Netflix is an ever-changing treasure trove of hidden gems and secret delights. Sometimes, a teeny bit too secret though. Who hasn’t sat down to watch a new movie and found themselves scrolling endlessly, either not being able to find something they’re in the mood for, or not really knowing what half the titles are, or if they’re any good?
We’ve scoured the full current catalogue available to watch in the UK now and picked out the best horror movies available. It’s a mix of classic and new, and a mix of slashers, horror-coms, mumblegore, monster movies and more to hopefully scratch that itch with ease.
We’ll try to keep this updated as and when titles drop in and out of the service.
Annihilation (2018)
An all star cast including Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tessa Thompson, plus the quality direction of Alex Garland wasn’t enough to secure this horror sci-fi based on Jeff Vandermeer’s novel a theatrical release in the UK. Nevermind, that just means you can watch it for free on Netflix. Portman joins a crew of women exploring the mysterious Area X where he husband ventured some time before and came back changed. It’s a weird, unfamiliar landscape of beautiful flora and terrifying fauna defying explanation until the strange, indelible finale.
The Autopsy Of Jane Doe (2016)
Brief (as in 86 mins), smart mystery horror from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal which sees a father and son coroner team working on the body of an unidentified dead woman found at the scene of a bizarre and brutal homicide. Charged with working through the night to discover what the cause of death was by morning, the plot thickens as strange things start happening in the morgue. Intriguing and effective.
Daybreakers (2009)
You’ll get a little bit of everything with this Spierig Brothers’ curio. It was the film that really got the directing team noticed and it’s not hard to see why. Set in a dystopian world where basically everyone has been turned into a vampire, one corporation thinks it’d be a bloody (sorry) good idea to track down all the surviving humans and…well, basically milk them. Ethan Hawke stars as a vampire hematologist who starts to think there might be another way for this story to go after he’s collared by a former vampire (Willem Dafoe), who can cure everyone. (Living) dead good.
The Bar (2017)
Slightly bonkers Spanish horror thriller which sees a bunch of strangers stuck in a busy Madrid cafe when snipers begin shooting anyone who tries to leave. Confusion and personality clashes abound in this economical single location chiller with a dark sense of human as the inhabitants slowly discover what’s going on, who’s responsible and try to work out if and how they will survive.
The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s love/hate letter to the horror genre felt like something of a game changer when it finally arrived (it was shelved for several years because of financial issue with original distributor MGM). Chris Hemsworth and Haley Bennett star in a double layer story about ordinary kids vacationing in a woodland cabin, with Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins as very particular kinds of bureaucrats up to something in the background. No spoilers, just watch.
Cargo (2017)
Martin Freeman stars in this Netflix original developed from a short directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke. Set in the Australian outback, Freeman is a father trying to find someone to protect his child in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. More wistful and emotional than that sounds on paper, there’s a fascinating subplot about an Aboriginal girl mourning her father and the final set piece is unforgettable.
Lifeforce (1985)
A Cannon Films classic directed by late Texas Chainsaw legend Tobe Hooper, people are still discovering the 80s madness that is Lifeforce. Originally entitled Space Vampires, it’s exactly what you’d expect, and so much more. Nude, energy sucking bat creatures are brought back to Earth after an interstellar mission finds a gaggle of them lying dormant in Halley’s Comet, and it all goes very badly for the planet. You can expect a scenery-chewing Patrick Stewart to pop up inbetween the tits and gore. Not literally! Although, sometimes literally.
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma’s classic adaptation of Stephen King’s novel spoke to outsider kids everywhere as poor, delicate Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), bullied by her classmates and her overbearing mother discovered she has powers and spectacularly brings the house down. There are odd moments that haven’t aged so well but the central scene of Carrie, finally happy for once and dancing at her prom, intercut with foreshadowing of what is to come is still perfect.
Creep (2014)
No, not the one set on the tube, this ‘mumblegore’ horror is far weirder than that. Director Patrice Brice plays Aaron, a videographer hired by Mark Duplass’s Josef to make a video for his kid to watch after he’s died of a terminal illness. Or does he? Playing on the power of politeness and the awkwardness of male relationships this is a highly original, itchily uncomfortable watch. Creep 2 is also on Netflix, and also good!
Don’t Breathe (2016)
Fede Alvarez directs this high-concept horror about a group of youngsters including Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake lead Jane Levy, who break into the house of a blind man (Stephen Lang) to steal his money and find him not as helpless as they’d first expected. Sound and darkness are used superbly throughout – the basement scene shot in nightvision is one of the best set pieces of recent years.
Hush (2016)
Another smart sensory-based horror, this time from Oculus man Mike Flanagan. This home invasioner sees deaf writer Maddie (Kate Siegel) attacked in her woodland retreat by a masked stranger. He uses her inability to hear to sneak around and terrorise her, but she has tricks of her own up her sleeve.
The Invitation (2015)
Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, Destroyer) just keeps knocking it out of the park, and with The Invitation she continued to secure her place as one of the best directors around. Here, Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his girlfriend go to a party held by his formerly suicidal ex-wife, and discover that she seems to be happier than she ever was, but Will starts to suspect that rather than healthily coping with her mental illness, she may well have joined a doomsday cult instead, and be planning to kill them all. Paranoia and tension are at the maxxx in this bad boy.
