Best Family Vacation (Gone Wrong) Horror Movies

Kate Rotunda
3 days ago
3 min read

Here is a list of the best family vacation horror movies in honor of this week's episode of the Lunatics Radio Hour (Berkey Family Vacation 1988).

Four people stand in white robes. On the left is a man with glasses and a beard, he is holding up a cookie. Slightly behind him there is a younger man looking forward. To the right of the younger man is a young woman with short blonde hair holding up a cookie. To the right of the younger woman is a slightly older woman with dark brown hair also holding up a cookie.

Get Away (2024): I find that horror movies with comedic actors tend to be the goriest. Get Away starring Nick Frost and Aisling Bea as parents who bring their children to a remote island in Sweden is no exception. This movie is full of cheesy jokes and cookie cutter horror tropes, but it is truly an entertaining watch with a fun little “twist.” A great “family friendly” blood soaked horror movie to watch when you want to turn your brain off.

Four people stand outside on a brick driveway surrounded by trees. All four people are holding hands and wearing red jumpsuits and sandals. From left to right there is a young boy in a white hood with eye and mouth holes, a tall man with a beard, a woman with short hair, and a young girl. There is a light shinging behind them and their faces are cast in shadow.

Us (2019): A film that shows a family vacation go so wrong it affects all of America. Many people will claim this was a weak followup to Get Out from Jordan Peele, but this movie freaked me out when I first saw it in theaters. Every actor delivers a chilling performance, and doppelgängers are a terrifying concept in their own right. A fun plot, with some good physical and psychological scares and a great twist ending. This film begs the question, would you win in a fight against yourself? It also answers this question, probably not! However with a solid family dynamic on your side you may be able to get away, just with some new trauma to last for generations to come.

P.S: If you want more information on doppelgängers listen to episodes 118 and 119 of The Lunatics Radio Hour Podcast.

A shot of a woman from the shoulders up. The background is a wooden ceiling and light shinging behind the woman's head. The woman is looking up and to the right and there are tears in her eyes. There is blood on the woman's face and cuts on her nose, cheeks and lips.

The Lodge (2019): I can’t think of anything that brings a new family closer together than trauma, cults, and remote snowed in lodges. This film explores the life of a survivor of a cult mass suicide as she navigates a winter vacation with her new husband and his children. The story focuses heavily on the effects of cabin fever and plays with the idea of “evil” step families. Perfect movie to watch with your step parents if you're not getting along to show them things could be a lot lot worse.

A wide shot of a kitchen with a wooden island in the center. To the right is a young girl looking down at something. To the left and behind the young girl on the other side of the island is an old woman holding a tray.

The Visit (2015): Another bizarre dark comedy, The Visit is a confusing and disturbing watch. It all begins when two children go to visit their estranged grandparents whom they’ve never met. From here things get very strange… and kinda gross. The film takes the form of found footage where the characters are trying to figure out what's going on at the same time as the audience with yet another little twist at the end. A good movie to watch if you want some disturbing imagery and a dark plot with some silliness along the way. Although I can’t say for certain, this family is likely less friendly than yours.

Four people sitting in a van. To the left is a young man in a wheelchair, behind him is a man with glasses in the drivers seat turned toward the back of the van, to his eight is a young girl sitting on the floor, next to her is a woman in the passenger seat turned toward the back of the van, in front of the passenger seat is a man sitting on the floor. All four people are turned in the same direction looking at something off screen.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): Although this film isn’t as straightforward family vacation as the others, family does play a major part in the plot. Not only are the axe wielding psychopaths a family themselves, but two of their victims are brother and sister who are on a group vacation together. A slasher through and through, this film does not have much of a plot other than watching a bunch of moronic teenagers get brutally murdered. But hey, don’t we all just want to sit down and watch a movie like that from time to time, especially after watching all these complicated movies about family dynamics? I know I sure do!