If you’re into the darker side of cinema, Hulu is a great place to sink your teeth into some of the best horror films out there. From psychological thrillers to tales of possession, murder, and zombie outbreaks, nearly every facet of the genre is covered, and there’s always something new to watch.
Keeping up with the platform’s latest scary titles can be a bit of an endeavor, though, which is why we’ve put together this monthly roundup of all the best horror movies on Hulu right now. This August, you’ll be able to feast your eyes on such hits as Prometheus, Little Monsters, and writer-director Kate Dolan’s unnerving You Are Not My Mother.
Hulu isn’t the only streaming platform with horror titles on demand. We’ve also put together guides to the best horror movies on Netflix and the best horror movies on Amazon Prime Video.
Recently added to Hulu
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Little Monsters2019
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Prometheus2012
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You Are Not My Mother (2022) new
93m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Hazel Doupe, Paul Reid, Ingrid Craigie
Directed by
Kate Dolan
Films like You Are Not My Mother are cleverly-lensed explorations of a world where our parents are not who we think they are. In this 2021 Irish horror film, the story follows Char (Hazel Doupe), her grandmother (Ingrid Craigie), and Char’s mother, Angela (Carolyn Bracken), in the aftermath of Angela’s sudden disappearance. Re-emerging, Angela is not the same parent Char has known her whole life. Exhibiting frightening new behaviors and disturbing thoughts and emotions, it’s up to Char to figure out just what happened to her mother before she’s all but lost to whatever evils have been visited upon her. An astonishing feature debut from Kate Dolan, You Are Not My Mother creates a perplexing, almost folkloric setting and atmosphere where almost any flavor of fear is possible.
Little Monsters (2019) new
94m
Genre
Horror, Comedy
Stars
Lupita Nyong'o, Alexander England, Josh Gad
Directed by
Abe Forsythe
Remember that elementary school field trip where you and your peers were besieged upon by hordes of the living dead? Count yourself lucky if such madness escaped you in your youth, because in writer-director Abe Forsythe’s 2019 film Little Monsters, the onscreen kindergarten class isn’t so fortunate. With a cast led by Lupita Nyong’o as kindergarten teacher Miss Caroline, Alexander England as washed-up musician Dave, and Josh Gad as television personality Teddy McGiggles, the horror/rom-com hybrid follows the unlikely trio of adults and Miss Caroline’s students as they fight and defend themselves against zombies that have escaped from a nearby government facility. Filled with heart and soul, laugh-out-loud moments, and a healthy supply of B-movie gore, Little Monsters is an awesome summer flick that assures the viewing world that zombies still have an important place in horror cinema.
Prometheus (2012) new
124m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Mystery
Stars
Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Prometheus is a bit of a polarizing horror epic from Ridley Scott, the famous director of films with heavy sci-fi backbones like Alien and Blade Runner. In Prometheus, sci-fi is a major player in the plot once more, with the story focusing on the crew of the titular spacecraft who stumble upon ancient coordinates that could unearth the very origins of mankind as we know it. Instead, the cosmic travelers, led by scientists Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), discover something far more sinister and omnipotent in the farthest reaches of the universe. Prometheus is never afraid to go big, delivering monstrous set pieces, visuals, and far-reaching narrative threads that may not land with all viewers. But if you’re in the mood for something chilling on a grandiose scale (with a spiritual connection to Alien), this one is for you.
Body at Brighton Rock (2019) new
88m
Genre
Thriller
Stars
Karina Fontes, Casey Adams, Emily Althaus
Directed by
Roxanne Benjamin
Wendy (Karina Fontes) is nearing the end of her summer gig as a part-time park ranger, and in order to prove her worth, she takes on one final assignment that plummets her deep into the forest’s mysterious backcountry. Alone in the sticks, Wendy’s last duty turns into an all-out nightmare when she stumbles upon a corpse. After using her radio to call for help, she is ordered to remain with the body until police arrive. But a single night in the overwhelming cover of conifers soon becomes much more than Wendy ever bargained for. Body at Brighton Rock taps into all of the audio-visual elements of the stranded-in-the-woods sub-genre, making effective use of many Mother Nature tropes, from branches snapping to beastly creatures.
