Halloween is here, and unless you have kids or a great costume party to go to, then you may just be better off spending October 31st at home. And what better way is there to celebrate Halloween at home than by watching the best horror movies on Netflix?
At this particular moment in time, Netflix’s horror lineup is largely comprised of original movies, and the quality of those films greatly varies. That’s why our picks for the five best horror movies on Netflix to watch this Halloween include three films on loan from other studios that also happen to be some of the most outstanding flicks from the genre from the last 10 years. These aren’t just great horror movies, they’re the future of horror.
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele wasn’t expecting a career change when he helmed Get Out, but the film’s success turned him into one of the most influential directors in horror. Daniel Kaluuya stars as Chris Washington, a Black man who is dating Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), a white woman from a wealthy family. At Rose’s insistence, Chris accompanies her on an upstate trip to spend time with her parents.
Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy Armitage (Catherine Keener) seem a little too accepting of Chris as their daughter’s boyfriend. And there’s something that’s just off about all of the wealthy white people hanging around the house for the weekend. The only Black man there, Logan King (LaKeith Stanfield), unexpectedly accosts Chris and tells him to “get out.” Unfortunately for Chris, he doesn’t realize that was a warning until it is far too late to run.
Watch Get Out on Netflix.
Us (2019)
Peele’s second film as a director, Us, didn’t quite hit the same heights as Get Out. But it’s a great horror film in its own right. In the prologue, a young girl named Adelaide “Addy” Wilson comes face-to-face with an exact doppelganger of herself. Decades later, Addy (Lupita Nyong’o) has moved on from that trauma and married Gabriel “Gabe” Wilson (Winston Duke), with whom she shares two children, Jason (Evan Alex) and Zora Wilson (Shahadi Wright Joseph).
One night, Addy’s double, Red (Nyong’o), returns for her revenge alongside perfect duplicates of everyone in Addy’s immediate family. These aren’t the only duplicates to emerge from hiding, but Addy and her family will have their hands full simply surviving their own doubles. The rest of the country may not be as lucky.
Watch Us on Netflix.
It Follows (2014)
It Follows came out nearly a decade ago, and it’s still one of the most inventive horror films of this century. Maika Monroe stars as Jaime “Jay” Height, a teenager who makes the mistake of sleeping with her boyfriend, Hugh (Jake Weary). After the fact, Hugh reveals that he passed on a sexually transmitted curse to Jamie that will ultimately kill her unless she passes it on to someone else by having sex with them.
To Jay’s horror, she realizes that the entity that pursues her is invisible to anyone else who isn’t cursed by it. It will always pursue her at a walking pace, no matter how far away she gets from it. Not even the help of Jaime’s friends can slow it down for long.
Watch It Follows on Netflix.
Malevolent (2018)
Black Widow‘s Florence Pugh headlines Malevolent as Angela Sayers, a ghost hunter and business partner with her brother, Jackson Sayers (Ben Lloyd-Hughes). Angela and Jackson use their reputation to con people into believing that they’re removing spirits for them. Their friends, Elliot (Scott Chambers) and Beth (Georgina Bevan), are also in on the con.
Unfortunately for Angela, she seems to be developing genuine psychic powers, which frightens her. By then, it’s too late for the team to turn down a job from Mrs. Greene (Celia Imrie) to get rid of the ghosts in her home. And there’s far more to be afraid of in Mrs. Greene’s house than a few ghosts.
Watch Malevolent on Netflix.
His House (2020)
We couldn’t finish this list without including His House, which is our pick for the scariest movie on Netflix. This is a low-budget flick compared to some of the others on this list, but the limitations of His House actually make it even effective. Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku star as a married couple, Bol and Rial, both of whom survived atrocities in Sudan and arrived in the United Kingdom as refugees.
The couple left a dark secret behind them to escape, and now that secret has caught up to them in their new home. A vengeful spirit prowls their walls and in their minds. And if they don’t watch out, it will be in their skin too.
Watch His House on Netflix.
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