The Magnus Archives Fears as movies - The Buried
One more!!! This one was a little difficult, but I think it turned out really great! Fully expected a list of only action movies located in caves, but I tried getting creative and it worked!
Iron Lung (2026) - Markiplier
I was SOOOOO excited for this movie, and I'm so glad it fits in this list!!
Since it's very recent and I'm pretty sure everyone who'll be reading this list uses Tumblr, you problably already know about this movie.
But seriously, one of the best of the year, it is just AMAZING, you'll not regret watching.
And it's just so cool seeing what they were able to do as an Indie film. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible it is.
IF, for some reason, you are not familiar with this movie and why it is on this list. It is about a convict going under the blood ocean, looking for anything that might help the situation of humanity after all stars died. The whole movie is placed inside the submarine, while the Convict looks for any way he can to conquer his freedom - to get out, both literally and figuratively (getting out of the submarine = not being a prisoner anymore).
It is just SO much of the Buried, both in how he cannot get out of the small enclosure of the small submarine, there is little space he can go and NOWHERE to run away. But also on how he cannot get out of the SITUATION he is in, and I don't mean the submarine, I mean about how he is a prisoner, even if he scapes the submarine he still has no freedom, nowhere to go, nowhere to go. It's such a desperate situation where he is trapped no matter how you look at it.
I know there are other elements to this movie that could fit very well with other fears, but I think this one is the core of it.
2. As Above, So Below (2014) - John Erick Dowdle
This movie would be so much better if the protagonist wasn't just INSUFFERABLE.
This movie has a great concept and it pretty much works in the movie (mostly). The protagonist, this woman, is looking for a stone that her father studied for many many years, and she finds a lead that says that it is in the Paris Catacombs.
I think a horror movie placed in the catacombs is such a cool idea, it had this fear of being placed in somewhere real and that holds so many dark stories in it.
The movie is a found footage - documentary style, and I think it pretty much works in this movie, I think it adds to the experience this anxiety of looking in the same direction the characters are, knowing just what they know and being very limited, exactly how they are. I don't think this movie would be as scary if it wasn't filmed this way.
I like the plot, I like how they don't just go off killing character as fast as possible, it actually takes half of the movie or more until the first character dies, so we really have time to understand each of them and their dynamics (doesn't mean we get to care about them, but in so many movies we see characters that we know NOTHING about just dying, so it's a nice touch to actually see all the characters have some part in the stories, and it makes their death a lot more shocking.)
I really like the plot, as it was told us since the beggining - since the TITLE even. But by the last half-ish hour of the movie I don't think the tension works very well, BUT that's a small down considering all the ups the movie has.
Now... There is a BIG problem in this movie that I cannot get past... And it's the damn protagonist.
Look, I absolutely LOVE flawed woman, they're my favorite, and I would all board if the movie actually showed us a protagonist that is just completely obsessed with her goal to the complete detriment of others. Unfortunatly, that is not the case, she is just an asshole, specially to her "love interest" (why tf does this movie has an love interest to begin with.)
She keeps disrespecting him ALL THE TIME. He says he doesn't wanna go into the catacombs (completely understandable without any reason more), she just keeps saying that he WILL go (not even like she really needs him there, he doesn't understand about the catacombs and they have 4 more people with them). We then find out that she LEFT HIM IN PRISON in one of their past missions and just NEVER EVEN TRIED TO HELP, which just makes her insisting in him going SO MUCH WORSE. And then we find out that he is scared of those sort of places because his brother died when they were little in a cave (I wish I could say "Moon Knight reference?" but Moon Knight came out after this movie), which makes her insisting EVEN WORSE BUT, not only that, we find that out because the cameraman asks him about it, and she tries to play as if the cameraman was wrong by asking - BUT HER INSISTING IN HIM GOING IN THIS PLACE IS NOT WRONG??? AND FULLY KNOWING WHY IT IS SO TRIGGERING FOR HIM??
For some reason this movie even has the audacity of having his character forgive her.
Seriously, she just makes watching a GREAT movie so maddening.
Anyways, overral a great movie, I wouldn't say wonderful, but it is a nice watch. Gets a little ridiculous at the end, and the characters aren't really that special, but the tension the movie is able to create is really really good.
3. The Descent (2005) - Neil Marshall
I did not pay attention to this poster before wtf is that
Anyways, same problem as the movie before, but even worse, because I think every single character is stupid.
I was just SOOO happy at the beggining of this movie - a casting FULL OF WOMAN?! NO MAN?! Sounds completely amazing.
