American Gothic(1987)
1987 · John Hough · 90 min
When six friends fly off on a weekend getaway and are suddenly plagued by engine trouble, they're forced to land on a remote island. Looking for shelter, they're grateful to encounter Ma and Pa and their children - an eccentric family living in the island's backwoods. But what begins as simple hospitality turns into a terrifying race for survival as the friends start disappearing one by one ... and turning up dead.
Horror
5.9128 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How American Gothic scares
It starts like a stranded-travelers setup, all forced cheer and awkward hospitality, before slowly tipping into something much uglier as the isolation sets in. The back half turns into a grim game of survival, with the friends picked off one at a time while the family's true nature comes into focus. The fear here is less about jolts and more about dread building as you realize just how trapped everyone is. It leans toward the disturbing side thanks to some genuinely unpleasant undertones, so it's not really a fun-scare popcorn watch.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, American Gothic rates psychological 3/5, visceral 4/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 30 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 90 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 65 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, quirky setup gives way to steadily rising unease that builds into a frantic, brutal final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5.
How scary is American Gothic?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, American Gothic rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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