13 Terrifying Home Invasion Movies That Will Creep You Out Tonight

Loosely based on the real-life Manson family murders and the killing of Sharon Tate, The Strangers features a young couple fighting for their lives against three strangers who want nothing more than to see them dead. 

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With a haunting soundtrack playing in the background, they taunt and torment Kristen and James all night. Their motive for the assault? The couple just so happened to be home. The Strangers perfectly captures one of the home invasion subgenre's most horrifying elements: an attack can happen anywhere, anytime, and without motive.

The 1979 film When a Stranger Calls asks how far a babysitter is willing to go to protect themselves and the children they were hired to keep safe. 

A stranger calls from inside the house, but Jill has no idea that the call is merely the beginning. What follows is a horrific tale of a stranger preying on an innocent person for unknown reasons. When a Stranger Calls set a high bar in the home invasion subgenre, tapping into that sense that a stranger could be inside at any moment, just waiting to strike.

Maddie Young became deaf at the age of 13. Now grown, she's a successful writer who lives alone in a home. But a killer lurks in the darkness, ready to take advantage of her inability to hear. 

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With only her sight and quick thinking to save her, Maddie soon finds herself locked in a game of cat and mouse with a sadistic masked stranger. 

The 2007 French horror movie Inside centers on the story of a pregnant woman named Paradis who is threatened by a stranger who wants to take her unborn child. It is a part of the extreme French horror movement and, as such, is relentless in its unflinching scenes of violence and gore. 

Inside is not for the faint of heart. The brutal cinematography combined with its merciless storyline creates a lasting impact on the viewer.

Black Christmas includes a sorority house of unsuspecting victims, an ultraviolent stranger, and a final girl. This home invader takes out the young women one by one, leaving their bodies in plain sight as he moves in on the final girl, Jess Bradford. 

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Each man Jess interacts with is suspected of being the stranger who's carrying out the murder spree. Who's the true killer? This classic slasher flick influenced a wave of horror movies, including John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

The Faber family arrives at their lake house for a fun-filled family vacation. But the trip takes a sharp left turn when two strange men named Peter and Paul decide it's time to play some “games.” It just so happens that the games involve blood, murder, and mayhem, and Peter and Paul are the only ones who get to decide who wins. 

As the Fabers fight for their lives, they have no idea what Peter and Paul are actually capable of or for how long they’ve been playing these games. In Funny Games, a family vacation turns into a bloodbath.

Horror legend Wes Craven made his directorial debut with the 1972 home invasion film Last House on The Left, which follows a group of murderers as they happen to arrive at their most recent victim’s family home. 

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At first, the Collingwoods welcome in the strangers out of the kindness of their hearts. After hearing their guests discuss the murder of their daughter, Mari Collingwood, Dr. John and Estelle Collingwood set out for revenge. Last House on the Left subverts the home invasion narrative of the homeowners as prey. In this movie, it's the intruders who suffer the horrors of torture. 

Another French extremist film, High Tension starts and ends with gore. It introduces us to a stranger set on slashing away at an innocent group of friends.

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With a twist for the ages, High Tension reveals that the stranger is far closer than you think. Indeed, the culprit may be a friend or family member, someone who can exploit your sense of trust and get away with nearly anything.

A disgruntled apartment concierge named Cesar becomes infatuated with a tenant named Clara. Soon, his infatuation takes a turn for the dangerous, and it's clear that he won't rest until he gets what he wants. This invader knows the ins and outs of the building and holds keys to nearly every apartment. Showing up is not uncommon or perceived as dangerous, especially when he has the right excuse. 

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Sleep Tight is a deeply unsettling horror movie that makes one question the safety of renting an apartment and trusting anyone with a key to the front door.

While other films on this list are concerned with maintaining the safety of children as a parent or babysitter, Emelie (2016) takes an entirely different route. Emelie poses as the hired babysitter named Anna. She starts the night by tormenting the three children, forcing them to witness anything that ranges from seemingly innocent frights to profoundly traumatic actions.

It isn't long before the children realize the danger they're in. They must fight for their lives while their parents try to get home to save them. In this film, the stranger is in plain sight and she is closer than anyone can imagine.

Anna is agoraphobic and alone in her childhood home when three intruders learn of the vast amount of money hidden in the house. Unable to leave her home, she must fight to survive by any means necessary. 

Utilizing all of her skills and resources, Intruders (2016) showcases the will of a powerful woman despite the obstacle that stands in her way. This home invasion movie isn’t about how one woman suffers at the hands of men, it's about how Anna fights back with all of her strength and courage.

Angst (1983) is based on the real-life St. Pölten murders committed by the Austrian killer Werner Kniesek. Kniesek was known for torturing his victims before killing them.  

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The entirety of the film follows an unnamed serial killer as he breaks into homes with the sole intent of sadistically torturing each occupant. The movie includes scenes of brutal violence and is perhaps the most unsettling home invasion movie on this list, due to the fact that it stayed so true to Kniesek's actual crimes. 

After Meg purchases a new home to share with her daughter Sarah, the realtor reveals to them that it comes with a panic room. Soon after moving in, intruders swarm the house in order to steal bearer bonds buried under the floors. It's a heist gone wrong but the strangers are relentless in getting what they came for. Now, Meg and Sarah must fight back if they hope to make it out alive.