Fear and fright are feelings every human being relates to. They’re motivators, teachers, and bullies that most people deal with daily. They inspire a potent combination of chemicals and instincts so familiar, people bring them to work, to school—they bring them along for holidays and vacations. But they also make for great movies. Artists have imprinted them into their work, and consumers gobble them up by the hour. The horror community is as ravenous a fanbase as any in film, so if you’ve already seen the classics and you need a break from your nostalgic favorites, we’ve got a list of great new horror movies you can watch on streaming right now.
For the purposes of this list, we’re defining “new” as films released within the last three years, which opens the doors to a lot of hidden gems and unsung spooky highlights you might have missed. For modern spooks, scares, chills, and thrills, seek these recent horror titles.
Annihilation (2018)
Where to Watch:FXNow
Directed By:Alex Garland
Cast:Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez
Alex Garlanddelivered a poetic sci-fi spectacle with his adaptation ofJeff VanderMeer’sAnnihilation. The dialogue, visuals, and themes coalesce into a picture about metamorphosis, confrontation, and fear.Natalie Portman’s Lena is a biologist who joins an all-female expedition inside an anomalous area where reality is changing rapidly. Time, topography, and temperaments change as the team of scientists descends further into the center of the anomalous region, encountering increasingly strange and terrifying new circumstances along the way. Garland has been open about H.P. Lovecraft’s Color Out of Space influences while working on this movie, and they are readily apparent, but the unique characters and central love story between Portman andOscar Isaachelp morph this film into an intimate display of the struggle of acceptance and growth in the wake of life-changing events.
RELATED:‘Annihilation’ Explained: Unpacking Alex Garland’s Brilliant, Trippy Sci-Fi Film
Black Box (2020)
Where to Watch:Prime Video
Directed By:Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour
Cast:Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola
Black Boxis a story about love. It’s a story about the lengths people are willing to go for those they love, whether that’s a child taking care of their parent, a parent willing to defy science for their child, or a person who’d do anything for a friend. It’s powered by fantastic performances, with the dynamic betweenMamoudou AthieandAmanda Christinefeeling truly special. The story follows Nolan (Athie) as he struggles to maintain a daily routine weeks after suffering a traumatic brain injury. An experimental therapy unlocks nightmarish memories Nolan must confront to piece together the life he led before his injury. Is he the kind, loving single-parent his family and friends tell him he is, or was Nolan hiding who he was from them the whole time? That’s a question he can’t answer without theBlack Box.
Climax (2018)
Directed By:Gaspar Noe
Cast:Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub, Kiddy Smile
A troupe of French dancers is rehearsing for a project one evening when rehearsals turn into partying and what follows is a display of movement, madness, and bodily fluids. Dancing devolves into contorting and flexing as the troupe lose their minds en masse, pointing fingers on their way down the rabbit hole. Any other synopsis risks giving away the secret ingredient that makesClimaxsuch an emotional mess. A largely improvised script, the movie is driven by the dancers, the choreography, and the exceptional camerawork byGaspar Noeand cinematographerBenoit Debie. The choreography is a visual spectacle, and a dazzling pretense to the insanity that follows. Come for the opening dance number and stay for the rest.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Where to Watch:Shudder
Directed By:Richard Stanley
Cast:Nicholas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Elliot Knight, Tommy Chong
A far-out adaptation ofH.P. Lovecraft’s short story by the same name,Color out of Spacepicks up after a meteorite crashes down inNicholas Cage’s front yard. Everything starts changing while the audience watches a family helplessly ill-equipped to handle the oncoming strangeness and horror. It’s as over the top as it is striking and as awesome as it is chaotic. It’s so over the top, it’s hard to tell if the black comedy that spills out is deliberate or a secondary effect. While an adaptation of The Dunwich Horror byRichard Stanleywas in production, it was shelved after he was outed as an assailant by multiple former working and relational partners. SpectreVision, producers on both projects, immediately parted ways with the director and announced they’d be donating future revenue fromColor out of Spaceto “charities devoted to stopping domestic violence.”
