Fear and fright are feelings every human being relates to. They're motivators, teachers, and bullies that most people deal with daily. They inspire a potent combination of chemicals and instincts so familiar, people bring them to work, to school—they bring them along for holidays and vacations. But they also make for great movies. Artists have imprinted them into their work, and consumers gobble them up by the hour. The horror community is as ravenous a fanbase as any in film, so if you've already seen the classics and you need a break from your nostalgic favorites, we've got a list of great new horror movies you can watch on streaming right now.
For the purposes of this list, we're defining "new" as films released within the last three years, which opens the doors to a lot of hidden gems and unsung spooky highlights you might have missed. For modern spooks, scares, chills, and thrills, seek these recent horror titles.
Annihilation (2018)
Where to Watch: FXNow
Directed By: Alex Garland
Cast: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez
Alex Garland delivered a poetic sci-fi spectacle with his adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation. The dialogue, visuals, and themes coalesce into a picture about metamorphosis, confrontation, and fear. Natalie Portman’s Lena is a biologist who joins an all-female expedition inside an anomalous area where reality is changing rapidly. Time, topography, and temperaments change as the team of scientists descends further into the center of the anomalous region, encountering increasingly strange and terrifying new circumstances along the way. Garland has been open about H.P. Lovecraft’s Color Out of Space influences while working on this movie, and they are readily apparent, but the unique characters and central love story between Portman and Oscar Isaac help morph this film into an intimate display of the struggle of acceptance and growth in the wake of life-changing events.
Black Box (2020)
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Directed By: Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour
Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola
Black Box is a story about love. It's a story about the lengths people are willing to go for those they love, whether that's a child taking care of their parent, a parent willing to defy science for their child, or a person who’d do anything for a friend. It's powered by fantastic performances, with the dynamic between Mamoudou Athie and Amanda Christine feeling truly special. The story follows Nolan (Athie) as he struggles to maintain a daily routine weeks after suffering a traumatic brain injury. An experimental therapy unlocks nightmarish memories Nolan must confront to piece together the life he led before his injury. Is he the kind, loving single-parent his family and friends tell him he is, or was Nolan hiding who he was from them the whole time? That’s a question he can’t answer without the Black Box.
Climax (2018)
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Directed By: Gaspar Noe
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub, Kiddy Smile
A troupe of French dancers is rehearsing for a project one evening when rehearsals turn into partying and what follows is a display of movement, madness, and bodily fluids. Dancing devolves into contorting and flexing as the troupe lose their minds en masse, pointing fingers on their way down the rabbit hole. Any other synopsis risks giving away the secret ingredient that makes Climax such an emotional mess. A largely improvised script, the movie is driven by the dancers, the choreography, and the exceptional camerawork by Gaspar Noe and cinematographer Benoit Debie. The choreography is a visual spectacle, and a dazzling pretense to the insanity that follows. Come for the opening dance number and stay for the rest.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Where to Watch: Shudder
Directed By: Richard Stanley
Cast: Nicholas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Elliot Knight, Tommy Chong
A far-out adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story by the same name, Color out of Space picks up after a meteorite crashes down in Nicholas Cage’s front yard. Everything starts changing while the audience watches a family helplessly ill-equipped to handle the oncoming strangeness and horror. It’s as over the top as it is striking and as awesome as it is chaotic. It's so over the top, it's hard to tell if the black comedy that spills out is deliberate or a secondary effect. While an adaptation of The Dunwich Horror by Richard Stanley was in production, it was shelved after he was outed as an assailant by multiple former working and relational partners. SpectreVision, producers on both projects, immediately parted ways with the director and announced they'd be donating future revenue from Color out of Space to "charities devoted to stopping domestic violence."
Daniel Isn't Real (2019)
Where to Watch: Shudder
Directed By: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Cast: Mile Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Mary Stuart Masterson
Daniel Isn't Real is a complicated, dark, and human psychological thriller that explores the concepts of loneliness, trauma, acceptance, and love. Connor (Mile Robbins) develops an imaginary friend as a child who he later abandons until he's encouraged to reconnect with him as a coping exercise. Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is all too happy to be welcomed back into Conor's day-to-day life, though it becomes increasingly clear he has his own motivations. Another SpectreVision spectacle, the movie oozes style with terrific lighting and color displays. It's helped along by the charisma and swagger of Schwarzenegger, though both leading men build this movie into the compelling, fantastical, special film that it is.
