October is the perfect time to binge as much horror as possible, and these five top-rated flicks on Netflix are sure to get you in the spooky spirit.
For horror fans, Halloween isn’t so much a holiday as a lifestyle. And we can’t get enough of genre fare all year long. But October is a time when we all take our obsession to the next level, with many of us devoting every day of the month to discovering great new horror and revisiting classic favorites. Even casual horror fans or those who rarely seek out scares find themselves getting in the spooky spirit.
Fortunately, there’s a ton of great horror readily available for Netflix subscribers. Below are the top five horror movies you can catch now on the US streaming service. (Note: If you live elsewhere in the world, you might have a different catalogue. However, a VPN server could help you access these films).
So whether you’re a horror junkie who wants to revisit some of the genre’s recent best, or if you’re a casual fan looking for some scares this Halloween season, we’ve got you covered!
1. The Conjuring
The Conjuring was released in 2013 and was a very terrifying supernatural horror movie from director James Wan that was widely praised by both critics and horror fans. It also became the first film in an ongoing saga and helped launch what is now know as the Conjuring Universe.
The Conjuring explores the supposed true story of a couple, Roger and Carolyn, who move with their five daughters to a house in Rhode Island. Everything goes well while the family is moving into the new house, except for the fact that Sadie, their dog, simply refuses to go in. Over time, their daughters begin to experience a haunting by evil spirits living in the home. Then, after weeks of being tormented by unknown evil entities, Carolyn decides to hire two paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga).
While investigating the house, Ed and Lorraine discover that the evil spirits felt throughout the house are related to a century-old event linking the house to a past murder site of children. For the family to be freed from evil, the couple will have to exorcise the evil entities who reside in the home.
The movie holds a 7.5/10 rating on IMDB, and it had a well-received sequel in 2016. The highly anticipated Conjuring 3 will be released next year.
2. Insidious
Insidious is another popular supernatural horror film, also from talented director James Wan, that was released in 2010 It’s yet another ghost story that launched a successful franchise. This film tells the story of Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson), a teacher and family man, who moves with his wife and three children to a new home. Soon after moving in, one of his children goes into an unexplained coma, which leads the family to question if something nefarious is at play — something science cannot explain.
To escape the presumed evil influence, the family moves to another property. But they soon realize the problem was not with the house. Instead, there’s evil attached to their son. That’s when the parents decide to call paranormal investigator Elise Rainier (the great Lin Shaye). She conducts a spiritual session in order to discover the source of the evil and attempt to free the boy from its clutches.
Insidious spawned three sequels. So you might decide to grab the popcorn, find a comfy seat on the couch, and settle in for a movie marathon of all four films.
3. The Autopsy of Jane Doe
The Autopsy of Jane Doe was released in 2016 from director André Øvredal and is one movie that is sure to make your skin crawl. The story is based around Tommy Tilde (Brian Cox) and his son Austin (Emile Hirsch), two coroners from a small town. The terror starts one night when Tommy receives the body of a young woman who was brutally murdered and was found in the basement of the house under very strange circumstances.
As Tommy and his son begin an autopsy to find out the cause of her death, they start to uncover disturbing facts about the Jane Doe. While performing the autopsy, both coroners start to have paranormal experiences. As disturbing facts arise, the two begin to think that the girl may not really be dead after all.
This movie isn’t as highly regarded on IMDb, but on Rotten Tomatoes it has a 86% approval rating. The acting prowess on display from the two leads alone make this a must watch.
4. Bird Box
You may not consider Bird Box a traditional horror movie, as it is more of an American post-apocalyptic thriller film. It has a similar background to the movie ‘Blindness’. However, as the latter was called out for dumbing down an original story from Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago, Bird Box is more cautious and faithful to its source, the 2014 novel by Josh Malerman.
The story revolves around Malorie (Sandra Bullock), along with two children who she cares for and tries to protect agains evil entities that have ravaged the world. The entities have powers that make everyone who lays sign on them develop extremely violent and suicidal behavior. It is said that the creatures show those who look upon them their worst fears, regrets, and losses — driving them to the point of madness.
As a result, survivors must stay locked inside away from the sight of the creatures or wear blindfolds if they need to venture out. When Malorie learns of a possible safe haven across the river, where she and the kids could start a new life, she decides to make the treacherous trip across the river rapids while blindfolded.
The narrative of this film is unusual and compelling, as the story is split between the past and present, unveiling a snowball of tragic events that lead up to the heart-stopping river scene.
5. Hush
Hush is an intelligent slasher film, released in 2016 from writer/director Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game). It takes a different turn in the narrative from other slasher movies, due to the fact that it is based around sensory deprivation. Our main character, Maddie (Kate Siegel) is a deaf and mute female writer who decided to retreat into the woods, to live a solitary life and find inspiration to write her new book.
Sadly, she ends up fighting for her life in a silent game of cat and mouse with a masked killer. With the killer stalking her every movement and exploiting her weakness, will the writer stand a chance against this silent foe?
Besides an astounding approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, Hush received appraisal even from masters of the genre, such as Stephen King. And Flanagan has become one of the most respected filmmakers currently working on the genre. Thus, this chilling film seems a safer bet for your Halloween night than putting your money on the New England patriots as NFL betting favorites.
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