Halloween 2018: The best horror movies and scary films to watch on Netflix UK today
Want to be afraid? Very afraid? You need the best horror movies to watch on Netflix this Halloween. We’ve collected the scream of the horror crop to send you scurrying behind cushions and hiding behind oversized pumpkins this October in our guide to the most spine-chillingly scary movies available to stream in the UK right now.
From all out gory zombie horror, to killer cat and mouse action, and even the creeping unease of a suspicious dinner party, we’ve got it all in our roundup of best horror movies on Netflix UK available to stream today.
Just, mind your head…
Related: What’s new on Netflix UK?
1) The Autopsy of Jane Doe – 2016
Few horrors are more Ronseal in their title with a warning of what’s to come. From the director of the excellent Norwegian found footage horror Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe is an atmospherically creepy mystery. Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch are a father and son coroner duo attempting to uncover the secrets surrounding a woman who has arrived on their slab in odd circumstances.
It’s not ruining anything to say she’s no ordinary corpse but this is nails in palms levels of tense as the truth behind Jane Doe is gradually revealed with every precise incision. It’s not for the faint of heart but this is essential horror viewing.
2) The Rezort – 2015
Let’s play the good news, bad news game. The good news is that humans have somehow survived the zombie apocalypse. Yay. The bad news is that the only undead that are left are kept on an island and hunted for sport by the exceptionally rich. Oh
The Rezort might be a shameless mash up of Jurassic Park and Dawn of the Dead but that doesn’t make it any less of a joyously trashy brains-splattered romp. An excellent collection of irritating characters are here for your bloody dismemberment pleasure, and Dougray Scott growls his way happily through the whole thing. Throw in a Romero-esque political undertone and The Rezort is an unsung zombie gem.
3) The Invitation – 2015
It’s probably just good life advice but maybe don’t go to a dinner party with your ex wife and her new partner if you think they might be part of a creepy cult. Sadly Will, played by Tom Hardy lookalike Logan Marshall Green doesn’t heed this particular instruction, joins the festivities and starts to get suspicious of the hosts’ intentions. Is is just to serve up the best risotto, or is there something more sinister afoot? The paranoia here is real and you’ll question every action of every guest as they settle down to their meal. Twisty in all the right ways and constantly surprising, The Invitation is exceptionally tense viewing.
4) Hush – 2016
Home invasion movies are a very specific brand of horror and one that, understandably, just aren’t a comfortable watch. Hush, then is the home invasion movie for people who normally can’t watch them. Directed by Mike Flanagan, the man responsible for the excellent Haunting of Hill House (also on Netflix), this tense thriller follows Maddie, a deaf author who lives alone in the woods. Yep, it’s just as dangerous as it sounds.
In true horror style, a masked murderer arrives to make her life hell, but this is no gory torture porn escapade. What follows is a nail biting game of cat and mouse as despite not being able to speak or hear, Maddie fights back. Just like this year’s A Quiet Place, Flanagan uses sound in ways that mean you just won’t be able to sit still.
5) The Cabin in the Woods – 2011
Horror comedy doesn’t get much better than what happens when Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon combine creative powers once again like the Avengers of smart scares. You know the set up here or, at least, you’ll think you do.
A crew of very attractive young people – oh hello, Chris Hemsworth – all head away from the big city to spend the weekend in a, well, cabin in the woods. Unsurprisingly, things go very wrong indeed but the horror that ensues isn’t quite what you expect. No spoilers but a razor sharp script, and knowledge of every teen horror trope in the bloodied book ensures that The Cabin in the Woods is hilarious gory fun.
Plus, for bonus viscera-covered horror comedy, you could do a lot worse than Tucker and Dale Vs Evil, also on Netflix.
6) Creep – 2014
The less you know about Creep, the better but it’s a great reason not to answer online adverts looking for filmmakers. This isn’t found footage in the style of The Blair Witch Project or Rec, there’s nothing supernatural at work here but that makes it all the more terrifying when Aaron accepts the job of filming the messages of a dying man, Josef, and things don’t go quite according to plan.
ith a truly disturbing performance by Mark Duplass as Josef, Creep is a dark and hilarious descent into madness. Want more? The good news is that the equally unnervingly funny Creep 2 is waiting on Netflix for you too. That’s two for the price of one. You’re welcome.
7) Under the Shadow – 2016
Horror does not exist in a vacuum. Quite the opposite. Movies like Dawn of the Dead tackle consumerism, The Babadook the pain of grief and the demons of mental illness, and, more recently, Get Out with the racial politics of modern America.
And now, there’s Under the Shadow, which sees a young mother tackle the djinn spirits haunting her and her daughter amidst 1980s Tehran. The deft weaving of the supernatural and the oppression of Sharia law is an impressive feat, and while this is a great ghost story alone, it’s a stark and moving depiction of life in Iran.
8) Don’t Breathe – 2016
Surely a bunch of young criminals deserve what they get when they break into the house of a blind man who apparently doesn’t trust banks and is hoarding cash? Surely, no matter what awaits inside, what they are doing is wrong and they should suffer the consequences? Well it’s time to test your morals with this gloriously nasty thriller from Evil Dead remake director Fede Alvarez. T
here’s some tonal handbrake turns throughout and you might not be ready for some reveals but the tension as the apparently harmless old man turns the tables is gloriously fraught. One sequence in the pitch black basement of the house is truly terrifying and yes, a perfect reason to be afraid of the dark.
9) Triangle – 2009
This floating horror starring Melissa George never quite gets the credit it should so here we are making sure you watch it this Halloween. Like most scary movies, the less you know, the more you’ll enjoy the surreal nasty at work here but just know that it’s not all plain sailing when a group of friends head out on a yacht. After a storm capsizes their boat, the group boards a passing ocean liner which is somehow deserted. This is a ghost ship that holds plenty of secrets and serious horror.
Don’t Google, just head on in and prepare for an enjoyably twisted narrative and some nasty death to boot.
10) Insidious – 2010
There’s been three Insidious’ – Insidiousi? – movies and a veritable universe of Conjuring films since, but that doesn’t mean James Wan’s original jump-scare-packed horror has lost any of of its potency. The relentless haunting of the Lambert family – led by an excellent Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne – is still great exercise for your goosebumps as a disturbing force attempts to seize the soul of their son.
Sure, it cranks from clever creeps and scares into less subtle sheer ghost train ridiculousness by the end, but there’s plenty of nightmarish imagery to keep you suitably disturbed after the credits roll.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