Little Joe (2019)
106m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox
Directed by
Jessica Hausner
Little Joe stars Emily Beecham as Alice, a botanist who invents a new species of flower that she names “Little Joe” in honor of her son. Little Joe’s pollen has been meticulously engineered to deliver a sense of joy to those that come into contact with it. But this scientific heightening of emotions soon gets out of hand. As the plant’s influence begins making people act crazy, Alice must come up with a way to deal with her creation before its deadly reign of euphoria cripples the local population. A lo-fi blending of horror and sci-fi, Little Joe is a brilliant piece of genre filmmaking that proves just how far you can go with a singularly gripping concept and a shoestring budget.
Oculus (2013)
104m
Genre
Horror
Stars
Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff
Directed by
Mike Flanagan
Writer-director Mike Flanagan has forged a prosperous career as a horror filmmaker, with noteworthy works including Hush and Netflix’s Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House series. And it all started back in 2013 with a great film called Oculus. Starring Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites as siblings Kaylie and Tim, the story follows both characters as they try to come to grips with the death of their parents a decade before. With the theory that an antique heirloom mirror may have been the cause of death, Kaylie and Tim discover their predictions may be all too real as the malevolent mirror begins infiltrating the minds of all who gaze upon their reflections. Oculus will keep you glued to the edge of your seat through the entire flick.
Depraved (2019)
114m
Genre
Horror, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
David Call, Joshua Leonard, Alex Breaux
Directed by
Larry Fessenden
It’s been a long time since someone came along to deliver a fresh spin on the Frankenstein tale, and we’re glad to say that genre stalwart Larry Fessenden has granted our long-awaited wishes. Transposing the rustic hills of Switzerland for the lively streets of Brooklyn, Depraved stars David Call as Henry, a PTSD-riddled field surgeon who is compelled to create a “monster” from the limbs and bits of various humans. After securing the brain, “Adam” (Alex Breaux) comes to life, but Henry should have anticipated the troubles of teaching his newfound creation how to live in the all-too-real world of life after death. There’s a surprising amount of emotional gravitas on display in Fessenden’s Depraved, making for a very compelling foray into the shared world of B-movie madness meets lo-fi drama.
The Field Guide to Evil (2018) new
117m
Genre
Horror
Stars
Marlene Hauser, Luzia Oppermann, Karin Pauer
Directed by
Veronika Franz, Peter Strickland, Calvin Lee Reeder, Ashim Ahluwalia, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Severin Fiala, Yannis Veslemes, Agnieszka Smoczyńska
The Field Guide to Evil is an international anthology film that brings together eight unique genre tales with folkloric bents. Of particular note are some of the recognizable writers/directors, including Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio and In Fabric), Veronika Franz, and Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge), with each segmented novella horror delivering an homage to a significant mythological terror. While not every short hits as hard as the last, the mixed bag ends up in “glass half-full” terrain, with plenty to write home about in terms of vision and execution.
Held (2020)
94m
Genre
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Jill Awbrey, Bart Johnson, Travis Cluff
Directed by
Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Held stars Jill Awbrey and Bart Johnson as Emma and Henry Barrett, a married couple looking to address some of the many strifes within their relationship. After taking up residence in an isolated smart home, the couple’s idyllic retreat quickly unfurls into a sinister game of cat-and-mouse when Emma and Henry realize that their rental host, a sentient voice that speaks through the home’s automated ecosystem, knows a number of personal details about their marriage and is watching their every move. Held borrows from films like Panic Room and other single-location horror-thrillers, delivering a familiar story that gains the higher ground come the third act. Stick around for the reveal — you won’t be disappointed.
Sea Fever (2020)
95m
Genre
Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller
Stars
Hermione Corfield, Ardalan Esmaili, Olwen Fouéré
Directed by
Neasa Hardiman
In Sea Fever, Hermione Corfleid stars as Siobhán, a marine biology intern spending several days aboard a fish trawler for her studies. While Siobhán struggles to connect with much of the crew, the true struggle comes in the form of a mysterious aquatic devastation that descends upon the isolated vessel. As what appears to be a horrific infection begins spreading from one shipmate to the next, it’s only a matter of time before everyone succumbs to the oceanic plague. A perfect commentary on the current state of world health, Sea Fever delivers its metaphors and allegories in a slow-burning, atmospheric fashion that will keep your eyes glued to the screen from start to finish.
