We’ve all been there. It’s cold out, you’re home alone, and you decide to pull up Netflix to try and find something that you haven’t seen in order to pass time. Luckily for fans of the horror genre, Netflix has cultivated a wonderful library of lesser-known horror films in addition to its surprising number of more popular entries. If you’re looking for something new with the potential to freak you out and keep you on the edge of your seat, then this is the list for you. In addition, all but one of these films feature a strong female role for their respective leads, so there’s another bonus.
Let’s take a look at five lesser-known horror movies on Netflix to help get you through this winter.
Creep
I mentioned that all but one of the films on this list feature strong females, and this is the one that doesn’t. In fact, Creep only has two actors in the entire film, and both roles are filled by the movie’s writers.
Creep is a found-footage film (but trust me, don’t let that deter you from checking it out) from the minds of Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice (who serves as the film’s director) about what can go wrong when answering an ad on Craigslist. Brice plays a videographer who accepts a job discreetly filming Duplass’s Josef throughout his day for Josef’s unborn son. Throughout the film, Josef ends up being much creepier (pun intended) than the audience could have ever guessed, and the slow-burn toward the film’s climax keeps you captivated the entire time. When watching Creep, I couldn’t stop from trying to figure out exactly what was going on that we weren’t being told, and I wasn’t at all disappointed when we finally got the reveals. Duplass delivers a wonderful performance as Josef, and the end of the film left me wanting much, much more. Even if you’re as tired of the found-footage genre as most people are, Creep is definitely not one to miss.
The Den
Last year saw the release of Unfriended, a film about the horrors of Skype and social media, and the movie turned out to be surprisingly engrossing and well-made. As fun as Unfriended was, though, it doesn’t at all compare to The Den a similar film from 2013 that takes the concept of Unfriended and cranks everything up a few notches.
The Den is a slasher film told from the point-of-view of a laptop webcam as a young woman begins a project to talk to as many strangers as possible through a Chat Roulette-esque social media website called “The Den.” Things begin to get dark, however, when the young woman unexpectedly discovers a murder. Through the rest of the film, the woman attempts to convince others of what she saw (once she finally learns to believe it herself), and the resulting story is that of the possible dark side of the Internet (something that, interestingly, is being explored right now on the Showtime docuseries Dark Net).
The Den is a solid ride full of classic horror moments that really manages to stand out through its non-traditional presentation. It’s a shame that so few people have managed to see The Den because of its independent and unknown nature, but hopefully Netflix’s addition of the film will help spread it to new fans.
Visions
One of the best studios for the horror genre is Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions. They’ve had their share of clunkers, but the studio has also managed to churn out some remarkable genre films during its history. One of the newest films to come from Blumhouse is the Isla Fisher-starring Visions.
Coming from director Kevin Greutert, Visions tells the story of a married couple moving into a new house that appears to be haunted. This appearance is due to visions seen in the house by Fisher’s character, which become increasingly dark and grim as time goes on. The woman’s friends and family think that the visions are due to PTSD after a traumatic event that opens the film, and it’s up to her to convince everyone that what she sees is true, something that becomes more difficult as her pregnancy progresses. Fisher is an absolute blast as the lead, and Visions also features surprisingly great and memorable performances from Anson Mount and Gillian Jacobs, Fisher’s co-stars in the film. The script is very taut, and the plot twist in the final act helps set Visions apart from the glut of haunted house films that the genre typically produces.
Would You Rather
Of all the films on this list, the one that surprised me the most was definitely Would You Rather. The film, starring Brittany Snow, is based around a young woman named Iris that participates in a dangerous game of “would you rather” in order to help her sick brother secure an organ donor. After a small start, the game quickly becomes deadly as the rounds get more and more intense.
The basic premise of Would You Rather is simple and unremarkable, but the strength of the writing partnered with the quality of the acting helps it to be much better than it has any right to be. Brittany Snow absolutely shines in the lead, which is a much different role than I’m used to seeing her in, and the supporting cast is surprisingly strong, featuring appearances by Robin Lord Taylor, June Squibb, Jeffrey Combs, and more. The most unbelievable thing about the film is the motivation of the game’s creation, but that isn’t even bad when you consider how much suspension of disbelief is typically required by horror films. While it could have been entirely forgettable, Would You Rather ends up being an unusually deep film that plays better than anyone could have guessed.
American Mary
Whenever I write a list like this, I usually do it with one particular entry in mind. For this one, it’s American Mary.
Directed by the Soska Sisters, American Mary is a 2012 horror film starring Katharine Isabelle that deals with the very specific topic of extreme body modification, something that we haven’t seen a ton of in horror films yet. The film shows Isabelle’s Mary as she transitions from medical student to black market surgeon, introducing both Mary and the audience to this underground world. American Mary‘s horror comes from both the visual terror we see through this modification and the underlying dread in knowing that, eventually, everything is going to come crashing down around our protagonist. The practical effects in the movie are perfect, though, and the film itself is gorgeous in the most morbid of ways.
American Mary isn’t for children or the faint of heart, but, aside from a somewhat rushed ending, it’s a ton of fun. The film’s directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska, are as remarkable with American Mary as they’ve been with all of their films so far, and it’s clear that these two are going to do amazing things for the genre. Become fans early on by checking this one out as soon as possible.
What did you think of our picks? What are some of your favorite horror movies on Netflix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
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