Home invasion movies make your heart race as you watch the main character of the film fight for their life. And if you also like this kind of adrenaline, here are the 15 best home invasion movies for chilly nights!
A home is where you feel safe and at ease. But watching home invasion movies will give you anxiety in your own home. Yet, the good thing about home invasion movies is that they can serve as an eye-opener to take more security measures in your home.
These top-rated movies have great plot twists and storylines to keep your adrenaline pumping! Watching one of these will make you lock your doors more than ever!
1. The Strangers (2008)
English 1h 26m IMDb
Bryan Bertino
Stars: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward
Bryan Bertino directs the Strangers, which is his first movie ever! Because this is his debut movie, you’ll first think he’s a kid. However, it’s a good movie that highlights his directing abilities.
The atmosphere of The Strangers is eerie but realistic. You can feel fear even in your home’s safe, secure walls.
This clever little chiller instills terror by using classic elements like darkly lit rooms, peepholes that reveal persons in masks, walls with loud bangs, and windows that reflect odd images.
2. Hush (2016)
English, American Sign Language 1h 22m IMDb
Mike Flanagan
Stars: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco
It is a classic home invasion thriller that succeeds on its own. It’s one of those simple horror movies that feels much longer while only 82 minutes long.
It feels similar to the suspenseful 1967 Audrey Hepburn movie Wait Until Dark. It is a good thriller that intensifies brutality throughout the movie. The conflict between two highly different minds transforms the film into a fantastic psychological thriller.
3. Kidnapped (2010)
Spanish, Albanian 1h 25m IMDb
Miguel Ángel Vivas
Stars: Fernando Cayo, Manuela Vellés, Ana Wagener
This nihilistic Spanish home invasion thriller is the perfect choice if you want to push yourself beyond your comfort zone when it comes to witnessing realistic human misery.
According to reviews, the movie is disturbing and sick. It is what keeps your heart racing while watching this story!
Given its frightening graphics, this movie might not be suitable for everyone. However, the plot twist will undoubtedly surprise you. So it’s better to give Kidnapped a shot!
4. You’re Next (2011)
English 1h 35m IMDb
Adam Wingard
Stars: Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen
You’re Next by Adam Wingard boldly combines a home invasion thriller and a dysfunctional family dramedy. This horror movie about a family reunion in the woods is as good as it could be because it gets to the climax fast, which will give you chills.
But You’re Next doesn’t use a worn-out theme. Instead, it uses the age-old plot point of money as a reason to kill. The absence of forced timeliness and the excellent craftsmanship are two reasons why the movie will likely outlive its day.
5. Panic Room (2002)
English 1h 52m IMDb
David Fincher
Stars: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker
Panic Room is a turf fight between three unworthy people. And it’s about how the need for just a little more can turn individuals into unpredictable characters.
You’ll have times when you want to scream at the screen. This captivating thriller adds smartly updated twists to the evil intruders threatening innocents in their homes.
It is wonderfully plotted, realistically performed, and technically flawlessly produced. If you decide to be the character in Panic Room, you will be beyond terrified.
6. Inside (2007)
French 1h 22m IMDb
Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Stars: Alysson Paradis, Jean-Baptiste Tabourin, Claude Lulé
Many people believe that the French Horror movie peaked with the release of the 2007 movie “Inside.” It will be the most frightening movie you’ve ever seen.
The movie builds in intensity until the mother of all nasty effects, pardon the pun, ends the movie with a powerful gut punch. Inside is an unforgettable movie because of Bustillo and Maury’s tense, atmospheric direction, unsettling narrative, and top-notch sound and editing.
7. Us (2019)
English 1h 56m IMDb
Jordan Peele
Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss
The lead character Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o), returns to her childhood home with her husband and kids in Jordan Peele’s movie Us. Soon, she starts to experience an odd feeling that something dreadful is about to occur.
The family is forced into survival mode when four masked strangers enter the beach house. When the intruder removes their masks, it reveals that each of the four family members is one of the intruders. Like Peele’s horror debut, Get Out (2017), Us bases its narrative on political and social metaphors.
8. The Collector (2009)
English 1h 30m IMDb
Marcus Dunstan
Stars: Josh Stewart, Andrea Roth, Juan Fernández
The Collector will become one of your all-time favorite home invasion movies. Even with his shady past, the protagonist is a very likable guy in contrast to the terrifying and mysterious masked psychopath.
