Top Horror Movies to Stream on Netflix October 2016
Originally published October, 2016
It's that time of year! October is the month to give yourself an excuse to watch some good-ol' horror movies. Whether they be classics from an era where "horror" is not that horrific, gruesome practical effect showcases of their time, or psychological thrillers that stretch the definition of the genre, it's the month to see what's out there. It's also the month that gives streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime a reason to update their horror genre cache and put some films in there worth seeing. But since there's only so many days in the month, and you probably don't have time to watch them all, I've gone through the services under their respective "horror" collections and selected the movies I've seen that I think are worth watching at least once.
Available on Netflix October 2016
How did I come up with this list? I selected Horror from the genre bar and started scrolling down the page and simply picked out the ones I've seen that I thought had something to them. I would not necessarily call all of these movies "good," but they may still be worth a watch for one reason or another, especially if you haven't seen them.
If you want to see what I found and have seen on Amazon's list, check out my top Horror Movies to Stream on Amazon Prime October 2016 list.
Something Classic
The Fly (1958)
Most people are probably familiar with the David Cronenberg version of the 1980's with its infamous gross-out special effects and signature Jeff Goldblum performance. But if you've never seen the classic film from 1958, it's still worth a watch. It was considered a horror film of its time, though nothing extremely gruesome happens by today's standards.
The plot is the same as the remake, with a brilliant scientist making some rash and stupid decisions that eventually lead to him swapping DNA with a fly. However, the acting, the pacing, and the characters of the film helps it stay classy. It's a drama about the scientist and his obsession with success, as well as his wife and her desperation to fix his mistake. If you're not even a fan of horror movies, this still may be worth a watch for you.
Jaws (1975)
Jaws was a milestone in film, Americana, and my own personal life. For one thing, it was the first movie to do so well at the box office when it came out that it coined and define the term, "summer blockbuster" as it was a phenomenal hit when it came out in the summer of 1975. It was a film that scared the public so much that it unfortunately motivated people to help destroy a significant portion of the shark population in the world out of fear. It's also the movie that changed me from a weird 8-year old to a weird 8-year old who was obsessed with sharks.
There have been hundreds of shark horror films that have come out since Jaws, but none of them have managed to measure up to the quality that Stephen Spielberg established. If you've seen any horror movies with killer animals, you'll likely notice the same clichés present in Jaws. Don't forget, however, that this was the movie that established and perfected many of those tropes that would eventually become horror clichés, such as the greedy politician character, a grizzled hunter, the protagonist that has a particular phobia in relation to the monster, etc. Jaws was a B-level horror movie that was elevated to new levels with great acting, great direction, and one of the best final acts of any film.
Something Cult
Re-Animator (1985)
Based on the serial horror tales by H.P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator is a gruesome retelling of Lovecraft's retelling of Mary Shelley's classic, Frankenstein. Jeffrey Combs, one of the best horror actors who excels at playing eccentric, twitchy psychopaths, plays the determined scientist Herbert West. West is the Frankenstein of the film, who has developed a serum to reanimate dead tissue. The only problem is, whatever comes back to life has some very violent and horrific tendencies.
Much like the original story by Lovecraft, it is very reminiscent of Frankenstein, but there are various twists on the telling of the story to make it more unique to itself. For one thing, Re-Animator is a product of the 80's with some fantastic practical effect moments and gory special effects you won't see in the classic Frankenstein films. It's also set in the "modern" era and has characters that are more relatable to today's audience; West is performing his experiments in the in-law unit of his landlord's home. How scary is that to have a mad scientist in your basement paying rent?
This movie is intentionally weird and off-putting in many ways, but it also can be laugh-out-loud funny. It's a film that manages to retell a cult tale that was retelling of a classic in its own day. Jeffrey Combs is phenomenal and helps make the film that much more entertaining and memorable.
Nightbreed (1990)
Of the Clive Barker horror films available on Netflix, I would say this is not the best one to watch, but I still really enjoy Nightbreed. I had never heard of this film before I watched it only a few years ago, so I had low expectations. As a result, the film surprised me in how entertained I was by it.
The plot is a bit of a convoluted mess that I barely remember, but essentially it has to do with a sub-human species of monster people and a guy who finds himself in their realm after an identity crisis leads him there. There's a lot going on in this movie, including psychotic psychiatrists, political parallels about racism, epic confrontations with monsters, and a love that crosses societal boundaries. I don't think the film was entirely successful at incorporating all those elements, but I still thought it was entertaining. The practical effects, the sets, the way the film is shot, and the charm of a film that was clearly a passion project help make this worth a watch for the curious.
