10 Netflix Horror Movies & TV Shows That Are Actually Scary
There are a lot of bad horror movies and shows out there. When you’re in the mood for it, there’s nothing worse than wasting your time on something that doesn’t live up to your expectations. I’ve watched more horror than I can keep track of, so I thought I’d do the heavy lifting for you, and save you from a disappointing movie night. Here are a few of the films and TV shows that really stuck with me. I don’t scare easily, but I might have slept with the lights on after watching these. Maybe.
TV Shows:
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
If you haven’t seen it already, The Haunting of Hill House is a psychological, slow burning horror series that is equal parts engrossing and disturbing. Each episode reveals more about the history of the house and of the Crain siblings, as the paranormal events in their childhood home come back to haunt them. I didn’t find any episode boring — they were all packed with twists and turns, conflict, and creepy moments. This show doesn’t rely on jump scares, though the ones that are included are good ones. They make sense with the storyline and really catch you off guard. This is the type of show that you want to watch again to catch all of the details that you missed the first time. Season 2 is due out in October, and like American Horror Story, it will feature some of the same characters but with an entirely different story.
Marianne (2019)
This is a French horror series that unfortunately only ran for one season. It is a complete arc though, so you won’t be left with a brutal cliffhanger. It follows horror novelist Emma Larsimon, who writes stories based on her childhood, where she was haunted by a witch named Marianne. After a disturbing event sends her back to her childhood home, she finds that Marianne is as real now as she was then. Every single thing about this show is unsettling, from the subject matter, to the shots, to the music. The characters are a big part of what makes it compelling, especially Emma. She battles her inner demons and her outer demons, and you love and hate her in equal parts along the way. There aren’t many jump scares in this show either, but there are scenes that will stick with you for a while afterward.
Movies:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
This film continuously appeared on Netflix in my recommended movies list, but I was always on the fence about it, and didn’t watch it until recently. All those nights I wanted a good, scary supernatural film and there was one right there waiting for me! This movie is about a father and son team of coroners, who receive an unidentified female body that they must autopsy by the morning. As they work, they discover unusual things about the body, and even stranger occurrences begin happening in the morgue. Maybe it was the already creepy setting, or the detailed autopsy of the body, but this movie freaked me out. It’s easy to get caught up in the methodical, scientific unraveling of the mystery surrounding the body, which makes it more unnerving when supernatural elements appear. Don’t make my mistake and write off this movie — it’s worth a watch.
Session 9 (2001)
This movie features some familiar faces from CSI: Miami and follows a team of workers tasked with removing the asbestos from an abandoned mental hospital. I have mixed feelings about this one. It is absolutely scary, and there are scenes that are downright horrific. There are parts that I wish I could unwatch or unhear. However, the writing is just not good, and the acting isn’t great either. That being said, the tension and suspense built as the workers begin to distrust each other is great. The old patient recordings are incredibly eerie, and trying to put together exactly what is at play and what is real makes this film gripping. If you want something that at times is comically bad, but is also a fascinating, bizarre ride, this is a good one.
Train to Busan (2016)
I’m not typically scared of zombie movies, but this South Korean zombie film was unlike any I have seen. The story follows a father and daughter with a strained relationship, who are travelling together from Seoul to Busan. While onboard, a virus begins infecting the passengers and turning them into killers, and those who are not infected must find a way to survive. This movie builds incredible tension and fear, and the way that it is executed makes you feel like you are right there onboard. The way that the zombies swarm in the train is terrifying, as well as the moments when the living passengers must quietly maneuver around them. The plot has a lot of emotional depth, which is cool to see in a horror movie — though it might make you cry.
Sinister (2012)
This film makes the list not only because of its creepiness, but also its unique plot. It follows a true crime writer, who moves his family to a new house where a murder previously took place. He comes across a box of film reels in the attic depicting grizzly murders, and begins to realize that the culprit may not only be evil, but supernatural. When you were a kid, did you ever have a fear that just looking at something scary would make it come alive? This movie plays with that concept. It is some top-notch supernatural horror, and even after watching it a second time, I was still hesitant to turn off the lights.
The Ritual (2017)
This is one of the best monster movies I have seen in a while. A group of old friends reunite for a camping trip in Sweden, but after they are forced to stay in an abandoned house for the night, things take a dark and unexpected turn. The turmoil between characters builds tension, which is heightened as they encounter strange objects along the journey, and fight to make it out of the woods alive. The forest makes for a mysterious and unnerving setting for horror, and the monster that lies in this particular forest is a sight to behold.
Child’s Play (1988)
I will be totally upfront about this — I’m including this movie because it is the first horror film that I watched as a kid, and it scared the crap out of me. It is about a doll with the spirit of a murderer inside of it named Chucky, who was gifted to a young boy named Andy. Chucky’s behavior grows increasingly more violent, and Andy fears for his life as the people around him are killed off. Possessed dolls are always terrifying (looking at you Annabelle), but Chucky is vulgar, bloodthirsty, and tortures Andy in a way that feels different than any other possessed doll movie. It has since been remade, but this is a film that withstands the test of time as far as being frightening.
Shutter (2004)
This is the original Thai version of the film, and whether or not you have seen the American adaptation that came out in 2008, I would watch this. It follows Tun and Jane, a couple who accidentally hit and kill a girl with their car, but run from the scene. Their guilt isn’t the only thing that follows them home, though, and they start to see the girl appear in Tun’s polaroids, as well as in real life. This movie has similarities to The Ring and The Grudge, but the added element of the polaroids makes for an interesting way of revealing information and creating scares. The climax of this movie is a showstopper, and any time I think about it to this day I shudder (Heh heh. But seriously.)
Mara (2018)
Although this film received low ratings, I found it to be both entertaining and scary. It is about a criminal psychologist who investigates the death of a man who was strangled in his bed. After meeting with a sleep paralysis support group, she realizes that his death could have been caused by a demon who preys on people while they are asleep. Sleep paralysis has always been fascinating to me, and this movie explores it with some other frightening elements added in. I felt like I was descending into sleep-deprived madness along with the characters. The ending could have been better, but the scares were good, and I found myself checking my eyes afterward more than I’d care to admit.
What are the scariest horror movies or shows that you’ve seen lately? Let me know in the comments!
Originally published on our WordPress website on September 1st, 2020.
