Macabre

Few films are truly worthy of being called macabre and the definition alone and synonyms really don’t live up to it either:

ma·ca·bre
/məˈkäbrə/ (I personally pronounce it as meh·kob — expert discussion of pronunciation)

Adjective
Disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury: “a macabre series of murders”.

Synonyms
gruesome – ghastly – lurid – horrible – grisly – terrible

To me, macabre runs much deeper than words can describe, though I’ll try. It’s a sense of melancholy and true horror that’s ultimately inexplicable. The smell of death in the air that isn’t necessarily rot, but a cold breeze after it rains, dead leaves in fall, and old dust of a room years sealed off and forgotten.

There’s a desolation and pensiveness to it that’s poetic. It’s ritualistic like burying something dead and digging it up again a long time after to see it again and how it’s “changed”. It’s not just horror, but sadness and something more.

I’ll attempt to list the films that I think truly managed to encapsulate the feeling of macabre (in no meaningful order):

This was a difficult list to make. If anyone has any suggestions for additions or removals to this list, please post them in the comments below.

Support Halloween Love

If an item was discussed in this article that you intend on buying or renting, you can help support Halloween Love and its writers by purchasing through our links:

(Not seeing any relevant products? Start your search on Amazon through us.)