This Collider piece counts down gangster films that veer into horror-like intensity, arguing that few crime movies are outright horror but several are frightening or unsettling in their own way. It only covers part of a wider ranking of ten, spotlighting stand-out entries for their tension, violence or genre-blending, with Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma titles among those singled out for their disturbing content.

The featured picks include Martin Scorsese's The Departed, praised as nerve-wracking for its dual undercover plot and noted as a more brutal take than its source, Infernal Affairs; and his earlier Gangs of New York, set in 1860s New York and elevated by Daniel Day-Lewis's menacing turn as Bill the Butcher. The Japanese film Versus is highlighted as a genuine horror-crime hybrid involving yakuza fighting monsters in a forest, while Brian De Palma's Scarface is described as blending dark comedy with horror-style violence, including its infamous chainsaw scene.