Scrolling through the Netflix horror section can be incredibly time-consuming, even more so for the type of person who constantly checks reviews to make sure they’re watching quality content. Many movies on the site can be hit or miss, especially when it comes to their original films. The Open House was heavily advertised by the site, but when it released, it received gut-wrenching reviews.
Some of the best horror movies on the site haven’t been promoted as much. Netflix has an endless list of movies, but for the average horror fanatic who’s seen it all, it may be hard to pinpoint which underrated movies are worth watching.
Updated on June 10th, 2021 by Mark Birrell: Netflix is always changing things up to make its selection of content always exciting and fresh for subscribers so this does, unfortunately, mean that some great movies leave the platform after some time. The good news is that any great movies that are lost from its catalog are replaced by something of equal or greater value, meaning we can update this list with a few different movies for horror fans to check out. These underrated horror movies are not just some of the most under-the-radar on Netflix but also some of the best.
10 Before I Wake (2016)
Jacob Tremblay from the Oscar-nominated film Room proved that he’s multi-talented in the Netflix original film Before I Wake. Written and directed by Mike Flannagan, who worked on Netflix’s popular The Haunting of Hill House series, takes viewers on an emotional journey in this high-concept chiller.
Tremblay plays a child with the power to make his dreams become a reality while he sleeps, which starts out as a beautiful experience for his adoptive parents until they realize his nightmares manifest as well. Fans of the Insidious movies should consider this especially.
9 Hush (2016)
Hush is yet another unique horror movie written and directed by the horror expert Mike Flanagan, following a deaf woman who has gone on a writer’s retreat in a lonely home in the woods.
As she gets started on her work, she begins to realize that she’s not alone after all, as she finds herself being attacked by a masked man who has invaded her new property. She finds herself having to fight for her life while relying only on her sight and the tension never lets up in this satisfying thriller.
8 Veronica (2017)
Veronica follows a teenage girl who plays with a Ouija board with a group of friends to communicate with her father. After playing with the spirit board, strange occurrences began to happen to her and her family. Instead of contacting her father as she hoped, she unexpectedly brought a malevolent spirit into her home, putting herself and her younger siblings in danger.
This supernatural horror movie should appeal to fans of the Conjuring movies with its demonic frights and well-paced build-up.
7 Cargo (2018)
There are plenty of zombie movies out there, but there isn’t one quite like Cargo. In this movie directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, viewers get to watch Black Panther’s Martin Freeman portray Andy, a single father during the zombie apocalypse.
Driven by the desire to keep his child safe, Andy has to find a new home for his daughter after he has become infected. This film is equally horrific as it is emotional, as viewers watch the father fight his infection long enough to save his child.
6 His House (2020)
![His House: Why The Horror Movie Waited So Long To Show The Monster [MINI] Rial](https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hishouse-feature-e1604718352872.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=963&h=481&dpr=1.5)
After a refugee couple has moved into a new home in England, mysterious things begin to happen, as they discover they might not only be haunted by spirits in the house, but also demons from their past.
This is a psychological horror film directed by first-time film director Remi Reekes. Since this film released, it received rave reviews and a perfect critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a perfect film for observant viewers that love to analyze every detail.
5 It Comes At Night (2017)
Years after a global pandemic has wiped out most of mankind, two families struggle to survive and coexist in a home hidden in the woods in this second feature from acclaimed writer and director Trey Edward Shults.
A small-scale sci-fi horror movie that packs a big punch, It Comes At Night shows the extent to which people are willing to go to in a worst-case scenario without heavily relying on dialogue to tell the story.
4 Apostle (2018)
Taking place during the early 1900s on a remote island, Apostle follows a prodigal’s son who is tasked with rescuing his sister from a cult as she’s being held for ransom. As he becomes more involved with this cult, he quickly realizes that things are much darker than he had originally expected.
Written and directed by Gareth Edwards, this is a movie that’s sure to take viewers on a shocking journey, and it gets scarier and gorier by the minute.
3 The Invitation (2015)
An impactful horror-thriller that ratchets up the tension progressively throughout, building to a searing finale, The Invitation revolves around a tremendously painful dinner party that sees two separated parents reunite years after a tragic loss.
The evening only gets worse and worse as it goes on, however, as it becomes increasingly apparent that the hosts have become worryingly involved with a disturbing cult.
2 As Above, So Below (2014)
A slickly executed take on found footage horror, As Above, So Below follows a group of spelunkers and archeologists as they search the world-famous catacombs beneath Paris for an unimaginable treasure.
Full of supernatural chills and ghostly frights, it’s a surprisingly dramatic movie that’s always pulling one trick or another out of the bag to keep the audience engaged on the wild ride through the subterranean maze of ancient riddles and dark magic.
1 Under the Shadow (2016)
Psychological horror and supernatural horror go hand in hand so well that many movie fans may believe that there’s little else to be done with the setup of a haunted family, and it’s movies like Under the Shadow that show them just how wrong they are.
Set in 1980s Tehran, the story revolves around a young mother and her daughter as they adjust to a life uprooted by the ongoing war with neighboring Iraq and the results of post-revolutionary life and what that means for women in the future of Iran. Their fears and anxieties manifesting in the form of a demonic force that stalks them in their building, pushing them to their limits.
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