quizabd elianna demond
Xena Donovan
Get ready, folks, it's SpOOkY SeAsOn! That's right, Halloween is here - time to eat too many mini chocolate bars, get dressed up (or not), and binge some scary movies. In honor of the best seasonal holiday, I've hand-selected one fearful film from each of our 11 free VPN server locations.
In case you weren't aware, Windscribe offers up to 10 GB of data with connection to servers in 11 different countries for free! That's right, from Canada to Turkey, Norway to Switzerland, and beyond, all free!
You may be wondering - what does Rebecca from the Windscribe Support Team know about scary movies? Well, Windscribers, I actually don't know much - but I know what I like! Look, we all know you can easily Google painstakingly curated lists from critics all around the world. I say, where's the fun in that, when instead you can take a peek inside my mind and maybe stumble upon a new-to-you freakish and frightening movie?
Also, a massive shout out to Letterboxd (powered by JustWatch) - you can search for any movie, read user-submitted reviews, and quickly check where you can stream/rent/buy per country. This is not an ad; I really like the site.
Of course, as a Canadian, I have to start here. My pick for Canada is Ginger Snaps (2000). I'm sure you've seen a werewolf movie or two in your time, but a feminist pubescent coming-of-age teen girl werewolf flick? This film is one of a kind (ignoring the two sequels that followed).
Now, I wouldn't call Shallow Grave (1994) a traditional horror flick, but man - this movie bangs. Nearly 30 years old and described as a "black comedy crime film," this movie stands the test of time. Plot: 3 roommates find their 4th roommate dead with a suitcase full of cash. Chaos ensues.
This is director Danny Boyle's first film, which he followed with Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, and a bunch more. I've seen this movie at least 5 times, and I will easily see it 5 more. It also stars a 23-year-old Ewan McGreggor (who can get it).
Martyrs (2008). Phew, what can I say about Martyrs? This is a genuinely depraved film. It's dark, it's disturbing, and the trailer even has a content warning. When I was younger, this was the movie I would mention that I loved to prove I was a true horror movie fan. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart. Not to be confused with the 2015 American remake, which I'm sure can't compare to the OG.
At acupuncture the other day (yes, Windscribe has some pretty fantastic employee benefits), Kevin (my acupuncturist) and I began chatting about scary movies. Hong Kong's The Eye (2002) is one of his faves.
In this movie, the main character undergoes an eye cornea transplant, resulting in a new and horrifying ability to see ghosts and death. Kevin - who I trust implicitly to stick me with 50+ needles per session - told me the film is considered one of the most accurate depictions of what it's like to have "visions." I have nothing to go on, but don't disagree; and if sequels and remakes are a measure of quality, this movie has 2 sequels and 3 remakes!
The Strangers (2008) is a quintessential slasher flick. Even better, it's "inspired by true events." Do you want suspense? Do you want jump scares? Do you want scary-ass masks? Then this is the movie for you.
It's been a hot minute since I've seen this one. When I suggested a rewatch to my partner while we were staying in a cabin in the woods (much like the couple in this movie), I was met with an "absolutely not, we are NOT watching that movie while we are alone in a cabin in the woods." So, if you get scared easily, maybe save this for a daytime screening in a bustling city instead.
Director Hasan Karacadağ has directed a BUNCH of these Dabbe films (7, I think?), and is credited for introducing jinn (invisible creatures from Islamic mythology) into Turkish cinema. Dabbe: The Possession aka Dabbe: Curse of the Jinn (2013), the 4th in the Dabbe series, follows a young woman who gets possessed just before her wedding, where she stabs and kills her husband (bummer). Her pal, a psychiatrist, wants to perform an exorcism, but the vibes are off - and it only gets worse from there.
Filmed in a gritty-documentary/hand-held camera style, Dabbe: The Possession completely reinvigorates the old exorcism movie genre. Plus, it's high time we had some non-catholic exorcisms. Am I right? This one had me turning the lights WAY up at the end and having to throw on an episode of the Simpsons to decompress. Beware.
Ah, the Swiss Alps! Fresh air, stunning scenery, and a weird homemade sex doll that comes to life and murders her makers. That's Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps (2010) for you! I wasn't sure what to expect, but boy was this a creepy one.
Okay, picture this: what if, instead of just delivering gifts to kiddos around the world, Santa, aka Sinterklass, was an evil ghost who kidnaps and murders children. Fun, right? Saint Nick (Sint) (2010) is sure to terrify and delight. Vibe-wise, this would be a nice double-feature with Dead Snow.
