The Best Horror Movies on Netflix to watch on Halloween
Ah yes, the best horror movies on Netflix to watch this Halloween. I personally think there is a shortage of Halloween movies on Netflix. It's no secret, horrors have always been some of my favorite movies on Netflix. In fact, I get a complaint every once in awhile (and I lose subscribers) about how I am too "horror heavy" in my Netflix movie selections. What can I say, I try to find the scariest movies on Netflix. To be honest, I really don't mean to make my Netflix movie list a high percentage of horror movies.
The truth is, it just turns out that most of the best movies on Netflix happen to be horrors. Another complaint I get is that the movies I select are "too bloody" or "needlessly gruesome". Sorry if that offends anyone, but that's what I think most good horror movies on Netflix are made of! So since we're getting so close to Halloween, I thought it would be a great idea to come up with a list of movies to watch in between handing candy out to the kids this year. Be warned, I'm going to list all the best horrors on Netflix whether or not they have the most cringe-worthy blood-spattered scenes, or they make you look over your shoulder once or twice while you're watching it. Without further adieu, here is my list of the best horror movies on Netflix to watch on Halloween.
Gerald's Game
Gerald's Game is a newly added horror on Netflix starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. You know them both and they're both great actors. If you didn't already know Gerald's Game is based on a Stephen King novel. This movie is one of the best horrors on Netflix I've seen this year. Even though the main plot of the story is terrifying enough, the side stories are what put chills up your spine. It's very creepy and what else could we need for a Halloween night movie? Plus, I read an article recently about a few people that passed out while watching a particularly gruesome scene in Gerald's Game. That's got to be a good sign right?
Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
This classic is a perfect example of a dark comedy. Do you want some blood and laughs? You got it. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil has turned into a cult classic and it's easy to see why. Talk about a hillbilly survival story! I don't think I've seen such funny hillbilly characters since Deliverance. Even if you aren't a huge horror fan, this is the perfect movie for you. I'm always surprised when people say they haven't seen this movie. If you're one of them, please, check it out tonight! It doesn't take itself too seriously and there's more comedy than actual scares.
Ravenous
Ravenous is another cult classic that the younger generations probably haven't even heard of. It stars Guy Pearce as a 19th-century captain embarking on a rescue mission. That description really doesn't do Ravenous justice as everything really spirals out of control from there. One of my favorite aspects of this movie is the quirky music and playful character (played by Robert Carlyle) that makes jokes during all the gruesome scenes. Ravenous is fun, it's brutal, and it's a great movie to watch tonight.
ABC's of Death 2
The ABC's of Death 2 is a great movie to watch on Halloween. It might just be the best one to watch. Growing up, I used to love watching montages of short scary movies on Halloween. The ABC's of Death 2 was created by different directors for every letter in the alphabet. With 26 different directors and stories to choose from, I guarantee there will be more than a few that you enjoy. I honestly think the ABC's of Death 2 is one of the most creative horror movies I've ever seen. I mean, I guess that just goes with the territory when you have so many different minds on a project but this movie has always stuck with me. If I could go back in time and watch the ABC's of Death 2 for the first time, I would make sure it was on Halloween night! By the way, this is one of those rare occurrences where the second movie was better than the first. I do not recommend the first movie, as it has some scenes that I found to be just too gross and disturbing to watch. I know that doesn't sound like me, but just trust me, the first one is not worth your time.
The Babadook
The Babadook is absolutely one of the best movies to watch on Netflix right now. In fact, I would say it's at the top of the best horror movies on Netflix. Beyond the fact that it's a great horror movie, it's just a great movie in general. If you're looking for a movie that will send chills up your spine, then look no further than the Babadook. What was most striking to me about this movie was that there is no crazy amount of special effects or forced scenes of bloody mayhem, and yet it still remains to be one of the creepiest movies made in the last few years. It's a dark, brooding, story of a mother seemingly losing her grip on reality with the growing presence of evil in her home. Now this one will have you looking over your shoulder and double checking the locks tonight.
Backcountry
Ok, so Backcountry starts off modestly interesting. You've seen the hiking in the woods story before and you know that something bad has got to happen. Even though you know it's going to happen, Backcountry has the ability to terrify you anyways. I think everyone has at least a little fear of getting lost in the woods and I can't imagine a worse thing happening than this. When things start to pick up, that feeling of being alone and terrified really creeps into the picture. There are some pretty brutal scenes in Backcountry so be prepared. Even though the whole story is pretty horrifying, I have to say, the Canadian countryside looks beautiful! I hope I get to see it one day, with a gun, and a guide, and twenty to thirty people.
