Cold, dark winter nights are a perfect time to snuggle up in the warm and watch a good scary movie. Netflix has an excellent collection of horror movies. Here are ten hidden gems that are definitely worth watching:
The Ritual (2018)
Four British men decide to go hiking in Scandinavia to honour the memory of their lost friend. When one of them twists their knee, they decide to take a shortcut through the woods. This, as anyone who has ever watched a horror movie will know, is a spectacularly bad idea. An intriguingly eerie mix of The Blair Witch Project, The Hills Have Eyes and The Wicker Man.
Train to Busan (2016)
Seok-woo is taking his daughter on a train to see her mother in Busan. But their trip descends into chaos when a woman who boards the train at the last minute turns out to be infected with a zombie virus. So it’s zombies on a train basically but despite the simple premise, this South Korean shocker is one of the most tense and harrowing horror movies in years. One scene where the passengers have to evade the zombies by climbing over the luggage racks will leave your nerves in shreds.
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Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
You’ve all seen the horror films where the beautiful preppy college students are terrorised by the creepy rednecks. But what if the rednecks were just really nice people, who were too shy to talk to them and just wanted to be left alone to fix up their dream house? In this clever and funny reversion of horror movie cliches the always likable Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are the kindly hillbillies baffled at the college kids who start showing up dead near their property.
Radius (2017)
Liam wakes up after a car crash with no clue where or who he is. Wherever he goes he finds dead bodies with pale staring eyes. He quickly realizes that everyone who comes within a 50 feet radius of him dies instantly with the exception of one person – Jane. A clever, engaging, twisty thriller with one hell of a nasty sting in its tail. Diego Klattenhoff (The Black List) excels in the very difficult role of Liam.
Deathgasm (2015)
Two metalhead teens unwittingly unleash hell on earth when they perform a piece of music which unlocks the gates of hell. Exceptionally silly, very funny, gross out horror from New Zealand that refuses to take itself seriously. Brilliant fun.
The Den (2013)
When investigating web chats for an academic piece, a woman unwittingly witnesses a murder and the murderer will stop at nothing to silence her. The Den is a nasty and effective found footage chiller that is superior to recent efforts like Unfriended and Friend Request which have a similar vibe.
It Follows (2014)
After sleeping with her boyfriend, Jay discovers that she has been infected by a curse – a demon which can take any form which will follow her until it harms her and her friends unless she can get rid of it by sleeping with someone else. A modern horror classic It Follows is a deeply unsettling film featuring a genuinely terrifying antagonist that can take the form of anyone. Maika Monroe gives the performance of her career as Jay.
Beyond the Gates (2016)
While closing up their father’s video game store two brothers discover a VHS role playing board game which traps them into a game of survival with deadly stakes. Hugely entertaining 1980’s nostalgia with scream queen Barbara Crampton on top form as the face of the deadly game.
Silent Hill (2006)
When Rose’s adopted daughter vanishes after a car crash she goes looking for her in Silent Hill – an eerie, seemingly abandoned town covered in ash. There she must battle creatures from the darkest of nightmares as well as the inhabitants of the town for her daughter’s soul. Solid video game adaptation with excellent turns from Radha Mitchell (who is always excellent and deserves to be far bigger than she is) and Laurie Holden as the suspicious police officer. Sean Bean’s terrible American accent threatens to derail proceedings but it’s the haunting visuals that will stay with you.
Creep (2014)
A cash strapped videographer Aaron (Patrick Brice – who also directs) agrees to take a job he spots on Craigslist to video the life of Josef – who lives in a remote mountain cabin. While Josef initially seems like a lonely eccentric he rapidly becomes more and more unsettling. Short, sharp hugely disturbing piece with Mark Duplass scary as hell as Josef – the monster who just wants to be your friend.
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