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The horror genre has always been linked to nighttime. Perhaps drawing from humanity’s universal fear of the dark, horror loves to torment us with the monsters children believe are lurking in the shadows. It’s why so many horror movies take place during the night, as the baddies can quietly sneak up on their unsuspecting victims and then slink away into the darkness to kill again.
As an audience, we have come to expect daylight represents safety. Monsters can’t get us in the light as they hide away in their holes, waiting for the sun to go down. Some of the best horror movies play on this false expectation, bringing their villains into the light to show one is never truly safe. In a way, daylight horror is more terrifying, as the atrocities committed are in full view for everyone to see.
‘Jaws’ (1975)
The movie that single-handedly ruined the beach, Jaws, is not only a classic of the horror genre but cinema in general. When a great white shark begins munching on the residents of a small island town, a team consisting of the local police chief, a marine biologist, and a shark hunter sail out to destroy the creature.
With its iconic theme music, the shark in Jaws kills innocent swimmers in broad daylight, in full view of the beachgoers. It creates a sense of dread throughout the movie that makes viewers fearful whenever the ocean is on-screen, regardless of the time of day. With a large chunk of Jaws taking place at sea, this tension is amplified.
Jaws is available to stream on AMC+.
’28 Days Later’ (2002)
One of the movies that helped usher in the modern rejuvenation of the zombie genre, 28 Days Later, excels when protagonist Jim (Cillian Murphy) is left to wander an abandoned London during the middle of the day. With no one around except the ravenous infected, the empty carcass of one of the world’s most popular cities is a hard-hitting sight.
With the infected on the prowl, no matter the time of day, Jim and the survivors he encounters are always on the run to stay alive. While 28 Days Later is two decades old, its atmosphere is especially affecting today as we are coming out of the pandemic, making it one of the strongest movies about viral outbreaks.
28 Days Later is available to stream on HBO Max.
‘IT’ (2017)
One of the best Stephen King adaptations, IT portrays its themes surrounding the loss of innocence by having its young cast haunted by Pennywise in broad daylight. When you are young, you think the monsters are hiding under your bed at night, but when they appear right in front of you during the day, nowhere feels safe anymore.
As the iconic clown torments the members of the Losers Club, the seven friends band together to defeat their childhood demons. A great tale of forging lifelong friendships in the darkest of times, IT harkens back to the classic children’s fantasy movies of the past, such as The Goonies, albeit with an R rating.
IT is available to stream on Netflix and HBO Max.
‘Midsommar’ (2019)
One of the best examples of daylight used effectively in a horror movie, Midsommar‘s brightly-lit atmosphere makes it feel like a haunting dream. Grieving after the murder-suicide of her parents and sister, Dani (Florence Pugh) tags along with her boyfriend and his friends as they travel to Sweden.
Invited by an exchange student they befriended, the college students participate in his village’s midsummer celebration, which occurs once in a lifetime. While the festivities start joyful, things soon turn sinister as the Americans are subjected to a nightmare they cannot wake from.
Midsommar is available to stream on Showtime.
‘Session 9’ (2001)
An underrated horror movie from the early 2000s, Session 9 follows a five-person cleaning crew assigned the task of removing asbestos from an abandoned mental hospital. As the cleaners go about their work, they experience bizarre events around them as tensions begin to rise within the group.
While most of the movie takes place in the hospital, it does so during the daytime. It creates a unique atmosphere for Session 9, as most “haunted house” movies occur in the middle of the night. As sunlight peeks through the grimy windows of the desolate building, an unsettling color palette displays the film’s events.
‘Final Destination 2’ (2003)
The best entry in the popular series, Final Destination 2, strives to subvert many aspects of the original film. It achieves this by pulling away from the first movie’s high school cast and following a group of adults instead, creating a unique group of characters among the teenagers that dominate the horror genre.
As most of Final Destination‘s scenes take place at night, Final Destination 2 is set mostly during the day. The opening highway crash that has haunted motorists for years occurs in the morning, while almost all the deaths occur during the daytime. It’s a choice that fits well with the series’ underlying message that Death can come for us anytime.
Final Destination 2 is available to stream on HBO Max.
‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (2006)
One of the best horror remakes, The Hills Have Eyes is a gruesome odyssey through the American desert. After they crash their car in the unforgiving landscape, the Carter family is left stranded under the harsh sun. Things are made worse when a family of mutant cannibals invites themselves over for dinner.
Never taking a backward step when it comes to its depiction of violence, The Hills Have Eyes is a brutal movie. Humans and mutants alike are decimated in this battle of survival between two desperate families. The unrelenting sun cast down on the blood-caked bodies will have you running to the nearest shower once the credits roll.
The Hills Have Eyes is now available to stream on Starz.
‘The Hitcher’ (1986)
Roy Batty in Blade Runner may be Rutger Hauer‘s most famous role, but his performance as John Ryder is equally impressive. The Hitcher follows Jim (C. Thomas Howell), a young man driving through the American desert. After picking up the hitchhiking John, Jim soon realizes he is in the presence of pure evil.
Hauer is terrifying as he torments Jim across the remote highway, murdering others along the way. His icy-cool persona and line delivery create a terrifying villain, far removed from the over-the-top killers that appear in similar movies. Always leaving Jim alive, John tells the younger man that he wants him to stop him as he continues his carnage down the sun-drenched stretch of road.
The Hitcher is available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)
One of the first slasher movies, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, follows five friends on a day trip to the titular state. When their van runs out of gas, they set out on foot to search for help. One by one, they fall victim to local serial killer Leatherface, whose penchant for power tools proves fatal.
The original movie, along with the sequels and reboots that followed it, is famous for its sweltering atmosphere. As the unforgiving sun casts down on the stranded teens, they break out in sweat long before Leatherface appears. It adds an extra layer of unease to the horrific events that follow.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is available to stream on Shudder, AMC+, and Tubi.
‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978)
George A. Romero‘s second masterpiece after Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, swaps a farmhouse for a shopping mall. With the zombie apocalypse in full swing, four survivors take refuge in the abandoned commercial hub. With the undead piling up outside, the group tries to make the most of a hopeless situation.
As the name makes clear, Dawn of the Dead abandons its predecessor’s nighttime setting in favor of daylight. While most of the action occurs within the mall, the survivors occasionally venture outside. These moments reveal the extent of the zombie plague, as the growing army of the undead is fully visible.
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