Housebound
Housebound is the story of a girl forced into house arrest after committing a crime. Once inside, she starts to realize there are some strange forces at work in her childhood home. With Housebound you have another fun one to watch on the scariest night of the year. It's funny because Housebound is definitely a comedy with all the quirky characters and it's definitely a thriller for all the suspense in the movie. But somehow they actually manage to pull off a pretty well-done horror. It's not one of the scariest movies on Netflix, but it is one of the coolest. I don't think I've ever seen a thriller, comedy, horror that was done so well. Similar to Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil this is a great movie on Netflix to watch.
It Follows
If you're looking for one of the scariest movies on Netflix, here you go. It Follows continues to be one of the best psychological horrors I have ever seen. I loved it. It kept the effects pretty minimal and it came up with an original twist on the horror genre, which is practically unheard of. It Follows is the story of a girl who contracts a curse through sexual contact. I've said it before and I'll say it again, It Follows really plays with your mind in a way I've never seen before. You really cannot guess what's going to happen next and you start to imagine yourself in the place of the characters. Everything seems to just get worse and worse as the movie plays on. It Follows is a never-ending, never sleeping nightmare, perfect for Halloween!
VHS 2
VHS 2 is another great move to watch this Halloween because, like the ABC's of Death 2, it's a series of short horror films back to back. If you're a horror fan, VHS 2 will be perfect for you. There's a lot of dark, twisted, stories and creepy characters throughout. This actually has one of the best zombie short films I've seen in awhile. It also has a pretty ridiculously violent short flick from Indonesia. I also thought there was one scene in particular that made this one of the scariest movies on Netflix. The VHS movie wasn't bad and VHS 2 continues with the same story of finding a bunch of mysterious VHS tapes. The hardcore horror fans will love all the terrifying scenes and screams and this is a great addition to this list of Halloween movies.
Starry Eyes
Talk about a Hollywood horror story. I grew up, and have always lived, in California so I know more than a few people that have had the dream (nightmare?) of trying to make it big in Hollywood. Everyone seems to move to Hollywood bright eyed and bushy tailed, but they are quickly hit with the realization that they are literally 1 of millions of people trying to make it in showbiz. I've known of more than a few people that have come back to their hometown wishing they never left and surprisingly, I actually know a few that have made it big and are rich and famous. For the people that didn't make it, this is probably one of the scariest movies on Netflix. But those people aside, there's a whole lot of people who get used up by Hollywood and have all their hopes of fame and stardom crushed. Starry Eyes is about a girl named Sarah and her relentless pursuit of fame. Starry Eyes is very well done for an indie type of movie and things really take a sinister turn as the movie goes on. It's very creepy and a perfect pick for all Hallow's Eve night.
Baskin
Baskin is a good old fashion gore-fest with everything you need to see on Halloween night. It's the story of a group of officers responding to a distress call in a strange house. I think any movie that you plan on watching on Halloween night has to have plenty of blood and Baskin is definitely one of the bloodiest on this list! If you are wanting to watch a movie of the likes of which you've never seen, then again, I recommend Baskin. A lot of people claim that it's too grotesque for their taste but I loved it. I remember when I watched it for the first time. I was blown away just seeing the madness unfolding in front of me. Not only should Baskin be on a list of Halloween movies, it should be on a list of the most twisted movies on Netflix.
Hush
Hush was the first horror I had seen in awhile that actually had some originality. Good Halloween movies are hard to find, so you really need to check out the ones with originality. It's the story of a woman trapped in a house and stalked by a madman. I mean common, how many times has that story been played out? I can think of about 50 horrors with a plot like that. Hush manages to pull it off in a new way because it stars a def girl not even able to hear her killers approaching footsteps. There's a lot of action and a lot of scenes that work very well for the increasingly intense plot. Stephen King had nothing but good things to say about Hush so if you're a fan of his, that's a great sign of its quality. A lot of people claim this is one of the scariest movies on Netflix. I say if you're going to be home alone on Halloween, in a beautiful house out in the county, this is thee movie to watch.
It's tough finding the scariest movies on Netflix, but this is a good start. I love Halloween and good Halloween movies are hard to find! Even though I'm in my 30's now and I can't go trick or treating, the Halloween parties aren't usually worth the hangovers, and I don't own a home to hand out candy to kids (always wanted to do that) I still do greatly appreciate the feeling of Halloween night and getting in the mood to watch some creepy crawlies come out of the woodwork and wreak havoc on unsuspecting innocents. All the movies listed in this post are great choices if you're staying in on Halloween night like I am. A list of Halloween movies is never easy to come up with so even if you do have big plans to go out and party, these are great movies to watch the day after Halloween! Whatever your plans are, I hope they're fun (and safe) and make sure to give one of these a try sometime soon before they're gone! When you are done watching the best horror movies on Netflix, you can find all the genre's on my homepage.