happy october! i know we’re less than a week away from halloween already but i figured now was as good a time as any to post this list i’d procrastinated for nearly a month.
i’ve always been a secret fan of all things scary (meaning all i ever do is watch horror films and television shows and read horror novels, but haven’t ever had a community to share these with) and i know that not everyone has access to every single streaming service, so with the help of @amyelxine on twitter, buzzkill is proud to present the (subjectively) best horror films on netflix, hulu, and amazon prime.
NETFLIX
1. scream
⤷ this 90s classic is honestly the perfect way to kick off any halloween/horror movie marathon. it’s not too scary, and probably everyone reading this list has already seen it, so it’ll end up being a nice little rewatch (and if any of you guys have a horrible memory, like me, you only remember the major plot points).
2. gerald’s game
⤷ based off of a stephen king novel, this movie is one of the best adaptations in recent years, in my opinion (not as good as IT but so much better than 2013′s carrie). i’m not sure how much i want to say about it, because i don’t want to give anything away for anyone who’s never watched it or who never read the book, but it’s definitely worth a watch, especially this time of year.
3. i am the pretty thing that lives in the house
⤷ this netflix original gothic supernatural horror film was relatively well-received by horror fans when it premiered in october of 2016, but much less so by critics. i have to admit that this is one of many on this list i’ve never seen, but i included it because i trust @amyelxine’s judgement when it comes to horror. it’s about a live-in nurse who cares for an elderly author, and the nurse is led to believe that the house is haunted.
4. terrifier
⤷i have yet to see this movie as well as i’m absolutely petrified of clowns (thanks, pennywise!) and even more so of serial killer clowns, so i’m going to pass on this, but if you’re not of the faint of heart like i am, you should totally watch it, as it’s favored by a lot of horror fans!
5. hush
⤷a creepy film about a deaf writer who’s isolated herself in the middle of the woods to finish her book and ends up preyed upon by a serial killer. this one is: complete insanity.
6. creep (and creep 2 honestly)
⤷this entire franchise is immaculate. written and produced by mark duplass, who also plays the main character, is about a man who responds to a craigslist ad for a videographer. the job is seemingly harmless: the poster wants to hire someone to create a film for his unborn son, as he only has a few months to live and will never get to meet him. the rest is complete and utter - enjoyable - chaos.
7. the haunting of hill house
⤷based off of shirley jackson’s acclaimed novel of the same name, this series revolves around a family who grew up in a house haunted by more than just ghosts, and how they’re still dealing with the consequences of that haunting. not just spooky - also deeply sad! perfect for the holiday season!
8. penny dreadful
⤷i genuinely cannot believe it took me as long as it did to get into this show. it’s a glorious amalgamation of all things gothic, a cross between supernatural and iconic literary classics we all know and love. it’s rather short, and so would definitely be easy to binge at halloween.
9. silence of the lambs ⤷this is another classic i can’t imagine skipping during autumn. i first saw this movie when i was 12 or 13 and when i say hannibal lecter shook me to my core - and still does - i am not exaggerating.
10. coraline
⤷now, i know not everyone counts this as a horror film, but it truly is horrific and beautiful. i’m sure everyone definitely knows of this movie, but it’s essentially about a young girl who feels underappreciated and unseen by her parents, and finds a door into another world where everything is the same - except everyone has buttons for eyes. it’s absolutely gorgeous and i’d definitely recommend watching it this time of year.
11. as above, so below ⤷ now THIS is a MOVIE. i’ve seen this film probably three or four times (probably more, but i used to have to watch it from between my fingers, so some of them don’t count). i love found footage films, and i think this is one of the most terrifying out of all of them. it’s like a spooky national treasure. i’d really recommend jumping into this blind!
HULU
1. into the dark series
⤷blumhouse productions, who’ve brought us films like get out, the visit, and the lazarus effect, has been releasing one nearly-full-length horror film a month for the last eleven, and they are all masterpieces. my personal favorites so far have been “the body,” “treehouse,” and “pure.” every episode of the anthology series has underlying, moral themes. none of them are just straight horror; most of them are either thrillers or psychological horrors. i wanted to highlight these first because i’m not sure if very many people know they exist, but i would highly, highly recommend this series if you have hulu.
2. a quiet place ⤷ one of the most popular horror films of the late 2010′s is john krasinski’s directorial debut about a family living in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters roam the earth and attack at the slightest sound. the most shocking event occurs in the first ten minutes of the film. i remember how deathly quiet the theater was when i saw this one - everyone was too afraid to make a sound!
3. seven
⤷ brad pitt and morgan freeman star in this cult classic about two detectives engaged in a game of cat and mouse with a serial killer whose pet project is the seven deadly sins. the movie’s mostly known for its iconic line “WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!” but the whole thing’s a masterpiece!
4. amityville horror
⤷ i hate to admit it, but i’ve never seen the original film - only this 2005 remake with ryan reynolds (that he is absolutely incredible in) - but from what i’ve heard, the remake is just as terrifying as the 1979 classic. it’s a slow burn that allows you to watch as the patriarch of the lutz family descends into madness.
5. castle rock ⤷ a self-proclaimed “psychological-horror series set in the stephen king multiverse,” the first season of this show is centered on a strange man found in a cage in an abandoned cellblock of the prison in castle rock. the rest is worth the watch to find out.
6. light as a feather
⤷ this hulu original teen horror-drama is relatively easy to consume in one sitting, and if you like shows like the vampire diaries and teen wolf, you’ll definitely like this one, about a group of friends who meet a girl and play a game with her and die, one by one.
AMAZON PRIME
1. hereditary ⤷ hereditary is easily the scariest movie i’ve seen. ever. it’s about as far off from a straight forward horror movie as one gets, and the psychological aspects of it are just as - if not more disturbing than - the gore in this movie. if it’s difficult for you to stomach gore, i wouldn’t suggest you watch this one, but if you can, please do!
2. rosemary’s baby
⤷ surprise! you’re pregnant. even bigger surprise: it’s the antichrist!
3. saw
⤷ another one of those movies you just can’t skip when talking about the best horror movies anywhere. this franchise has transcended decades, but the original is my personal favorite, in which two men wake in an unfamiliar room and are told to kill the other or their family will die.
4. hellraiser ⤷ this movie is quite strange but very enjoyable nonetheless, and to try to explain it to you would be like pulling the nails from the film’s protagonist (i guess you could call him that?) one by one.
5. the corpse bride
⤷ tim burton’s masterpiece about a man who wanders into the forest on the eve of his wedding and ends up in the land of the dead, kidnapped, essentially, by a woman who was murdered after eloping with her lover. burton-esque creepiness ensues.
6. sleepy hollow (1999) ⤷ almost everyone is aware of the legend of sleepy hollow (and if you’re not, have you been living under a rock?) and this 1999 tim burton film starring johnny depp as ichabod crane, an investigator brought to the small town in downstate new york to look into the mysterious beheadings the community seems to be plagued with.
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