The 15 Best Urban-Legend Horror Movies

Created by Igor_Brynner.

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This weekend, Slender Man opens in theaters after a long and winding road to the box office (including multiple release-date changes and a mostly absent marketing campaign). The central story is based on the internet lore surrounding the titular character, a long, spindly humanlike figure who stalks, abducts, and traumatizes people — particularly kids. In the movie, a group of teen girls attempt to solve the mystery of Slender Man to protect themselves and save a friend who goes missing. It’s classic urban-legend horror: those scary stories you heard through your best friend’s cousin’s girlfriend who knows a guy that was totally killed by mixing Pop Rocks with soda.

If you’re looking for more spooky stories along these lines, we’ve come up with a list of 15 urban-legend horror movies ready to freak you the hell out, ranked in ascending order of quality. From the haunted VHS tapes of Japan to the sewer-trawling alligators of the United States, here’s your guide to the best, most bombastic, and occasionally sexy urban-myth-based horror movies.