10 The Conjuring
Directed by James Wan, the story of The Conjuring has terrified people since its premiere date back in July 2013. The story is based on the case files of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren, two demonologists who take on the cases most people avoid. Ed and Lorraine help a family whose home has been infested with a nasty demon that just won’t go away. When the family realizes who the demon is targeting, things get harder to handle.
Netflix can tell when people stop watching a movie. The Conjuring is on their list of movies people often can’t finish due to its horrifying story, with many stopping after 70 percent of the movie has been played.[1] (Netflix believes that if viewers simply didn’t like the movie, they’d have stopped watching sooner.) Thankfully, Netflix has this movie for us to enjoy as much as we can before we turn it off out offear.
9 The Boy
Many people have a fear of dolls—because why wouldn’t they? Their lifelike glass eyes, painted-on smiles, and ghostly stares are enough to make the hair on anyone’s neck stand up. Director William Brent Bell gave us his masterpiece of a movie, The Boy, back in January 2016. The Boy takes place in a remote English village where an elderly couple are in search for a nanny for their young boy. However, things take a turn when the main character (Lauren Cohan) meets their son, who is really a life-sized porcelain doll.
Staying away from demons or gore, The Boy has a way of scaring the crap out of you just by the use of the doll.[2] Oh, and the music. Make sure you hide anything that resembles a doll in your house before streaming this movie on Netflix.
8 Hush
Imagine living in a house alone, surrounded by woods. Now, picture all of that but not being able to hear. In the movie Hush, directed by Mike Flanagan, the main character Maddie (Katie Siegel) is in for a terrifying night when a man decides to break into her home and terrorize her. Maddie is deaf and unable to hear a single thing going on around her. She has to try to use the element of surprise in order to attempt to rid herself of this intruder.
This intense thriller even managed to earn an 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Many people agree that this movie is unique, chilling, and something that continues to keep you guessing until the very end.[3] Search for Hush on Netflix if you’re looking to enjoy this unique thriller.
7 The Unborn
Going back to demons and possessions, The Unborn takes us through a terrifying experience. Directed by David S. Goyer, this movie is one hour and 27 minutes of pure horror. The main character Casey (Odette Yustman) seeks help after countless nightmares and visions suddenly start coming to her. When she finds out that her nightmares are actually the result of a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany, things go from bad to worse. Casey begins to see the demon that is trying to take over her life, that is getting stronger and stronger with each possession.
Goyer takes full advantage of using a child to make the movie scary. After all, thanks to many horror films beforehand, kids have without a doubt been proven to be downright terrifying if they are used in the right way.[4] Netflix has this movie for all of you who are dying to be terrified for an hour and a half.
6 It Follows
Everyone knows what it’s like to have that “first love” type of romance. Most of the time, this kind of thing would fall into the romcom genre of movies. However, for director David Robert Mitchell, this fell in the horror genre. The movie It Follows hit theaters March 2015 and has had people questioning every person they see ever since. The film is focused on the young teenager Jay (Maika Monroe), who decides to sleep with her boyfriend Hugh (Jake Weary) for the first time.
Kind of romantic, right? Well, this turned out to be the worst decision she could have made. An evil (and creepy) entity was attached to Hugh, and the only way he could get rid of it was by having sex. Jay, who is now stuck with the creepy, shape-shifting demon following her, is on a mission to find someone to pass it onto. Viewers agree that this movie has you questioning every character until the very end, and then you get to question everyone you see as you leave the theater.[5] It Follows is now on Netflix for anyone looking to be scared while falling in love.
5 The Collection
Okay, now we’re getting into the gory stuff; grab your buckets and brace yourselves. Director Marcus Dunstan gave us his horrifying film The Collection in November 2012. The movie introduces us to the main character, Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick), sneaking off to join a very exclusive party. Of course, things don’t go as planned. We get taken through the Collector’s dungeon of horror, where we (unfortunately) see what he has in store for Elena.
With pop-outs coming at every chance partnered with the intense chase scenes, this movie has every viewer at the edge of their seat until it’s over. The Collection is actually a sequel to Dunstan’s 2009 film The Collector,[6] and on top of that, Dunstan was the one who brought us four Saw movies! The man has a knack for making us hurl our lunches. For all of you gory movie lovers, The Collection is streaming on Netflix now.
4 The Shining
“Here’s Johnny!” Oh, did I say “Johnny?” I meant here’s Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Based off the Stephen King novel, the classic horror movie hit theaters in May 1980. Jack Nicholson plays the main character, Jack Torrance, a writer who becomes a winter caretaker for a hotel located in Colorado to try and focus on his writing. During the winter, the hotel becomes completely isolated, which would drive anyone in their right mind insane. Jack begins to see and hear things that make him lose all sense of reality.
Although the movie has received mixed feelings due to the changes Kubrick made from the book,[7] most people can agree that the chilling looks Jack Torrance gives his family throughout the entire film are enough to have you running for the hills. Netflix has this available for anyone looking to enjoy a horror classic.
3 Hellraiser
In the 1987 classic horror movie Hellraiser, directed by Clive Barker, we all learned a little something about opening up portals to different dimensions. Okay, maybe you’ve gotten lucky and opened up a box you got from your trip abroad and nothing happened. But when the main character, Frank (Sean Chapman), opens up his souvenir, he is met with a man who has the face of a pincushion and is ready to terrorize him and turn his life into Hell.
Just like The Shining, Hellraiser got mixed reviews, depending on what people were looking for. If you’re looking for something classically horrifying, with the suspense setting your heart rate through the roof, Hellrasier is the movie for you. Even Stephen King agreed that Barker was to be considered the future of horror.[8] And who are we to argue with the King of Horror? Netflix has this classic available for streaming, so what are you waiting for?
2 Would You Rather
Would you rather watch a scary movie with demons chasing the characters or one with people trapped inside a mansion with a psycho guy making them do horrible dares to themselves and others in order to win a big pile of cash? Well, if you picked the second one, David Guy Levy’s Would You Rather is the film for you. In the 2012 thriller/horror movie, the main character Iris (Brittany Snow), along with other people, are forced to join a game where they have the chance to win a large bucket of cash. The only catch is that they have to perform seemingly deadly tasks to themselves or other people in the room in order to stay in the game.
This movie is something you can’t start watching lightly. In other words, if you can’t handle blood and screams, perhaps you should turn to one of the other films mentioned in this list.[9] However, for those of you who can sit through a thriller like this and keep your lunch down, this movie (now available on Netflix) is the right choice for you!
1 Gerald’s Game
What better way to end our list than with a Netflix original movie, Gerald’s Game, based off the novel written by Stephen King. Director Mike Flanagan took it upon himself to bring this story to life. Staring Carla Gugino as Jessie Burlingame and Bruce Greenwood as Gerald Burlingame, this movie starts off with what everyone thinks is going to be a sexy, romantic moment. However, once the you-know-what hits the fan, nothing about this movie would lead anyone to think it’s going to be anything other than a horror film.
Gerald and his wife Jessie go on a weekend retreat to try to rekindle their sex life. Unfortunately, Gerald unexpectedly dies, and Jessie ends up being alone in the isolated house, handcuffed to their bed. Yikes, talk about a rough weekend.
Unlike most horror movies, Gerald’s Game uses the sounds of Jessie’s wrists and legs popping and creaking as a way to scare the viewers instead of intense music. This was reportedly enough to cause some viewers to faint.[10] Obviously, this movie is available for all of you who want to “Netflix and chill” during the Halloween season.