Saturday, October 24, 2015

50 Horror Movies to Watch on Netflix this Halloween


I know everyone has been bitching about Netflix not adding many new horror titles to their lineup this October, but the truth is that they have a lot of decent to excellent horror flicks streaming for you to get your scare on this Halloween! And the good news is that they have something for everyone, from spooky, subdued stories to goofy crowd pleasers to horror classics! I've scoured through the current Netflix catalog for the U.S. and picked 50 horror movies (plus a few extras) that should keep you busy from now to Halloween. I've mentioned old favorites that can be rewatched again and again, but I hope you will find something new to watch, too!

I've broken down my recommendations in categories so it's easier to find what you are in the mood for, like what to watch when you want to be scared or what to watch when you want a fun crowd-pleaser. I think it's easier to recommend movies by what you feel like watching rather that give a big ol' list.

Now, without further ado, here are 50 horror movies to watch on Netflix this Halloween!

What to Watch When...

...You Want to be Creeped Out/Scared:
1. Alien Abduction - Ok, aliens freak me out and I thought this was a well-done found footage abduction flick! More of my thoughts on this film here!
2. The Awakening - If ghost stories are more your style, this atmospheric yarn set in a remote boarding school in post-World War I England is worth a watch.
3. The Babadook - Sure, you have to suffer through an annoying kid for most of the film, but this much-talked about film has the uncanny ability to get under your skin.
4. The Den - In a world of webcams, camera phones, security cameras and so on, don't you sometimes wonder who is watching? And who might have access to watch you in your very home?
5. Extraterrestrial - Yep, another alien flick that thoroughly gave me the heebie jeebies! More of my thoughts on this film here!
6. Kidnapped (Secuestrados) - This Spanish thriller about a home invasion/kidnapping packs a wallop and is chock-full of tension and brutality.
7. Oculus - I waited to watch this for so long since I figured it was just another run-of-the-mill supernatural flick. Wow, I was dead wrong - it has an interesting story and it has some terrifying visuals!
8. The Pact - This film's slow-burn story and nightmarish visuals really creeped me out. Watch alone with all the lights out!
9. Starry Eyes - This was one of my fave movies from last year (check out the list), and it features some unnerving body horror as a young starlet pursues her dream, at any cost, to be a star.
10. The Taking of Deborah Logan - Another fave, and one that personally hits close to home as my grandma suffers from Alzheimer's. Easily one of the scariest films I saw last year!

...You Want to See a Classic:
11. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Made in the 1920s, this German silent film is a visual feast for the eyes, and offers a creepy story of a somnambulist who may or may not be doing a doctor's evil deeds under hypnotism. A must-see for all horror fans.
12. The Monster Squad - "Wolf Man's got nards!" C'mon, you can't go wrong with this kid-friendly monster flick!
13. The Omen - Little Damien may be cute, but lookout, he's the antichrist!
14. Re-Animator - H.P. Lovecraft and Jeffrey Combs, plus a lascivious decapitated head...need I say more about this Stuart Gordon classic?
15. Rosemary's Baby - Creepy neighbors who want you impregnated with the Devil's offspring? Geez, the lengths you gotta go to in order to get a nice apartment in New York.
16. Saw - The Saw movies kicked off the whole "torture porn" craze, and Netflix has one through five streaming at the moment. The first one was really inventive when it first came out, and I remember being shocked at the twists and turns. This is a modern classic and should be required viewing!
17. Scream - A relatively newer classic, but it's a well-deserved title as this is the film that started the whole self-aware, meta horror craze. They also have 2 and 3 streaming.
18. Sleepy Hollow - Yes, I also consider this a classic. Added bonus is that it is especially appropriate for Halloween and, swoon, Depp is so adorably perfect in his role as Ichabod Crane!

...You Want to See Monsters and/or Creatures:
19. Late Phases - Werewolves prowl an old folks retirement community and a blind retired vet makes it his mission to stop them.
20. Monsters - This film is more subtle than its title suggests, as it is more about the relationship between two people who are making their way across a landscape that has been decimated by wars fought between the military and large monsters.
21. Nightbreed Director's Cut - Clive Barker's marvelous world of Midian come-to-life as it was intended to be seen, populated by monster outcasts who inhabit a whole underground city.
22. Odd Thomas - A quirky film about a small-town short-order cook that also has psychic visions and must battle supernatural forces.
23. Troll Hunter - This Norwegian dark fantasy film is about, what else, hunting trolls, and is told through found footage. The trolls are huge creatures and the film goes into delightful detail about the different races (or is it species?) of troll. Really delightful film with lots of action!

...You Want a Fun Crowd Pleaser:
24. The Guest - Absolutely LOVE this movie! It is set during Halloween, has an awesome synth soundtrack, and kicks ass!
25. All Cheerleaders Die - The traditional teen scream subgenre is subverted into something fun with an added element of the supernatural.
26. Big Ass Spider - Silly, fun and definitely one you want to round up your friends and some beer for!
27. Curse of Chucky - I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did...really decent entry into the series and quite entertaining!
28. Grabbers - An Irish town is invaded by monsters and the only way to stop them is to stay drunk! A fun monster flick!
29. Witching and Bitching - This Spanish witch flick is full of energy, funny gags, and is a fun ride overall.
30. John Dies at the End - Based on the cult book of the same name, this trippy film is best shared with friends. It's a genre-bending experience, featuring memorable characters and far-out visuals.
31. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil - One of THE most fun movies I've seen in the past couple of years, this is definitely a must-see!
32. Wolfcop - I was instantly drawn to the B-movie vibe of this film! It is a great mix of comedy/horror and is perfect for a horror movie night with friends or something to throw a few beers back with. More of my thoughts on this film here!