The movie starts really great, this group of woman, who all like adventures in the wild, decide to go explore a cave together. The first half of the movie is amazing, has tension, builds the dynamics, builds most of the characters, it is very very nice.
And then... The point on where the creatures appear everything gets fucked up. The FIRST appearence is nice, is slow, is scary. But after that it's all over the place.
Also it is very weird that the ONLY non-white character is the most villanized, when she was my favorite because she was the smartest and the only one with serious flaws. Except by the end when she gets dumb just like the others.
I guess this movie could also apply as the Hunt, but I still think the Buried is mostly the feeling there, as they have no escape from the cavee.
Who could guess that creatures that live inside caves, in complete darkness, have poor sight and usually depends on hearing to know where they're going?! Seriously idk how the characters took SOOO long to figure that out.
And the absolute WORST part: after they figure that out THEY JUST KEEP SCREAMING!! GOD I WAS SO FUCKING MAD THAT THEY SCREAMED ALL THE FUCKING TIME
As you can see, I am STILL mad at it.
And it's not even like they were screaming from pain, which would at least be a reason to scream. No, there is a moment where they SEE the creature AND ONE OF THE CHARACTERS SCREAM "RUN", AFTER THEY FIGURED OUT THAT THE CREATURES FOLLOW SOUND.
Gosh this movie made me absolutely so fucking mad I just wanted them all to die because of how stupid all of that was.
I was 100% on the side of the creatures. Not only because they had no fault that those stupid girls invaded their space, but also because I hated them and wanted their stupidity to have consequences.
A lot of people love this movie, I could understand why in the beggining, but after the second half of it I don't, I left this movie with ANGER, that's not a nice feeling.
4. Tunnel (2016) - Kim Seong-hun
Since were talking about movies that made me mad.
But this one is a different case at least.
So, this movie is about this car-dealer that, in his way home, goes through a tunnel (omg the name of the movie) that colapses under him. He gets stuck there and we watch how he tries to survive while the rescue team tries to get him out.
It is a very good movie mostly, you get tense for him and see how operations of rescue like that need to be careful.
The reason this movie made me so mad is my fault actually, I'm too much of a bitter person, I would NOT find peace by just getting out, I would need to sue every single fucker who created this tunnel. I got mad at the protagonist purely for forgiving and choosing to live his life free and not trying to after those dipshits who wronged him. But that's my fault for not being better really.
Anyways it's a really competent movie, it's not much what I personally like to watch, so at some point in the two hours I got a little tired, but it's not at all a bad movie.
Spoilers: The rescue team also fucks up and digs at the wrong place, and then almost gives up in rescuing him, and that's the part that mostly changed my feelings of being worried about the protagonist to being mad at every single person who was involved in keeping him down there.
5. We Need to Do Something (2021) - Sean King O'Grady
Concept? Incredible. Execution? ... meh.
This movie has a lot of ideas, some work, some doesn't.
It centers around this family, consisted of the parents and two children, the daughter and younger brother. When a storm is happening, they lock themselves in the bathroom for protection, and get stuck in there.
The part that most works is the dynamic between characters, and what I think ruins this movie is by the end when they try to explain what is happening.
I think this movie would be WAY better if it just stayed as it was, a family stuck, having to deal with the worst of each other, while not being able to get out because there is something out there.
Unfortunaly this movie has a whole subplot that explains what is happening, and I don't think it really works because I think they didn't really wanna commit to deeper meanings. The movie would be much better focusing more on the psychology of the characters (and they clearly were deep and had a lot to be explored) and left out whatever happened OUTSIDE that house.
I don't think the "monster" that is outside is necessarily bad, I just don't think he needs an explanation and much less focus.
Spoilers: The daughter fucks up with her girlfriends witchcrafts (go lesbians go!!) and that is basically it...? I tried searching and thinking of what that could MEAN, more metaphoracally or for the audiences, but didn't find anything ???
It's just a bit frustrating and out of tone with what you're watching before that. It puts the blame in something very specific and then stops making sense.
Apparently there is a book, I think a book could work better with this story if I'm being honest, but I didn't read and didn't really see people talk much about it.
6. The Lodge (2019) - Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
"Why do you keep recommending movies that you didn't really like??? Give us good stuff!" IT'S JUST MY OPINION!!! What isn't my jam could be yours.
Anyways here is a movie that I actually liked!!
Except for the kids, the kids are monsters, but without them there would be no movie. And just because I got mad at them doesn't mean I think the whole movie is bad.
It's pretty competend, I kinda like the direction it goes, the womans crash out is completely justified.
I don't have anything else to say about it, but it's a nice watch overall.