Agnes (2021)
93m
Genre
Drama, Horror
Stars
Molly C. Quinn, Sean Gunn, Hayley McFarland
Directed by
Mickey Reece
Religious fervor reaches new peaks in director Mickey Reece’s harrowing horror-drama Agnes. When a sister of faith begins experiencing wretched tendencies, an investigative priest and his apprentice are sent to the remote convent to investigate the phenomena. But as evil spreads its wings wider, not even the benevolent intentions of the priesthood can contain the demonic troubles that boil over. An atmosphere-laden tale of terror, Agnes operates more than effectively on its rather small budget, delivering chills throughout its entire runtime.
Gaia (2021)
97m
Genre
Horror, Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Monique Rockman, Carel Nel, Alex van Dyk
Directed by
Jaco Bouwer
In director Jaco Bouwer’s Gaia, Monique Rockman stars as the titular character, a displaced forest ranger who gets hurt on the job. Rescued by a nomadic father-and-son duo, Gaia’s troubles grow bigger when she discovers that both men are devotees to a tantalizing and mythic presence harboring deep in the woodlands. Or is it all in their heads? An eerie and hallucinatory film, Gaia will crawl directly under your skin and lurk there for weeks to come.
Willy's Wonderland (2021)
88m
Genre
Action, Horror, Comedy
Stars
Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, Beth Grant
Directed by
Kevin Lewis
Nicholas Cage has become the unsung king of B-list horror films over the last few years, with lead performances in off-the-wall films like Mandy and Color Out of Space. In Willy’s Wonderland, the mighty Cage stars as an unnamed protagonist who agrees to take a janitorial job at Willy’s Wonderland for one night to pay for car repairs. But what Nomadic Nick doesn’t see coming is an army of animatronic foes that wage war against him. Armed with whatever he can find, the man must fight for his life to see the sunrise. A bizarre homage to the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, Willy’s Wonderland is a whole bunch of Cage-fueled, off-kilter fun.
The Feast (2021)
93m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones
Directed by
Lee Haven Jones
When a well-to-do family gathers at a remote Welsh estate for an evening of pleasantries and business dealings with local community members, no one expects the dread and perils that will arrive with the emergence of the evening’s dinner hostess. The Feast ratchets the tension in a painstakingly deliberate fashion (and we say “painstaking” in a good way), culminating in a third act of bombastic proportions. Trust us, it’s one you don’t want to miss.
Come True (2020)
105m
Genre
Science Fiction, Horror
Stars
Julia Sarah Stone, Landon Liboiron, Carlee Ryski
Directed by
Anthony Scott Burns
The dreamscape sub-genre has seen its fair share of entries over the last several years, from action-packed epics like Inception to tantalizing, psychological identity crisis movies like Possessor. Writer-director Anthony Scott Burns brings us Come True, a low-budget interpretation of the sprawling dreamscape label that combines horror, sci-fi, and fantasy in new and surprising ways. Our story follows Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone), a woman haunted by all-engrossing nightmares who submits to an experimental sleep study to find the root cause of her somniferous demons. But as the tests begin, Sarah’s sleep-laden hell begins to boil over into her waking life.
Wounds (2019)
94m
Genre
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, Zazie Beetz
Directed by
Babak Anvari
When Will (Armie Hammer), a down on his luck bartender, comes into possession of a cell phone left at the local dive by a college patron, he brings it home with him. Going through the device, he begins to discover some truly disturbing content. All of this is only exacerbated when the same group of college students that left the phone behind start remerging, but in ways more terrifying than Will can fathom. Wounds puts forth the efforts of a dedicated cast and an immersive atmosphere, delivering a film that works in more ways than one, while faltering a bit here and there. As a genre entry though, it’s certainly worth a watch.
