5 horror movies that mostly take place in broad daylight

What's scarier than horror that takes place in broad daylight?

Most horror movies use daylight scenes to bridge the gap between frightening night sequences, but sometimes horror flips it around to surprise audiences by making their movie take place in the bright sunlight. That means you never know when something terrible will happen because the typical warning you get from switching to night doesn't happen.

Midsommar (2019)

Most folk horror movies will easily fall under the "daylight horror" subgenre. Midsommar just happens to be one of the most popular in the modern era, but other classics like The Wicker Man could certainly fit here, too.

Most people think of the brilliant colors of Midsommar when they recall the movie that follows Florence Pugh's character Dani as she and her friends travel to Sweden to partake in the legendary Midsommar Festival, only to watch as their retreat becomes increasingly violent.

Old (2021)

The entire premise of Old hinges on the fact it takes place entirely during the daylight on a beautiful, picturesque beach that looks like most peoples' idea of paradise. It plays with the idea of a gorgeous location turning deadly, subverting audience expectations.

Old is an M. Night Shyamalan-directed feature about a family who discovers their tropical getaway is turning into a nightmare as the beach they're on has trapped them and caused all of them to age rapidly.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

You don't get much more daylight horror than the sun-soaked, humid, stickiness of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Yes, there are a few notable scenes that take place in the evening at dusk, but the bulk of this film takes place in broad daylight. If you ever watch the behind-the-scenes documentary on this movie, you'll learn that the Texas heat was particularly brutal and made for a challenging time on set.

Triangle (2009)

Triangle is one of this twisted psychological thrillers that can be hard to keep tabs on due to its Groundhog's Day-style loop, but it's a great and underrated flick that follows a woman (Melissa George) after she lands on a deserted cruise ship and finds herself reliving the same day over and over.

Train to Busan (2016)

Not all zombie movies take place at night, in fact, many popular films and shows in the genre feature plenty of daylight scenes and montages like in The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, and Dawn of the Dead. But one of my favorites is the 2016 Korean film Train to Busan starring Gong Yoo as a father desperate to keep his daughter safe when a viral zombie outbreak happens on their train.

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