Can you feel the weather changing? Fall is just around the corner and you know what that means, right? It's time to devour a lot of Halloween movies, and with that comes the related lists, op-eds, and everything else you love to read. Sure, we could write about Thanksgiving, but let's be real here, Thanksgiving isn't nearly as much fun as Halloween.
It seemed kinda fun to kick off my first list for everybody's spookiest holiday by focusing my sights on Netflix. That streaming platform has changed the game in so many ways and seems to be, at all times, a nice haven for interesting, unique, and really bad horror movies. What better way to make Halloween night that much more personal than to settle in with the the streaming service that just keeps giving.
The 10 films on this aforementioned list are a nice hodge-podge of new classics, well worn campy tales, and sequels that you might have missed because you frankly had no idea that they ever existed. That's kinda the nature of horror movies. The first one hits big and the sequels follow whether we know it or not. Where else can you find a film like The Conjuring nestled right next to The Babadook? Those films both take place in a haunted house, yet, they are scary for two completely different reasons.
This is what makes horror movies such a great playground to be in. They cross genres, they literally have no rules, and what is deemed awful in one decade can be deemed an unmitigated success the next. So, by the very nature of what horror movies are their content is always evergreen. Horror movies are always one step away from escaping obscurity and being the next big thing.
All of which brings us back to this list. As I mentioned, it is a hodge-podge of various directing styles and interpretations of what is scary. What might work for one viewer might not work at all for another. The trick is to use a list like this to find things that you like and then allow your inner horror freak to take over from there.
10 [1] The Conjuring
The Conjuring is arguably the best horror movie in recent years. While it isn't The Exorcist it is good enough to be in that swimming pool. This tale of paranormal doctors Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and their attempts to rid a family of the evil that haunts their home is very scary. With a solid supporting cast that includes Lili Taylor and Hayley McFarland, this movie is pretty much scary from the opening frame. With a slow build that really shows humanities utter nakedness in the face of paranormal happenings, The Conjuring is a truly creepy viewing experience. When The Exorcist came out it stunned and shocked audiences. A big reason for this was people had no idea if Director William Friedkin was going to be able to pull off what was described in William Peter Blatty's terrifying book. The Conjuring had the internet (the ultimate spoiler machine) to compete with and this film still managed to surprise and shock viewers. Whether you like your Netflix movies warm and fuzzy or downright bone chilling, The Conjuring somehow reminds us that horror movies can be both.
9 [2] Veronica
This Netflix offering about seance that goes horribly wrong (and lets be honest, do any seance's ever go right in these films?) was a nice surprise. So many times you see the artwork for a title and it seems like you know exactly what the movie is about. Not so with with Veronica which, set in the 1990s, shows us what happens when some teens tempt fate with the supernatural. Suddenly, an entity of nefarious proportions shows up to really turn things on their ear and our young leads have to literally move heaven and earth to get them back to normal. Veronica is both scary and grounded in reality. Setting it in the past was a great way to draw us in. As viewers we are disarmed. Slowly, Veronica starts working on us and, before we know it, the film has completely brought us into its scary web. Initially, this film caught my attention when somebody told me that it was so scary it was akin to watching the VHS tape from The Ring. Veronica may not be that scary but for Halloween it will certain get some eyes covered and spines tingling.
8 [3] Hush
The set-up of Hush seems both odd and ripe for all the tropes of the horror genre. A writer who can't hear decides to live in the woods. They want to be alone without pesky people bothering them all the time. It almost seems the main character of this film is begging to be bothered by the worst humans imaginable. However, where Hush turns things around is employing the use of the classic masked killer. This might seem like a dry heave as many horror moves have utilized this. The Friday the 13th franchise has made a pretty penny simply by using this idea to death. Why? Because being able to see a killer but not being able to see who the killer is will always be tantalizing. This is further highlighted by the fact that we also want to see who the perpetrator is underneath the mask. Using the motif of a character who is deaf with the classic ideas in a horror movie was done to great effect in A Quiet Place. In Hush, this idea is also used and it makes for a quite a few anxious moments. Not sure how Netflix does it but they sure seem to get to the heart of why people love being scared on Halloween.
7 [4] The Babadook
I have written about The Babadook before. I loved this movie and I think it is one of the most original and interesting Halloween movies of the past 20 years. It follows a mother who is distant from her young son. The father is gone, the victim of a car crash, so the two of them are making their way together. It seems like all they do is spend time in their home. Alone. Cabin fever appears to be setting in and this is compounded when the young boy becomes convinced that there is a very evil monster in their midst. What might sound like a garden variety horror film is anything but as The Babadook soon presents itself as a living breathing organism. This film is so well done and so original that I don't think its a stretch to call it a modern classic. As I have said, Netflix presents a lot of different kinds of movies. Not all of them make the grade. At the same time there are those that score off the charts. The Babadook is certainly one of those films. Rich with ideas and a lively directorial style, The Babadook is a slow burn of the best kind. We know the mother and son love each other. At the same time what are their motives? How will being alone in this house effect them? It is all of these questions (and how they are answered) that makes The Babadook so well done.
6 [5] The Boy
In horror movies there are very few things that are creepier than a doll. Even more creepier is when that doll comes to life. Even creepier than that? When human beings treat the doll as real even though it is presented as inanimate. In a nutshell that is the story of The Boy. This scare-tastic offering from Netflix really does a great job providing just the right about of scares for your Halloween experience. Set in the proper home of an English family, an American nanny discovers very quickly that her job assignment is anything but ordinary. She is being tasked with taking care of a doll. Most people would probably bail the scene at this point. As this is a horror movie our nanny can't just leave. She's got to stick around and try and figure out just what in the world is happening. The nanny has a set of rules to follow as she cares for the doll. She violates them and suddenly comes think that maybe the doll isn't a doll after all. If you like creepy movies that keep you guessing all the way, you need look no further than The Boy. It's got tension, thrills, chills and is so well crafted, it's hard not to get sucked into this neo-gothic tale.
5 [6] Cult of Chucky
You can never go wrong with Chucky movies and this one from 2017, while no Child's Play, is certainly a good time and a fun Halloween film. Chucky is hellbent on making life a living hell for Nica, a girl who has been put in an insane asylum for the murders of her family. Nica thinks she might have actually done these deeds, but eventually comes to realize that Chucky is the real culprit. Soon Chucky starts trying to possess everybody so that he can kill some old foes and create a Cult of Chucky in the process. What ensues is a lot of horror, scares, and "Chucky moments" that make this whole endeavor worthwhile. Sure there are better movies out there for you to spend your Halloween time on. At the same time, Chucky is iconic and in many ways Cult of Chucky seems to be having a lot of fun simply reveling in that fact. Netflix knows that as much as people like being scared they also want to laugh. Cult of Chucky delivers both of those things in spades.
4 [7] Children of the Corn
Arguably one of the best horror films of the 1980s, Children of the Corn plays like a gift that just keeps giving. A couple gets stuck in a town that is run by young kids who feel that everybody over the age of 18 has to die. So for our stuck lovers things soon turn very frightful when they realize that they are the unwitting victims in this crazy place. This film is legitimately scary and it's buoyed by the performances of Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, John Franklin, and Courtney Gains. In fact, the performances of John Franklin as Isaac and Courtney Gains as Malachai are truly the backbone of this film. These two lead the crazy children. However, they have a magnetism that makes how the children fell (and have stayed) under their spell that much more understandable. In fact, these two work together so well that it makes their eventually confrontation that much more dynamic. Their work here is so good that it will make you wonder why Gains never appeared in another Children of the Corn film. Ever. Come on Netflix, make Children of the Corn a series!
3 [8] Bedeviled
You've gotta love a Netflix horror movie whose premise is that you download an app and people start dying. Sure, this thing founds funny but it isn't played that way and that makes it even funnier. Clocking in at 91 minutes, Bedeviled has elements of Saw and Final Destination. This film does it's very best to tackle contemporary themes and overall it seems to succeed. We've all downloaded apps. Everyone of us has been scared by something at one point another. Lastly, we are all celebrating Halloween with Netflix, so Bedeviled hits a lot of the right notes. It is scary and it also features twists and turns. Yes, it becomes pretty easy to figure out, but overall this is the kind of horror movie that keeps you guessing. That alone is worth giving it a spin on all hallows eve...
2 [9] I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House
Talk about a truly original horror film. I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House is Netflix horror at its absolute best. This film looks at an elderly author, the woman who takes care of him, and the creepy house in which all that bad stuff is set. From director Oz Perkins, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House is moody, subtle, and the kind of film you need playing on Halloween. With a solid cast that includes Ruth Wilson and Bob Balaban, this story of a nervous caretaker in a big scary house isn't anything that we haven't seen before. However, it's very set-up is intentionally misleading, because this movie is such a slow burn. What is the terror that we know lurks around every corner of this home? What secrets does the aged writer have? Whose side is anybody on in this tensely put together story that seems intent on creeping us out and making Halloween a night to remember? I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House is a refreshing look at a time worn tale, and the kind of movie that makes you realize just how special the horror genre is.
1 [10] Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
With a movie like The House of the Devil on his resume, it's no surprise that Ti West's Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is a pretty rock solid sequel to Eli Roth's Cabin Fever. Sure the story stays the same, a flesh-eating virus spreads through exposure to water, but setting it around a high school prom is like making a 1980s movie that could only be made in the 2000s. Netflix deserves a lot of credit for keeping this film available for as long as they have. I remember when I first saw it, I had very low expectations. Then I started watching it and was pleasantly surprised at how it didn't feel like a sequel at all. It was almost like Ti West made this film and didn't really think too much about the one that came before it. As such, that allowed him to make a movie that was wholly original. I found myself invested in the characters, their situations, and rooted for them even though I knew there was no point. The virus rules all, right? So, depending on what your plans are for Halloween, whether you are going to watch movies with friends, or stay at home and pass out candy, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is sure to put some grossness into your plans.