Hunter Hunter (2021)
93m
Genre
Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Stars
Camille Sullivan, Summer H. Howell, Devon Sawa
Directed by
Shawn Linden
Nothing says “never venture into the woods” like Hunter Hunter, a taut horror-thriller from writer-director Shawn Linden. When a family of fur trappers are robbed of their livelihoods, the clan suspects a hungry wolf is to blame. When Joseph, the father, journeys off to hunt down the beast, his family is forced to survive in their remote outpost without him. Then, an injured man named Lou (Nick Stahl) arrives and things start getting very weird. An awesome gem of a small film, Hunter Hunter leans on a slow-burner tactic that will leave most genre fans highly satisfied.
We Need to Do Something (2021)
97m
Genre
Horror, Mystery
Stars
Sierra McCormick, Vinessa Shaw, Pat Healy
Directed by
Sean King O'Grady
Getting locked in the bathroom during an apocalyptic fallout is never fun, especially when you’re trapped in said bathroom with your mom, dad, and younger brother. In We Need to Do Something, teenaged Melissa (Sierra McCormick) must contend with her crumbling family dynamic in the wake of a devastating storm. But as parts of the outside world start slithering their way into the house, Melissa and the rest of her kin must do everything in their power to stay alive until help arrives. But will it ever? A taut closed-door chiller, We Need to Do Something will make you reconsider where you duck out during the next maelstrom.
The Other Lamb (2020)
97m
Genre
Horror, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Raffey Cassidy, Michiel Huisman, Denise Gough
Directed by
Małgorzata Szumowska
Selah (Raffey Cassidy) has lived in a polygamist cult in a remote part of the world for her entire life thus far. But growing into a woman, the teen starts questioning the motivations of the Shepherd (Michiel Huisman), the commune’s leader who happens to have a particular affinity for young Selah. Featuring compelling performances and an otherworldly tone that combines isolation with surrealistic flashes, The Other Lamb is a brilliant piece of horror that you certainly won’t forget.
47 Meters Down (2017)
89m
Genre
Horror, Drama, Thriller, Adventure
Stars
Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine
Directed by
Johannes Roberts
If you’ve ever been doubtful about deep-sea diving in shark-infested waters, 47 Meters Down will remind you that questioning the ocean is always a good idea. Starring Claire Holt and Mandy Moore as sisters Kate and Lisa, our story follows the siblings on what is supposed to be an awesome getaway to Mexico. Out at sea, things take a turn for the worse when the sisters’ shark-diving cage becomes separated from their boat. Plummeting down to Davy Jones’ Locker with dwindling oxygen, Kate and Lisa must contend with the finned foes that surround their weakening barrier. A psychological horror flick with a dab of angry nature mixed in for good measure, 47 Meters Down will keep you away from all bodies of water for a decent period of time.
The Night (2021)
105m
Genre
Horror, Mystery
Stars
Shahab Hosseini, Niousha Noor, George Maguire
Directed by
Kourosh Ahari
The Night stars Shahab Hosseini and Niousha Noor as Babak and Neba, a married couple that rests their heads at the Hotel Normandie for an evening with their infant child. Sure, it’s a little creepy, but the husband and wife are tired. Well, it turns out sleep isn’t in the cards for them as a series of supernatural forces begin preying upon the family. A film about our inner demons boiling over and consuming us whole, The Night is built on a sordid atmosphere, arresting performances, and effective chills from start to finish.
Censor (2021)
84m
Genre
Horror, Mystery
Stars
Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns
Directed by
Prano Bailey-Bond
Enid (Niamh Algar), a film censor, protects the moviegoing public from the exploits of the “nasties” of the day. When the dutiful anti-cinephile is assigned a new disturbing film, it’s nothing but work as usual until Enid starts tracing parts of the violent picture back to a series of traumatic events that occurred in her youth — horrid acts that may have had something to do with the disappearance of her sister. An indie gem for sure, Censor may skip the radar of most Hulu-watchers of today, but we loved its performances and captivating take on the infamous phenomena that was England’s “video nasty” era.
Unsane (2018)
98m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah
Directed by
Steven Soderbergh
Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) has had a horrific two years. After the young woman relocates to Pennsylvania from Boston to escape a relentless stalker, the trauma leads her to a psychiatric center. When she signs a release form, what she doesn’t realize is that her signature has given the institution permission to keep her for 24 hours. After she lashes out at the staff, the physicians decide to extend Sawyer’s stay. As her madness and fright grow, Sawyer discovers that her stalker may be one of the orderlies walking the halls. An homage to B-movie thrills, Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane shows the maestro director experimenting with the confines of a genre he hasn’t spent much time with, along with shooting technology that many of us have right in our pockets (the entire film was shot using an iPhone 7 Plus).
