Scouring Netflix for what to watch next can be such a mundane chore, especially when it comes to finding something spooky. Powerless against the algorithm, it is easy to miss some of the best the streaming service has to offer in the horror department.
If you’re searching for a horror that’ll seriously unsettle you or even if you’re just in the mood for some comedic, ridiculous, brain-dead fun — look no further as we’ve rifled through Netflix to find the genre’s hidden gems.
'The Descent' (2005)
A group of friends goes on a rural cave expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. In typical horror film fashion, they become trapped and discover they are not alone as crazed cannibals lurk in the shadows. Like any good protagonist, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) is recovering from a recent trauma — the death of her husband and daughter. Only a year on from the tragic accident and her best friend, Juno (Natalie Mendoza) organizes the cave-diving trip to lull Sarah out of her depression.
Written and directed by Neil Marshall, this cannibal cave dive is chock-full of carnage. Expect tight spaces, brutal accidents, conflicting friendships, and a seriously creepy monster design, even by today’s standards. With a tagline like “The Scariest Movie In Earth”, you know you’re in for a claustrophobic treat.
'Drag Me To Hell' (2009)
Christine (Alison Lohman) works as a loan officer and gets cursed by a customer she refuses to help. On a quest to save her soul before evil drags her straight to the underworld, she seeks assistance from a psychic and her rich boyfriend Clay (Justin Long). Directed by Sam Raimi, this horror-comedy is full to the brim with over-the-top gore and silly, sadistic scenes of clumsy violence.
Drag Me To Hell is ridiculous in every definition and unique in its purposeful flaws. Raimi is known for his comedic yet influential works inside and outside the horror genre, with cult classic The Evil Dead terrifying and tickling audiences for decades. This film is no different. Nothing will prepare you for the goofy grisly adventure of cursed Christine’s soul.
'Cam' (2018)
Camgirl Alice (Madeline Brewer) is on a mission for viral success. After her account gets hacked by a doppelgänger, she must deal with more than her loss of identity and control as things take a supernatural turn. Trippy visuals and seductive set design provide a cool aesthetic; this psychological horror is easy on the eyes.
Written by Daniel Goldhaber, Isa Mazzei, and Isabelle Link-Levy, and directed by Goldhaber, Cam is a sinister cyber-thriller with a plotline unlike any other and a fantastic leading performance by Brewer that carries the film in its slower, more questionable moments. Like it or loathe it, Cam is undoubtedly an experience.
'Creep' (2014)
A freelance videographer accepts a cash-in-hand job for an unsettling man in a remote cabin. A classic recipe for a horror story, this psychological thriller uses its found footage dynamic to produce an uncomfortable cinematic experience. Part of a trilogy, the sequel was released in 2017, simply titled Creep 2, which can also be found on Netflix: the third act is allegedly still in development.
Written, directed, and starring Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass, they filmed the entire feature in a week, which aids to the found-footage aesthetic. This provides a layer of realism that can be difficult to establish within the subgenre. Dark and humorous, Brice and Duplass hold nothing back in this original horror. Creep will leave you scrambling to watch the sequel.
'The Nightingale' (2018)
This film technically isn’t listed under Netflix’s horror category but have no doubt the scenes which unfold in The Nightingale are nothing short of horrific. Set in 1825, a young Irish convict Clare (Aisling Franciosi) and an Aboriginal tracker, Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), team up to enact revenge on the British Army in Van Diemen's Land.
The Nightingale uses history and truth to terrify. Combined with some truly disturbing scenes, the overall result is a gripping, gore-riddled emotional journey of two victims and their joint battle against their oppressors. Written and directed by Jennifer Kent — known for her first feature The Babadook, this brutal thriller is a viewing experience not to be forgotten.
'#Alive' (2020)
The only zombie entry on the list, #Alive is a Korean Netflix original film that follows Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in) as he finds himself trapped in his apartment complex during the midst of a rabid virus outbreak. With barely any supplies or skills to survive, Joon-woo must figure out a way to survive.
Written and directed by Il Cho, #Alive (also known as #Saraitda) is an interesting exploration of isolation in uncertain times. It leans further toward a tense thriller than a full-blown action flick and topped the Netflix charts in multiple countries. It is absolutely one to add to your watch list if you’re in the mood for some good old-fashioned undead action.
'Gerald's Game' (2017)
Known for his many Netflix original adaptations, writer and director Mike Flanagan began his Netflix career back in 2017 with his adaptation of infamous horror writer Stephen King’s psychological thriller novel titled Gerald’s Game. Although the feature received critical acclaim upon initial release, it has easily slipped people’s radars since then.
The film, of the same name, follows Jessie (Carla Gugino) and her husband Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) during their romantic trip to an isolated lake house. During a sex game gone wrong, Jessie finds herself hand-cuffed to the bed with no way out and no one to help her. A fantastic performance by Gugino combined with a tense script makes this one of Flanagan’s best.
'His House' (2020)
A couple seeking asylum in England struggles to adapt to their new home as an evil presence lurks in the walls. The film starts slow and subtle, reeling you in with its eerie haunting of a downtrodden couple in an unwelcoming atmosphere.
Directed and written by Remi Weekes (with the story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables), this horror thriller is as much emotional as it is unsettling, dealing with themes of loss, a conservative British government, and the unjust treatment of refugees. His House is one Netflix original that is not easily forgotten.
'Thirt13en Ghosts' (2001)
Directed by Steve Beck, Thirt13een Ghosts is a goofy horror moive like no other. A manic, ghost-obsessed uncle dies and leaves his haunted house to his widowed brother (and his kids). Starring Matthew Lillard as a questionable ghost hunter, this naughties cult classic is bound to leave you reeling with laughter.
With prop work and costume design that holds up by today’s standards, the ghosts steal the show as each one is more terrifying than the last. Over twenty years old and Thirt13en Ghosts is more entertaining than ever before — they don’t make horror films like this anymore.
'We Need To Talk About Kevin' (2011)
We Need To Talk About Kevin is just over a decade old, and yet still makes for one of cinema’s most intense, sick stories. The film follows lonesome mother Eva (Tilda Swinton) as she reflects upon her son's childhood and coming of age. Kevin (Ezra Miller) is one seriously disturbed kid, and the events that unfold throughout the feature are sinister, to say the least.
Based on the novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver, director Lynne Ramsay adapted this psychological thriller onto the big screen with a sadistic style. Emotionally weighted performances from both Swinton and Miller make this a truly painful watching experience, as we learn the horrid truth about Kevin.