9 Spooky Boarding School Movies Worthy of the Horror Honor Roll

With Simon Barrett’sSeance — about a group of teens who unwittingly come alive their dorm ’s occupant ghost — arriving on May 21 , we ’ve gotspooky boarding schoolson the brain . Much likecollege campuses , they ’ve been a rather popular setting for horror flick over the geezerhood , but these are 9 of our favorites .

1) Phenomena

It ’s hard to top Phenomena , Italian repulsion masterDario Argento ’s 1985 take on the boarding - school horror musical genre ( before anyone says anything , 1977 ’s Suspiria is set at a ballet honorary society , which is n’t quite the same — but a double - feature of the two would still be thematically copacetic ) . Phenomena , which is sometimes titled Creepers depending on which version you ’re watching , stars a pre - LabyrinthJennifer Connellyas a teen , also nominate Jennifer , whose movie - maven father ships her off to a Swiss embarkation school that happens to have a consecutive killer problem .

Jennifer has the strange ( but finally useful ) ability to intercommunicate with insects , something that alienates her from her classmates — but also brings her into contact lens with a kindly entomologist ( Halloween ’s Donald Pleasence ) and his nanny , Inga , who is played by … a chimpanzee named Tanga . And for what it ’s worth , Phenomena ’s soundtrack ( Goblin , Iron Maiden ) and striking motion-picture photography and yield conception ( both Argento trademark ) are as splendiferous as the secret plan is gloriously uncanny .

2) Jennifer

Released in 1978 and initially fire as a Carrie rent - off — not entirely unearned , considering its tag line of credit was “ Makes Carrie look like an angel!”—Jennifer introduce us to the titular sweet , brilliant country gal ( Ghoulies ’ Lisa Pelikan ) who earns a coveted learning to a embarkation school otherwise populated by asshole rich kids . She ’s forthwith single out for being different ( read : being short ) by not just her fellow students , including a truly vile senator ’s girl played by Amy Johnston , but the school ’s snooty staff .

But what they do n’t realize is that like Carrie before her ( and Phenomena ’s Jennifer , a few years later ) , the “ hillbilly ” they love to rag has an incredibly nervous talent that that she call upon when campaign to the edge : MAKING Snake DO HER BIDDING . Really , the tag end credit line should have been “ She ’s the straits of the classssss . ”

3) Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

Thissurprisingly entertainingentry in the long - running Halloween series was released in 1998 , make it part of the Scream - I bonk What You Did Last Summer outpouring of 2d - wafture slashers , complete with a telegenic young mould that includes Michelle Williams , then the ducky of Dawson ’s Creek , and newcomer Josh Hartnett . But the main draw is the yield Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode — who ’s now the headmaster of a California boarding school , barely combat PTSD and dwell under an assumed name to protect herself ( and her son , played by Hartnett ) , from her ill-famed maniacal brother .

frankly , the school itself is n’t the problem in this one ; it ’s picturesque , bluster the convivial LL Cool J as a security measure guard , and does cool down stuff like organize trip to Yosemite for its students . Really , it would n’t be such a bad place to study — if not for that whole “ isolated emplacement / Michael Myers on a killing - crazy rampage ” situation .

4) Picnic at Hanging Rock

Peter Weir ’s 1975 film is really more of a secret than a repulsion film , but it does dip into some awfully dark places , both mentally and physically , as it investigates some of nature ’s stranger great power . On Valentine ’s Day 1900 , at a very prim boarding school for girls in southeastern Australia , a day trip to a nearby geologic oddity turn tragic when several young woman and a teacher vaporize without a hint .

The atmosphere at the school day — already extremely accuse , thanks to some intense teenage hungriness and the hard-and-fast headmistress ’ fondness for preferential treatment ( or cruel treatment , look on your status ) among her students — becomes a tempestuous sea as everyone , including the local townsfolk , become suck up into the hunt . Picnic at Hanging Rock ’s conclusion may seemingly be receptive - ended , but as the tragedies pack on , the dreaminess that ’s pervaded its early sceneshas turned into a full - on nightmare .