Black Swan (2010)
108m
Genre
Drama, Thriller, Horror
Stars
Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Directed by
Darren Aronofsky
The arts are essential, but an overindulgence in the craft may lead to things we would have preferred avoiding. Such is the case in writer-director Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. The film stars Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers, an aspiring ballerina belonging to a prestigious New York company. The timid but dedicated artisan is given the lead role in the upcoming production of Swan Lake. Her celebration is short-lived, however, when newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) arrives. Thomas (Vincent Cassel), the director, decides to cast Lily as the Black Swan, stripping one-half of Nina’s role away from her. Psychosis and disturbing events ensue as Nina and Lily’s initial friendship starts disintegrating into an all-out nightmare.
Amulet (2020)
99m
Genre
Horror
Stars
Carla Juri, Alec Secăreanu, Imelda Staunton
Directed by
Romola Garai
When Tomaz (Alec Secareanu), an ex-soldier living in London, is forced to flee the dilapidated compound he shares with other refugees, a benevolent nun finds employment for him with a woman named Magda (Carla Juri). Caring for her ailing mother, Magda needs help with home repairs and upkeep. As Tomaz begins servicing the home, a series of strange events start unfolding, leading Tomaz to believe that there’s something sinister living all-too-close to him and his employers. A cerebral creeper with excellent character work and original storytelling, Amulet summons the demons we thought we banished to our pasts, placing these unforgiving monsters front-and-center.
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She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
85m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kate Lyn Sheil, Jane Adams, Kentucker Audley
Directed by
Amy Seimetz
When Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil) starts believing that her untimely death is just around the corner, her paranoia starts spreading like a literal plague — first to her family and friends, and then to the community at large. An existential horror masterpiece from indie stalwart Amy Seimetz, She Dies Tomorrow takes the idea of chain-mail, email blasts, and social media bloat and turns these mundane addictions into a spreadable psychosis that catches everyone off guard. Hallucinatory, disorienting, and packed with big ideas and mighty deliverables, She Dies Tomorrow is one you don’t want to miss.
Lights Out (2016)
81m
Genre
Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Stars
Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello, Gabriel Bateman
Directed by
David F. Sandberg
Before creeping out audiences across the globe as a feature endeavor, writer-director David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out began as a popular short film that terrorized the Internet. In this long-form adaptation, Teresa Palmer stars as Rebecca, a young woman reeling from a disturbed childhood in which a horrific entity ceaselessly stalked and terrorized her from the shadows. Now, her younger brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) is contending with the same night-clad foe, a being that may be supernaturally tied to Teresa and Martin’s mother (Maria Bello). A solid horror flick through and through, Lights Out doesn’t exactly reinvent the genre but adds a satiating, trope-laden entry to the annals of terror that grossed close to $150 million against a $5 million budget.
Shortcut (2020)
80m
Genre
Horror, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Jack Kane, Andrei Claude, Zak Sutcliffe
Directed by
Alessio Liguori
In director Alessio Liguori’s Shortcut, a group of five youths is stranded on a desolate road when their bus driver attempts to take a shortcut back into civilization. The cause of the stranding? A shadow-cloaked creature that claims the desolate country road as its own, terrorizing and stalking the teens. As the night wears on, tensions continue mounting as the kids attempt to get away from the vicious being. A campy but spirited throwback to heightened monster movies, Shortcut may not bring complete originality to the table, but the homages to ’80s chillers are enough to keep us plugged in and asking for more.