Little Evil (2017)
Comedy horror from Eli Craig who made the wonderful Tucker and Dale Vs Evil. This time he’s playing on creepy kid tropes, particular those from The Omen movies. Adam Scott plays a man who discovers his new wife’s (Evangeline Lilly) son might actually be the anti-christ. And because it’s Eli Craig, of course it’s funny and very good natured as well as playing with the genre.
Happy Birthday To Me (1981)
Lured in by the promise of seeing a man impaled on a kebab for reasons, you’ll be delighted to discover that in Happy Birthday To Me, a man gets impaled on a kebab for reasons. Six brutal slayings have led up to very popular girl’s 18th birthday. Is she the one wielding the weapons? Or is it someone who looks a little too much like her for comfort? Don’t expect this film to make any kind of sense, but as a former ‘video nasty’ it’s right up there with the other briefly lost slashers of the 80s that need a second look.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
Another Mike Flanagan offering here – what can we say? he’s damn good! – as Jessie (a spectacular Carla Guigino) and her husband Gerald drive to a remote house to try and spice up their marriage with a bit of gentle BDSM. One problem: Jessie is not into it. At all. Two problems: Gerald carks it, leaving her tied up with only her cunning to help her free herself from her prone, handcuffed predicament. Three problems: a mythical, supernatural killer may be in the house. Stephen King, you’ve done it again.
The Purge (2013)
High-concept horror from Blumhouse, which spawned a very successful franchise. The premise is that for one night a year all crime is legal, including murder. The movie follows a wealthy family holed up in their house behind a security system who harbour an injured man earmarked for death by a gang of murderous youths. Political and discursive, as well as violent and fun, the movie did great box office – sequels followed, and a TV show.
Ravenous (2017)
Unusual Canadian zombie movie (in French) which sees remaining stragglers after an outbreak of the infected band together in disparate groups travelling to find other survivors. Ravenous sets up its infected as worshipping a sort of new religion of found items (chairs, TVs etc.) making comment on the zombification of society. It’s also funny and quite scary, so there’s that.
The Woman In Black (2012)
Those expecting a gentle English ghost story will be somewhat floored here as Harry Potter, er, Daniel Radcliffe, lawyers up and travels to hell house Crythin Gifford to tie up any loose ends from the owner’s estate, only to be put through the wringer by all manner of spooky events. James Watkins puts together a more James Wan-ian rollercoaster ride of jump scares and CGI (as was the style at the time) and the result will be a good, popcorn-spilling night in front of the telly for horror fans.
The Similars (2015)
Extremely weird Mexican chiller which plays like an extreme extended version of The Twilight Zone. A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a bus station when a freak storm breaks. Then a very odd phenomenon begins to take hold. To say more would be to deny this movie its bizarre charm, but know this – it gets more and more bonkers as it goes on.
Stake Land (2010)
Vampire Western from director Jim Mickel who also made the excellent Cold in July and Mulberry Street. A vampire hunter, a nun and a young orphan track across a dystopian landscape in search of the ‘New Eden’, picking up misfit survivors on the way. Gritty and stylish it’s a smart re-invention of the vampire genre.
Triangle (2009)
Twisty turny time travel horror from Christopher Smith (who made the other Creep, set on the tube). Home And Away alumnus Melissa George plays a woman who takes refuge on a cruise ship drifting in the ocean when she and her friends have a yachting accident. Triangle is cool and clever with several indelible images and set pieces right up to the crazy end reveal.
Veronica (2017)
Loosely based on a true story, Veronica is set in Madrid in 1991 and follows a young woman who messes with a Ouija board who thinks she’s accidentally summoned an evil spirit. Director by Paco Plaza, one of the two directors behind [REC], the movie gained minor notoriety when it first landed on Netflix because of a few viewers finding it overly scary. It’s true there are some seriously creepy bits (but you’ll be fine!).
From Beyond (1986)
Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) takes his inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft with this underrated 80s body horror classsic. Based on the short story of the same name by iconic author HPL, if you like your movies just super, super gross, this is likely to be a slam dunk. The legendary Re-Animator team are all back together here as Jeffrey Combs and scream queen Barbara Crampton open a gateway to a really unpleasant reality. Expect goo, neon and all that good stuff.
Christine (1983)
There’s always a reason to celebrate when Netflix grabs a John Carpenter classic, so if Christine has passed you by, you’ll be delighted to learn that the killer car flick has recently been given the full restoration treatment, and hasn’t aged a day in terms of its bone-crushing impact on the genre. Complete your Carpenter collection while you can!
Knock Knock (2015)
Keanu Reeves makes a detour into horror courtesy of slasher aficionado Eli Roth, and the result is a rather terrific home invasion thriller that preys upon just about every fear a grown straight man can have when he slips just slightly enough to admire a nubile teen body while his family are out of sight. The two girls who knock knock at his door aren’t exactly what they seem, and our Keanu is in for the worst weekend of his life. Well worth a watch, especially for Reeves or Roth completists.