Is there better way to get in the spirit of Halloween than watching some good horror movies? Yes there is. Streaming multiple horror movies in a row, while laying on your couch…. in sweatpants, eating candy you swore you were going to save for the trick-or-treaters. Good news, you can totally do that. You have 14 days until Halloween and there are 100’s of horror movies out there;
- 45% of them are unwatchable
- 30% are watchable, but not scary at all
- 20% are scary, but forgettable
- 5 % are absolutely terrifying, have a good story line and will leave you thinking about the movie long after it’s over.
We’re going to go over that 5%. That amazing 5% of horror movies that keep you up at night and have you checking your closet before you go to bed. A quick word of advice for horror fans, get Shudder, they are not paying me to say this. Shudder is pretty much Netflix, but only filled with stuff from the horror genre. Streaming horror movies on Shudder is easy-peasy and it’s like $7 a month. These are the best horror movies to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Shudder.
Hush – 2016 – Directed by Mike Flanagan – Netflix
A 30ish year old deaf woman is staying at her somewhat remote home in the woods trying to live a more solitary life after being in the limelight as a famous author. Everything is nice and happy until a masked killer appears at her window. This movie has some extremely gory moments, but it is not a slasher flick. Director Mike Flanagan builds tension throughout the entire film, there are some cheap jump scares, but overall this is a movie that is made to get under your skin and stay there for days to come. The story is realistic and there aren’t many “OH COME ONNNN!” moments. I do not suggest watching this if you are a young woman who lives alone.
The VVitch – 2016 – Directed by Robert Eggers – Amazon Prime
I may get a lot of hate mail for posting this, but “The VVitch” sent shivers down my spine that didn’t stop for days. This is not your classic horror movie, minus one scene in the first 15 minutes of the movie, there isn’t too much that happens that I would say falls into the horror category. New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation, relocating his wife and five children to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest – within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen almost immediately – animals turn malevolent, crops fail, and one child disappears as another becomes seemingly possessed by an evil spirit.“What the director is doing with this time is building tension for his bone chilling climax. When I finished watching “The VVitch” I felt like I just watched something sinister, something that I should’ve never seen. You feel wrong for watching it. It’s a terrifying psychological thriller unlike anything other horror movie out there.
Rec – 2007 – Directed by Paco Plaza – Shudder
Full disclaimer, this movie is in Spanish. You can watch the dubbed version, but it completely ruins the movie IMO. “Rec” follows a reporter and her cameraman who are doing coverage for a local firehouse. A call gets put in to a local apartment building about a sick woman. Stuff goes downhill fact. They are left to record the horrifying outbreak of a disease that turns humans into vicious zombie like creatures. This movie is gory, it is intense, there are jump scares, there are scares that are slowly built; this is just a terrifying film. I still can’t get the last 5 minutes out of my head, I saw this movie 7 years ago.
Let The Right One In- 2008 – Directed by Thomas Alfredson – Amazon
Also full disclaimer, this movie is Swedish with English subtitles, it’s well worth it. “When Oskar each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl. Eventually, Eli shares her dark, macabre secret with Oskar, revealing her connection to a string of bloody local murders.” This is technically a vampire film, but it’s also a coming of age love story about the power of friendship and the heartache of bullying all wrapped in a beautifully terrifying horror blanket.
The Invitation – 2015 – Directed by Karyn Kusama – Netflix/Amazon
I’m not a big fan of dinner parties, they always seem forced. You have to dress up, get off your comfortable couch to sit at an uncomfortable dinner table and pretend to know stuff about wine. “The Invitation” is a dinner-party-from-hell scenario best served as unspoiled as possible. After all, a psychological thriller built upon slow-simmering tension is only as good as its surprises. Therefore, I will refrain from any major bean spillage and provide what I think is just enough to get you hooked.” – rogerebert.com
Bone Tomahawk – 2014 – Directed by S. Craig Zahler – Netflix
This movie absolutely blew me away, it’s not a horror movie at it’s core, but there are some terrifying moments that stick with you and disturb you just like the best horror films. In the Old West, a sheriff , his deputy , a gunslinger and a cowboy embark on a mission to rescue three people from a savage group of cave dwellers.
Green Room – 2015 – Directed by Jeremy Saulnier – Amazon
This is my favorite horror movie to come out in the past 20 years, it maybe my favorite horror movie ever. “Green Room” is a relentless attack on your senses, it will have you scream, it will have your palms sweaty and it will make you turn away from the screen. This is what a horror-thriller should be. “Members of a punk-rock band and a tough young woman battle murderous white supremacists at a remote Oregon roadhouse.”
Sadly not all the great horror movie are available to stream, this list would be 10x it’s size if more movies were free to stream. Amazon offers up a lot of great horror movies to stream, but you have to rent them; usually $2.99-$4.99. If you are fine with paying for a single movie check out:
- Sinister – A bone chilling ghost story with some of the creepiest “found footage” scenes ever.
- The Descent – A bunch of women go spelunking only to get lost and attacked by terrifying demon animal things. Very gory, lots of tension, high sense of claustrophobia and lots of jump scares.
- It – 2017 – Ok so you have to illegeally stream this movie, but the new “IT” absolutely blew me away. Perfect mix of scares and laughs. It was a heartfelt horror movie.
- The Conjuring – A classic American ghost story done right
- Housebound – Just check this one out, tons of good horror stuff happening.
- The Mothman Prophecies – I may get made fun of for this one, but when Richard Gere is holding the chapstick in his hand and it say “CHAPSHICT” I cry a little every time.
- 28 Days Later- The best movie to ever come out in the zombie franchise.
- Paranormal Activity (2007) – The first, in what felt like a never ending series of over the top ghost stories, this is the one that started it and did it perfectly. Very creepy.
With technology the way it is today we have the ability to pretty much never stop watching TV and movies. That’s probably not the best idea, but over the next 14 days try and watch a horror movie a day, building up to your favorite ones to watch on Halloween itself. If you haven’t started watching horror movies yet, you better start now.
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