You’ll adore how the safecracker can quickly enter the house but has difficulty navigating through all the cleverly placed booby traps to locate a way out.
And when he eventually escapes, his desire to re-enter drives him. And it even has a sequel called “the collection,” which includes 100 times as many dead bodies as its predecessor.
9. The Trip (2021)
Norwegian, Swedish 1h 53m IMDb
Tommy Wirkola
Stars: Noomi Rapace, Aksel Hennie, Atle Antonsen
The Trip has everything you could possibly want from a home invasion movie. Although there is excessive violence and profanity, the viewer cannot turn away because of the expert editing and all the thrilling performances.
However, the writing cleverly portrays all the characters as unlikeable. So that when their trials and the bloodshed start, we don’t care what happens to them.
After some time, you will experience the thrill of the movie. And realize how unusual it is to be so thoroughly entertained by a film.
10. The Dark Hours (2005)
English 1h 20m IMDb
Paul Fox
Stars: Kate Greenhouse, Bruce McFee, Jeff Seymour
The Dark Hours is a gem for Canadians. It features every element a good movie should have. The director successfully established a sense of tension and suspense that is uncommon these days in thrillers and horror movies.
Additionally, it has excellent, convincing acting, an intriguing, twisting tale with well-developed characters, and some light comedy. All in all, a job well done.
If you’re from Canada, you can recall watching a similar movie called Dead End with Ray Wise at the Fantasia Festival. If you saw that one and enjoyed it, you will undoubtedly enjoy this one as well.
11. Don’t Breathe (2016)
English 1h 28m IMDb
Fede Alvarez
Stars: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette
A suspenseful film that mostly keeps you staring at the screen. The movie begins a bit slowly before taking a number of turns that leave you wanting more.
Each scenario provides a heart-pounding thrill. Even some reviewers claimed they literally did not breathe watching the movie.
As in a good John Carpenter film, the tension slowly develops as Alvarez employs the camera as a stealth weapon to explore the home’s secret spaces and dark corners.
12. Funny Games (2007)
English 1h 51m IMDb
Michael Haneke
Stars: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt
This movie is a masterpiece, even if some people did not like it because it did not turn out the way they wanted.
But that is how the storyline of this movie worked and made it unique. It differs greatly from other slasher and survival movies because it doesn’t have the typical happy-ever-after conclusion.
his film also demonstrates how the media can control and trick us by showing us things that aren’t true but that we still believe since it’s what we want. Funny games are unique and terrible.
The tormenting of this defenseless family serves the film’s aim, demonstrating to the audience how insane they are for liking horror movies by showing them what REAL dread and fear look like.
13. Better Watch Out (2016)
English 1h 29m IMDb
Chris Peckover
Stars: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould
You better watch out. You better not cry. Better not pout because armed people are trying to break into the house you’re babysitting!
Christmas theme home invasion movie? No one should expect a feel-good holiday film from Better Watch Out movie.
It is like a combination between Halloween and Christmas and will surely give you chills. This one is for you if you enjoy psychological horror with a sharp edge to it.
14. Vacancy (2007)
English 1h 25m IMDb
Nimród Antal
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, Frank Whaley
The opening titles, which are done in the style of Saul Bass and will remind you of classic-era Hitchcock and Psycho in particular, set the mood right away for the movie.
The movie maintains a claustrophobic mood. It’s admirable that the movie maintains tension. Indeed, every scene of this movie matters.
Frank Whaley is a voyeur who is over-the-top, funny, and evil. On the other hand, Luke Wilson is intense, but he manages to be a would-be hero full of clichés. It has a lot of action and the usual recycled, generic dialogue. But the pace, plot, and acting keep it from getting boring.
15. Tiger House (2015)
English 1h 20m IMDb
Thomas Daley
Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Ed Skrein, Dougray Scott
A movie about a home invasion that doesn’t waste any time and has a lot of cat-and-mouse games, as well as a few fun but predictable twists. Once the action starts, there is no turning back! It will get intense throughout the movie.
Although it uses clichés and deviates from originality, it knows how to concentrate on the excitement and tension. It carries on smoothly in the fun boat and never becomes too heavy or boring.
Summary
There are many different types of horror films, including slasher, psychological, zombie, and supernatural ones. However, home invasion movies are one of the most terrifying horror subgenres.
It’s hard to think of anything more terrible than the invasion of our homes. So, next time you run out of thrilling movies to watch, check out this list of the best home invasion movies!