- In-Depth Stories
- Web Stories
- Reviews
- News
- FC Lists
- Interviews
- Features
- FC SpecialsFC Specials
Admittedly, Netflix does not have the best track record when it comes to horror. Scroll through its catalogue and you’ll find not-so-great remakes of classics, such as Evil Dead and Carrie, third or fourth instalments of horror franchises and fright-free originals. Still, there are gems on this platform that deserve your attention. We've curated the eight best horror movies on Netflix for you:
As men go missing one by one in a village in the 19th Century, a London-returned man (Avinash Tiwary) discovers that his sister-in-law (Triptii Dimri) is not the demure bride she once was. Anivtaa Dutt’s debut film features stunning cinematography – the movie is shrouded in the light of a Blood Moon – and a fantastic dual performance from Triptii Dimri.
A Black photographer (Daniel Kaluuya) visits his White girlfriend’s parents for the weekend, only to discover they have sinister intentions. Jordan Peele’s debut film, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, is a masterclass in tension, turning the microaggressions minorities face into a horror in their own right.
Bollywood has made a slew of horror comedies in the recent past but one of the best is the Raj and DK-written Stree, in which a group of villagers must defend themselves against the spirit of an enraged woman who kidnaps men during a festival every year. Directed by Amar Kaushik, the film’s strength lies in how it reworks the ancient Nale Ba legend into a story of empathy.
“Trauma” is a buzzword applied to several films and shows, but few horror filmmakers handle it as deftly as David Bruckner. Blending Norse mythology with modern terrors, his film tracks a group of college friends who reunite for a trip to the Swedish woods, gradually discovering that they’re not alone.
Set almost entirely in one room, the Mike Flanagan film follows a woman (Carla Gugino), whose husband (Bruce Greenwood) handcuffs her to their bed while on vacation and then abruptly dies of a heart attack, leaving her to fend for herself. This adaptation of a Stephen King novel expertly solves the problem of most of its source material taking place inside the protagonist’s head by externalizing her thoughts.
Three delinquent teens break into the house of an old, visually impaired war veteran to rob him. To their horror, they discover that he’s a lot more agile than they gave him credit for.
The best segment of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a tale that merges the warmth of friendship with the frights of a horror story, hinging on a stellar performance by F. Murray Abraham as a medical examiner. Called in to investigate an explosion in the woods, he discovers that whoever set it off might not quite be human.
A PTSD-stricken video game designer (Taapsee Pannu) might fight for her life after a serial killer breaks into her house. Ashwin Sarvanan’s film is smartly structured and plays out like a video game itself.