The Owners (2020)
92m
Genre
Thriller, Horror
Stars
Maisie Williams, Sylvester McCoy, Rita Tushingham
Directed by
Julius Berg
Adapted from the Hermann and Yves H. graphic novel Une Nuit de Pleine Lune, The Owners follows Gaz, Nathan, and Terry (Jake Curran, Ian Kenny, and Andrew Ellis), a band of wannabe thieves that has big plans to break into the local country manor of Dr. Huggins and his wife, Ellen. Hoping to secure a major cash haul from a hidden safe in the house, what the band of youths didn’t anticipate was a turning of the tables by the seemingly elderly homeowners, a couple with more bite than they let show on the surface. A gruesome but thrilling addition to the home invasion subgenre, The Owners places great emphasis on the talented ensemble cast, particularly Sylvester McCoy and Rita Tushingham as the tantalizing septuagenarians.
Shadow in the Cloud (2021)
83m
Genre
Horror, Action, War
Stars
Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale
Directed by
Roseanne Liang
Set during World War II, Shadow in the Cloud stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Maude Garrett, a flight officer assigned to a B-17 bomber crew. Entrusted with a series of top-secret documents, the all-male crew initially goes out of their way to prove troublesome to the squad’s female addition — that is, until a malevolent being starts destroying their aircraft as the crew enters a sky-set ambush. It’s up to Maude to overcome the monster on board the flight before the creature triggers a nose-dive ending for the hapless brigade. A satisfying blend of action and horror dressed in the threads of a period drama, Shadow in the Cloud serves up plenty of thrills through its hour-plus runtime.
Bad Hair (2021)
Genre
Horror, Comedy
Cast
Elle Lorraine, Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe
Anna (Elle Lorraine) is a go-getting assistant at Culture, a music network for Black artists. Hoping to climb the ranks of the corporate ladder, Anna’s big break arrives when she pitches Zora (Vanessa Williams), the new head of station programming, on a new kind of video countdown show. Impressed with her idea, Zora asks Anna to lose her Afro in favor of a weave, in keeping with the network’s modern image. But as it turns out, Anna’s new hair-do is cursed and hungry for blood. An incredible mashup of camp and satirical commentary, Bad Hair is a fun-loving ’80s horror throwback that’s dying to meet you.
Villains (2019)
Genre
Comedy, Horror, Drama
Cast
Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe, Blake Baumgartner
Mickey (Bill Skarsgård) and Jules (Maika Monroe) are criminals and lovers who have plans of packing up and heading south for Florida. After a final gas station robbery, the couple hit the road, only to run out of gas soon after. Venturing up a winding path to an isolated house, Mickey and Jules break in but are shocked to discover a child chained up in the basement. George (Jeffrey Donovan) and Gloria (Kyra Sedgwick), the homeowners, are beyond surprised when Mickey and Jules emerge upstairs. As the couple-on-the-run takes in their surroundings and potential new victims, a sinister turn of events begins unfolding. Long story short, Mickey and Jules picked the wrong house. A riveting blend of horror and comedy, Villains is a blast from start to finish.
Sputnik (2020)
113m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama, Horror
Stars
Oksana Akinshina, Pyotr Fyodorov, Fyodor Bondarchuk
Directed by
Egor Abramenko
The U.S. may have won the Space Race, but in the sci-fi horror flick Sputnik, it’s Russian cosmonaut Konstantin (Pyotr Fedorov) who makes history by bringing back the first alien visitor, and he does it without even knowing. Judging it by its plot alone, there isn’t a lot about Sputnik that sounds unique — after all, stories of humans acting as unwilling hosts to aliens are as old as moon craters. What makes Sputnik stand out is how the story is told. Yes, it has its moments of CGI grandeur and monstrous gore, but for much of the story, you don’t know exactly what kind of film you’re watching or who the real villains are. Almost everyone in the movie is hiding something, from the possessed Konstantin to the psychiatrist Tatyana (Oksana Akinshina) who interrogates him, and the military commanders overseeing it all. The result is a more intelligent and compelling horror than you’re expecting.
Let the Right One In (2008)
115m
Genre
Horror, Drama
Stars
Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
Directed by
Tomas Alfredson
Vampires have seen their fair share of cinema, both good and bad. Over a decade ago, there was Let the Right One In (based on the Swedish novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist), an ultra-compelling, air-brushed interpretation of classic vampiric lore. Set in Stockholm in the early 80s, we follow Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) through his everyday tribulations as a bullied adolescent. When a quiet, pale-faced girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson) moves in next door to him, the two youths foster a friendship. Unbeknownst to Oskar, Eli is actually a budding vampiress living under the watchful eye of Håkan, her late-aged guardian and keeper. Foregoing tropes and easy scares, Let the Right One In instead focuses on the emotional connection between the film’s two fragile youths, an impressive character study set against the moody nighttime exteriors of a snowy Stockholm. Critics raved that Let the Right One In pumped new life into the overly trod vampire genre. Now, you be the judge.
