As we bid farewell to September and welcome Spooktober with open skeletal arms, it’s time for us to settle in on the couch, put on our favourite horror films and collectively crap our pants.

There are so many notable scary movies out there, and it can be hard to choose between them. Luckily, Netflix boasts a decent selection of horrors and thrillers to keep you sufficiently frightened all month long.

The Babadook

After losing her husband in a car accident on her way to give birth at the hospital, a woman struggles to control her 6-year-old son’s persistent fear of monsters and other behavioural problems. One night, she reads to him from a mysterious book that has appeared on his shelf.

The book tells of the Babadook, a sinister entity which cannot be stopped after it has been summoned. What follows is an unyielding barrage of psychological torment — proving that, when it comes to supernatural creatures, there’s nowhere you can hide.

Hush

A deaf and mute author finds herself besieged in her secluded house after a masked killer takes an interest in tormenting her. Without the ability to hear her attacker, she is forced to rely on her sight and her wits in order to survive. Hush takes a tried-and-tested plot device and adds a twist that allows for several unconventional situations that keep the movie feeling fresh.

While the movie is not designed to outright terrify, it does well at keeping the audience in a constant state of unease by exploring the frightening reality of a deranged psychopath without having to invoke any supernatural tropes.

The Witch

The only movie on this list not set in the modern age, The Witch follows a family living in 1630s New England. This unconventional horror film explores concepts of witchcraft, black magic and the paranoia surrounding them.

While boasting high critical acclaim, the movie has received mixed reviews from audiences. The film itself is well-made and worth the watch for many reasons, but the old-fashioned English and its slow-burn approach to horror could, admittingly, turn off some viewers.

Oculus

A woman finally tracks down a mirror that she believes to have compelled her father to torture and kill her mother during her childhood. She then contacts her brother, who was recently released after being committed to a mental institution after the incident and charged with the murder of their father.

Oculus follows the woman as she sets about creating a plan to convince her brother of the mirror’s destructive powers in order to destroy it. However, if the mirror really does play host to a demonic spirit, destroying it may prove more difficult than they expect.

This movie plays heavily on the unreliability of the human psyche and does great work using visual techniques to capture the feeling of confusion brought on by the characters’ hallucinations.

The Ritual

A group of men pay homage to their friend by going hiking in the woods a year after he was killed in a
liquor-store robbery. After one of the men falls and injures his leg, the group decides to save time by travelling directly through the forest. It does not take them long to realize that there are worse things to be afraid of than getting lost.

Similar to Oculus, The Ritual also utilizes psychological horror to disturb the audience by allowing them to share in the characters’ frightening visions. While audiences have criticized the ending of the movie for its change of tone, that alone does not warrant missing out on one of  best original horror movies on Netflix.

Whether you enjoy watching scary movies with family, with friends, on dates or alone, these easily accessible films should pack enough spooks to scratch your horror itch. With everything from malicious spirits to psychotic killers, there should be a little something here for everyone. All that’s left to do now is to cook up some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show.

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Rychel Smith

Graphic: Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor