10 of the Worst Friendships in Horror History – With Friends Like These
Welcome to Ranking Horror. We have been looking at a lot of Found Footage horror lately but today we are switching things up. In this list, we take a look at 10 of the Worst Friendships in Horror History.
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Many horror movies feature friendships between characters as a driving force of the story. Whether it is friends helping each other to stay safe or friends racing in just at the nick of time to save someone’s life. But what about the friendships in horror that go bad? What about the worst friendships in horror history?
Today we are talking about friendships that bring out the worst in each other. Friendships that result in awful things happening for one of the group. Relationships that devolve into chaos or, simply, friendships that are toxic from the very get-go.
All of these movies are pretty great and all are fairly well known. Still, you may find some surprises and if you really enjoy chaotic group dynamics there is plenty to sink your teeth into as we look at some of the worst friendships in horror history.
| Rank | Movie Title (Year) | The Toxicity Factor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) | Gen Z Backstabbing |
| 2 | Speak No Evil (2024) | Polite Manipulation |
| 3 | The Innocents (2021) | Childhood Cruelty |
| 4 | The Descent (2005) | Survival Betrayal |
| 5 | It’s What’s Inside (2024) | Identity Theft |
10. Unfriended (2014) – Digital Drama
- Director: Levan Gabriadze
- Cast: Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm
- Runtime: 83 minutes
- IMDb: 5.6/10
Why it Ranked: The toxic friendships on show in 2014’s screenlife horror movie Unfriended provide the entire backbone of the plot. In fact, you could easily say that the fact that these guys even ended up being friends is a miracle with all the secrets they are hiding from each other. Unfriended does a very nice job of placing the spotlight on the subject of online bullying, way before it was a la mode. While also reflecting the complex, and often turbulent, relationships shared between high school students. It’s effective stuff and the blending of traditional ghost stories with modern technology works really well.
Synopsis: A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead classmate.
Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
9. The Invitation (2015) – Dinner Party from Hell
- Director: Karyn Kusama
- Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Emayatzy Corinealdi
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- IMDb: 6.6/10
Why it Ranked: The Invitation provides the viewer with an incredibly interesting group dynamic that is quite atypical from the norm. It doesn’t get much more toxic than the friendships on show in The Invitation. Whether it is the dynamics between the former couple or the gradual decline of the friend group as things appear to not be quite what they seem. The tension and turmoil make this one difficult to turn away from.
Synopsis: A man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, an unsettling affair that reopens old wounds and creates new tensions.
Where to Watch: Peacock, Tubi, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
8. Chronicle (2012) – Absolute Power Corrupts
- Director: Josh Trank
- Cast: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell
- Runtime: 84 minutes
- IMDb: 7.0/10
Why it Ranked: Chronicle is a fantastic movie that blends horror and thriller traits with a superhero narrative to create something that felt, at the time, very fresh. It is also found footage so whack a tick into that box for anyone who is a fan of that sub-genre. Once again, Chronicle puts a focus on interesting group dynamics as the characters here share a close bond but drastically different home lives. The trauma experienced by certain characters that, in real life, we see result in adult criminality is pushed to an even further extreme as the toxic friendship between the main characters leads to a desperate fight between good and evil.
Synopsis: Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
7. Infinity Pool (2023) – Hedonistic Hell
- Director: Brandon Cronenberg
- Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- IMDb: 6.0/10
Why it Ranked: Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool sees a man’s life transformed after developing a friendship with a group of hedonistic people while on vacation. An accident twists the group’s dynamics, introducing the man to a world of sex, violence, and excess that he quickly becomes obsessed with. Mia Goth is on top form in this truly bizarre science fiction horror that really goes in a number of unexpected directions. The friend group dynamics push the entire narrative as our protagonist is forced deeper and deeper into a dark world that promises nothing but misery. Jameeeesy!
Synopsis: James and Em Foster are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation when a fatal accident exposes the resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence, and surreal horrors.
Where to Watch: Hulu
6. Talk to Me (2022) – Peer Pressure Possession
- Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
- Cast: Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- IMDb: 7.1/10
Why it Ranked: Talk To Me is a well-loved teen horror movie from Australia, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou. Talk to Me comes across as an allegorical tale for drug use and places the focus on how damaging friendships, in these situations, can be. With the toxic character’s obsession with talking to the dead consistently harming the people around her and making her one of the worst friends in horror history. It is effective stuff and well regarded, though definitely not one of my favourite horror movies. Hence its place on this list. I found one of the characters so utterly unlikable that it actually put me off the film in quite a big way.
Synopsis: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Where to Watch: Paramount+, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
5. It’s What’s Inside (2024) – Body Swap Betrayal
- Director: Greg Jardin
- Cast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini
- Runtime: 103 minutes
- IMDb: 6.6/10
Why it Ranked: Greg Jardin’s It’s What’s Inside is a very cool concept from 2024 that, in my opinion, doesn’t quite nail the landing. It is a great movie, though and definitely acts as a perfect example of the worst friendships in horror history. Things start off great for the friend group here. Still, we see some hints, early on, that everything might not be as rosy as it seems. It isn’t long until they begin breaking down and long-hidden secrets are dug up, splintering the group. It proves that trusting everything your friends say is not always the best course of action. It’s What’s Inside feels very original for much of its length and quite funny. Well worth checking out.
Synopsis: A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase.
Where to Watch: Netflix
4. The Descent (2005) – Cave Calamity
- Director: Neil Marshall
- Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza
- Runtime: 99 minutes
- IMDb: 7.2/10
Why it Ranked: Neil Marshall’s The Descent is widely regarded as one of the best horror movies of the 2000s. This is one of those movies that inspired a generation with its claustrophobic scares and genuinely terrifying monster designs. It also features some very interesting group dynamics. For the most part, The Descent is a story of women doing absolutely everything they can to protect and look after each other. Two of the group, however, share a relationship that is incredibly toxic and definitely one of the worst friendships in horror history. Still amazingly effective today and a great example of toxic friendships in horror movies. The Descent remains essential viewing.
Synopsis: A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Tubi
3. The Innocents (2021) – Kids Can Be Cruel
- Director: Eskil Vogt
- Cast: Rakel Lenora Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- IMDb: 7.0/10
Why it Ranked: Much like the movie above, Chronicle, Eskil Vogt’s The Innocents sees a friendship develop between two young children who happen to have supernatural powers and abilities. The big difference is that this movie takes place in Norway and features a very young cast. It is also an incredibly dark movie with one of the most shocking moments of cruelty I have ever witnessed in a modern horror. When it comes to the worst friendships in horror history, it is hard not to think of The Innocents because of the escalation that comes from the relationships at the movie’s core. The characters here bring out the worst in each other, eventually culminating in a tragic manner as a battle between good and evil takes place.
Synopsis: During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren’t looking.
Where to Watch: Shudder, AMC+
2. Speak No Evil (2024) – Toxic Politeness
- Director: James Watkins
- Cast: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- IMDb: 6.9/10
Why it Ranked: For this entry, we could go with Christian Tafdrup’s 2022 original Danish version of Speak No Evil or James Watkins’ 2024 remake. I think the remake is superior for a few reasons, namely the brilliant performance of James McAvoy, the addition of Aisling Franciosi, and an ending that I think more people will enjoy. When you talk about worst friendships in horror history, it is impossible not to throw in the friendships in Speak No Evil. Watkins changed things up in the remake, giving us a far more traditional horror ending. The build-up is equally fantastic, though, and a great example of being careful who you trust as you never quite know what someone’s real intentions are.
Synopsis: A family is invited to spend a weekend in an idyllic country house, unaware that their dream vacation will soon become a psychological nightmare.
Where to Watch: Peacock, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
🚩 Red Flags: How to Spot a Toxic Horror Friend
Think your bestie might be the villain (or at least the reason you don’t survive the night)? Check for these warning signs:
- 🗺️ The “Shortcut” Specialist: If they suggest a route that isn’t on GPS and involves an abandoned logging road, run. They are either an idiot or a sacrifice-in-training.
- 🔦 The Splitter: “Let’s split up, we’ll cover more ground”… No, Brenda, we will just die in two different locations. This is a classic tactic to thin the herd.
- 🤫 The Gaslighter: “You’re just being paranoid”, they say, while a man in a mask is literally sharpening a machete in the background. If they downplay your survival instincts, they are a liability.
- 👟 The Sprinter: Do they constantly remind you that they don’t need to outrun the bear, they just need to outrun you? They aren’t cracking wise, there; that’s a plan.
- 📱 The Prankster: If they think jumping out of a closet with a knife is funny after you’ve heard news of a local serial killer, cut them loose. They are attracting bad karma.
If your friend group ticks more than two of these boxes, it might be time to find some new mates. Preferably ones with common sense and a working survival instinct.
1. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) – Generation Z-ero Trust
- Director: Halina Reijn
- Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova
- Runtime: 94 minutes
- IMDb: 6.2/10
Why it Ranked: Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fantastically funny movie that goes out of its way to subvert expectations. Some people don’t seem to get the irony of it but its witty focus on the hypocrisy of young people is bitingly hilarious. Is there a more toxic friend group in horror history than that of the group in Bodies Bodies Bodies? I am not sure, but it definitely deserves its position at number 1. The friends here betray and backstab each other at every turn. All of their affections seem incredibly surface deep and the fractured relationships result in a spiral of mayhem that is hilariously chaotic.
Synopsis: When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game goes awry in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.
Where to Watch: Max, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
Bad Company
So there you have it, 10 horror movies where the biggest threat might just be the person standing next to you. From the supernatural pressures of Talk to Me to the all-too-real social awkwardness of Speak No Evil, these films prove that having friends isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. If you are planning a weekend getaway with your pals anytime soon, maybe give these movies a miss… or take notes.
I’ll be back soon with more lists. In the meantime, check out some of our other horror rankings. Stay spooky.
🎭 Quick Picks: Toxic Friendship Essentials
- 🏆 The Must-Watch: Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
- 🤫 The Uncomfortable Watch: The Invitation (2015)
- 📼 The Found Footage Gem: Chronicle (2012)
- 😈 The Darkest Tale: The Innocents (2021)
- 🤝 The “Polite” Nightmare: Speak No Evil (2024)
