From the Archives: 5 Unique Horror Flicks Currently Available on Netflix

From the Archives: 5 Unique Horror Flicks Currently Available on Netflix

In the interest of getting “hard” copies of my work under one roof, I plan to spend the next few weeks posting the entire archive of my film journalism here on ScullyVision. With due respect to the many publications I’ve written for, the internet remains quite temporary, and I’d hate to see any of my work disappear for digital reasons. As such, this gargantuan project must begin! I don’t want to do it. I hate doing it. But it needs to be done. Please note that my opinions, like everyone’s, have changed a LOT since I started, so many of these reviews will only represent a snapshot in time. Objectivity has absolutely no place in film criticism, at least not how I do it. 

Without further ado, I present to you: FROM THE ARCHIVES.
Originally posted on Cinema76.

It’s October, which means Halloween, which means HORROR MOVIES! This may be my favorite film genre, but as any horror nerd knows, it’s a genre which is responsible for some of the worst movies out there. For evidence, look no further than Netflix’s horror menu. God bless Netflix, for they always have a wide selection, but it takes a keen eye and a ton of filtering to get to the good stuff, and even then it’s a roll of the dice. Luckily for you, I’ll watch anything, so much of the legwork has been removed. Here are 5 Netflix horror titles, each of a different subgenre to get the season started off right. The legitimately good movie:

Pontypool (2008 – dir. Bruce McDonald) 

What seems to be a normal night at work for radio DJ Grant Mazzy, soon turns into a fight for survival when a virus takes hold of the snowy town of Pontypool. The thing is, this virus doesn’t spread through bodily fluids, through the air, or in any classic sense. No, this virus spreads through speech. Certain words have become infected, and those who speak them soon lose control of rational thought and become violent. This twist on the most modern iteration of zombie lore (the “infection” zombie), refreshes the genre in a clever way, and keeps things delightfully bloody. If Mazzy plans to fight back, he’s going to have to choose his words carefully (eh?).

The Franchise Entry

Curse of Chucky (2013 – Don Mancini)

Nobody knows that this movie exists, and it’s a real shame because it’s the best of the Child’s Play sequels. The writer of the original film, Don Mancini, is in the director’s chair, and he smartly takes the series back to its roots. While it doesn’t outright ignore the existence of the Bride/Seed era of Chucky, Curse brings everything back to a simple “possessed doll kills people” formula, and to great success. The film is quite funny, as is typical with Chucky series, and doesn’t skimp on the creepiness inherent to a sentient doll. To add to the fun, our leading lady is none other than Fiona Dourif, whose father has voiced the Chucky doll since day one. Please, please, PLEASE stick around for the post credits sequence. It’s a horror nerd’s dream.

The Mumblegore Flick

Creep (2014 – Patrick Brice)

The Mumblecore movement has embraced horror in a big way (mumblegore), and has helped push horror away from the torture porn of the early 2000s and into more moody, character-driven films. Creep keeps the bells and whistles to a minimum, instead focusing on a strong central performance from Mark Duplass as a real, well, creep. Despite having only two central characters and being of the found footage persuasion, Creep is as slimy and haunting as a proper horror flick should be. It also features a fun, clever, and downright morbid piece of foreshadowing. See if you can find it.

The Documentary

The Nightmare (2015 – dir. Rodney Ascher)

Sleep Paralysis is a condition in which the sufferer will wake up during the night, unable to move, and oftentimes haunted by dreadful apparitions and paranoid feelings. It only effects a select few, but for those afflicted, an attempt at a good night’s rest may play out like a scene from a horror movie. Rodney Ascher, the alt-documentarian behind Room 237 takes tales told by sleep paralysis sufferers and recreates them in chilling detail. As seemingly unique aspects of the individual experiences cross over into one another, we are forced to ask if maybe this disorder is a window into another world. I watched this alone at night and had to pause it more than once just to tell myself that everything would be okay.

The Gimmick

Nurse (2014 – dir. Douglas Aarniokosky)

Originally released in 3D, Nurse has no interest in elevating itself above trash, and since it happily wears its trashiness as a badge of honor, it’s a damn good time. If the movie gods are good, this tale of a murderous nurse and her many victims will someday make a costumed midnight audience squirm behind their 3D specs, but until then it’ll be right at home on Netflix, where you can pause it for the refreshments of your choosing (may I recommend against the Bloody Mary? Fine, but only if you nurse it*).

The beauty of Netflix’s horror selection is that even with its large catalogs of junk, I could give you countless lists like this one, and may do so in the near future. Seen any of these movies? Care to weigh in! Leave a comment!

*Sorry, not sorry.

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