9: Canada – 10 Greatest Horror Movie Nations On Earth

Welcome to Ranking Horror. We are continuing our feature on The 10 Greatest Horror Nations on Earth. Today, we are checking out number 9 on the list – Canada.

This ranking measures horror nations by sustained influence, modern relevance, and impact above expectation, not just historical legacy.

I really had to debate Canada’s place on this list of greatest horror nations; I wanted to put it so much higher. It’s no doubt that Canada has had a massive impact on the horror industry, as a whole. That’s undeniable but there is an important point to remember when it comes to the country’s contributions. Canada is a very frequent collaborator with the USA and that impacts its position on this list.

In fact, this proximity has diluted its identity to the point where it’s almost unrecognisable and that has had to factor in. As always, there are a few key factors we will be concentrating on and we will summarise those points at the end of the article. Let’s take a look.

• Consistency: How consistent has the country been in putting out decent horror movies.
• Historical Impact: How impactful has the country’s horror output been on the industry itself.
• Current Impact: How impactful are the country’s modern releases on the industry
• Impact Above Expected: How impactful has the country been considering their population.

9: Canada – A Massively Important Horror Nation

Let’s get to the crux of the problem with Canada’s position on this countdown – proximity to the USA and collaboration.

Of all of the major Canadian horror movies that came to mind, over half were collaborations with the USA, the UK, Spain, or other countries. Many of them featured almost entirely American casts, as well. Naturally, this is expected given Canada’s proximity to the USA and its relatively small population. It still bears mention when it comes to where it fits into a list of the greatest horror nations, though.

That doesn’t mean that Canada hasn’t made a big impact without the help of its cousin to the south, however. There are some absolutely fantastic titles dating back to the 1960s. Early glimpses of what the country was capable of in the horror world came with 1961’s The Mask.

This movie is, often, cited as Canada’s first feature length horror film. Believe it or not, it was actually made for 3D, a fact that is somewhat surprising considering when it was released. I am sure we are talking about the flimsy Anaglyph glasses rather than the more modern type we use nowadays.

This was the first time a film made entirely by Canadians received worldwide attention. While it stands as more of a curio than a truly ground-breaking horror title – The Mask is still very noteworthy. Things were about to change big time, however. Canada was on the cusp of horror greatness!

Canada’s Tax Shelter Era and a Horror Boom

This era between the mid 70s and the early 80s was the most crucial, pre-2000s, to Canada’s horror industry. The Canadian government reached deep into their pockets and handed out immensely generous tax incentives to movie makers and it brought them in in droves.

Filmmakers could deduct 100% of their investment in Canadian-certified films from their taxable income. Basically creating an industry that was purely profit.

While the intention was to propel the Canadian film industry into a world leading powerhouse. This Tax Shelter era had the added effect of creating a budget horror and exploitation movie landslide.

After all, they were cheap to produce and had a devoted audience already waiting with hands open. The mid 70s to early 80s were notable for a few things in Canadian horror:

• An Abundance of Bad Movies: Films were made quickly to meet tax deadlines and this lead to an abundance of cheaply produced, poor quality, films.
• A Ton of Innovation: The tax incentives meant that Canadian horror became a hotbed of daring and innovation. Filmmakers were willing to try anything and everything knowing that there would be no financial penalty to failure.
• The Proliferation of Slashers: They were cheap to produce, easy to slot well known American actors into (like Halloween’s Jamie Lee Curtis), and appealing to audiences. Many of the traits that would define the genre were established in Canada during this era.
• The Rise of Body Horror: David Cronenberg would propel body-horror to new levels and spawn a whole wave of copycats in both his home country and abroad.
• The Rise of Collaborations with the USA: American filmmakers were keen to jump on these tax breaks so heading up North to co-produce movies with Canada. This lead to the birth of “Hollywood North”.

The “Canuxplitation” (Canadian Exploitation) era was noteworthy for the sheer abundance of low budget, low quality, films that released purely for profit.

To achieve the extremely desirable tax breaks, films had to be entirely Canadian in shooting location and production team while featuring a majority Canadian creative team. Sounds great but this created an issue because these filmmakers wanted to sell their virtually cost free movies to America.

This meant that many of the movies from the Canadian exploitation era hid their origins behind generic American settings.

In essence, these were movies that were Canadian in everything other than identity. Many of these films have gone on to become cult classics – 1977’s Rituals and 1983’s Curtains have really stood the test of time. While the majority shared the same lacklustre quality as the 1976, John Candy, starring slasher The Clown Murders.

An Important Era of Horror Experimentation

What the Tax Shelter Era, crucially, offered most was an opportunity for directors and filmmakers to experiment and gain experience. There was little consequence for failure so the era ushered in a whole new wave of Canadian horror talent.

Some of the most significant movies of this era still stand among horror’s most noteworthy titles to this day. The slasher genre and body horror’s rise can be widely attributed to the late 70s and early 80s. Sure, many of them were directed by, or starred, American talent but they still deserve mention:

• Black Christmas (1974)
• Shivers (1975)
• The Brood (1979)
• Terror Train (1980)
• Prom Night (1980)
• My Bloody Valentine (1981)
• Funeral Home (1980)
• Scanners (1981)
• The Pit (1981)
• Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
• Videodrome (1983)
• Visiting Hours (1982)
• Humongous (1982)
• Rabid (1977)
• The Changeling (1980)
• Deathdream (1972)

Cronenberg, in particular, went on to change the landscape of horror forever. Movies like Videodrome (1983), Scanners (1981), The Brood (1979), and Shivers (1975) would go on to define the body horror genre for decades to come. Few horror directors have released such a well regarded series of films in such a short space of time.

