‘Tis the season of horror and a bank holiday weekend, which can mean only one thing – time for some spooky binge-watching on Netflix.
Whether you’re into your old school horror, feel like something more modern, and aren’t really into full-on horror, we’ve got your covered with our 13 recommendations below:
Mama
If you enjoyed It, you’ll definitely want to check out Mama as it was the film that essentially brought It director Andy Muschietti into the mainstream. Jessica Chastain and GOT’s Nikolaj Coster-Waldau play a young couple who take in their two nieces only to suspect that a supernatural spirit has latched itself to them.
Gerald’s Game
Stephen King, we all know, is the king of horror, and this latest adaptation of one of his novels starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood has been getting a lot of attention since debuting on Netflix. The film follows a couple who attempt to spice things up in their marriage with fatal consequences – you can read our review of the film here.
It Follows
This supernatural psychological thriller from three years ago manages to really get under your skin. The movie is about a teenager who begins to be stalked by a foreboding shapeshifter after sleeping with a young man. The film was a big success on the festival circuit and currently holds an impressive 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Babadook
Another highly acclaimed horror on Netflix which demands to be seen if you haven’t already watched it already is The Babadook. This 93 minute-long feature follows a widowed mother who is struggling to cope with her son’s ‘behavioural issues’, which seem to be linked to what the boy thinks is a monster living in their house.
Child’s Play
If you’re in the mood for a retro horror, you’ll be happy to know that the original Child’s Play – best-known for introducing the muderous doll Chucky to the world – is available on Netflix. The film follows a mother who gives her son a doll for his birthday, not realising that the toy is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.
Scary Movie
Ok so obviously Scary Movie isn’t reeeeeeally a scary movie but it is a classic – and a good one if you’re a bit of a wimp when it comes to the genre. The film parodies horror favourites such as Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project as well as non-horrors like The Matrix and The Usual Suspects. Scary Movie 2 and 3 are also available on Netflix.
The Human Centipede
If you’re in the mood for a totally messed up horror, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) is now on Netflix. Its premise is pretty disgusting so we won’t get into it. Suffice to say that in spite of mixed reviews, a limited theatrical release and bombing at the box office, the film won a number of horror film festival awards and gained something of a cult following after big DVD sales.
Resident Evil
Its sequels (a number of which are also available on the streaming service) went a bit bonkers but the original Resident Evil still provides a pretty thrilling watch. Starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez, the film follows amnesiac heroine Alice and a band of Umbrella Corporation commandos as they attempt to contain the outbreak of the T-virus at a secret underground facility.
Hostel
Eli Roth is well-known for his gory features and if you like your horrors bloody and torturous, Hostel is right up your alley. The flick follows a bunch of backpackers who stay in a hostel in Slovakia filled with beautiful women. However, their trip quickly turns nightmarish when visitors to the hostel start disappearing. If you feel like an Eli Roth double-bill – and fair play if you can stomach it – The Green Inferno is also on Netflix.
Paranormal Activity
Another horror classic that demands to be seen, Paranormal Activity not only sparked off a new horror series but also gave a big kick-start to production house Blumhouse, which would go on to produce Insidious, The Purge, Sinister, Split and Get Out. The film follows a couple who become haunted by a nightly demonic presence after moving into a house in the suburbs.
Let the Right One In
Widely hailed as one of the best horror films in years, as well as one of the best foreign films of recent years, this surprisingly touching horror is one for your must-watch list. Set in Sweden, the film follows a bullied boy who befriends a vampire girl. They become increasingly close in spite of dark forces around them. The American remake starring Chloe Grace Moretz Let Me In is also available.
The Visit
The second most recent film from M. Night Shymalan – the man behind such hits as The Sixth Sense, Signs and The Village – may have gotten a mixed reception, but it did see the director return to form and become a box office success again (the movie grossed $98.5 million worldwide against its $5 million budget). The Visit follows a pair of siblings who are increasingly creeped out by their grandparents’ strange behaviour.
Let Us Prey
If you’re in the mood for something local, there are two Irish horrors on offer on Netflix at the moment. One is Wake Wood and the other is Let Us Prey. We picked the latter for our list as it stars the charming (and he’s devilishly so in this particular role) GOT star and Oirish thespian Liam Cunningham. His character gets arrested and starts toying with the minds of those working at the police station.