas (‘19) The Wrath of Becky Sorry to Bother You Dashcam The Oath Infested KIMI Texas Chainsaw (‘22) Candyman (‘21) Bushwick Elysium Vampires vs. The Bronx The Front Room Under Paris Antebellum Ready or Not The Human Centipede 3: Final Sequence
Hunger Games, squid game, Civil War (2024), V for Vendetta.
Culture Shock, Cheap Thrills, Spree, Influencer, Would You Rather idk if they're all considered horror. I would add The Oath but that's probably more comedy/drama.
I'd argue that the ending of Night of the Living Dead is pretty pointed for a film released in 1968.
The Mist
maybe Assassination Nation?
Blood Games Breakdown Candyland Clown in a Cornfield The Conjuring and its sequels Culture Shock Darlin' Green Room Heart of Midnight The Hitcher (1986) Invader Lowlifes The Oath (2018) Plank Face Soft & Quiet Tales from the Hood Trick or Treat (1986) Wrong Turn (2021)
Blink Twice Companion Barbarian
Get Out for sure
That's on the list
I guess you’ve already got Us as well then! Such a great pair, the race divide film and the class divide film
Society
God Bless America (2011)
Pretty sure the Exorcist soft launched the Satanic panic
As for me, I got nuthin’. But I’ve got to figure that @maddwolfcolumbus.bsky.social could suggest some possibilities for your list.
Videodrome? The Matrix? Alien?
Someone mentioning ASSASSINATION NATION reminds me about SERIES 7, which was brutal commentary about reality TV, and in many ways a horror. If you're going international, the faux doc MAN BITES DOG is unreal as is Charlie Brooker's DEAD SET, a zombie series set in the Big Brother house in London.
Oh man, I need to watch Series 7 again!
Last time I watched it, I was struck at how quaint it is, compared to actual reality 😳
If you're inching out toward sci-fi with They Live, there's Soylent Green ... Logan's Run ... Jacob's Ladder ... RoboCop
Children of Men ... Her .. the Battlestar Galactica reboot ... Never Let Me Go
Get Out
The First Omen, Immaculate, The Substance, 28 Years Later, Blink Twice, Rosemary’s Baby, Maxxxine, Pearl, Jennifer’s Body, Gerald’s Game, Your Monster, Woman of the Hour, Oddity, Heretic, The Menu, Companion, The Lodge, Parasite, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78), Candyman (both), Deadgirl
THE MENU is a good call. If you haven't seen THE FEAST, its Welsh cousin once removed, I recommend it.
George Romero’s Land of the Dead is total W. Bush years culture war horror. And Day of the Dead too
I mean Civil War (although it's mostly about journalistic ethics) for sure. Infested. Ex Machina. Get Out. Promising Young Woman. Warfare. Sovereign is a thriller, but it might fit the bill.
Hope it’s ok that I’m tossing in a book here but American Rapture by C. J. Leede, which wld make a great film also,
Idiocracy
Before I got to the end of your post I was going to say all the Purge movies, to increasing degrees as the series progresses. The Forever Purge is one of those movies that’s like watching the news now almost.
Oh and I wouldn’t call it horror but Alex Garland’s Civil War might count. I don’t like it as a movie but I love the ending.
I feel like I need to do a full rewatch of The Purge series. No clue which I've seen and which I haven't. Also, I am sooo curious about Civil War considering how divisive it is.
Do watch CIVIL WAR. Jesse Plemons has one long scene that is totally relevant to our ICE gestapo. I saw him talk about it and he said he felt so filthy playing the part that he couldn't sleep right for weeks. Also, the whole divisiveness thing is more manufactured outrage than anything else.
I gave up on trying to defend/explain why I like/respect all installments, though they're varying in quality/impact, of THE PURGE. They, too, are absolutely relevant to our American 2025. FFS, this was the teaser poster for THE FIRST PURGE. Note the lack of a year. (It was 2018.)
I’m a big fan of ASSASSINATION NATION. Very modern and has only aged better since its release. TARGETS has also aged like fine wine in the worst way haha
I fucking LOVE that movie.
Savageland probably fits I think.
Good call! I thought about that one too when I was pondering this idea earlier
I feel like Zack Snyder’s DAWN OF THE DEAD has some of this in splitting the characters into right and left wing coded factions. ARMY OF THE DEAD also basically depicts Zombie ICE.