Canada was knocking out a great horror movie every couple of years. Black Christmas (1974) stands as one of the most important proto-slasher movies of all time. My Bloody Valentine (1981) and Prom Night (1980) are also great examples of the genre to follow. The significance of these movies and their directors can be directly attributed to Canada’s Tax Shelter Era.

Canada’s Horror Industry Post Tax Shelter Era

Canada did experience a big decline after the Tax Shelter era. The tax break incentives were drastically reduced in 1982 before being removed completely in 1988. The party was over and the lack of innovation and daring in the industry that followed was starkly apparent.

Horror during the 80s to 90s was of a significantly lower quality and budgets were incredibly tight. Unfortunately, the vast majority of releases were straight-to-video efforts that have been lost to time. Canada was in the tremendous shadow of its cousin to the south. There were a few hidden gems, though.

• The Gate (1987)
• Pin (1988)
• Cube (1997)
• Ginger Snaps (2000)

Cube and Ginger Snaps were particularly well regarded. Cube is still frequently cited as one of the more creative examples of science fiction horror from the 90s. While Ginger Snaps put a whole new, coming-of-age, spin on the tired werewolf horror genre. Ginger Snaps is, at least partly, responsible for ushering in a bit of a post-2000s resurgence in the Canadian horror industry.

Canadian Horror Bouncing Back Post 2000s

Canada still benefits in a big way from its proximity to Hollywood. There’s much more of a leaning towards the independent scene, though. Canadian horror stands out for how daring it can be and how much the country embraces indie and arthouse filmmakers with fresh ideas. A number of distinctly Canadian titles really stand out.

• They Wait (2007)
• Pontypool (2008)
• The Shrine (2010)
• Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)
• Grave Encounters (2011)
• American Mary (2012)
• Backcountry (2014)
• Bite (2015)
• Pyewacket (2017)
• Les Affamés (Ravenous) (2017)
• Ghostland (2018)
• Blood Quantum (2019)
• Slash/Back (2022)
• Skinamarink (2022)
• Red Rooms (2023)
• In a Violent Nature (2024)
• Lowlifes (2024)

This list isn’t remotely exhaustive, either. Canadian films of indigenous origin deserve special mention, too. Director Jeff Barnaby hails from Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation Territory and brought a voice of truly Canadian origin to the horror world with 2019’s Blood Quantum.

Nyla Innuksuk’s Shudder original Slash/Back gave further representation to indigenous Canadians in 2022 and was very well received. These movies are tremendously important to telling stories that can only be told by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people.

Canada’s Horror Strength is in Collaboration

When you start to get into co-productions with other countries the list of horror with Canadian origin expands massively and this is where its strength really lies.

• The Fly (1986) – Canadian director (Cronenberg), Canadian tax shelter era DNA, US studio backing.
• Antiviral (2012) – Brandon Cronenberg, Canada through and through.
• Possessor (2020) – Same deal. Canadian auteur, Canadian production spine.
• Infinity Pool (2023) – Brandon Cronenberg again. Canadian-led with global funding.
• Random Acts of Violence (2019) – Canadian director and production base.
• Afflicted (2013) – Canadian indie roots despite global setting.
• Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) – Canadian director, Canadian financing, US cast.
• Splice (2009) – Canadian director (Natali), but very much a Canada – France studio hybrid.
• The Tall Man (2012) – French director, Canadian setting and production.
• Mama (2013) – Canadian-born short expanded via Spanish producers and Hollywood machinery.
• Orphan (2009) – Canadian production infrastructure, American studio horror at heart.

And a massive amount of lower budget stuff that is far less noteworthy. While these movies don’t always show a distinctly Canadian origin, they are noteworthy for the country’s contributions to their development.

You can also add on a bunch of movies that were filmed entirely in Canada or featured Canadian directors to bulk the list even more. Canada’s strength really lies in its ability to work with other countries to produce fantastic horror films.

A Lack Of Recent Ground-Breaking Horror Hits

The major thing that Canada seems to lack is a recent marquee horror movie to call its own. Although Canadian horror movies are frequently great. There seems to be a lack of recent titles that really set the horror world on fire.

Even some of the more noteworthy recent titles like Skinamarink (2022), In a Violent Nature (2024), and Lowlifes (2024), have their fair share of critics.

It feels as though Ginger Snaps was the last truly great Canadian horror movie that made an impact worldwide. American Mary was excellent but not exactly universally well loved. Red Rooms might be the most critically brilliant film in recent Canadian horror history but its exposure is fairly limited.

With all of this being said, the big thing that keeps Canada at number 9 on this list is its frequent status as a bridesmaid rather than the bride. As well as its proximity to America, in general. With that being said, it’s hard to deny Canada’s importance to the industry via its frequent status as a horror collaborator and a truly great innovator.

Canadian horror is consistently interesting, frequently divisive, and still chasing the consensus masterpiece it last found in Ginger Snaps. Again, I would slap Canada in the top 5 due to my love of their movies but I objectively can’t when following this ranking’s rules.

• Consistency: Canada has been putting out decent horror from the 70s onward with a big lull for about 20 years. It is a frequent collaborator with other countries. They also have a thriving low budget horror industry.
• Historical Impact: Canada had a pivotal impact on both the slasher sub-genre and body-horror.
• Current Impact: Canada still puts out a lot of horror but its current impact is felt more as a collaborator.
• Impact Above Expected: A shared language, and border, with the USA helps immensely but still punching above its weight.