Horror is different for everyone. Some people can't handle monsters, others are afraid of nature, and there are those who are scared of everything. Whatever the fear, there is a film on this list for all who seek a good movie in the dark. So, make sure the doors are locked, grab your safety blanket, and get your Bibles because here is the best scary cinema that Netflix offers as of this writing.
Insidious
Possibly the scariest movie on Netflix, the 2010 film Insidious chills audiences to the bone with subtle scares and Tiny Tim. The story centers around a boy with the ability to astral-project. In his sleep he explores the spirit world. Unfortunately, he goes too far and gets lost which leads his family to think he is in a coma. Evil entities are drawn to the boy's empty body with the purpose of possessing it. The Mother of the family, played by Rose Byrne, is the most victimized, as she witnesses the most as the ghosts gather to her catatonic son. with the help of a jovial psychic played perfectly by Lin Shaye, the family must work together to rescue their child who is being held captive in The Further. Beware of the scene when the grandmother, played by Barbara Hershey, is telling the story about how she knows Elise the psychic. Enjoy this fantastic, chilling movie... and then the other 4 with installment 5 on the horizon! Most of all, remember to tip-toe through the tulips with me.
Leprechaun
Warwick Davis belongs in a museum for the most precious people in the world. In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi we connected to him, in Willow we cheered for him, and in Leprechaun we are scared as hell of him. He will bite off your nose! Leprechaun is a unique creature feature about a leprechaun determined to retrieve his lost gold. This movie is unique because it gives audience their only film depiction of an evil leprechaun. Before 1993 people only had the happy, kind, and mischievous images of leprechauns; like Lucky the Lucky Charms representation. Then this movie came out and horrified people with a perverted and more realistic version of the fabled creatures. The cast of this film makes it special. Jennifer Aniston makes her feature film debut in this movie and introduced audiences everywhere to her lovability. Mark Holton is the unsung hero of this movie. As the mentally disabled character, Ozzie, Holton injects a lot of heart into a somewhat silly premise which elevates the piece entirely. Leprechaun is fun and reminds audiences that not all folklore is fairy dust and rainbows. Don't touch this leprechaun's gold if you want to live!
Army of the Dead
(2021)
Las Vegas is run by zombies who have a hierarchy, a group of mercenaries and specialists are tasked to infiltrate the overrun city in order to retrieve 200 million dollars, and it's all directed by Zack Snyder, what is not to like? Army of the Dead, released in 2021, has innovative ideas and good zombie horror. The walking dead look great and the tiger was surprisingly cool. Dave Bautista gives a great performance as the good-natured leader of the infiltration team. For anybody who has the fear of corpses, this movie will scratch that itch. The alpha zombies are particularly terrifying as they are fast, agile, and intelligent. The concept of a zombie fashioning a helmet for itself is terrifying. Army of the Dead opens a Pandora's Box of ideas when it comes to the genre. I would not mind revisiting this world in the future. Viva Lost Vegas!
Gerald's Game
You can't go wrong with the King, Stephen that is. the 2017 film Gerald's Game is a mature psychological horror story centered a woman who has been left stranded and tied to a bed after a sex game goes wrong. The horror of this movie is sexual in nature. Themes of molestation and dominance are explored. Carla Cugino does an excellent job expressing fear and desperation as she struggles to free herself from the bindings and the ghosts of her past. Complete with a stray dog and a mysterious figure in the moonlight, Gerald's Game challenges audiences to reflect on trauma and never give up.
Sweetheart
A creature from the sea is at the heart of this sweet 2019 film. A shipwreck survivor must stay alive as she battles nightly with the monster. The creature from the sea is very well done and would make Abe Sapien proud. It is a simple premise done masterfully. It is Cast Away meets The Creature from the Black Lagoon and unlike The Shape of Water, she doesn't try to bang it. Sweetheart is a harmless hidden-gem on Netflix that is perfect to put on when you're ready to chill.
The Green Inferno
A plane of activists crashes in the very jungle that they are there to save. The survivors are then captured by the local indigenous tribe who also happen to be ferocious cannibals. The Green Inferno, released in 2013 is violent, bloody, and perverse. Disturbing imagery like children wearing tattooed skin as costumes, eyes being gouged out and eaten, and survival masturbation are featured in this film. The Green Inferno challenges audiences to accept the culture and customs of a jungle tribe to whom the eating of people is the norm and social standard. The juxtaposition between activist and appetizer is fascinating and is the lynchpin for the end of the film. Do not watch this movie unless you have a strong stomach because there are scenes that could make the strongest of gullets queasy.
Pan's Labyrinth
This 2006 film is magical, beautiful, and horrific. The characters are done as only Guillermo Del Toro could do them; impressively. Pan's Labyrinth is a period piece about a girl who may or may not be a fairy princess. Fairy creatures come to Pan and set her forth on adventures of an eerie nature. Told parallel to the Spanish Civil War, Pan's Labyrinth projects child-like awe against the backdrop of war. The mistrust in this movie is horrifying. The Faun sent to Pan is mischievous and offers some creepy dialogue and gestures. All of the fairy creatures are alien in feeling which adds the uneasiness of the young girl's journey. Don't be mistaken, this movie is not a children's movie. Pan's Labyrinth is full of death, violence, and consequences. The end is heart-wrenching. Nonetheless, The Pale Man is the stuff of nightmares and will keep you awake long after your viewing.
The Ring
The Ring is a foreign 2002 remake about a cursed video tape. Anyone who watches the tape will die seven days later at the hands of a vengeful spirit. The ghost that attacks is a girl named Samara who breaks the fourth wall and will crawl out of screens in order to get to her victims. Like The Grudge before it, The Ring is based on a Japanese import and is based off of a real-life Japanese ghost story from the 16th century. It is easy to get the two movies confused as both feature a girl with long black hair draped over their face. However, it is easy to tell them apart based on their titles. After watching The Ring the viewer will understand why the film is titled so as it is a huge part of the mystery of the story. Japan does it better. This movie is best watched all alone after midnight and will satisfy the true horror fans.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
This 2020 movie is not a sequel to The Haunting of Hill House, but many of the same cast return. It is enjoyable to see many of the same actors return as we miss them from Hill House. Henry Thomas turns up his performance in The Haunting of Bly Manor and it is remarkable. Make no mistake though, the story is different and follows the nanny, chef, and groundskeeper of Bly Manor who take care of two orphaned children. The child actors in this show are adorable and carry the season with their phenomenal skills. Strangeness is in the air as the mysteries of Bly Manor are unraveled. Like The Haunting of Hill House, this movie has plenty of hidden ghosts and it is enjoyable to try and spot the creative ways in which they are hidden within scenes. Make no mistake that this show is not a ghost story, but a love story. Set aside time to binge this show as there are hours of episodes to watch. The ending will have anyone in tears.
The Conjuring
This 2013 film is based on the actual investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren. It depicts their experiences with the Perron family who in 1970 had a real paranormal problem on their hands. The benign family had just moved into a home in Rhode Island when strange occurrences began to happen. This inaugural film started a franchise based on the work of the Warrens as well as the Annabelle and The Nun spin-offs. This film is scary because it is rooted in actual accounts, testimony, and evidence. Much like Insidious, The Conjuring has that James Wan touch that makes everything creepier and more tense. Watch this movie with your Bible close by.
Two Sentence Horror Stories
Though not a movie, Two Sentence Horror Stories, 2019, is worth mentioning on this list. It is geared for a younger audience, so get the kids together. The show is full of variety and fun. The stories range from an angry ghost who can't move on to the shape-shifting demon next door to a serial killer looking for single mothers. The series has two seasons available on Netflix. Season one has eight episodes and season two has ten. The series is inspired by the internet trend of posting two sentence stories most notably on the website Reddit. There are some great concepts and mythology explored in these short stories and are definitely binge worthy. With hours of horror stories, Two Sentence Horror Stories is worth checking out.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories is a 2020 horror anthology film that comes to us from India. The stories are unique and all end leaving the viewer asking themselves what they just watched. Maybe it's Indian story-telling but I found the conclusion to every story quite bizarre in a good way. Nonetheless, there are some great creatures as well as intriguing social commentary. The most enjoyable story being about a town that has been transformed into cannibal monsters and the two kids who must survive hidden among them. It is fascinating to see how Indian cinema contributes to the horror genre.