No shade, but twins are just inherently a little creepy. In Goodnight Mommy (Ich seh Ich seh) (2014), though, the twins aren't even the creepiest part - well, at least for the first half of the movie. The film follows twin boys who spend the summer in the countryside with their post-plastic surgery, face-bandaged mother. This one is a sloooooow burn, so settle in and get ready to be creeped out.
It can be tricky pinning down the best Netflix horror movies. There's so much to choose from on the streamer that it's hard to know where to start when you plonk yourself down on the sofa and decide you're in the mood for some scares.
With so many spine-tingling titles available, how do you narrow it all down? Well, you're in lucky, because we've done the hard part for you... Whether you're after a gory, comedy-leaning affair or a chilling ghost story, there's something for everyone on our list of the platform's genre must-watches. There's 25, so you can either make your selection from there, or work your way down throughout the year. In short, you never have to waste time scrolling through Netflix's catalog again.
We're cheating a bit here. The Fear Street trilogy is, well, a trilogy of horror movies, so we're cramming three into this one entry, but they work as a singular whole piece incredibly well. There's almost no chance of you finishing the first entry and stopping there, such is this gripping neon-colored slasher.
Taking more than a pinch of inspiration from Scream, Fear Street: Part One introduces us to Kiana Madeira's Deena, a teenager from Shadyside whose lover, Olivia Scott Welch's Samantha Fraser, has moved to the neighboring Sunnyside. However, the pair get mixed up in a curse that's haunted Shadyside for hundreds of years, and now they must work with friends and family to rid the town of the horror once and for all. The first movie takes place in the '90s, while the sequels go back to the '70s and 1660s, revealing more and more about the curse of Shadyside. This is one trilogy not to be missed, and is absolutely one of the best horrors on Netflix.
Starring American Horror Story star and certified scream queen Sarah Paulson, Run follows Chloe, a homeschooled, disabled teenager who starts to suspect that her overbearing mother is keeping secrets from her.
It's suspenseful and twisty, but is also self-aware enough to not keep its cards too close to its chest for too long. Surprisingly, perhaps, it lays everything out on the table just 30 minutes in and dares its audience to come along for the thrill ride that unfolds after that. Given that she almost always plays the good guy when she's in scarier fare, it's a real treat to see Paulson dig into something darker here.
Set in 1939, it follows Narcisa (Aria Bedmar), a young novice with supernatural powers who takes a teaching job at a convent-turned-school. As the days go by, the strange events and increasingly disturbing situations that torment her eventually lead her to unravel the terrible secrets that surround the establishment and haunt all who live there.
Nope, this horror works at being hip. That's in part to the breezy cool exuded by Ready or Not's Samara Weaving. In the lead as the world's best babysitter, it's her turn that cements the pic as a playful riff on horrors past; whether she's debating the merits of horror icons with tween scamp Cole or figuring out how to achieve the life she truly desires. While its overly-stylized screen pop-ups might appear needy, they're not enough to detract from the popcorn frivolousness.
Get Out's Allison Williams channels that same energy to play cellist Charlotte whose rivalry with Logan Browning's similarly-talented string plucker Lizzie spirals out of control. While that might sound like a '90s thriller, this is pure modern horror. It admittedly ventures into some rather over-the-top scenarios, but that's where most of its deliciously deranged entertainment lies. This is a bizarre yarn of revenge that unspools through a number of interesting themes.
Found footage flick Incantation simply had to make it onto our list. It follows Li Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen) as she tries to protect her daughter Dodo (Huang Sin-ting) from the ancient curse she unleashed by breaking a religious taboo. Dripping with dread and chock-full of jumpscares, it's best enjoyed if you don't question the characters' head-scratching choices too much... Switch off your logic for a second and it's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Gareth Evans might seem an unusual choice to lens a slow-burn period horror, but somehow? Apostle works. Fans of The Witch will get a kick out of this Netflix Original horror that stars Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, a man who returns home to learn his sister has fallen afoul of a cult. Desperate to rescue her, he ventures to the secluded isle, willingly embracing cult leader (Michael Sheen) and his flock under the guise of a recent convert in order to locate his missing sibling.
Evans puts a pause to kinetic flourishes brought to life in his signature efforts, The Raid and The Raid 2. Here, he opts for a slower pace to the hidden horrors of the hazy, misty Welsh town. A slew of subplots steer Stevens' wanderer all over the map in his dogged pursuit, showcasing Evans' eye for making the bleak beautiful, and the horrific truly mesmerizing.
90f70e40cf