Louisiana has been full of unknowable horror stories since the early to mid-19th century, not long after it was bought from the French in the Louisiana Purchase. Stories that make your skin crawl range from whisperings of the Rougarou to the supposed LaLaurie mansion murders.
The usual way you will see this beautiful state represented in media is in the realm of horror. One of the best ways to celebrate the Halloween season is cozying up with a nice scary movie. Especially in the age of streaming and with this range of stories, it can be hard to figure out what is worth it to watch.
Between the eeriness of the swamp and the history of many hauntings, Louisiana is abundant in spooky stories. A few movies go under the radar, so here are a few films you might have missed.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
You read that right — yes, a Scooby-Doo film. It should be no shock that it is here, though. The Scooby-Doo franchise is constantly featuring creepy happenings and evil masked manipulators posing as monsters. However, this film is different from the usual hijinks. Set against the backdrop of New Orleans and an old pepper plantation, this Mystery Inc. adventure features real, actual monsters. This is one of the first stories in the franchise to feature concrete creatures instead of it being a costume. This is revealed in a fairly tense scene in the film as well. Though it is a movie marketed towards children, it has a more sinister vibe to it, as it deals with dead people and actual dark magic.
The Beyond
“The Beyond” (1981) is a movie more in line with traditional horror. It is an Italian film shot and set in Louisiana that deals with the supernatural. A woman inherits a hotel that was built over a gate to hell, and this gate is opened during her attempts to renovate it. The film is a bit of a slow burn, but it provides a gorgeous Southern Gothic backdrop with plenty of surprising gore and interesting camera work.
The Skeleton Key
“The Skeleton Key” is another interesting look into a supernatural Louisiana horror story. It stars Kate Hudson as a nurse who is hired to take care of a plantation house and the couple living there. As she spends more time there, strange occurrences begin to happen and she uncovers a mystery within the history of the house. While it does feature an effective dark atmosphere, it takes many liberties in showing traditional Hoodoo practices (sometimes being disrespectful in its depictions).
Angel Heart
While this film also falls into the trap of mildly disrespectful depictions of voodoo, it is another great one nonetheless. “Angel Heart” follows a powerhouse pair of leads. A private investigator, played by Micky Rourke, is hired by Robert De Niro’s character to find a missing singer by the name of Johnny Favorite. It combines traditional Southern gothic horror with a noir detective element that sets it apart from the other films on this list. It is more unsettling and eerie than outright scary, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat with each new stone turned over.
10 Cloverfield Lane
Rounding out the list is another more well-known film. “10 Cloverfield Lane” is a spiritual sequel to the 2008 found footage monster movie “Cloverfield.” While it bears resemblance in the name, it is unclear whether it takes place in the same exact timeline as the previous film (although figuring out the timeline of these films could be an article all on its own). This one follows Mary Elizabeth Winstead as she is trapped in an underground bunker with a sketchy John Goodman and an injured John Gallagher Jr. Goodman’s character tells a story of the outside world being uninhabitable due to an alien attack, but Winstead and Gallagher’s characters become skeptical and uneasy as Goodman shows more and more aggression. It is a wonderfully anxious film that will never let you relax.
You can stream “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” on Prime Video, “The Beyond” on Tubi, “The Skeleton Key” on Peacock, “Angel Heart” on Paramount+ and “10 Cloverfield Lane” on Prime Video.
