12 Horror Movies Perfect for Father's Day

Fathers, their place in our lives is as varied as their place in horror movies. Sometimes they’re absent and sometimes they ruin our lives by chasing us and our moms around the Overlook Hotel with an ax. After careful observation I’ve found that while fathers certainly have their place in the horror genre, it’s not usually the role of savior, or if they are it’s a duo partnership with a wife. Lots of fathers are relegated to a role of not believing their teenagers or even trying to kill their teenagers. So, I thought we’d sing a song for the unsung savior horror dads out there. They’re doing everything they can to save their kids, all else be damned.

The Wailing

In The Wailing (Goksung) from 2016, by director Na Hong-jin, a bumbling policeman is drawn into a forbidding mystery afflicting his village, but when the sickness appears to have spread to his own daughter he must fight apparitions and devils to save her life and his own. Jong-Goo is not the best officer on the force, in fact he’s probably the least useful as he’s easily scared and not particularly forceful, but he’s a loving father who’d do anything for his daughter. The South Korean film itself is a ride of pure terror with great camera work and a deliciously complicated central mystery. Watching this father sacrifice everything for his daughter will leave you breathless.

Train to Busan

Another 2016, South Korean horror film, this time from Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan, provides a dedicated father to the screen. Seok Woo is taking his daughter to Busan to see her mother. Their relationship is a bit strained, but he clearly loves his daughter despite being constantly busy with work. Then of course a rabid zombie infection breaks out and martial law is declared. Stuck on a train with nowhere to stop, the passengers must do everything they can to protect themselves and Seok Woo must go to extremes to save the life of his daughter. The film is action packed with a great zombie design and there won’t be a dry eye in the house when you see just how much this father is willing to sacrifice.

The Devil’s Candy

In The Devil’s Candy (2015), from director Sean Byrne, Jesse Hellman, a painter, must save the life of his daughter from satanic forces that want her dead in their new home. Facing a form of demonic influence himself Jesse isn’t always the best father, but his overwhelming love for his daughter proves to be true. The film is heavy on the rock metal and features an unconventional family rather than the typical suburban type in most horror. Jesse and his daughter Zooey are truly a family that will keep you rooting for them.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

With a minimal cast, The Autopsy of Jane Doe from Swedish director André Øvredal, ends up being the story of a father and son versus the malevolent spirit of a witch. Tommy Tilden and his son Austin run a mortuary and while Austin has grown disinterested in his father’s profession he always helps out when needed. On the night the film takes place the mysterious Jane Doe body drags him to postpone a date with his girlfriend…indefinitely. Tommy and Austin spend the film trying to fend off the Jane Doe’s haunting and Tommy makes many a sacrifice for the sake of his son.

Jaws

While a casual audience might assume that Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is just about a big scary shark terrorizing a beach town, other will notice the deeper themes that hold the movie together. For example, the first time I sat down and watched Jaws as an adult I realized the shark is just as incidental as any other monster. The story is about Police Chief Martin Brody as a father and the anxiety fatherhood presents. It’s all a bit deep, but Spielberg is known for his recurring themes of strained fatherhood, having had a few daddy issues himself. As I watched it I was struck by Brody’s gentle relationship with his sons, but also how his fear of the shark grew from a fear for his sons. Sure, his sons aren’t in a majority of the film, but Brody is out in the water with Quint and Hooper because of them and he risks his own life to try and make his family’s home safe once more.

Now, I can’t go in depth about every good father in horror, so here’s a few more you can’t miss this Father's Day.

Insidious (2010) and Sinister (2012) find their father’s fighting for their possessed children’s lives. The Hills Have Eyes (1977 and 2006) features a father willing to go to brutal lengths to protect his baby girl. Krampus (2015) features two vastly different fathers having a raucous time trying to protect their families. Near Dark (1987) features a father trying to save his son not just from vampires, but from the curse of vampirism itself. And lastly, some indie fathers: Residue (2017) features a strained father-daughter relationship beginning to heal and The New Daughter (2009) features Kevin Costner trying to save his daughter from ancient possession.

Now go and watch a good horror flick with the old man this Father’s Day.