Daniel Isn’t Real (2019)
Directed By:Adam Egypt Mortimer
Cast:Mile Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Mary Stuart Masterson
Daniel Isn’t Realis a complicated, dark, and human psychological thriller that explores the concepts of loneliness, trauma, acceptance, and love. Connor (Mile Robbins) develops an imaginary friend as a child who he later abandons until he’s encouraged to reconnect with him as a coping exercise. Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is all too happy to be welcomed back into Conor’s day-to-day life, though it becomes increasingly clear he has his own motivations. Another SpectreVision spectacle, the movie oozes style with terrific lighting and color displays. It’s helped along by the charisma and swagger of Schwarzenegger, though both leading men build this movie into the compelling, fantastical, special film that it is.
The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
Directed By:Bryan Bertino
Cast:Marin Ireland, Michael Abbot Jr., Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Tom Nowicki
The aptly namedThe Dark and the Wickedis a bleak, depressing, terrifying new movie byBrian Bertino(The Strangers) about a fragmented rural family’s struggle to survive as an evil presence distorts, maims, and destroys their lives.The Dark and the Wicked’s masterful use of editing, sound, and jump scares creates a tension thick enough to wade through. Haunting performances, with a specific brava toTom Nowicki’s Charlie, turn tension to fright in what has to be 2020’s scariest film of the year. Some questionable CGI and a rush to the finish may leave some viewers wanting more, but for quality tension and scares, not many films will serve them up as strong asThe Dark and the Wicked.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Where to Watch:HBO Max
Directed By:Mike Flannigan
Cast:Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon
A follow-up to bothStanleyKubrick’s and Stephen King’sThe Shining,Doctor Sleepis an adaptation of the book by King. The film follows Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) all grown up, battling demons from his time at the Overlook Hotel and suffering from the effects of his shine. Trying to get his life together, he makes a new friend who he begins to fear is in danger, and he sets off to combat unknown forces to save her. There’s a lot to unpack over the two-and-a-half-hour run time, featuring flashbacks, homages, and recasts, butMike Flanagan(The Haunting of Hill House) handles both lineages ofThe Shiningwith care while weaving this heavily adapted sequel. The Director’s cut adds 24 minutes to round out leaner parts of the picture and is a worthwhile substitution.
RELATED:‘Doctor Sleep’ Ending Explained: Bridging the Gap Between ‘The Shining’ Book and Film
Eli (2019)
Where to Watch:Netflix
Directed By:Ciaran Foy
Cast:Charlie Shotwell, Kelly Reilly, Max Martini, Lili Taylor, Sadie Sink
Eliis a scary good time, but it’s also probably the most polarizing movie for consideration, as it takes a couple of twists and turns, subverting the very strong haunted hospital premise established in the first half. Those viewers who can throw their hands up and enjoy the ride will find an entertaining, scary and original horror story. A film about the titular young boy who is deathly allergic to the world, Eli’s (Charlie Shotwell) family arranges for a radical treatment to cure his allergies at an in-patient treatment center. Eli begins to see and experience things he believes to be hostile paranormal encounters but his doctors dismiss these as hallucinations related to his treatment. In the final act, the movie starts dropping Shyamalan-style bombs on the story that set up some of the film’s best visuals and leaves room for a sequel that would be drastically different than its predecessor.
His House (2020)
Directed By:Remi Weekes
Cast:Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba, Matt Smith
Sope DirisuandWunmi Mosaku(Lovecraft Country) shine in this commentary on the refugee experience in England. A tale of guilt, pain, and desperation,His Housefollows a refugee couple as they struggle to adapt to their new lives and living conditions in a new country. Paranoia gives way to fear as they begin to suspect they’re being watched from inside their home. Nightmares and flashbacks of an ocean rescue haunt the weary couple, struggling to accept what they’ve survived, who they’ve become, and who they’re expected to become. Not as straightforward as it seems, His House keeps a strong pace until its emotional and explosive conclusion. It’s one of the scariest, saddest and smartest haunted house movies on Netflix any month out of the year.
Hereditary (2018)
Where to Watch:Showtime, Kanopy, FuboTV
Directed By:Ari Aster
Cast:Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro
Hereditaryis maybe the highest-profile horror movie of the last six years. It’s a slow burn that’s more disturbing than terrifying. Legendary performances by Toni Collette and Alex Wolff coupled with inspired writing and directing by breakout director Ari Aster propelled this meticulously crafted cult horror flick outside of the category of simply “good horror movies.” The no-holds-barred grief ride Aster took audiences on didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it took that wheel and rolled over them all the same. Sprinklings of clues and iconography throughout the film make rewatches all the sweeter as each time makes it only more clear how quickly the snare tightens around this poor family.
