Spooktober—9 Frighteningly Good Netflix Finds

When it comes to horror movies, Netflix can be a real goody-bag of both tricks and treats. From slashers to deep psychological horrors, there’s something in this popular category to delight even the most discerning of horror fans.

In celebration of Halloween and all things spooky, I've been checking out some of the terrifying treats available. Seeing as I am a girl who doesn’t scare easily, I have organised this list in to the films that I personally found most enjoyable.

I'll try to give a brief and spoiler-free summary of the plot as well as which parts had me spooked; all topped-off with a trailer to whet your appetite. I've also included trigger warnings for things other viewers may be affected by.

Are you as brave as I am when it comes to things that go bump in the night?

9. Gerald’s Game

In case you were wondering what Gerald like to play—it’s BDSM. The basic plot of the film is that Gerald handcuffs his younger lover to a bed, then very rudely dies on top of her. Since Gerald is an older gentleman, we can assume he is forgetful and from time to time does old-person things like leaving the front door of the house open. Because that’s exactly what he does before his untimely, possibly boner-related death.

The plot itself is more psychological horror, with a hint of supernatural elements and a sprinkling of gore. It has some suspenseful scenes and some pretty unpleasant visuals.

• Times Watched: 2
• Most Squacked Out By: The de-gloving scene!
• Horror Levels: 3/10
• Horror Threat: Being restrained in total isolation, vague paranormal elements.
• Trigger Warnings: Body horror

8. Murder Party

Murder Party is a black comedy B-Movie with some terrible acting and gory scenes. It’s ridiculous and gross with a satisfying twist and a blood-soaked ending. If you want something lighter to enjoy, this is a good choice. It’s quite silly and doesn’t take itself seriously, so I really enjoyed the refreshing change.

• Times Watched: 2
• Grossed Out By: Burnt Face Man
• Horror Levels: 4/10
• Horror Threat: Human stupidity.
• Trigger Warnings: Body horror, strong gore.

7. 47 Meters Down

I’m thalassaphobic and can’t swim, so perhaps that’s why I found this film particularly unnerving. It’s about two women who get stuck in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean; needless to say the waters are infested with hungry sharks. I was incredibly uncomfortable from the second they got in the water, a feeling that intensified throughout the film.

• Times Watched: 1
• Permanently Scarred By: Underwater canyons.
• Horror Levels: 6/10
• Horror Threat: Sharks and deep water.
• Trigger Warnings: Thalassaphobia

6. The Perfection

I actually had to pause this stomach-churner several times to collect myself and see it through to the end. It had a huge twist that I certainly didn’t see coming and nothing was as it seemed. The timeline jumps around a bit to tell the story, but it’s easy to keep up with and vital to the storytelling.

• Times Watched: 1
• Haunted By: Oh God, the bugs...
• Horror Levels: 7/10
• Horror Threat: Humans
• Trigger Warnings: Bugs, body horror, strong gore and child abuse.

5. Clown

If you’re scared of clowns then you need to wear your brown pants when you watch this film. Basically it’s about a guy that puts on a clown suit and turns in to a clown. I don’t mean he got a job at the rodeo either; it turns out 'Clowne' is the name of a child eating demon and we watch as the poor guy slowly morphs in to a hideous creature that would make It sleep with the lights on.

• Times Watched: 4
• Most Creeped By: The sore nose and the fun house tunnel.
• Horror Levels: 8/10
• Horror Threat: Demonic murder-clown.
• Trigger Warnings: Clowns, strong gore.

4. Legion

An epic battle between good and evil wages in a very unlikely setting. We’re talking angels and demons in a war of biblical proportions. I really loved how the demons reminded me of the Deadites from the Evil Dead franchise, all blanked-eyed, pointy-toothed and running-across-ya-ceiling. Fantastic concept and story telling, though milder on the horror than the others. I still found it incredibly enjoyable.

• Times Watched: 1
• Scared By: Steak-flies and pus explosions.
• Horror Levels: 5/10
• Horror Threat: Apocalypse and demons.
• Trigger Warnings: Strong religious elements.

3. The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House is a really intense horror series that involves many twists and turns and a timeline that jumps all over the place. It’s about ghosts and boy, do they have some creepy ones! It’s more than a horror though, the story is intricately woven and it gets very emotional throughout. I certainly got a lump in my throat at various points and I thoroughly enjoyed the story telling.

• Times Watched: 3
• Most Squacked Out By: Finding out why she did it and that hideous tall ghost.
• Horror Levels: 8/10
• Horror Threat: Ghosts and Humans.
• Trigger Warnings: Suicide, drug abuse.

2. Mother!

I’m not going to tell you much about this movie other than it is the weirdest, most unnerving, beautifully creative film I have seen this year. What more would you expect from the creators of Black Swan?

I found this gem by accident, I just put a randomly selected film on and the Netflix description was quite vague. The plot is symbolic and interpretive, the acting is phenomenal and the music makes you want to pull your hair out from the suspense.

• Times Watched: 2
• Traumatised By: The baby scene and what follows.
• Horror Levels: 7/10
• Horror Threat: Home invasion.
• Trigger Warnings: Strong religious themes and child abuse.

1. Marianne

More often than not, a horror builds up a fearsome monster and then swiftly ruins the experience when we finally get a good view of the beastie. But the image of Marianne, the ghost of an evil witch, will be burned in to my nightmares for some time—boggly-eyes and all.

This French horror series manages to seamlessly blend eight episodes so that it feels like you’re watching one really long, really intense film. Sometimes, horror series come with a lot of filler and it stops the scares from being as fresh, but Marianne is gripping from start to finish, and uses everything available in the horror movie tool-kit to keep the viewers engrossed.

• Times Watched: 2
• Messed Up By: When the duvet moves and the freezer incident.
• Horror Levels: 9/10
• Horror Threat: Ghost witch!
• Trigger Warnings: Body horror, suicide, strong gore, occult themes.

Have you watched any of these cool Netflix frights? Let me know and share this list with your friends.