Top Horror Movies On Amazon And Netflix

500 Days Of Film Reviews The Top 5 Horror Films On Amazon Prime Video And Netflix

Every so often (and usually even more frequently), I get a hankering for horror. Nothing beats this genre for pulse racing thought-provoking thrills. 

Both Netflix and Amazon are full of fright film options. However, let’s be honest, many of these movies fail to entertain, scare or even unsettle. 

As a result, I have decided to make a list of the top five best horror films on Amazon and Netflix. Read on if you dare... (cue evil laugh)

Given the franchise it spawned, it seems incredible to recall that Oren Peli’s Blair Witch-esque found footage film was made for just $15,000, over the course of seven days in the director’s own home. This movie taps into our primal fear of what goes on when our backs are turned and the lights are out. Ten years on and, while we may be over the found footage format, Paranormal Activity remains as scary as ever. 

The synopsis of Mike Flanagan’s Hush seems, at first glance, to be unbearably generic. Author, Maddie (Kate Siegel), moves to a remote cabin in the woods (of course) to write her new book. All is going well until, one night, a masked psychopath appears at her window.

However, don’t write this little horror gem off so quickly. Hush is a remarkably fresh and effective survival tale. First, Maddie is deaf - which leads to several tense he's behind you moments. And, second, she's not going down without a fight.

Okay, so Drew Goddard’s Cabin In The Woods is not particularly scary. However, it is a smart, funny and wonderfully thrilling horror ride thanks to both Goddard and co-writer, Joss Whedon. And that’s all before the movie’s crazily entertaining final act...  

I love The Babadook. Director Jennifer Kent understands that we scare when we really care about characters. As a result, she makes sure that we are fully engaged with the plight of troubled Samuel and his sleep deprived mother, Amelia (a superb performance from Essie Davies). Psychosis or real, The Babadook is the stuff of nightmares.

The Descent is my favourite horror film. It is full of brutal, unsettling shocks (the first scenes are emotionally devastating) and almost unbearable tension. Neil Marshall’s superb film explores themes of grief and betrayal as his group of female thrill seekers make their way deep into the caves of the Appalachian Mountains. Just remember to breathe...

Paranormal Activity 2, 3 and 4 are also available on Netflix. Other Netflix horror honourable mentions include Unfriended, Bone Tomahawk, The Woman In Black and The Invitation.

Poltergeist really didn’t need a remake. Tobe Hooper’s 1982 film still stands as a classic of the horror genre. Sure, the film has flaws and its special effects now feel dated. However, this only serves to make this family versus haunted house tale all the more endearing.

Frank Darabont’s The Mist starts out as a gripping adaptation of the novel by Stephen King. A huge mist engulfs a small US community. However, this is no ordinary mist as deep within lies a host of terrifying monsters. How will the townspeople survive? More to the point, how will we survive this film’s devastating ending?

Kill List is a film that defies genre. However, by the end of Ben Wheatley’s dark and twisted tale you know that you have witnessed something truly horrific. 

Full of atmosphere and boasting a wonderful, pulsating soundtrack, Ana Lily Amirpour’s film, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, is utterly gripping, intelligent and loaded with deliciously tension.

I am no big fan of zombie movies and yet I love Sang-ho Yeon’s Train To Busan. Starting in familiar genre territory (a leak in a biochemical plant creates a deadly zombie virus), the film starts to reveal its exciting potential when, instead of following the progression of the horrific virus, it chooses to focus on the relationship between a father and his young daughter. 

As a result, when their train is beset by a heaving horde of flesh eating undead, we care about what happens to Seok-woo and Soo-an (brilliantly portrayed by Yoo Gong and Soo-an Kim) and desperately want them to survive their journey to Busan.

Other horror films of note on Amazon Prime Video include Insidious, Wolf Creek, Eden Lake and Martyrs.

What horror films would you recommend on Netflix and Amazon? What are your all time favourite scary movies? 

Let me know in the comments section below or let’s talk fright flicks over on Twitter or Facebook!