...You Want to Watch Something Unique:
33. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night - An artsy, stylish and hip look at a vampire living in Iran. More of my thoughts on this film here!
34. ABCs of Death 2 - An anthology of 26 horror shorts, each one representing a letter of the alphabet. The first one was garbage, but this collection was a lot of fun!
35. American Mary - An absolutely phenomenal film from filmmakers the Soska Sisters about revenge, redemption, and body modification. Katherine Isabelle is a force to be reckoned with in this movie! It was on my best horror movies of 2013 films.
36. Banshee Chapter - A rather unsettling found footage film that follows a journalist searching for a friend that has disappeared after trying out a supposedly top-secret drug the government had been researching for behavioral modification. I'm surprised more people don't recommend this one!
37. Black Death - Set during medieval times during the Bubonic Plague, this film follows a group of knights as they make their way to a mysterious village that remains untouched by disease. We don't have enough medieval horror movies, which is a shame, because I really like this one!
38. Creep - A strange film about a videographer hired to follow around an odd man at his isolated cabin in the mountains for a day. It's kinda funny and kinda terrifying all in one. More of my thoughts on this film here!
39. Dust Devil - A gorgeous film that is quite a favorite for those in the know. Equal parts Western, supernatural tale, and sweeping epic.
40. Honeymoon - A film just released this past year that made my best of 2014 list! Pretty unsettling and delves into the whole question of "just how well do you know those you love"?
41. Jug Face - I knew there was a reason hillbillies scared me...it's all those creatures they worship and have to sacrifice people to! This movie will definitely make you squirm, whether it is from the incest or the gruesome bits!
42. Let the Right One In - A hauntingly beautiful love story, if you haven't seen this one I highly recommend it!
43. Pontypool - A different, very clever take on the zombie trope, this cerebral horror film will keep you on the edge of your seat.
44. Proxy - Watching this movie, I remember thinking WOW, didn't see that coming! It's better to watch this one without any expectations, since it turns on a dime!
45. Ravenous - This period cannibal piece set in the Wild West during the 1840s is liberally sprinkled with dark humor along with some gruesome scenes.
46. Stage Fright - A wickedly funny musical that skewers all and any horror tropes. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised how entertaining it was!
47. Stakeland - This novel vampire film is way different than your standard vamp movie - humanity is overtaken by a vampire epidemic, and survivors try to find safe haven in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

...You Want Some True Life Scares:
48. American Scream - This sweet documentary is about Halloween home haunts and the dedicated Halloween-lovers behind them. Really perfect viewing this time of year and makes you appreciate the people that go all out to decorate their homes for Halloween!
49. Killer Legends - Covering all sorts of urban legends and the surprising true stories behind them, this documentary is absolutely captivating and is by the same filmmakers who made the great Cropsey documentary. More of my thoughts on this documentary film here!
50. The Nightmare - The realistic hallucinations people experience while under sleep paralysis are terrifying, and this documentary covers the nightmarish condition in chilling detail by interviewing people that experience it.

...You Aren't Satisfied with the Above List:
If those first 50 films weren't enough, here are a few more recommendations for horror films streaming on Netflix: The Sixth Sense, The Others, Devil, Silence of the Lambs, The Hole, Dark Skies, HouseboundDead Silence, American Psycho, Hellraiser, Children of the Corn, Dead Snow, V/H/S and V/H/S 2 (stay away from V/H/S Viral), The Host, Alone With Her, Haunter, We Are What We Are, Contracted, Horns, Nightcrawler, The Machinist, The Road, Soulmate, The Conspiracy, Toad Road, I'm Not Scared, I Saw The Devil, The Fourth KindVanishing on 7th Street, Open Water, Blue Ruin, After, Evidence, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, [REC] 3, The House at the End of Time. Altar, Hardware, and Frankenstein's Army.

What movies are you watching this month on Netflix?

Please note, these titles are available on Netflix streaming for the U.S. region only effective October 2015. Since streaming licenses through Netflix vary/expire all the time and differ per region, I can't guarantee these are available to everyone, but when I wrote this post these were all active titles in the U.S. Netflix streaming catalog. 

7 comments:

  1. If you haven't seen "Dark Was the Night" yet, that's another great one streaming on Netflix right now! And "Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead" was a lot of fun as well.

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  2. RL Stine's Cabinet of Souls (good for the younger crowd)
    Zombeavers
    Tremors 5
    Burying the Ex

    although I did kinda breeze through the list so if I repeated any, sorry :)

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    Replies
    1. I love the R.L. Stine movies ... there are several good ones for Halloween streaming on Netflix right now, but I didn't include them on the list since they are more tween oriented (I made an exception for Monster Squad cuz it's a classic!). Sorry to say I didn't really like any of the other ones you mentioned - Zombeavers and Tremors 5 got monotonous fast, and I hated the lead doormat in Burying the Ex.

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  3. Awesome picks!!seen & agree on many of your choices. Check out Housebound. ..its great horror with a twist.

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