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'The Conjuring' is one good horror film on Netflix. (Screenshot via MovieClips on YouTube)

Your guide to the best and worst horror films on Netflix

Everyone loves a good ol’-fashioned movie night. With Halloween quickly approaching, scary movie marathons are a common occurrence, but it’s difficult and time-consuming to sift through Netflix’s B-horror duds. It’s like finding a needle in the haystack, really. We’ve done the hard work for you with 10 movie recommendations — and five to avoid — for a scary good night in:

The Good (grab some popcorn and enjoy the show):

Oculus (2013)

Directed by Mike Flanagan, the psychological horror investigates Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim’s (Brenton Thwaites) childhoods. After one night of death and destruction when they were kids, Kaylie is convinced that the antique mirror, the Lasser Glass, is behind it. Now, they both try to break the possession to prevent more death. This one is the perfect way to cuddle in and convince yourself the house isn’t haunted. 

The Conjuring (2013)

This cult classic, which spurred the franchise, needs no explanation. Possessed house. Possessed doll. Paranormal investigators. ’70s fashion. You can’t go wrong.

The Babadook (2014)

Amelia (Essie Davis) and her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), become paranoid when they read a strange picture book about the Babadook, which hides in dark corners. Directed by Jennifer Kent, the Australian psychological horror symbolizes grief and isolation. On a simpler level, the movie is genuinely scary and unsettling with its original plot and sinister atmosphere. When you watch this, keep the lights on. 

The Strangers (2008)

The 2008 prequel to its 2018 sequel gave meaning to home invasion movies. Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James’ (Scott Speedman) supposedly relaxing weekend goes horribly wrong when a strange, lost woman knocks on the door at 4 a.m. In a matter of hours, three masked killers break in and force the couple to fight for their lives. When asked why, the trio says, “You were home.” This slasher is the perfect excuse to never answer the door again.

The Ritual (2017)

Four old college friends go on a hiking trip to commemorate the memory of their friend that was murdered in a robbery. While hiking along King’s Trail in Sarek National Park, Sweden, the friends come across Scandinavian mythology that kills. The upscale campy flick is the perfect choice to cuddle up with a blanket and avoid any physical exercise.

The Bad (so bad they’re good):

Wrecker (2015)

Directed by Michael Bafaro, this groan-inducing horror movie takes road trip from hell to another level. Best friends Emily (Anna Hutchison) and Leslie (Andrea Whitburn) find themselves pitted against a truck driver forcing them off the road. From the excessive wide shots of their Mustang to the ditzy decisions, this flick will make you want to drive the car yourself.

As Above So Below (2014)

This Parisian found-footage horror flick isn’t that bad at all. A group of explorers trek underground into Paris’ catacombs in search of Nicholas Flamel’s philosopher’s stone which turns base metals into gold and gives eternal life. What they find instead is their own personal hell. There are a few inconsistencies with this one that discounts its credibility, but overall ce n’est pas mauvais (it’s not bad).

Bad Match (2017)

Harris (Jack Cutmore-Scott) meets Riley (Lili Simmons) via an online dating app, Head over Heels. When Harris tries to break the nonexistent relationship off, Riley seeks revenge. The movie is riddled with lame dialogue, a jerk of a main character and underlying themes of dating culture. Watch this one with the girls on a night in.

Hush (2016)

Maddie (Kate Siegel), a writer who is deaf, survives a home break-in in the isolated forest when a masked killer appears at her window. The movie is unsettling when the killer takes off his mask to reveal a regular man wanting to kill. However, casting a hearing actress rather than a deaf actress loses a large part of the film’s credibility. 

47 Meters Down (2016)

Directed by Johannes Roberts, the Jaws-like movie is just that — a knockoff of Jaws. Sisters Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) are stranded 47 meters below Mexican waters. In a metal cage, the sisters are forced to fend off hungry great white sharks. This summer thriller isn’t awful by any means, but it’s not realistic. In a practical situation, the divers would be equipped with shark shields if they knew they were in shark-infested waters. Also, the sisters’ eardrums would have burst at the speed in which they fell because they did not have enough time to equalize the pressure. Therefore, technically, they wouldn’t have heard anything and could not communicate with the Coast Guard. 

The Ugly (just plain awful):

The Open House (2018)

Naomi Wallace (Piercey Dalton) and her son, Logan (Dylan Minnette), temporarily move into a house on the market after her husband dies in a car crash. Because the house is for sale, Naomi and Logan evacuate every day for the showings. When they come home at night, they notice missing objects and strange sounds. The premise of the movie doesn’t make sense. Why would you move into a home on the market and then feel comfortable enough to sleep at night fully aware that strangers are roaming the house all day? Other than the big name of Minnette and the fact Netflix bought the rights to it, the movie just isn’t scary. 

The Boy (2016)

Greta (Lauren Cohan) becomes suspicious of the family she is nannying when the child is a life-size doll. The couple lost its son some 20 years earlier in which they care for the doll like their late son. When Greta violates a set of rules, she believes the doll is real. Aside from Lauren Cohan starring, this Annabelle wannabe is weak — it has a sub-par plot, poor character development and a cartoonish porcelain doll, which reduces the horror element.

The Tortured (2010)

Craig (Jesse Metcalfe) and Elise (Erika Christensen)’s perfect marriage is taken out from under them when their 5-year-old son, Ben (Thomas Greenwood), is kidnapped from their front yard. The police investigation ends when Ben turns up dead. The couple does not accept that the murderer was given a plea deal, so they kidnap him and torture him in retribution. The plot seems shaky and far-fetched given that a couple would rig the basement as a torture chamber to make this murderer’s life excruciatingly painful in the name of revenge. It’s mediocre — at best — torture porn.

Satanic (2016)

Directed by Jeffrey G. Hunt, this is the millennial horror movie. A group of friends make a pit stop in downtown Los Angeles while on a road trip to Coachella to visit true-crime occult sites. The group stays at the Flower Hotel, specifically room 204, where Laney Gore, one of the early followers of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, slit her own throat in 1972. There, they meet a woman who sets them on a path of satanic rituals. The movie generated buzz for casting Sarah Hyland, but the plot is unwatchable — naïve twenty-somethings seek out tragedy because it’s edgy.

Inconceivable (2017)

Katie (Nicky Whelan), after escaping an abusive relationship, rebuilds her and her young daughter’s lives when she befriends couple Angela (Gina Gershon) and Brian (Nicolas Cage). After a short period of time, Katie moves into the couple’s guest room and becomes their nanny for their daughter. After a pretty obvious plot twist, the couple is suspicious of Katie’s motives. This one isn’t exactly horror, but a bad Lifetime movie starring Nic Cage.

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