Films are a fantastic medium, that when handled well, can cause the viewer to feel any variety of emotions.  Any horror movie can cause fear and dread, that should be it’s number one goal after all.  However, it takes something truly special to not just scare the viewer, but to also start up a crying fit.  So let’s take a look at 5 tearjerker moments in horror.

Train to Busan

Train to Busan is pretty popular at the time of writing, and upon viewing, for obvious reasons.  The plot follows a father so obsessed with his work that he spends very little time with his young daughter.  For her birthday the daughter wants nothing more than to catch a train to Busan and visit her mother, who lives there.

The action starts once the rather disjointed family finally boards the titular train, only to realize that a zombie plague has been set lose.  Train to Busan doesn’t stop the action once it gets going, and touches on some pretty tough themes to swallow.  Add that to some of the best child acting in recent history and the final moments of this flick are almost guaranteed to have you choking back tears.

The Host

The Host is another fantastic Asian horror flick with an ending designed to make you cry.  This one also focuses on a father who is out of touch with his young daughter’s life, with a few key differences.  Instead of zombies we are treated to a large amphibious mutated monster, wreaking havoc on the main land.

Early on in the film our protagonist’s daughter is taken by the monster and the family is forced to track her down and save her before it’s to late.    It’s not just the ending that is sad in The Host, everything that can go wrong does for this family.  Their motivation’s are pure, but nothing ever quite works out.

 

The Host is a weird mix of horror-comedy and a drama, and it somehow works.  There are a few tonal shifts throughout that are kind of jarring, but it doesn’t detriment the dramatic scenes, if anything the general shenanigans of the characters only add to the tearjerker factor.

Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas absolutely deserves a place on this list, and if any of you have yet to see it please do yourself a favor and track it down.  It follows the titular Odd Thomas who has the ability to see the dead, and he does his best to help them in any way possible.  The opening moments of the film show Thomas chasing down a rapist and knocking him unconscious awaiting police pick up.

As the plot progresses Thomas learns of an incoming disaster for his town that promises to be cataclysmic.  It’s up to him to use his psychic abilities to gather clues and stop whatever hell is coming for him.

The final revelation of Odd Thomas is one of the saddest moments of almost any film that I have personally seen and I am not ashamed to admit that the ending had me in tears on the first viewing.  If it’s your first time watching be prepared for a left hook to the feels, because this ending is utterly bleak, and perfect for the story as a whole.

The Fly (1986)

The remake of a horror classic may seem like an odd addition to add to a list of tearjerker movies, but David Cronenberg’s The Fly is a masterpiece of horror drama.  The overall story is the same, a brilliant scientist attempts quantum teleportation and it seemingly works, but with horrible unforeseen consequences.

The saddest part of the plot is the slow painful transformation Seth goes through, while his love interest Veronica is forced to watch.  Take a moment and try to imagine a loved one slowly transforming into something horrible before you, and you can do absolutely nothing but watch.  That is the true drama of The Fly.

Brundlefly was a horrible accident and one that cost Seth and Veronica a future together.  Words can never hope to describe the true sadness you will experience when watching this.  The only way to truly understand is to watch it for yourself, and watch as the body horror slowly takes a side step for the relationship drama between Seth and Veronica.

The Mist

The movie adaption of Stephen King’s novella The Mist is nonstop horror and claustrophobia up until it’s final moments.  The Mist, to it’s credit, has possibly one of the darkest endings of a modern horror movie on top of being a damn depressing one as well.

A father is faced with an impossible decision and the audience is forced to watch as he does what he feels is best for his son and the rest of the survivors looking for some form of help.  Only to realize mere moments later everything would soon be better.

The ending of the movie adaption is more dark than the rather open ending to the novella but it works none the less.  To this day the ending is still burned in my brain and something that I may never forget.

There are countless other sad horror movies out there, and it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to a list of 5.  It was also difficult to keep it vague as to avoid spoilers, but if any movie on here catches your interest then be prepared for a bad time.  You may want to have a box of tissues handy just in case.