10 Creepy Camping Horror Movies RANKED

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at 10 Creepy Camping Horror Movies to Make You Scared of the Woods Ranked. This list is an accompaniment to our larger list on 25 Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Horror Movies Ranked. That list features a few different similar subjects so I am going to condense them down into individual lists for anyone who is looking for something a little more specific.

When it comes to horror related camping movies. We aren’t talking about things like Friday the 13th or Cabin in the Woods. We are talking about a couple of people heading out into the middle of nature with nothing but a tent for protection. No cushy cabin, no cosy little lake house; just a tiny tent and nothing for protection. Because, let’s be real, what is scary about big groups of people chilling in the middle of the woods? Nothing of course. Well, unless a 7 foot unkillable serial killer looking for blood comes along and butchers everyone, I suppose.

Anyways, all of these movies follow the theme of camping. Whereas my previous list threw in a few that focused on hiking or backpacking. The films here have to be predominantly based around the horrifying things that can happen when you are snuggled up in your sleeping bag late at night in the middle of nowhere. Full disclosure, some of these movies are awful but some are really good so, rough with the smooth, I guess.

So let’s be honest, this isn’t a great way to start our list of 10 Camping Horror Movies. And by not great I mean absolutely awful. Clayton Thompson is suffering from a little bit of writers block. Hoping to alleviate this, he believes the best way to create, is to get in touch with oneself. And to do that he is going to head out in to the woods to make a terrible found footage camping, survival, horror movie.

Unfortunately, and to the detriment of the movie itself, The Nothing revolves entirely around the self named Clayton Thompson. A person I described as a mountain man version of James Corden in my review of The Nothing and that about sums it up. It is slow and a bit boring but if you fancy spending an hour or so listening to an annoying person scream into the darkness. This movie may just be for you. The camping themes are strong here though so you may just enjoy it. We awarded it 1/5 in our review.

Something Walks in the Woods is a relatively new horror movie this year. It follows the story of a video that goes viral depicting a supposed spirit crossing a treeline at the same time every day. Wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery while maybe making a few sweet YouTube bucks in the process. The self named Bill Howard sets out to spend a night in the woods with nothing but a tent and a camera.

This is another boring one. In fact, I would go as far as to say that less happens here than in The Nothing. It’s pretty yawn inducing to be fair. Why do so many horror writers forget to put scares in their movies? Still, Bill is a more likable dude than Clayton so you may enjoy this one a little more. The story is ridiculous considering some of the leaps of logic but, again, there is lots of camping so maybe give it a try. We awarded it 1/5 in our review.

Gorgeous scenery and one of the most well stocked camp sites I have ever seen in a camping horror movie are the stars of the show in Aussie horror Uninhabited. A young couple decide to spend a week away camping on a beautiful desert island only to realise they may not be as alone as they initially thought. Footprints in the sand hint at something sinister but that may only be the tip of what turns out to be a entirely unexpected mystery iceberg.

This is a movie replete with foreshadowing and devoid of scares. It has stunning scenery and the main stars aren’t bad to look at. Even if one of them really can’t act. Uninhabited is by no means a great movie but it does try to do something fairly interesting with the ending. It might be worth checking out if you fancy a camping movie set in the sun. We awarded Uninhabited 1.5/5 in our review.

This camping horror movie follows a man setting himself a challenge to survive out in the Georgia Hollow Shoals for 60 days with minimal supplies. After a few days of relative calm. Zach begins feeling like he is being watched. Setting off a series of events that will make him regret ever stepping foot into the woods alone.

This is a pretty decent, ultra low budget, one man effort that is much more watchable than the similar themed Something Walks in the Woods and The Nothing. This movie manages to get right a lot of the stuff that the aforementioned movies fail at. It’s almost like a meeting between The Blair Witch Project and the television series Alone that isn’t as good as either. But is still fairly watchable.

There’s a few decent jump scares and a few stand out moments that make this worth checking out. I awarded it 2.7/5 in my review. You can watch this movie as part of a series of shorts on YouTube. Definitely an interesting format to check the movie out in.

This is a camping horror movie that I have covered a number of times in a number of different lists. I always point out that I don’t like Killing Ground anywhere near as much as some people. Meaning it normally falls towards the bottom of my lists. I always feature it, though, as plenty of people like it a lot. This is a movie that gets a lot of hype but is designed to appeal to a certain audience. If you are part of that audience then great. If not, you will probably find very little to grab onto here.

It follows the story of a family taking a much needed weekend camping trip for some rest and relaxation. Only to have their worlds turned upside down by a pair of ruthless men who refuse to leave them alone. That’s it, there is very little story, just a set up to enable some ultra violence. This is one of those movies that could best be described as violence for the sake of violence. It is brutal and can be a difficult watch which makes the lack of plot a little bit frustrating. Still, a lot of people like it and it definitely fits the camping theme so you might want to check it out. I awarded it 2/5 in my review.

