Esraa Mahmoud
In recent years, horror films have been revolutionized! The new horror cinema has room for tributes to the most classic codes of the genre, ghosts, monsters and other disturbing creatures. But as reality often surpasses fiction. That’s why, recently, successful horror films have ranged from the most fantastical to the most realistic. This type of horror film has become one of the most varied in cinematography, making the saying that variety is the spice of life.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if we said that horror films are experiencing a truly golden age in which there are proposals that will leave more than one of you with nightmares for a few days, perfect for enjoying Halloween or for a horror film night any time of the year.
Netflix and other streaming platforms are no strangers to the morbid desire to choose a horror film for the ‘pleasure’ of being scared, and that’s why they are increasingly filling their catalogues with striking, curious and gory horror films.
Best Horror Films on Netflix!
What’s a better place to watch a good horror film than on the platform par excellence Netflix? Since the platform’s horrors catalogue is so big, we are here to help you figure out which one —or ones because you can never have too many—to watch!
Birdbox
If you are looking for a modern treat, then Bird Box is definitely the best option. The 2018 sensation tells the story of Malorie Hayes (Sandra Bullock) and her two children, who, after five years following a mysterious supernatural presence that drove a large part of society to suicide, decide to risk it outside and desperately search for a way to save themselves downriver in a small boat to safely.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The gruesome character of Leatherface officially makes its way back to the screen after a five-year hiatus with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022, a full-fledged reboot. The action takes us several years after the story of the first film, with Leatherface trying to reform by acting as honestly as possible. Soon, though, his killer instincts return with the arrival of a group of people in his town.
Day Shift
In the Netflix original production Day Shift, Jamie Foxx plays a hard-working father who works hard to provide a decent life for his daughter. But his routine job as a pool cleaner in the San Fernando Valley is merely a cover-up for his real source of income: killing vampires as a member of an international syndicate of bloodsucker hunters.
Although it also falls into the comedy genre as a film for family audiences, it is still a great option for those who are looking for a not-so-scary horror film. Netflix’s original proposal tries to bring a not-so-nice genre to the youngest members of the family, with a few scares that they will be able to endure without any problems.
Lou
Although it’s billed as a thriller, we’re in for more than one scare, which makes it an excellent choice for a good horror film night. This Netflix original follows the story of a young girl who is kidnapped during a powerful storm. Her mother, Lou (Alison Janney), joins forces with her mysterious neighbour to search for the kidnapper. Their journey will test her limits and expose the dark secrets of her past.
A Quiet Place
Few horror films can be lucky enough to feature an actress of Emily Blunt’s stature. The second part was to be released/ in Spain just on the day the State of Alarm began, so its release was postponed to September.
A family has managed to survive not without losses against creatures that attack you if you make the slightest sound, which forces them to live almost without speaking and being very careful, but it will be difficult being about to give birth.
The film, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound Effects, became famous in cinemas because people couldn’t eat popcorn, as the silence was so great during most of the film that the food made too much noise.
Cargo
If you are into zombie-themed films, then you should check out Cargo on Netflix, where veteran and solvent Martin Freeman gets involved in a zombie war in breathtaking landscapes. The Netflix production thriller has a post-apocalyptic tone, telling the story of Andy, a father who, after being infected by a “zombie virus” when he is bitten by his wife, must save his daughter, not only from the rest of the undead but also from himself.
In 48 hours, and if he doesn’t do anything about it, Andy’s life will come to an end, so first, he will try to reach an aboriginal tribe that could be his only salvation. The problem is that this group of people live in isolation and don’t trust just anyone, so gaining their trust won’t be easy.
Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, who worked on the original 2003 short film on which the film is based, direct this drama starring Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock), Anthony Hayes (War Machine, The Light Between Oceans) and Susie Porter (Attack of the Clones, The Inner Circle).
Don’t Breath
The less you expect from a film, the more it gives you! Although Don’t Breathe seemed like the typical chase story, with deaths and chases in a closed environment, it turned out to be a refreshing reformulation based on the protagonist’s blindness.
After astounding genre lovers with the remake of Evil Dead (2013), Fede Álvarez tackles his second feature film, this time based on the original script that he and his regular collaborator, Rodo Sayagues, have written for the occasion. Once again, under the production of Sam Raimi, Don’t Breathe offers us an absorbing, claustrophobic and brutal thriller that maintains the tension, enhanced by a frenetic pace, until the very last second.
In it, the presumed hunter, a group of thieves played by Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette and Daniel Zovatto, become prey to their victim, a bloodthirsty blind psychopath played by Stephen Lang.
Anabelle
John Form finds the perfect gift for his pregnant wife, Mia: a beautiful and unusual vintage doll wearing an immaculate white wedding dress. However, Mia’s joy at receiving Annabelle is short-lived. During one terrifying night, the couple see members of a satanic cult invade their home and brutally attack them.
Not only do they leave bloodshed and terror in the wake of their visit, but the cult members conjure up an entity of such evil in the doll Annabelle, and their lives are never the same!
The Ritual
A group of college friends get together to go hiking in the Swedish mountains to pay tribute to one of them, who died a violent death. As they head into the forest, a menacing presence begins to stalk them”.
This Netflix original British horror film fits the properties of the genre well, with the trauma triggering the plot and the scares ratcheting up the tension. The most effective choice of the cast to play the four 30-somethings: Rafe Spall, Rob James-Collier, Sam Troughton, and Arsher Ali.