7. I Saw the TV Glow (2024) - Jane Schoenbrun
Ok so, I think trans allegories can go with 3 fears:
Flesh - If you want to look more at the changes in the body, this persue for something that actually captures who you really are, changind youself and changing over over and over again until you find what you're satisfied with. More going for a body horror sort of experience, much like The Substance, as in trying to get your body to be better, but for transgenders.
Stranger - More psychologycal. Looking at the mirror and not recognizing yourself, that feeling inside that this is not YOU, that you're in someone's elses body. This would apply more for the feeling of dysphoria.
AND, finally, Buried - You're TRAPPED inside that body and cannot get away, inside of something that does not allow you to be truly free, your own body is your prison and there is no way to escape. Another way of looking at it as the Buried, is trying to repress yourself, BURY that side of you deep inside, choosing that cell that is yourself.
This movie is definetly the Buried.
And when I was thinking that, even with the trans aspect, it would apply more to the Spiral in the direction things go, the movie proves me wrong and shows me that it IS the Buried, no matter how you look at it.
It's a nice movie, not really our CONVENTIONAL way of doing horror, so don't expect jumpscares or a tension made of fear. It is more of discomfort.
Also big trigger warning: this movie is SLOW. I feel like that should be said in this day and age where everyone is addicted to instant dopamine. The movie takes it's time building and building, it's nowhere near fast. So enter it with patience.
It is a very weird movie, and I can totally see that it's not for everyone, but I liked it, I just wouldn't recommend it as horror.
8. The Deep House (2021) - Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
I heard some people saying this movie is terrible, so I was expecting some SHIT, but honestly? Not that bad, it's pretty cool.
I KNOW usually oceans are associated with the Vast, but this one is NOT about the ocean.
Two youtubers who makes those exploration videos find a house at the bottom of the lake, and decide to go explore. They get stuck. Now you see why it is The Buried.
The concept is what mostly holds this movie. They have limited oxygen, are trapped there, and it is a HAUNTED HOUSE. It's very cool and seriously tense most of the time.
I think the downside of this movie is that it has a super DEEP (I'm so funny) explanation for what is happening. I wish they kept it simple, would've been better.
The family could have drowned, and now they're haunting people, that's enough of an explanation. But no, it feels like they weren't happy with they already had going on in the movie, they needed more, and that more costed the whole ending :/
But I still would recommend you watch, different from the other one's I said this same thing where the ending kinda ruins the rest of the movie, this one didn't leave me mad and I still enjoyed it a lot, the downside wasn't enough to make it a bad movie.
9. House of 9 (2004) - Steven R. Monroe
Think about the movie Saw but if they took away everything that made it interesting.
This one is mostly in this list because I can't think of any other fear that would apply to this movie, but they are just trapped in a house, not really much either.
I actually have a REAL problem with the characters in this movie. Because you're trying to tell me the ONLY black man in this movie is the most aggressive and impulsive, the first to kill someone AND the one who's always picking up fight? And the white cop is the rational one, who takes control of the situation and is absolutely 100% trustworthy with the gun without any second intentions?
I think the only apropriate way of watching this is if you have friends over, want to watch something that is shitty and make fun of it.
As I said, it has this same thing of saw where "everyone did something bad" (which they completely ignore and is never actually touched upon) and they are now trapped by someone who's watching them and wants them to kill each other to get out. But it just doesn't work because all the charm of saw (the machines, the characters being interesting, the secrets, the timer) is not there, so it's just bad.
10. Buried (2010) - Rodrigo Cortés
What? This is a list about the BURIED, what did you expect?
In all seriousness, this movie could be more creative, but that's more of a personal taste than anything actually wrong with the movie.
The movie is pretty good and it keeps you watching even if it is entirely inside of a Coffin (and I absolutely adore movies that can manage to create atmosphere with limited space), but just like Tunnel, not really my taste.
It works a lot for this list tho!
Honorable Mention: Over the Garden Wall (2014) - Patrick McHale, Katie Krentz
C'mon, there couldn't be ANYTHING better for the Buried than this one. And I like how it shows the fear of being stuck somewhere even without a completely closed space. You cannot convince me otherwise.
Anyways! That's it for now, I know there are a lot of movies here that I didn't really enjoy, but it's a lot more personal taste. This was also DEFINETLY the most difficult list until now, I had to watch a lot more movies because a bunch of the one's I watched didn't really fit, so I had to go after more movies to make this, but it's finally here.
germansingergirl
snowghoul
vaporwave
ellievsbear
pixelskylines
jbbartram-illu
dailybridgerton
gummygunk