The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
Where to Watch: Shudder
Directed By: Bryan Bertino
Cast: Marin Ireland, Michael Abbot Jr., Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Tom Nowicki
The aptly named The Dark and the Wicked is a bleak, depressing, terrifying new movie by Brian Bertino (The Strangers) about a fragmented rural family's struggle to survive as an evil presence distorts, maims, and destroys their lives. The Dark and the Wicked’s masterful use of editing, sound, and jump scares creates a tension thick enough to wade through. Haunting performances, with a specific brava to Tom Nowicki’s Charlie, turn tension to fright in what has to be 2020’s scariest film of the year. Some questionable CGI and a rush to the finish may leave some viewers wanting more, but for quality tension and scares, not many films will serve them up as strong as The Dark and the Wicked.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Where to Watch: HBO Max
Directed By: Mike Flannigan
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon
A follow-up to both Stanley Kubrick's and Stephen King's The Shining, Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of the book by King. The film follows Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) all grown up, battling demons from his time at the Overlook Hotel and suffering from the effects of his shine. Trying to get his life together, he makes a new friend who he begins to fear is in danger, and he sets off to combat unknown forces to save her. There's a lot to unpack over the two-and-a-half-hour run time, featuring flashbacks, homages, and recasts, but Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) handles both lineages of The Shining with care while weaving this heavily adapted sequel. The Director's cut adds 24 minutes to round out leaner parts of the picture and is a worthwhile substitution.
Eli (2019)
Where to Watch: Netflix
Directed By: Ciaran Foy
Cast: Charlie Shotwell, Kelly Reilly, Max Martini, Lili Taylor, Sadie Sink
Eli is a scary good time, but it’s also probably the most polarizing movie for consideration, as it takes a couple of twists and turns, subverting the very strong haunted hospital premise established in the first half. Those viewers who can throw their hands up and enjoy the ride will find an entertaining, scary and original horror story. A film about the titular young boy who is deathly allergic to the world, Eli’s (Charlie Shotwell) family arranges for a radical treatment to cure his allergies at an in-patient treatment center. Eli begins to see and experience things he believes to be hostile paranormal encounters but his doctors dismiss these as hallucinations related to his treatment. In the final act, the movie starts dropping Shyamalan-style bombs on the story that set up some of the film’s best visuals and leaves room for a sequel that would be drastically different than its predecessor.
His House (2020)
Where to Watch: Netflix
Directed By: Remi Weekes
Cast: Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba, Matt Smith
Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) shine in this commentary on the refugee experience in England. A tale of guilt, pain, and desperation, His House follows a refugee couple as they struggle to adapt to their new lives and living conditions in a new country. Paranoia gives way to fear as they begin to suspect they're being watched from inside their home. Nightmares and flashbacks of an ocean rescue haunt the weary couple, struggling to accept what they’ve survived, who they’ve become, and who they’re expected to become. Not as straightforward as it seems, His House keeps a strong pace until its emotional and explosive conclusion. It's one of the scariest, saddest and smartest haunted house movies on Netflix any month out of the year.
Hereditary (2018)
Where to Watch: Showtime, Kanopy, FuboTV
Directed By: Ari Aster
Cast: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro
Hereditary is maybe the highest-profile horror movie of the last six years. It’s a slow burn that’s more disturbing than terrifying. Legendary performances by Toni Collette and Alex Wolff coupled with inspired writing and directing by breakout director Ari Aster propelled this meticulously crafted cult horror flick outside of the category of simply "good horror movies." The no-holds-barred grief ride Aster took audiences on didn't reinvent the wheel, but it took that wheel and rolled over them all the same. Sprinklings of clues and iconography throughout the film make rewatches all the sweeter as each time makes it only more clear how quickly the snare tightens around this poor family.
The House That Jack Built (2018)
Where to Watch: Hulu, AMC+
Directed By: Lars Von Trier
Cast: Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Bruno Ganz
At first glance, The House That Jack Built is a disturbing, shaky-cam serial killer installment by an auteur whose hallmark seems to have become shock-cinema, but behind the violence and ramblings is the earnest expression of an often misunderstood artist. The House That Jack Built is divided into segments chronicling multiple murders committed by Jack (Matt Dillon), broken up by 10-15 minute conversations between an off-screen Jack and Verge (Bruno Ganz). Jack waxes philosophically about the nature of creation, art, expression, violence, architecture, and more over inserted shots of classical artwork, architecture, animals, and Jack himself. The House That Jack Built’s self-awareness adds an almost satirical slant of black comedy to the film that makes it feel more American Psycho than Maniac. The graphic and raw presentation of violence stirred controversy at the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, prompting more than 100 walkouts during the screening, though the conclusion was followed by a ten-minute standing ovation from the remaining crowd.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Where to Watch: Cinemax
Directed By: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer, Aldis Hodge
A reimagining of the old-school Universal Studios property, Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man proved to be an interesting and terrifying adaptation of a classic story. The story follows Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) after she decides to finally leave her abusive boyfriend. As she attempts to recover, she becomes convinced he is still with her, invisibly orchestrating events designed to depict her as incompetent and insane. A commentary on power, abuse, and society's treatment of women in the face of danger, the movie's premise and scares are more than a metaphorical depiction of "believe women," The Invisible Man is one of the best movies released in 2020.
In the Tall Grass (2019)
Where to Watch: Netflix
Directed By: Vincenzo Natali
Cast: Laysla De Oliveira, Patrick Wilson, Avery Whitted, Will Buie Jr, Rachel Wilson, Harrison Gilbertson
Based on a Stephen King and Joe Hill story of the same name, In the Tall Grass is a disorienting, almost Lovecraftian narrative about a brother and sister lost in—wait for it—tall grass. Incredulity turns to terror after they can't reconnect with each other, much less exit the field—enter Patrick Wilson as Ross. Ross claims to know the secrets of the field and offers the secrets to the siblings, but nothing, not even time, is as it seems in this head scrambling Stephen King adaptation. As with any convoluted time-bending tale, In the Tall Grass demands a rewatch to fully digest.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy
Directed By: Robert Eggers
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman
Perhaps it's the black and white color contrast or the static camera work, but The Lighthouse feels like a movie out of time. Robert Eggers' follow-up to 2015's The Witch is a slow, uncomfortable haze of imagery, mythology, and comedy. Every bit as much of a slow burn as The Witch, this movie takes its time feeding the viewer paranoia and deceit until it's impossible to tell if what is happening on screen is fact or fantasy. Like Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice, The Lighthouse is hilarious, but the comedy might be lost in the soup of dialogue vomited forth through accents and jargon. The chemistry between Pattinson's and Dafoe's lightkeepers delight and chill thanks to their truly award-worthy performances—every line, every fight, every fart, delivered perfectly.
Mandy (2018)
Where to Watch: Shudder
Directed By: Panos Cosmatos
Cast: Nicholas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy
Mandy is a metal movie. Set in an indistinct mountainous American forest in the 1980s, Mandy's atmosphere, lighting, and music make it seem set in some parallel fantastical version of Earth complete with mythological objects, sights, and monsters. A story separated by titles, Mandy charts the collision course between the earnest, loving, secluded lives of Red (Nicholas Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough), and the Children of the New Dawn, a cult with mysterious connections and fanatical loyalty to their leader. Panos Cosmatos’ long-takes, beautiful use of lighting, and contrasting implementation of a synth and doom-metal soundtrack, courtesy of the great Johann Johannsson, split the movie into two visually and thematically distinct halves—the ethereal art-house opening and the bloody vengeful conclusion. It may be over the top at times, but it feels almost natural spearheaded by a raw and unleashed Nic Cage. Out of any movie on this list, see this movie.