Bobcat Goldthwait absolutely loves Bigfoot. He has starred in a few documentaries on the subject and he also wrote and directed our next camping horror movie Willow Creek. A Bigfoot film that sees a couple head out on a camping trip, completely unaware that they are about to hike right into the home of the curious cryptid himself.

There is a fair bit of build up here but, for the most part, nothing much happens. The majority of the scary parts of this movie take place when the couple hit their tent for the night. Surprisingly, it actually works incredibly well. Managing some great moments of tension and a few legitimately brilliant scares. It’s not going to be for everyone but Bigfoot fans might love it and the tent scenes are some of the most creative in Camping Horror to date.

Scares are mixed with sci-fi in this camping horror movie. A couple in a struggling relationship take a trip out into the woods for some camping and some flame rekindling. Little do they realise that an awkward marriage proposal will be the start of an increasingly strange and terrifying series of events. As something that crashed in the woods has brought an otherworldly malevolence to the place that threatens to consume them both.

This is one of those movies that proves that science fiction and camping, for some reason, go together quite well. I mean, it’s not an obvious crossover, unlike camping and cryptids, but it works so well. Significant Other features a few twists and an interesting story as well as a few scares. It does get a little bit crazy here and there but it’s a rewarding, albeit flawed, ride if you stick with it.

This is a movie that I think is underrated but I entirely understand why. It is slow and only briefly steps into the world of full on horror. A young man living a purposeless life is suddenly diagnosed with a significant illness. Wishing to escape the chaos of everyday life. He abandons all of his belongings and heads deep into the woods of British Columbia to confront his fears. Little does he know that they may very well be about to consume his mind completely.

I think The Interior is one of the better examples of camping horror and it captures the subject perfectly. Our protagonist here is completely alone and entirely at the mercy of the world around him. The Interior doesn’t do everything right and will divide viewers. But that doesn’t make it any less effective. It is a quiet little indie movie that manages some seriously effective tension and at least one brilliant scare.

The Interior is far closer to a character study and an exploration of existential crises than it is a horror and critics like it more than most viewers. But if you can make it through the slowness of the first half and get past the somewhat annoying lead character. There is a story here that manages to channel the feelings of isolation and fear surrounding camping in the middle of nowhere better than most movies around. I awarded The Interior 3.2/5 in my review.

We’ve had a Bigfoot movie so why not a back that up with something a little more realistic and tangible? Backcountry sees a couple with a whole bunch of relationship issues heading out for a camping trip into the backwoods. Little do they realise that they will find themselves lost in the territory of a hyper aggressive black bear. Backcountry starts as a relationship drama before turning into a brutal tale of survival against the odds. Described as the Jaws of bear movies. It is unsettling, uncompromising and thrilling all at the same time.

It’s one of the better bear movies, in my opinion, and, once it gets past its relationship stuff, keeps the tension going throughout. It also happens to be based on the real life story of Jacqueline Perry and Mark Jordan who were attacked by a bear in Missinaibi Lake provincial park back in 2005. Something which makes the movie all the more realistic and all the more terrifying. I enjoyed this one more on a second viewing.

You knew this one would have to be number one on the list of Camping Horror movies, right? I mean, it is probably what a lot of people think of when someone says camping horror. Three friends head deep into the woods to make a documentary about local legend The Blair Witch. After finding themselves completely lost, the group begin to become mentally unscrewed as something toys with them each and every night.

This is a movie that took a few people, minimal equipment, no money and a bunch of innovation into the woods. And produced one of the most memorable horror movies of all time. I can’t wait until the narrative on this movie switches and people stop complaining about the hype it received and appreciate it for the wildly important horror that it truly is. The Blair Witch Project does a better job of turning the woods into an antagonist than any movie on this list. It is consistently effective and legitimately scary in parts.

A lot of people dislike this movie but I can’t help but appreciate just what was achieved with such a small budget. It is effective and punches way above its weight. It scared me more on a second viewing than the first one and I still enjoy it to this day. The Blair Witch Project is a much more important horror movie than many people are willing to give credit for. I don’t actually think horror would be anywhere near what it is today without it. It shaped modern horror film making and deserves its roses. It isn’t perfect and it never could have lived up to the hype. But it is still a solid horror movie if you just forget all the noise and try to enjoy it. We awarded The Blair Witch Project 4/5 in our review.

Thanks for Reading

So that is 10 Camping Horror Movies Ranked. We will be following this up shortly with 10 Hiking Horror Movies and 10 Backpacking Horror Movies so look out for those. We are also about to start our K-O-Ween 31 Days of Halloween Horror Feature so look out for that for a brand new horror review every day of October. If you are wanting 31 days of completely free horror. Why not check out our A Tubi 31 Days of Halloween list?

If you are looking for more, why not check out my previous list 20 Vacation Horror Movies Ranked – Holiday Horror? Spoiler alert, Midsommar is in that list too. You can also check out our horror movie reviews, our horror movie ending explained articles and more horror lists.

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