While we could highlight numerous iconic silent era horror films—such as “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and “Nosferatu,” which are essential viewing for any film enthusiast—modern films that consciously limit dialogue are arguably even more intriguing. In today’s cinema, where dialogue often dominates, these films stand out. We’ve curated a list of modern horror films that embrace this silent approach. These five selections represent the pinnacle of the genre, inviting horror aficionados to explore a world of silent terrors that will make your heart race and have you diving under the covers.

Typically, a film conveys the dread of a supernatural threat when the entity communicates with the characters, often through possession, as seen in “The Exorcist.” However, the 2011 film “The Innkeepers” takes a more chilling route, instilling fear with minimal dialogue. Directed and written by Ti West, the film employs sound as its own form of communication, as a menacing force instills terror in its victims without uttering a word.

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly quiet night in a haunted hotel, “The Innkeepers” uses sparse dialogue to amplify the suspense between moments of intense fear. The film’s frequent silences create an unsettling atmosphere, leaving viewers on edge, wondering what might be lurking just out of sight, without a single spoken clue.

With a classic haunted house premise, “The Innkeepers” follows a series of events that occur after a once-grandiose hotel is due to be closed forever. Two of its last remaining employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy), have long been obsessed with the hotel’s reputation as a home for the supernatural, and spend their last week investigating the supposed hauntings. But what they discover is far beyond anything they expected, as a dark entity with dire warnings makes its presence known.

Set during an otherwise quiet night at a haunted hotel, the dialogue in “The Innkeepers” is sparse, but not nonexistent. Yet, long stretches of haunting silence dot the story, amping up the tension between screams. What you’re ultimately left with is an eerie experience where evil could be lurking around any corner, without so much as a whispered warning.

Moviegoers are often leery of dramas about man’s best friend, as too many of them wind up breaking their hearts one way or another. So when “Good Boy” came along — a horror movie about a dog — you can imagine the unease audiences must have felt. Nevertheless, it goes down a very different route from the typical “silent horror movie” approach. Because it’s not just about a dog — the entire film is told from the pooch’s perspective.

The directorial debut of Ben Leonberg, “Good Boy” opens on a young man (Shane Jensen) suffering from a debilitating illness who relocates to a remote region of New York state. He’s joined by his dog Indy (clearly named after Harrison Ford’s whip-wielding relic hunter), and is warned that the home, which once belonged to his late father, is believed to be haunted. A ghostly presence is observed by Indy, while the tale of another dog that died on the property portends dark things to come.

We don’t want to give too much away about “Good Boy,” but it’s a brilliant movie from a unique POV. And though we won’t spoil who lives or who dies, chances are, if you’re a horror fan, you aren’t going to be too upset if there are some tear-jerking deaths. But once again, it’s the film’s mostly-silent nature that makes it so unnerving, with the innocence of a poor pup chilling our bones more than any human protagonist ever could. 

Movies with little dialogue often stand out for that factor alone, but many come with an equally unique premise worth highlighting. Fitting this description is “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” a Farsi-language, American-made, black-and-white horror film about a skateboarding vampire. This is no horror comedy, but rather a dark, grim tale that puts a new spin on the legendary undead bloodsuckers.

Set in Iran, in a ghost town known as Bad City, the film centers on Arash (Arash Marandi), who is struggling to make ends meet and turns to selling drugs to afford his father’s medical care. He soon crosses paths with an enigmatic young woman who is revealed to be a creature of the night, and has taken to preying on abusive men to meet her bloodlust. The two form an unusual bond, but as the bodies pile up, Arash realizes that this woman is much more than meets the eye.

A quiet and somber story where words are few and far between — but used to maximum effect — “A Girl Walks Home At Night” possesses a powerful message that makes it among the best vampire movies you’ll ever see — in this or any era, with or without dialogue.

With a title like “Hush,” it’s shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the film contains little dialogue. But it also might be the best movie in that category. That the lead character is deaf adds to its heightened sense of realism, as the audience never questions why no words are spoken as the terror envelops them.

“Hush” comes from the mind of “The Haunting of Hill House” creator Mike Flanagan, arguably the modern master of horror. This 2016 film is a prototypical slasher, with a masked madman out for blood hunting an innocent woman in the woods. In this case, that woman is horror author Maddie Young (Kate Siegel), who has relocated to a remote sanctuary to work on her next book. But while Maddie seems the perfect victim: a deaf, mute isolated young woman, the killer soon discovers that she isn’t as easy a target as she appears. 

Impressing audiences and critics, “Hush” firmly announced Flanagan’s mastery of the genre to the world, proving that his previous film, “Oculus,” was no fluke. And he proves it by deftly telling a suspenseful horror tale with few words, communicating through visual and audio cues alone. And even with everything he’s done since, “Hush” remains one of Flanagan’s most memorable projects.

Horror movies with little dialogue need a reason to justify the silence, whether it’s because the lead character is a dog or a deaf human. “Don’t Breathe” takes a very different route, with a villain whose mere presence forces the protagonists to remain quiet. A mix of chair-gripping suspense and slasher horror, “Don’t Breathe” sees “Avatar” star Stephen Lang playing a vicious, blind killer whose exceptional hearing causes problems for a group of home invaders.

Directed and co-written by “Alien: Romulus” helmer Fede Álvarez, “Don’t Breathe” revolves around three petty thieves looking for an easy score. They think they’ve found the perfect mark in the form of Norman Nordstrom (Lang), a blind older man who reportedly has hundreds of thousands of dollars stashed away in his home. When the trio tries to take Nordstrom by surprise, they quickly discover that he’s as capable as any sighted person, stalking the thieves with deadly precision and ruthless brutality learned from his days in the Gulf War.

With a villain who uses sound to navigate his surroundings, Nordstrom forces his prey to stay silent, creating a tense atmosphere that will leave you awake at night afraid to make a sound. This taut thriller and impeccable slasher proved such as success that it even received a sequel in 2021.