Netflix is known for having a diverse selection of movies. Horror and suspense lovers may enjoy its large catalog of movies that fall into these categories, many of which stay with the viewer long after the film is over. There are many mega-hits available on Netflix that everyone is talking about, but these movies sometimes overshadow others that are equally worth watching.
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Often, the best horror and suspense films are those that are comparatively unknown. