Scares Under the Stars – 25 Camping & Hiking Horror Movies Ranked

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are bringing you Scares Under the Stars – 25 Camping & Hiking Horror Movies Ranked.

Scares Under The Stars

The great outdoors is a theme that is incredibly effective when it comes to scares. There are just so many ways to approach it. Are you being followed while out on a hike in the middle of nowhere? Is someone, or something, pacing around your tent while you huddle up inside. Is someone watching you from the treeline as you attempt to find a place to bed down for the night?

The sense of isolation, the vulnerability and the ever looming dark all hang over you as you cower in the middle of nowhere with only a thin layer of fabric for protection. All of the movies we are looking at today follow themes of hiking, backpacking, or camping. The thing is, these themes have to be central to the horror at hand.

I have tried to avoid going with a completely obvious list here. I want to throw in a few lesser known movies, some low budget stuff, and just some stuff that you may never have seen. With this in mind, I won’t be featuring remakes of the same movie, sequels or the like. I am looking at strictly one movie per series. Without further ado, let’s take a look.

🗺️ At a Glance: Top 10 Wilderness Nightmares

25. The Nothing (2020) – A Whole Lot of Nothing

The Wilderness Factor: It’s the wild and all the protagonist has are basic supplies. It’s not that scary, though.

Knockout Verdict: Screaming into the void.

We are kicking things off with a not particularly great camping horror movie. And by not particularly great I mean absolutely awful. Clayton Thompson believes the best way to create, is to get in touch with oneself. The best way to do that? By heading out in to the woods to make a terrible found footage camping, survival, horror movie with an obnoxious protagonist and no scares.

I described Clayton as a mountain man version of James Corden in my review of The Nothing and that about sums it up. If you fancy spending an hour or so listening to an annoying person scream into the darkness. This movie may just be for you. I mean, it has a guy hiding in a tent in it so that is something, right? Check out our review of The Nothing right here.

24. Something Walks in the Woods (2023) – Don’t Subscribe

The Wilderness Factor: Wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery while maybe making a few sweet YouTube bucks in the process. Bill Howard sets out to spend a night in the woods with nothing but a tent and a camera. It’s not a particularly imposing set of woods, though. More like a treeline, really.

Knockout Verdict: A cure for insomnia.

More camping horror at number 24. A video goes viral depicting a supposed spirit crossing a treeline at the same time every day. Bill Howard (yes, another self name character played by the director, writer, producer much like Clayton Thompson above) sets out to spend a night in the woods with nothing but a tent and a camera.

Some weird stuff happens and we all have a bit of a yawn. 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. We awarded Something Walks in the Woods 1/5 in our review.

23. Chest (2022) – Left Unopened

The Wilderness Factor: Lots of camping, a bit of backpacking, lots of cliched horror characters and a few moments ripped straight from The Blair Witch Project take centre stage here.

Knockout Verdict: Keep it closed.

We have another found footage horror for you next. A group of documentary makers head into the woods of Appalachia to investigate the mystery of a magical chest hidden somewhere within. It’s definitely a wilderness horror and definitely features a lot of hiking and camping but that’s about it.

Unfortunately, it’s all pretty boring and uneventful. The ending goes right off the rails in an attempt to do something different and I appreciate the cosmic-horror vibes. To be honest, it is a bit too little and a bit too late. Poorly acted, ugly, badly filmed, and just generally a bit crap. I awarded Chest 1.2/5 my review and don’t recommend it.

22. Uninhabited (2010) – Trouble in Paradise

The Wilderness Factor: It’s a deserted tropical island. Unfortunately, it looks more like paradise than hell but it offers a nice change of scenery for a camping horror movie.

Knockout Verdict: Great gear, shame about the movie.

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. Cue encounters with crazy locals and a mystery that goes a tiny bit deeper than it initially seemed. 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.

This is a movie replete with foreshadowing and devoid of scares. Still, it does try to do something fairly interesting with the ending and the location is amazing. 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.

21. Feral (2017) – Infection in the Woods

The Wilderness Factor: A feral creature hidden deep in the woods that turns people into raving, bloodthirsty lunatics.

Knockout Verdict: Predictable but gory.

A group of friends hike deep into the woods to spend a weekend partying. Only to find themselves being hunted by someone, or something, hell bent on turning them into blood thirsty creatures.

Scout Taylor-Compton starring in a below average, low budget, horror movie? Never! She really deserves better. Feral is predictable, silly, bare bones, and low effort. But what did you expect from a movie like this? There’s some fairly decent gore but too many of the things here feel overly familiar. Still, it’s worth a watch as a camping sleepover movie to laugh at with friends.

20. YellowBrickRoad (2010) – Follow the Path

The Wilderness Factor: It’s a torturous hike through a wilderness that holds a ton of secrets about a strange disappearance.

Knockout Verdict: We aren’t in Kansas anymore.

We have our first hiking themed horror movie on this list. In 1940 an entire town full of people watched The Wizard of Oz before abandoning everything they owned and hiking into the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on their backs. A film crew hikes the very trail the townspeople took to uncover the mystery of their disappearance.

Hiking and camping are prominent themes in this horror, obviously. YellowBrickRoad has a lot of potential but doesn’t quite realise it. Cassidy Freeman stars and it does manage to do a fair amount right for much of its length. Unfortunately, it decides to blast it out of its ass in the last quarter. Some serious missteps mar what is, otherwise, an okay film. Watchable, but don’t expect too much as the majority of the potential here is seriously squandered.

19. The Forest (2016) – Stay on the Path

The Wilderness Factor: It’s a hike through the notorious, and supposedly haunted, Aokigahara Forest… Need I say more?

Knockout Verdict: The trees are watching.

Natalie Dormer plays double duty in this movie about a woman hiking deep into the notorious Aokigahara Forest to investigate the supposed suicide of her twin sister. What starts as a fairly interesting mystery horror set in an incredibly haunting location full of tension and atmosphere quickly flounders.

The Forest abandons its attempts to build a logical plot and unsettle the viewer with buckets of tension. Instead opting to play to type as a typical jump scare flick with no depth and an unsatisfying end. Probably worth a watch purely for the brilliant location and some of the earlier unsettling moments of the movie. I can confirm that there is no Logan Paul filming dead bodies in this movie either, so that is good.

18. Exists (2014) – Bigfoot is Back

The Wilderness Factor: It’s Bigfoot and he isn’t happy about his home being invaded by partying teens.

Knockout Verdict: Don’t mess with Sasquatch.

Exists follows a group of friends hiking deep into the Texas woods to spend a weekend partying. Only to find themselves being rudely harassed by a big hairy bastard with a propensity for hitting trees with sticks and smelling like shit.

One of a few Bigfoot movies in our list today. It’s your usual Squatchpoitation movie so expect all the standard tropes but it does have some fun moments of tension early on. Definitely worth a watch if you want to go on a cryptid binge. Its reputation seems to have improved after it was panned on release, as well. Did you know it was made by Eduardo Sánchez, the guy who made The Blair Witch Project? You do now.

17. Mercy Falls (2023) – Scottish Highlands Horror

The Wilderness Factor: It’s the wilds of Scotland but with a twist… Someone who knows them like the back of their hand is lurking their waiting to hunt our unsuspecting hikers.

Knockout Verdict: It’s a long way down.

British camping horror next as a woman hikes deep into the Scottish woods with a group of friends looking for the location of a cabin left to her by her late father. It soon becomes clear that the random hitchhiker they brought along to be their guide may not be quite who she seemed. This is fairly tense thriller fun. Mercy Falls plays out as a a cat and mouse game of hide and seek that takes place across the sprawling Scottish landscape.

This is a movie that is rather derivative, quite predictable, and a bit silly in parts. But it is still worth a watch if you need to scratch that thriller itch. It’s hard not to enjoy the performance of the fantastic Nicolette McKeown, as well. We awarded this movie 2.2/5 in our review.

16. Survive The Hollow Shoals (2018) – Solo Survival

The Wilderness Factor: The Georgia Hollow Shoals that appear to be hiding more than just dangerous animals and barren resources.

Knockout Verdict: Better than average vlogging.

This camping horror movie follows a survival expert as he sets himself a challenge to survive out in the Georgia Hollow Shoals for 60 days with minimal supplies. 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. Survive the Hollow Shoals feels like a meeting between The Blair Witch Project and the television series Alone. 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.

15. Killing Ground (2016) – Aussie Brutality

The Wilderness Factor: A seemingly idyllic camping location that soon becomes hell for a family of backpackers.

Knockout Verdict: Not for the squeamish.

Killing Ground 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 torment and assault them before delivering one of the more brutal outcomes in camping horror history. This is a camping horror movie that I have covered a number of times in a number of different lists.

I always have to point out that I don’t like Killing Ground anywhere near as much as some people. 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. It definitely fits the camping theme though, so you might want to check it out. I awarded it 2/5 in my review.

14. Coming Home in the Dark (2021) – A Road Trip to Hell

The Wilderness Factor: It’s less the wilderness that these hikers encounter and more the absolute maniacs stalking the trail.

Knockout Verdict: Bleak as hell.

Keeping with the theme of ridiculous levels of violence and minimal plot. This is another ultra gloomy movie that is likely to piss a few people off for its sheer level of bleakness. Think Speak No Evil levels of “WTF”! Coming Home in the Dark is a New Zealand hiking horror thriller about a family out on a walk where they are met by two violent drifters determined to make their lives hell.

If Killing Ground deserves a mention then so does this because Coming Home in the Dark is scarier and more effective. It’s visceral, tense, tooth-grittingly gruesome, and compelling throughout. A noteworthy debut for director James Ashcroft. Not for everyone but worth a look if you don’t mind a lot of brutality.

13. Willow Creek (2013) – Squatch Watch

The Wilderness Factor: It’s another Squatchploitation horror movie but most of the action takes place in a tent while the couple are camping.

Knockout Verdict: A masterclass in tension.

You remember Bobcat Goldthwait, right? The comedian who played the screechy voiced dude in the Police Academy series. Well, did you know that he is a massive Bigfoot fan? Willow Creek is a Bigfoot horror movie 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.

The majority of the scary parts of this movie take place in a tent. Surprisingly, it actually works incredibly well. Managing some great moments of tension and a few legitimately effective scares. This is a perfect option for fans of cryptids.

12. Cub (2014) – Scout’s Honor

The Wilderness Factor: The deep wilds of a mountain forest that hide something incredibly sinister and monstrous.

Knockout Verdict: Be prepared… to run.

A relentlessly bullied young boy heads out on a hike with his scout group, only for the group to find themselves lost in the mountains. After a night of scary campfire stories, Sam becomes convinced he has met a real life monster.

This is a quirky Belgian horror that doesn’t quite nail the landing. An interesting premise and some tense buildup is wasted as the scout group are forced to run for their lives in a landscape full of traps. Some serious leaps of logic are required to stay invested and the movie loses its feet but it is still a pretty fun ride. Very different from most of the movies on this list due to its predominantly child cast.

11. Gaia (2021) – Fungal Fear

The Wilderness Factor: Deep inside a forest hides a group of creatures that are horrifying beyond belief.

Knockout Verdict: Don’t breathe the spores.

I might be cheating a little with this one but it fits the whole camping, survival, thing pretty well. A pair of park rangers head deep into the woods on a routine mission, only for one of them to find herself injured and completely alone. After being rescued by a pair of survivalists living in a crude shelter in the forest. She begins to notice that all might not be as it seems in the world around her.

This is a cool, ecologically aware horror movie that features excellent acting, some trippy visuals, a haunting location, and monsters stolen right from The Last of Us video game series. Tense and definitely worth checking out. Gaia is a bit of a different approach to the whole camping and hiking thing but it really works. We awarded Gaia 3/5 in our review.

10. Devil’s Pass (2013) – Cold Case

The Wilderness Factor: The frozen tundra of Russia and the secrets hidden by the ice and snow.

Knockout Verdict: History repeats itself.

A group of hikers head into the mountains of Russia to attempt to discover what really happened during the Dyatlov Pass incident. Little do they realise that they will be left wishing they never found out exactly what took place all those years ago.

This movie was originally supposed to be titled The Dyatlov Pass Incident and preempted the recent fascination with the event by a number of years. It leans pretty heavily into the facts from the actual records of the mystery before going in some genuinely crazy directions. Devil’s Pass is pretty effective in parts and fairly enjoyable. Especially if you happen to have any interest in the actual true story of what happened.

9. Significant Other (2022) – Love and Aliens

The Wilderness Factor: The woods are idyllic until they play host to a crashed UFO which brings a malevolent force to the area.

Knockout Verdict: Not your typical camping trip.

A couple in a struggling relationship take a trip out into the woods for some camping. Little do they realise they are in for more than stars and s’mores. Something has crashed in the woods and brought an otherworldly malevolence to the place that threatens to consume them both.

Scares are mixed with sci-fi in this interesting movie from 2022. This is one of a few science fiction themed camping horror movies and it does a nice job of crossing genres. Significant Other features a few twists and an interesting story, though it does get a little bit crazy here and there. Still, it’s a rewarding, albeit flawed ride if you stick with it.

8. The Interior (2015) – Alone in the Woods

The Wilderness Factor: A cosmic, unknowable force that pursues our protagonist relentlessly through the deep woods. Is it something human, something in his head, or something altogether more terrifying?

Knockout Verdict: Silence is deafening.

A young man who seems to live a purposeless life is suddenly diagnosed with a significant illness. Wanting to escape the chaos of everyday life, he abandons everything and heads deep into the woods of British Columbia to confront his fears. Little does he realise, the woods may very well consume his mind completely.

When I think of camping horror, I think of The Interior. It’s enormously underrated and barely anyone seems to know about it. It’s not an absolutely fantastic movie that does everything right. It is simply a quiet little indie movie that manages some seriously effective tension and at least one brilliant scare.

It 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 get past the first half, there is a story here that manages to channel the feelings of isolation and fear while out in the open better than most movies around. I awarded The Interior 3.2/5 in my review.

7. Man Vs. (2014) – Survival of the Fittest

The Wilderness Factor: It’s not so much the wild itself because our protagonist is very capable. It’s some malevolent creature that lives in the woods that provides the scares, here.

Knockout Verdict: Grylls meets Aliens.

A reality television star heads out into the Ontario wilderness to film for the new season of his survivalist show. Only to find himself stalked by a mysterious figure that appears to not be human. This is a cool little camping horror movie that combines horror, survival, reality TV and science fiction together in a rather unique package.

Man Vs. works so well because it is incredibly believable as a survivalist reality show for much of its length. Committing wholeheartedly to the presentation of the reality TV aspect which helps to immerse the viewer in the world and adds to the tension tremendously. The movie falters during the final 15 minutes or so but, for the most part, it works brilliantly. It’s like nothing else on this list and is absolutely worth checking out.

6. Backcountry (2014) – Bear Market

The Wilderness Factor: It’s a giant, angry bear that is more than willing to rip to shreds any humans that step on its land.

Knockout Verdict: Jaws in the woods.

Backcountry sees an argumentative couple heading out for a camping trip into the backwoods where they find themselves completely lost in the territory of an aggressive black bear. We’ve had a couple of Bigfoot movies so why not a slightly more realistic and tangible threat? Described as the Jaws of bear movies. It is unsettling, uncompromising and thrilling all at the same time.

Backcountry starts as a relationship drama before turning into a brutal tale of survival against the odds. It’s one of the better bear movies, in my opinion, and it keeps the tension going for much of its length. It also happens to be based on the real life story of Jacqueline Perry and Mark Jordan who were attacked while camping in Missinaibi Lake provincial park back in 2005. Scary!

5. Wolf Creek (2005) – Outback Terror

The Wilderness Factor: The wilds are bad enough with the outback being horribly desolate. The real threat here however, is the maniacal serial killer hunting our backpacking characters through said wilderness.

Knockout Verdict: He’s got a head on a stick.

Wolf Creek follows the story of three backpackers stranded in the Australian Outback finding themselves at the mercy of a brutal and sadistic serial killer intent on causing them harm. Based on the real life story of Ivan Milat, the Backpacker Murderer. Wolf Creek kicked off a wave of fantastic Australian horror movies and offered up an even gorier alternative to Gorno films like Hostel.

The torture and sadism are unrelenting here earning this movie a notorious reputation. Not one of my favourite movies on this list but consistently popular to this day and very important in the grand scheme of Aussie horror. When it comes to backpacking horror, Wolf Creek is one of the most well known and one of the best.

4. The Ritual (2017) – Ancient Evil

The Wilderness Factor: An ancient evil hidden deep in the woods that demands worship.

Knockout Verdict: Kneel before the beast.

It follows a group of friends heading into the Swedish forest in memory of their deceased friend. Before finding themselves stalked by something that will lead them to an ancient evil hidden deep in the woods.

David Bruckner’s fantastic The Ritual was something of a surprise for me. I was a big fan of his V/H/S segment Amateur Night but really was disappointed with Siren so didn’t know what to expect. My fiancee and I headed to the cinema with a friend to check it out, purely on a whim, and ended up really enjoying The Ritual.

The Ritual goes in directions that you might not initially expect and succeeds at it. It’s tense and effective and the woods feel imposing throughout. The Ritual lets itself down a little bit with it’s ending but it is still worth checking out if you are looking for some hiking horror. It’s got some strong cosmic-horror vibes too which I think works really well with the whole wilderness thing.

3. A Lonely Place to Die (2011) – High Altitude Thrills

The Wilderness Factor: The perilous mountains of Scotland and the extra urgency caused as the characters are chased by maniacal kidnappers.

Knockout Verdict: Cliffhanger meets Deliverance.

We are back to Scotland next with Hiking Horror Movie A Lonely Place to Die by Julian Gilbey. Starring the fantastic Australian actor Melissa George. This movie sees a group of hikers stumbling across a young girl hidden in a chamber buried in the landscape. Realising they need to get her to safety, the group begins the perilous trek with the kidnappers in close pursuit.

This is a fun cat and mouse style thriller with some serious tension and some fantastic, exhilarating, scenes set alongside mountains and ravines. The element of danger is ever present thanks to the unforgiving land our characters are navigating but the movie does let itself down here and there. There are some serious leaps of logic and the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Still, this is a crowd pleasing thrill ride that is easy to enjoy.

2. Midsommar (2019) – Daylight Horror

The Wilderness Factor: The scenery is gorgeous but the locals that live there begin to reveal fractures in the character’s relationships that spiral out of control.

Knockout Verdict: Smile, it’s a celebration.

I am sure you knew that this one was going to come up and, to be honest, you could flip the number 1 and number 2 movies based on preference. Let’s be real, so many people dislike number 1 that it is a bit of a controversial choice.

Ari Aster’s follow up to Hereditary sees a couple head to Sweden to camp during a small town’s Midsommar festival. Only to find themselves at the centre of horrific and bizarre rituals that take place under the never setting sun.

Aster bucks typical horror convention by setting the entire movie in the blinding sun but, somehow, it works. It is unsettling and genuinely horrifying in parts. Maintaining much of what made Hereditary great while paying homage to horror movies that came before it. We awarded Midsommar 3.5/5 in our review which I know is perhaps a little low but the movie didn’t quite grab me the way it did other people.

1. The Blair Witch Project (1999) – The Legend

The Wilderness Factor: The deep woods that just so happened to be haunted by an ancient witch who loves to play with her food.

Knockout Verdict: Don’t kick the map in the creek.

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 lose their minds as well as something appears to be toying with them each and every night.

I know this is a controversial one and there are a number of classics movies that could go here. Deliverance for example. But as a 90’s kid, The Blair Witch Project was the first horror movie that exposed me to the terrifying endlessness of the woods. I had already watched Deliverance and it was the people that made that movie scary. In The Blair Witch Project, it felt like the woods were the antagonist.

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. I also think it is one of those movies that inspired most of the other movies on this list, as well. Not to mention a whole generation of film makers who realised that they could bring their visions to life with the minimum of equipment.

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 and I will always shout about that. We awarded The Blair Witch Project 4/5 in our review. You can also add the reboot The Blair Witch here as a bonus entry too.

The Great Outdoors? No Thanks.

And there you have it, 25 compelling reasons to sell your tent, burn your hiking boots, and never leave the safety of your living room again. From the Australian outback to the Swedish woods, it seems that stepping off the beaten path is just asking for trouble. Whether it is angry locals, hungry wildlife, or ancient deities, the wilderness is clearly not as peaceful as the brochures suggest.

If you have survived this trek and are still hungry for more travel trauma, be sure to check out our list of 20 Vacation Horror Movies Ranked. Or, if you want to see what we are watching right now, head over to our Horror Movie Reviews section. Thanks for reading Knockout Horror, and stay safe on the trails!

🌲 Quick Picks: The Best Outdoor Horror Movies by Vibe

The “Genre Defining” Pick: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
For when you want the original nightmare. It changed horror forever and proves that a few sticks and stones can be terrifying.

The “Daylight Horror” Pick: Midsommar (2019)
For when you want to be scared in the sun. A breakup movie wrapped in flowers, hallucinogens, and Swedish folk horror rituals.

The “Action” Pick: A Lonely Place to Die (2011)
For when you want high-altitude thrills. A gripping cat-and-mouse thriller set against the jagged peaks of the Scottish Highlands.

The “Monster” Pick: The Ritual (2017)
For when you want creature design. It perfectly blends psychological trauma with a terrifying, ancient Norse entity stalking the trees.

The “Sadistic” Pick: Wolf Creek (2005)
For when you want gritty realism. Mick Taylor is one of the most terrifying villains because he feels so real. A brutal reminder to stay on the main road.

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