Midsommar (2019)
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy
Directed By: Ari Aster
Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter
A year after the smash hit Hereditary, Ari Aster delivered another instant horror classic in Midsommar. The pair hit as a night and day duo, though both thematically similar. After losing her family in a horrific murder-suicide, Dani (Florence Pugh) accompanies her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) and his friends on a vacation in Sweden for a once-in-a-century festival. What follows is an original story about love, loss, and relationships buoyed by superb performances from everyone on screen. Unfairly criticized as a modern interpretation of the 1970's cult horror classic The Wicker Man, Midsommar is as much The Wicker Man as Hereditary is Rosemary's Baby—the influences are clear but the films are vastly different.
One Cut of the Dead (2019)
Where to Watch: Shudder
Directed by: Shinichiro Ueda
Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Mao
One Cut of the Dead opens with a 30 plus minute one-shot take of a zombie attack during the filming of a zombie movie. It doesn't get less meta over the next hour, but what follows is a pure, feel-good story about the love of making movies and the challenges artists overcome to do what they love. The one-shot sequence is a wacky and fun tribute to the first days of George Romero's career and is made all the sweeter by the latter half of the film. It's a project produced at a Japanese film school for $25,000 that grossed more than $24,000,000 worldwide. Even if it's not the scariest movie on the list, it’s a movie any horror fan will find joy in watching.
Possessor (2020)
Where to Watch: Hulu
Directed By: Brandon Cronenberg
Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Bean, Kaniehtiio horn
Possessor is one of the most original, awesome, and interesting movies of 2020. Part horror film, part sci-fi spy film, Possessor follows a corporate assassin, Andrea Riseborough, as she tries to keep her grip on reality despite her job—to project her consciousness into an unaware host and mimic them until her opportunity to assassinate her target arises. Everyone's performance is deliberate, all the locations are stunning and unique, and the practical effects work adds a weighted texture to all of the carnage. There's no accounting for Brandon Cronenberg's eye and vision for this film, it's a fully realized alternate world idiosyncratic from our own. It feels layered like one of Ridley Scott's best. The Uncut version of the film is a whopping 60 seconds longer than the theatrical cut, so don't fret if only the theatrical cut is available.
The Queen of Black Magic (2020) -
Where to Watch: Shudder
Directed By: Kimo Stamboel
Cast: Ario Bayu, Hannah Al Rashin, Adhisty Zara, Muzakki Ramdhan
If it weren’t for The Dark and the Wicked, The Queen of Black Magic would reign as the scariest film of 2020. A remake of an Indonesian horror film of the same name, The Queen of Black Magic takes its time setting the stage before plunging the cast and viewer into an unpredictable, disgusting, and horrific montage of chaos. The story revolves around a group of orphans, now grown, returning to their childhood orphanage at the behest of one of their own to say goodbye to the ailing man who helped rescue and raise them. After their return, secrets, and things forgotten, return to torture and terrorize, forcing the families to confront the past they once buried. From half of the directing team who brought the under-rated Killers to life in 2014, The Queen of Black Magic walks the line between horror and extremity while serving up buckets of blood and bugs along the way.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Where to Watch: FXNow, Fubo TV
Directed By: John Krasinski
Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Who’d have expected John Krasinski (The Office) to direct one of the greatest PG-13 horror movies of all time? Starring Krasinski and his wife Emily Blunt, and produced by Michael Bay (Transformers), A Quiet Place is a tight, controlled, sci-fi story about love and communication. Sound is the enemy in a world invaded by blind, sound-sensitive alien monsters. The Abbott family silently struggles to survive as they prepare for the arrival of their third child. Krasinski and Blunt’s chemistry is center stage as they fight to protect their children, one of whom is deaf. With fewer than 30 spoken lines over 90 minutes, A Quiet Place is carried by its performances, and by its tension. The silence is thick and terrifying. By contrast, the sounds are bombastic and adrenaline-inducing, the consequences of noise on display in the opening. The movie nabbed an Academy Award nomination for best achievement in sound editing for the way it keeps the viewer immersed in the silent and terrifying world of A Quiet Place.