Event Horizon (1997)
This movie bombed real hard when it hit the box office. Critics hated it and very few people saw it in the theater. Yet, everyone I know who has seen it likes it. There is a significant group of people who enjoy this movie despite all its flaws and how dated it feels. I would put myself in that group, as well. I think I admired Event Horizon because it was one of the first big-budget films in a while that attempted to do a deep-space horror film, which was something that became less popular after the Alien franchise ran its course. Its premise was simply that a space vessel with an experimental warp drive went to Hell and came back as a haunted space ship.
Despite my appreciation for the film, I'll admit Event Horizon has a lot of things going against it: the plot is nothing especially new, the characters are mostly one-note, and the music messes with the tone of the film. Yet, the performance of Sam Neill, the way some of the horror sequences are shot, and the set designs all manage to create a creepy and memorable film. It's far from perfect, but still worth a watch.
Something From the Horror Masters
Hellraiser (1987)
I mentioned Clive Barker when talking about Nightbreed and how he had other films on Netflix that you should watch. If you only have time for one Barker film, watch this one. Hellraiser was the film that put Barker on the map as one of the names to remember when it came to horror films. It's a dated film that feels very much a product of the 80's with a gritty low budget and some nasty practical effects, but all that plays to the film's strengths, in my opinion.
Despite what you may think by looking at the image of Pin-Head on the cover, the plot of Hellraiser is actually centered around some random jerk who finds a mystical puzzlebox that turns him into a grotesque, body-snatching ghoul in the attic of his brother's house. Some horrific things occur in the attic, the niece to the ghoul gets suspicious and starts investigating. Then the monsters from the hellbox show up and some classic 80's horror ensues. It's an interesting movie that goes at a slow pace for a while, then just suddenly pumps up the absurdity and demonic practical effects in the final act.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II, the direct sequel, is also on Netflix. It follows some of the same characters from the first film and manages to do the impossible in horror films by explaining a lot about its universe without losing its appeal. If you watch Hellraiser and want more, Hellraiser II is a worthy follow-up. The other sequels, however, are not so easily recommendable.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
It's unfortunate that the original A Nightmare on Elm's Street is not available for streaming at the moment, but of all the films to have the iconic Freddy Kreuger, you could do a lot worse. If I were to rank this movie of the 8 Nightmare films + Freddy vs Jason, I would put this in fourth place.
New Nightmare fits perfectly well in the Self-Aware category as that is the whole premise of the film, but it's also the only Wes Craven film on Netflix I can recommend (Scream sucks), so it's going here.
Heather Langenkamp from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street plays herself as an actor who is living in the shadow of the original film's success. She's married to a horror film director, she's a mother, and she's experiencing nightmares like her character did in the Nightmare on Elm Street movie. As the plot unfolds, her son starts acting weird. The director, Wes Craven, shows up to drop some exposition about demons and giving them power through making horror movies. Then people start getting murdered. It's got some good horror moments and I enjoy the self-aware twist they put on the franchise to give the 7th film in the franchise a new appeal.
Something Self-Aware
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) (also available on Amazon)
While New Nightmare is overtly self-aware, From Dusk Till Dawn is a little more subtle about it, a little. Directed by Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk Till Dawn is a fantastic horror film that plays around with its tone and premise in creative and fun ways. The first half of the film is very gritty and raw, with most of its violence being very momentary, but also very gruesome. The second half turns up the dial and becomes almost comedic in how ridiculous it gets with some signature Rodriguez action, horror, and humor.
This is a great film to watch with someone who's never seen it before or knows nothing about it. The title likely gives away a lot, and there have been plenty of crappy sequels that have tarnished the name, but I'll refrain from giving much detail, nonetheless. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino play as two bank-robber brothers on the run to Mexico. They kidnap a former preacher, played by Harvey Keitel, and his family as collateral on their way to a bar called The Titty Twister to wait for their contact. Up till they reach the bar, the movie is deliberately slow, tense, and raw. After that though, everything changes. A must see for any horror enthusiast.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) (also available on Amazon)
This movie is much closer to a comedy with some significant horror elements and references, but I don't organize Netflix. Regardless, much of your appreciation of this film depends on how familiar you are with horror clichés, specifically, the clichés surrounding horror films with hillbilly villains, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. If you aren't entirely familiar with the horror genre however, you'll likely still enjoy Tucker and Dale if you have a dark sense of humor.