Creep
Aaron is a cameraman who finds a job thanks to an ad on Craigslist. His new job is to film Josef all day long so that his unborn son can meet him because Josef is suffering from a terminal illness and won’t be alive when he’s born. But what seems like the perfect job becomes more complicated as the day progresses, as Josef becomes increasingly strange and dangerous.
The Babysitter
A young boy is left home alone under the watchful eye of a young, burly babysitter. During the night, the girl invites some of her friends over, but something unexpected happens. The little boy has to survive the madness of a group of disaffected youths.
The Babysitter is a homemade slasher style closely reminiscent of Chucky or The Army of Darkness, where the horror tension is constantly and heavily tempered by the comedy.
Corpse Bride
If you loved Nightmare Before Christmas, then you would definitely love the animated film directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson. The film is animated, like its predecessor, in a mixture of 2D, 3D and stop motion, and like that, it is set in gloomy yet grotesque atmospheres. The voices and personalities of the protagonists are those of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Watson, while the music is obviously by Danny Elfman, Burton’s trusted collaborator.
Victor marries Victoria blindly; he is the son of a wealthy bourgeois, and she is of decadent nobles. At the wedding rehearsal, Victor reveals all his clumsiness, but Victoria falls in love with him anyway, reciprocated. The young man takes refuge in the woods to practise the marriage formula and, caught up in the excitement, slips the ring into a branch sticking out of the ground.
The branch is actually the finger of Emily, the corpse bride, who now claims Victor as her lawful husband. The Corpse Bride is one of the gems that Tim Burton has piled into his filmography and a less-scary horror film.
Zombieland
In this horror film, the world is overrun by zombies, the population has been almost totally decimated, and the few survivors are struggling to stay that way. Columbus, in particular, has devised a set of rules to be scrupulously followed that seem to keep him alive despite his less-than-action-oriented appearance.
Tallahassee, on the other hand, is an out-of-time cowboy exalted by the end-of-the-world atmosphere and a proud slayer of zombies. On their way to a supposedly zombie-free West, they will find Little Rock and Wichita, two sisters who are anything but helpless and also in disarray. The film was an unexpected success in the States, so much so that the producers immediately set to work on making a sequel, which, however, did not exactly meet expectations.
It
This horror film is for the fans of the king of horror, Stephan King. Set in October 1988, in the small town of Derry, little Georgie leaves home in the rain to sail the little paper boat prepared for him by his older brother Billy, who is homebound with the flu. The little boat runs down rivulets along the pavements but ends up in a drain leading to the sewer, and when he bends down to look in the slit, he meets the gaze of the bizarre clown who lives in the sewer, Pennywise and it all goes downhill from here!
Stephen King’s novel, perhaps his masterpiece, is a monumental work that contains many of the Maine writer’s typical themes. The film brings the themes of sincere friendship, of the strength conveyed by the bond that is formed as children and that generates solidarity stronger than anything, such as allowing one to face seemingly impossible trials.
Director Andy Muschietti tries to live up to this aspect through the presentation of the characters and their problems, both the ‘natural’ ones (the bullies) and the ‘supernatural’ ones (Pennywise), which they have to face alone strengthened only by their mutual solidarity, in the absence of any valid support from adults, who are incapable, distracted or even harmful. It’s a terrifying horror film for those looking for a spine-chilling thrill!
We Have a Ghost
The story of We Have a Ghost has one of the most classic beginnings of a horror film ever: as soon as a family moves into their new home in Illinois, Frank (Anthony Mackie) and his family make the acquaintance of an unwanted yet surprising housemate from beyond the grave (David Harbour).
The first to meet and befriend him is his youngest son, Kevin (Jahi Winston), a reserved and introverted boy with a great passion for music. This deep empathy helps him not to fear Ernst, who, even if he tries to scare him, only manages to make him laugh. In fact, he is not a ghost like many others, neither terrifying nor fascinating. On the contrary, he is perhaps the least glamorous or iconic spirit one can think of, a middle-aged man with a carry-over on his head, a reassuring face and a very un-chilling bowling shirt.
We Have a Ghost is an enjoyable and smooth-running horror film that is a blood relative of many other feature films, from Casper and Blackbeard’s Ghost, where the figure of the spirit is reversed to build around the same fun and excitement.
The most original idea is to deprive Ernst of his voice and relegate Harbour’s performance to physical and facial expressiveness alone, essentially looking back to slapstick comedy but placed in a decidedly different genre context.
Sister Death
Released on October 2023, this horror film is set in post-war Spain. The protagonist is a young novice with supernatural powers, Narcisa (played by Aria Bedmar), who becomes a teacher at a girls’ school housed in a former convent. As the days go by, Narcisa is tormented by strange and disturbing events that gradually reveal the terrible secrets surrounding the school and its tenants. It is a classical horror film with a modern touch.
The conference
The cordial and joyful atmosphere of a team-building conference of a group of municipal employees is completely spoilt when accusations of corruption begin to circulate. But that is only the beginning: turning the experience into a nightmare for good is a mysterious figure who kills the participants one by one. This is the plot of the Swedish horror film The Conference, a horror film with humorous tones for a light horror film night.
The Devil on Trial
Horror films are definitely scarier when they are intertwined with reality, and that’s what makes The Devil on Trial a special treat for horror film fans! The Devil on Trial is a documentary film about the first and only time an alleged demonic possession was used in a murder trial in the United States. The idea that this hair-rising story actually happened makes the documentary way scarier!
There is no shortage of choices; Netflix’s catalogue is huge in terms of both horror films and TV series. So whether you are looking for scary or not-so-scary choices, classics, modern, and you name it, you will find what you are looking for to spend a spooky night having fun in front of a good horror film.