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3 great Netflix horror movies you should watch on New Year’s Day

Jason Struss
By

Horror is traditionally associated with Halloween, but why shouldn’t be watched on other holidays? Some horror movies are great to watch on certain holidays. For instance, Black Christmas is a great slasher to watch on Christmas Eve. Ditto the It movies on the Fourth of July and, now, thanks to Eli Roth, Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving.

New Year’s Eve movies don’t have a set genre, although it’s popular to watch rom-coms or comedies to ring in the new year. Digital Trends wants to buck that trend by recommending three horror movies on Netflix that will scare you into 2024.

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Looking to get your scares elsewhere? Check out the best horror movies on Netflix, the best horror movies on Amazon Prime Video, and the best horror movies on Hulu.

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Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

Ty Simpkins stands in a red doorway in Insidious: The Red Door.
Sony Pictures / Sony

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Insidious franchise, so I was surprised by how much I liked the fifth and latest one, the underrated Insidious: The Red Door. The 2023 movie reunites the Lambert family from the first two films: father Josh, oldest son Dalton, and mother Renai. Josh and Renai have divorced since Insidious Chapter 2 and Dalton, now entering college, is estranged from his dad. But demons, both literal and metaphorical, awaken to bring them all together again, as the franchise’s iconic villain, the Lipstick-Face Demon, returns to once again claim Dalton’s body and his unique ability to astral project to an astral plane known as The Further.

Yes, it’s a bit silly, but Insidious: The Red Door is also very scary. The director, Patrick Wilson (who also stars as Josh), knows how to stage a scene and milk it for all of its horror, and there’s one sequence that has Josh stuck in an MRI machine that still gives me the creeps. It’s an ideal way to ring in the new year by watching people try to get over their past traumas by destroying some demons.

The Strangers (2008)

The Strangers Official Trailer #1 - Liv Tyler Movie (2008) HD

When it was first released in 2008, The Strangers wasn’t seen as anything more than just another horror movie. In the years since, the movie’s reputation has grown, and with good reason–it’s one of the most terrifying horror movies of the last 20 years. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star as a couple fighting for their lives against three masked attackers while at their vacation home.

Featuring three creepy antagonists, two great performances from Tyler and Speedman, and an ending that will haunt you for some time, The Strangers is effective because it knows that there’s nothing scarier than the unknown. Nothing is explained, and the violence is random and shocking. Since 2024 will see the release of three (!) new Strangers films, now’s a good time to check out or rewatch the original.

Lights Out (2016)

Teresa Palmer and Gabriel Bateman in Lights Out.
Warner Bros. Pictures

If you liked the 2023 movie The Boogeyman, you should check out Lights Out. This traditional horror movie is peppered with effective jump scares and a truly terrifying premise. The 2016 movie uses a hefty handful of genre tropes, but it uses them in a slick manner. Lights Out focuses on Rebecca, who used to be terrorized by an invisible entity when the lights went out at night when she was a young girl. Now an adult, her little brother Martin is experiencing the same unexplained events. Both siblings have to survive the invisible entity, which can only survive in total darkness.

It’s a simple setup, but it’s also an effective one, and Lights Out is a good horror movie that does its one job: to scare the heck out of you really well. It’s not the greatest movie ever made, but it beats watching a sickly sweet rom-com as the ball drops in Time Square on New Year’s Eve.

For more New Year’s Eve selections, check out 3 great comedies to watch on New Year’s Eve, 3 great rom-coms to watch on New Year’s Eve, 5 TV shows that are perfect to watch on New Year’s Eve, 5 movies that are perfect to watch on New Year’s Eve, 3 great Netflix shows you need to watch on New Year’s Eve, 10 best Netflix movies to watch on New Year’s Eve, 3 great dramas you need to watch on New Year’s Eve, 3 great Netflix thrillers you need to watch on New Year’s Eve, 3 great action movies to watch on New Year’s Eve, and 3 great sci-fi movies you need to watch on New Year’s Eve.

For New Year’s Day suggestions, try 3 great Hulu shows you need to watch on New Year’s Day and 3 great Prime Video movies to watch on New Year’s Day.

Editors' Recommendations

Jason Struss
Jason Struss
Section Editor, Entertainment
Jason is a writer, editor, and pop culture enthusiast whose love for cinema, television, and cheap comic books has led him to…
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