5) The Moth Diaries

Mary Harron(American Psycho ) wrote and aim this 2011 hair-raiser set at an upscale embarkment school for girls that ’s strict ( demerit for messy hair , tardiness , etc . ) but not draconian , and meaningful friendships are formed alongside field hockey practice session and chapel assembly . The former year , Rebecca ( Sarah Bolger ) arrived at the school after a family tragedy , but come out of her racing shell after work a snug friendship with Lucy ( Sarah Gadon ) .

As The Moth Diaries begin , Rebecca is looking forwards to another semester with her BFF — but her joy turns to frustration when a mysterious new student named Ernessa ( Lily Cole ) begin command all of Lucy ’s attention while exhibiting some peculiar and candidly supernatural - seeming demeanour . You ’ll make out where the game is going even before the hunky English light instructor ( Scott Speedman ) whips out a written matter of Carmilla , but The Moth Diaries deal its young heroine remarkably respectfully , which makes the emotion it pulls from its intimate story in reality palpate well - clear .

6) The Woods

In this sixties - set thriller shot through with coloured fay - taradiddle element , directed by Lucky McKee ( May ) , lowering stripling Heather ( Agnes Brucker ) is shipped off to an obscure boarding school after a fight with her mother inspires a bit of incendiarism . Naturally , all is not what it seems — in particular among the instructor , lead by a ice rink - cold headmistress ( Patricia Clarkson ) who is keenly interested in Heather ’s potential difference as a “ gifted ” scholarly person , though her testing method to approximate the girl ’s abilities seem less academic and more … well , witchy .

It does n’t take long before Heather starts get word ghostly whispers and have strange dreams that jot at the schooltime ’s hidden order of business ( hint : do n’t drink the milk ! ) . When The Woods ’ spooky shit really starts hit the fan , both chief character and witness can enthral in the fact that Heather ’s begetter is toy by none other thanBruce Campbell , who obviously cognize a affair or two about fighting evil things lurk in the forest .

7) The House That Screamed

This 1969 Spanish output from conductor Narciso Ibáñez Serrador ( who also made the cult classicWho Can Kill a youngster ? ) is set in 19th C France . While it follows the “ young young woman arrives at new school and realizes things are very , very off ” template that would become the standard for later embarkment - school horror films , The House That Screamed has a much racier tone than any of the others heel here . Trashier , even , if you ’re able-bodied to interpret that as a compliment , which it is .

There are sadistic beatings in the name of discipline , sky - high intimate tension that somehow goes along with that , and a vicious in series cause of death whose individuality might be obvious — but whose inexorable and extremely specific endgame , which is presented in a big last - act reveal , is absolutely not .

8) The Blackcoat’s Daughter

Osgood Perkins ( Gretel and Hansel ) directed this moody story with a twist : it ’s partially set at a boarding school day that ’s empty during a chilly schooltime holiday , save for a couple of left - behind student ( includingChilling Adventures of Sabrina ’s Kiernan Shipka;American Horror Story ’s Emma Roberts also has a racy theatrical role ) . Plus , there ’s peradventure , just perchance , some diabolical vibes hang around in the air — the shoal is called “ Bramford , ” for all those eagle - eyed Rosemary ’s Baby fans out there .

The Blackcoat ’s girl is actually full of gimmick , with shifting perspectives and time jump that pretzel the story until the last act . Unlike many other films on this list , you definitely wo n’t see the finish line as presently as you walk through the school ’s imposing front doors .

9) Down a Dark Hall

Rodrigo Cortés ( Buried ) calculate this 2018 adaptation of YA horror giantLois Duncan ’s 1974 novel . Teenaged troublemaker Kit ( AnnaSophia Robb ) is send off to a boarding schoolaimed at taming troubler , though there are only a handful of other bookman — all miss — in attendance . At first , things do n’t seem so awful — the fact that the schooling is kept perpetually dark is a little odd , but having to hand over their mobile phone is about the worst of it , at least until unmarked pill start becoming a non - negotiable part of the Nox - time routine .

Gradually , though , the girls — who are all unremarkable in price of donnish and artistic achievement — start displaying genius - level talents that spring not from knockout work , but from something beyond the grave . The malign headmistress is bet by Uma Thurman , whose intentionally theatrical French accent mark allows the mostly very serious Down a Dark Hall to err into campy dominion on a few welcome social function .

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The New Girl (Agnes Bruckner) and the Mean Girl (Rachel Nichols) in The Woods.