October is a month made to watch horror films: with Halloween at the end of the month and the days growing shorter (and chillier) in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s just something about the atmosphere of the month that makes it a perfect time to settle in and watch a good horror film.
Thanks to streaming services, there has never been an easier way to access horror flicks, but at the same time there are so many titles to choose from–and so many bad movies mixed in with the good–that taking a chance on a movie may end up wasting 40 minutes of your evening before realizing that what you are watching is, in fact, terrible. With this in mind, here are 10 horror films currently streaming on Netflix that are guaranteed to satisfy your more macabre side this month.
1. John Dies at the End
Slacker David Wong recounts to a reporter the strange story involving an unknown drug called “Soy Sauce,” which seems to send its user into different dimensions (or drive them mad), eldritch abominations that have their sights on taking over everything, an alternate earth, and how horror can sometimes be really funny.
Indeed, the byzantine and often bizarre plot of John Dies at the End is almost hopeless to sum up, and you wouldn’t believe that the summary is the actual plot of this movie. But it is, and it’s one of the most fun horror movies in years to watch.
Based off of David Wong’s eponymous cult novel, John Dies at the End is an over-the-top blast to watch, even if it may leave you scratching your head at some parts. But making sense isn’t the film’s strong suit–and as long as you sit back and let it wash over you, enjoying one of the most entertaining horror-comedies in recent memory will be your reward.
2. Gerald’s Game
A couple in a strained marriage go to an isolated lake house hoping to salvage their relationship and sex life. Her husband, Gerald, handcuffs his wife Jessie to the headboard of the bed in an attempt to spice things up in the bedroom. But it all goes wrong when Gerald suffers a heart attack and dies, leaving Jessie still handcuffed to the headboard.
As the hours pass and Jessie tries to think of some way out of this dangerous situation–handcuffed with no help to be found and lying vulnerable in bed–she begins to experience hallucinations involving a terrifying figure that’s entered the bedroom. As the days pass, she becomes dehydrated and desperate to escape–and the solution is as dangerous as the position she finds herself stuck in.
Adapted from Stephen King’s harrowing novel of the same name, Gerald’s Game is a slow-burning nailbiter that will leave viewers at the edge of their seats and wondering what the next decision the protagonist will make–and if she’ll go as far as possible to survive. This Netflix exclusive appeared at just the right time, making for a suspenseful horror film to watch this month.
3. We Are Still Here
Some say the greatest tragedy that could befall one in life is the death of a child before their parents. Anne and Paul know this all too well, and after the death of their son they move to rural New England to find some peace and resolution after this tragedy.
Anne has fallen into a deep depression and begins to perceive her son’s presence in the house; meanwhile, a neighbor is warning the couple to leave the property without explaining exactly why. They invite a spiritualist to hold a seance, during which the true nature of the house–and its connection to the town–is revealed, which leads to a bloodbath at the conclusion
Released earlier in 2017 to great acclaim as one of the best horror films of the year, We Are Still Here takes the familiar and old in the horror genre and makes them new once again. Writer-director Ted Geoghegan has an obvious affection for the genre, which is full on display throughout We Are Still Here. Underseen during its brief theatrical release, on Netflix it will hopefully garner the audience it deserves.
4. Hellraiser
Opening with a degenerate named Frank who opened the door to an alternate dimension, which led to the decimation of his body, years pass and his brother Larry moves into the supposedly abandoned home in which Frank once lived. Along with Larry’s new wife Julia and daughter Kirsty, Frank–who had an affair with Julia years earlier–unexpectedly regains corporeal form in the room he died due to some spilled blood on the ground.
He plots with Julia to murder men so he can use their flesh to reconstitute completely. Meanwhile, Kirsty discovers the puzzlebox that originally summoned the otherworldly hellish beings–the Cenobites–in the first place, finding herself similarly tormented while trying to figure out a way out of her predicament.
Directed by Clive Barker, this film is based on a novella he wrote and was his directorial debut–and it’s a stunner. Visually explicit and iconic in its creation of the Cenobites, Hellraiser is a horror fan’s horror flick.
5. Raw
Arriving to her first year at a veterinarian’s college, Justine goes through the familiar rituals: hazing, not knowing anyone on campus, and trying to fit in and making mistakes from time to time. However, she does have her older sister Alexia to help her adjust. But after vegetarian Justine is forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney, something awakens in her–a craving for flesh, particularly human. Of course, this sort of predilection can cause some problems, especially when your sister also shares the same appetite.
One of the best debut films of 2017, Raw is a coming-of-age film that involves cannibalism as a symbol of sexual awakening, which makes it a far more elegant horror film than a story about a cannibalistic co-ed has any right to be. Restrained and at times insightful, Raw is an unexpected horror film that feels more like a college drama–well, one that involves eating other people, but a cut above your normal exploitative splatterfest.