The Lodge (2020)
108m
Genre
Drama, Horror, Thriller
Stars
Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh
Directed by
Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Nothing says “bad times for all” like a traumatized stepmom-to-be getting snowed in with her embittered and equally traumatized stepchildren — in the middle of nowhere. From the malicious minds that brought us 2014’s Goodnight Mommy, The Lodge is a discomforting blend of close-quarters madness, familial frailty, and religious insanity. Indie stalwart Riley Keough delivers a restrained but haunting performance as the rattled stepmother. As strange events begin piling up at the remote cabin, the stepchildren (played by Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh) do a little digging and discover their new mom is the single escapee of a very dark past. Intense, lurking visuals, oppressively dim lighting, and a dooming score are the backbone to this tale of winter woe that will keep you guessing from start to finish. Think The Shining, but on a painfully microcosmic scale.
Shirley (2020)
107m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Elisabeth Moss, Odessa Young, Michael Stuhlbarg
Directed by
Josephine Decker
Elisabeth Moss is mesmerizing as the titular Shirley Jackson, the famed horror novelist behind such books as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Director Josephine Decker’s film is an adaptation of Susan Scarff Merrell’s 2014 novel of the same name, about a young couple, Fred and Rose (Logan Lerman and Odessa Young), who moves in with Shirley Jackson and her husband, Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg). As Rose starts to befriend Shirley, a series of unusual events and increasing psychological duress morphs a once-promising living situation into a perplexing nightmare for all involved. The entire cast is on fire in Decker’s film, creating a tormented stage of performances not unlike the battered and belligerent souls of Edward Albee’s famous 1962 play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? While less an outright horror film, Shirley effectively builds its terror-laced atmosphere through a slow burn of rich little oddities and uncanny phenomena. Regardless of its exact genre pinnings, we highly recommend it.
Southbound (2015)
89m
Genre
Fantasy, Thriller, Horror, Science Fiction
Stars
Fabianne Therese, Susan Burke, Larry Fessenden
Directed by
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez, Chad Villella, Roxanne Benjamin
There are a number of words we can use to describe the hellish anthology-film-meets-road-picture mashup, Southbound. It’s unpredictable, chaotic, perplexing, and, above all, relentless. To put things into perspective, our story begins on a stretch of desolate highway. Two men, Mitch (Chad Villela) and Jack (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin), speed down a barren desert interstate, trying to outrun an onslaught of winged demon creatures. Disturbing events transpire, which eventually leads us to a motel. Just as we’re starting to piece together who these guys are, where they’ve come from, and what’s up with the demons, the film forcibly shifts perspective from Mitch and Jack’s tale to three new characters, Sadie, Ava, and Kim, all lodged in the same motel. Then, after we spend time with the girls, another three stories unfold. Players from previous stories repeat, along with the aforementioned demons of flight. With the segments filmed collaboratively by the horror filmmaking trio known as Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella) and three other directors, Southbound is a non-stop thrill ride, with a foreboding through-line of recurring motifs, disturbing imagery, and plenty of gore.
Wrinkles the Clown (2019)
75m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Wrinkles the Clown
Directed by
Michael Beach Nichols
Is your child misbehaving? For a nominal fee, Florida residents can call in Wrinkles, a professional creeper clown, to scare the kiddies straight. Wrinkles the Clown is a multilayered documentary about the very real clown for hire, focusing on the man behind the mask, the communities he serves, the families that call upon his services, and the internet-obsessed teens who use his phone number as a thrilling rite of passage. Wrinkles the Clown is sincerely uncomfortable but also utterly fascinating. Just as we begin to get used to the film’s odd cast of characters, the doc does a complete 180, unfolding an entirely new layer to the Wrinkles mythos. What new layer, exactly? You’ll just have to see for yourself.
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