Thanksgiving is killing it on Netflix—it’s currently ranked among the streamer’s top flicks. When one horror film does well, that’s great news for the genre at large, so if you head to the streamer for John Carver’s merry Massachusetts massacre, why not stick around and feast on these other titles, too?
Thanksgiving (2023)
This 2023 slasher knows you’ve seen many a slasher film, particularly of the holiday-themed variety, and plays right into that by elevating its familiarly structured story with some of the most satisfying and creative gore in recent memory.
Feast on: turkey and all the trimmings. Watch on Netflix.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Before “release the Snyder Cut” and Rebel Moon came Zack Snyder’s feature-film debut, a remake of one of the most beloved zombie films of all time. It pays the required respect to George A. Romero—and squeaked in just as America’s mall era was beginning to flag—while also telling its own pleasingly gruesome story, with a great cast (Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames) to boot.
Feast on: brains. Watch on Netflix.
The Babadook (2014)
A decade after its release, we still shudder involuntarily at the thought of The Babadook. The titular monster may have taken on a more cuddly second life since 2014, but the movie’s agonizing mother-son drama has always been its most potent nightmare.
Feast on: grief. Watch on Netflix.
Annabelle (2014)
Journey back to 2014—a year after The Conjuring was released and before fans realized a whole universe of Conjuring-adjacent movies and sequels were on the way—and spend some time with the based-on-a-true-story haunted doll that helped start it all.
Feast on: death cults. Watch on Netflix.
The Purge: Election Year (2016)
It’s another election year, and the third installment in the Purge franchise is suddenly, horrifically timely again.
Feast on: all your anxieties before, during, and after this November. Watch on Netflix.
It Follows
The always great Maika Monroe is soon to appear in the much buzzed-about 2024 release Longlegs—but fans are also eagerly awaiting They Follow, the just-announced sequel to this film, which layers unbelievable dread onto a story so simple you need only read its title to understand its narrative thrust.
Feast on: the dreaded unknown. Watch on Netflix.
Lights Out
Director David F. Sandberg recently revealed he’s working on an adaptation of Until Dawn, but he first came to horror fans’ attention with this legitimately unsettling 2016 adaptation of his own 2013 short about a monster that strikes in the shadows.
Feast on: fear of the dark. Watch on Netflix.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
The source-material kids’ book (and especially its accompanying ghastly illustrations) will always be our favorite version of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but this Guillermo del Toro-produced film fully delivers in “the horrific creature effects” department.
Feast on: sentient scarecrows. Watch on Netflix.
Blood Red Sky
She’s a mother traveling with her young son on an overnight flight from Europe to New York, desperately seeking a cure for her mysterious illness. They’re a gang of hijackers determined to collect a hefty ransom. Did we also mention she’s… a vampire?
Feast on: every worst-case scenario you can imagine about airline travel. Watch on Netflix.
Anaconda
Jennifer Lopez no doubt prefer you turn your attentions to her current projects on Prime Video, but we’d much rather watch her battling an oversized, extremely unfriendly, somewhat lifelike giant snake alongside Ice Cube and Owen Wilson in the Amazon.
Feast on: Jon Voight’s campy performance. Watch on Netflix.
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