Tucker and Dale takes the familiar scenario of a bunch of college kids vacationing in the woods somewhere who encounter a few ominous-looking hicks. The college kids are unreasonably frightened of them in comical ways due to the circumstances surrounding the situation. As the audience, we come to know the hicks, Tucker and Dale, as honest simple guys with some bad luck and some prejudices to overcome with the shitty college kids. The film plays off this premise extremely well and even manages to circle back around and make it a horror film in some ways. The horror moments are gory and over-the-top, but also pretty funny if you have that dark sense of humor.
Something New or Unique
The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook is a small, indie film that exploded with critical praise upon its release. This of course can lead to building up expectations to a level that the film could never reach, which is what happened for me. I never found the film as scary as was claimed by the critics who were enraptured with the film.
I won't go into more detail about the film, since I already reviewed it. I will say, however, that even though I didn't love the film, there's still some really cool things about it. The acting and set design are some big highlights for the film, as well as the storybook/silent film aesthetic. I may not have thought so highly of the film and I may just be in the minority when it comes my opinion of it, but I still think it's a movie worth watching.
The Canal (2014)
Another small horror film, The Canal flew under the radar and managed to find a home on Netflix. It's been available for streaming for over a year now and if you're a horror fan and haven't watched it yet, I suggest you do so. I won't try to oversell The Canal, since I already reviewed this one as well. I also don't think it's doing anything we haven't seen before, but it was a good psychological ghost story that managed to portray some familiar imagery and concepts in a way that made it more unique. Part of the success of the film is in how it managed to play off the ambiguity of the situation and how it made me care about the characters, which is rare for a horror film to do. It was one of the few movies in recent memory to creep me out.
Housebound (2014)
This was another film that came out of nowhere. Housebound just appeared on Netflix one day and I decided to watch it. It initially presents itself as a ghost story, but ends up going in a bunch of different directions. There are plot lines about murder mysteries, familial conflicts, and possible supernatural entities; it goes all over the place. What ends up happening may be a letdown to some, but I found the movie wholly entertaining. Housebound is another one of those films that balances tension and comedy really well. I don't want to say more because I think the less you know, the more fun you'll have watching it.
Something Bad
The other Jaws Movies
In addition to the original Jaws, its sequels are also available on Netflix.
Jaws 2 (1978)
Jaws 2 brings back several of the original cast to deal with another set of shark attacks on the same Amity Island. There's a new corporate douchebag cliché character tacked on, in addition to the mayor from last time, to increase ignorance and the body count. It takes a long time for the movie to get going, and when it does, it is at least a little exciting for the last 30 minutes. However, Jaws 2 is a significant step down from its predecessor.
Jaws 3 (1983)
Jaws 3 or Jaws 3D, as it is sometimes called, is probably the most entertaining of the sequels. I wouldn't say it's the worst of the films, but I would say it manages to stay rather entertaining from start to finish with more of the same clichés of the genre played up in a comically dumb fashion. Not to mention, there are some really shitty special effects due to the fact it was released in shitty 80's 3D. If you like bad movies, you'll love Jaws 3 all the more.
Jaws the Revenge (1987)
According to this movie, sharks can hold a grudge and are capable of hunting down members of a family across the ocean in its quest for vengeance. Also it might be able to have a psychic link with its intended target. Yeah... Sound dumb? That's because it is. This movie sucks and is not nearly as entertaining as it should be. The trivia around this movie is more interesting than the movie itself, but you might find some entertainment in it, nonetheless.
The Wicker Man (2006)
I wouldn't call The Wicker Man a horror movie. It's something more like a drama with some horrific moments. One of the more horrific things about the movie is Nicolas Cage's performance. If you've been on the internet at any point for the past 10 years, you have likely seen some meme or reference to his performance in this film. It is certainly of infamous quality with some of the shittiest acting I've seen from an academy award-winning actor. The acting, however, is also the reason this movie is entertaining in any way. I've never seen the original, which I imagine is a little more intriguing than this one, but the 2006 remake would be a bland and boring experience if not for Cage's overacting.
I know there are some movies on here I missed, such as classics like Deliverance that could be shoehorned into the horror category, as well as some other films like The Invitation that I just haven't seen yet. Tell me what you think of these picks and what I might have left off from the Netflix list.
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