In Southern Gothic, the Deep South is a place of unrest.

The crumbling castles of traditional Gothic horror are turned into aging plantation estates.

Families living in the very places their ancestors built will find themselves haunted.

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But the supernatural is scarcely to be blamed.

Over the decades, newer movies have added in the supernatural as a very real threat.

Rituals and the occult make a bloody mess inAngel Heart(1987) andThe Skeleton Key(2005).

“Preacher” Harry Powell with “Love” written on his fingers in The Night of the Hunter

Image via United Artists

But if the supernatural isnt a reason for concern, there is always religion as a chaotic motivator.

In old and modern Southern Gothic cinema, religious fanaticism taint holy words.

Dont be fooled by the lush visuals.

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Chilled glasses of sweet tea and meals of homemade gumbo are always served with a nasty surprise.

LOVE and HATE are tattooed on his knuckles, separating right and wrong, good and bad.

Yet, the righteous path he speaks of, is full of misogyny and violence.

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Powells charisma fools townspeople into trusting him.

And when he hears of stolen money, he sets his eyes on a new family.

Willa Harper (Shelley Winters) is on borrowed time once she lets him into her orbit.

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Image via Lionsgate

He woos her, but her two kids stay suspicious of this stranger.

Shadows make dark space all the more like a void.

An unsettling, watery grave visual is almost dream-like.

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Chop off his hand and head!

as they run from the Hollis mansion.

Now middle-aged, she clings to her familys estate as an impending demolition is soon to come.

Caroline reading a book in an atic in The Skeleton Key

Image via Universal Pictures

The only hope might be the arrival of her cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland).

However, the relative Charlotte hasnt seen in so long, might not be her saving grace.

Leave it to Bette Davis to bring to life a Southern belle fuming in wrath and defiance.

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She blasts a shotgun at the bulldozing crew.

The actress signature eyes open as wide as ever as her mental state comes under attack.

She commands all her scenes, in the role of a woman whos constantly pushed to the edge.

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Image via Roadside Attractions

The act of performing ends up being a crucial theme.

The townsfolk see the womans fury as evidence of homicidal urges.

What if Charlotte is only playing the part she sees they want her too?

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Image via Shudder

Stuck in the school, McBurney ends up being a dangerous powder keg, triggering jealousy and arousal.

He claims he has no interest in catching the eyes of those around him.

But hes a liar, starting with how he got injured in the first place.

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Racism, sexuality, and the ongoing Civil War come together to create this very messed-up Southern Gothic tale.

The mysterious Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) soon requests his services, wanting an individual tracked down.

It takes Angel to New Orleans and the people he meets, soon end up viciously killed.

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The traditional noir formula gets refreshed with elements of the occult.

People are not what they seem.

At least before, mortals were the culprits.

The deeper Angel searches for answers, the closer he gets to the supernatural that has infiltrated everyday life.

Noirs, like Southern Gothics, dont end well.

When the movie culminates with Angels fate, it turns everything that came before on its head.

Dressed in black, fit with sunglasses, Dolphin gets splashed in blood by a prank early on.

Its a jolting way to kick off the movie.

Once Seth learns about vampires, he quickly links the bloodsuckers to Dolphin.

The boys fantasy life, out in the isolation, only intensifies from there.

The sunny world Seth lives in is in fact very dreary.

Secrets are exposed, effectively causing his family turmoil.

The ride is long and far from help, should there be a need for it.

And there will be.

Caroline comes to understand Benjamin is afraid of his wife.

But the nurse tries to rationalize it, from his condition to the fears.

Stormy weather heats up the humidity and floods the swampland surrounding Carolines place of employment.

As is typical with Southern Gothic horror, the past has no plan to lie down quietly.

Two Black servants that were enslaved at the estate supposedly haunt a room.

She just has to avoid the watchful eyes of Gena Rowlands demented Southern belle.

Their deadbeat dad has gone missing, after putting up the house and farmland as part of his bond.

If he doesnt make a court date, the family will lose everything.

DirectorDebra Granikpaints a colorful world with not much color.

Traditional music works to authenticate the environment.

Abandoned and burned down meth labs litter the grounds.

Unlike the bleakness to many of the Southern Gothics, this one offers a glimmer of hope.

Mud is suffering from helping his on- and off-again girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon).

Bad men are looking for him now, putting the two boys in danger.

If not from men with guns, the venomous bite of a cottonmouth on the island is lethal enough.

McConaugheys damaged man is very different from the one he played in his other Southern Gothic,True Detective.

This is more drama, rather than crime, a grounded film playing out like a lyrical fable.

Ellis puts Mud on a pedestal.

Growing up isnt simple and Ellis loses his innocence, realizing Mud is not the ideal father figure.

What Josiah Saw (2021)

The Graham family have not been together for decades.

Fair warning, this is a relentless two hours of generational trauma, grief, and self-destruction.

Robert Patrick was scary as a Terminator, but thats nothing compared to the abusive father he plays.

Told in chapters, the movie is a slow burn that explodes into violence.

Escaping a second time isn’t promised.