The Lovely Bones
This 2009 movie is not your conventional horror movie. In fact, some may classify it as a family movie, but it is not. The story follows the life and death of a young girl named Susie Salmon. She is sweet as can be as she enjoys the springtime of her adolescence. Her life is innocent and beautiful until her neighbor lures her into a room under the ground and kills her. The rest of movie shows the audience the aftermath of a child abduction. It puts emphasis on the pain and helplessness felt by parents and family members. We also follow Susie through the afterlife as she comes to terms with her tragic demise. Stanley Tucci is terrifying as Mr. Harvey the neighbor who is secretly a serial killer. Disturbing images of him in the bathtub after the kill seem eerily accurate. The act of child abduction and murder is every family member's worst fear. The horror in The Lovely Bones is not enjoyable, it is not meant to make us laugh or jump out of our seats. The horror of The lovely Bones is the actual horror people in the real world live with every day. It is the horror of pain that doesn't end. It is the worry of never seeing a child again. It is the rage that comes with revenge. It is the evil that lives in the hearts of those would hurt a child in anyway. This movie is a teaching tool and a beautiful glimpse into the afterlife, not unlike What Dreams May Come. Be prepared not to scream but to cry upon viewing The Lovely Bones.
The Conjuring 2
Ed and Lorraine Warren embark once again to investigate the paranormal in this 2016 film. This time the Warrens go across the pond to the United Kingdom where they must help a family who is experiencing poltergeist activity. This investigation later became known as The Enfield Poltergeist. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine and they won the roles. Their chemistry and attitudes help balance the negative and positive vibrations of the film. The Conjuring 2 does not disappoint, but is a typical sequel, meaning they're hardly ever better than the original. However, The Conjuring 2 is a fine middle installment as to what, as of this writing, is a trilogy as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is currently in theaters.
Holidays
Holidays is a 2016 horror anthology film that makes a scary story around a famous holiday. Not every story is a home run, but there is enough in Holidays to make it worth watching. One story in particular has never left my mind. The Easter story puts Holidays on this list. A little girl walks up on a giant, humanoid, Christ-bunny. It is grotesque, sacrilegious, and appalling. This one story is so weird and taboo. This movie should be watched with drinks and the boys. It is creative and I appreciate how it gives up and coming filmmakers a chance to contribute to the horror genre.
The Ritual
A group of college buddies undergo a traumatic experience and later take a trip to the woods of Eastern Europe in order to heal. They get lost in the woods and become prey to a cryptic forest deity. The film done in 2018, The Ritual is a slow-burn. Being lost in the woods is nothing new, but the cast does such a great job at conveying fear and mania that The Ritual stands out. The creature design of The Ritual is uniquely beautiful and grotesque. It is worth a watch just to see it take out the men.
Ghost Lab
This 2021 Thai film explores the experiments of two doctors who are investigating the afterlife. The themes are heavy as they go further and further to prove the existence of ghosts. Suicide plays a big part of this film and is really emotionally heavy at times. Nonetheless, the ghost horror is there and is damn scary. Ghost Lab pushes the boundaries of science into areas where it perhaps does not belong. Watch this movie with subtitles on as to get the full linguistic effect of the Thai language and not miss any emotion or inflection.
The Haunting of Hill House
This 2018 {TAJwmRrVc5lhMRNetflix series has some of the best scares of the whole platform. A family must confront the ghosts of their past in order to understand their present. Their memories as children in Hill House are terrifying. Much like {66}, the most fun to be had is trying to find the hidden ghosts within the scenes. Get the family together and find them all if you dare.