There’s been no better advertisement for horror movie streaming service Shudder than the absolutely wretched selection Netflix is offering its customers this Halloween season. Still, the horror genre is an eclectic realm and its adherents have long ago learned to take what they can get and squeeze out what bloody fun there is to be had. The 2016 Netflix horror movie selection won’t do if you’re looking for a specific flick, but should still have one or two offerings for most horror hounds.
By my count, Netflix has 261 horror movies on offer, 39 of which I’ve seen and can offer this definitive ranking, which will settle the question for all time:
Jaws
The Host
Re-Animator
Director Stuart Gordon is a national treasure. Though Re-Animator is often treated as his classic, almost every one of his movies is just as fun: From Beyond, Doll, The Pit and the Pendulum, Fortress, Castle Freak… guess how many are on Netflix?
The Legend of Hell House
Outside of Roger Corman’s astounding Edgar Allan Poe movies (none of which are on Netflix!), American International Pictures was known for schlocky, low-budget movies appropriate for double-feature packaging. The Legend of Hell House is their fast-paced take on Robert Wise’s 1963 classic, The Haunting . It’s fog-choked, colorful and moody, with a mansion worthy of Crimson Peak . Yeah, the source of the haunting turns out to be a little silly, but that’s part of the fun.
Hellraiser
The Fly
This isn’t the superior Cronenberg remake, but the 1958 original is still a great time.
Scream 2
There are a number of lone franchise entries drifting around the Netflix horror section, proof that their picks are less curated and more opportunistic licensing grabs. Luckily, Scream 2 is a classic all by itself, even if nothing can top the 90s genre mastery of the original Scream.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
Creep
Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t stand looking at Mark Duplass. And found footage has been the worst thing to happen to horror since the invention of digital blood spatter. But Creep is just so unsettling — in a down-to-earth creepy coworker way — and so well-written that it overcame all my reservations. And Duplass is pretty good!
The Babadook
The Invitation
Read nothing about it (except this). Just watch.
Troll Hunter
Pontypool
Sleepy Hollow
Tim Burton’s last good movie.
Event Horizon
Housebound
Hellbound: Hellraiser 2
The Sacrament
It’s got nothing on House of the Devil or The Innkeepers (neither are on Netflix!), but The Sacrament continues to demonstrate that every Ti West horror movie is a worth a watch ( but the less said about his Western, the better ).
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Yes, there’s something deeply wrong with ranking this German Expressionist classic so low. Can’t help it.
The Brainiac
Mexico has made some of the most underrated international horror pics. While everyone else is getting all hopped up on the lyrical ghostliness of Onibaba and Kwaidan, why not soak up some soapy, Catholic-infused monster fun? And if you like this, track down The Black Pit of Dr. M.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Hush
John Dies at the End
This mostly dumb adaptation of a better book still has enough of those Don Coscarelli touches to make it worthwhile. Too bad none of his good movies, like Phantasm, are on Netflix.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
The Relic
Children of the Corn
From Dusk ‘Til Dawn
The Human Centipede: First Sequence
Starry Eyes
Baskin
(our review)
The “Don’t Bother” Line
The Lazarus Effect
We Are Still Here
The Wicker Man
Stake Land
So much good word-of-mouth on this one. Can someone defend this garbage in the comments so I can clap back?
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Jaws 3
Jaws 2
Jaws: The Revenge
Why is it that Netflix’s only complete horror movie franchise is perhaps the most wretched series of sequels ever assembled?
That’s everything I’ve seen. But here are two bonus categories that could steer you in the right direction come the midnight hour:
Lesser Works By Horror Geniuses
- Nightbreed (Clive Barker)
- The Hole (Joe Dante)
- Final Destination 3 (James Wong)
- The Fury (Brian De Palma)
Recent Festival Darlings
- Here Comes the Devil
- Darling
- They Look Like People
- The Nightmare
Intriguing for Ill-Defined Reasons, Maybe I Heard From Someone Else They Were Good Or Something, Don’t Remember
- Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
- The Snowtown Murders
- The Pact (featured in the excellent Horror Movie A Day book)
- Wolf Creek 2 (many say it’s better than the overrated original!)
- Blood Glacier (apparently exactly one notch above Syfy original pictures, should that horrible mood strike you)
Anything else worth our time on Netflix? Let me know in the comments. It’s no simple task wading through the garbage, but horror movie fans certainly have more experience with it than most.
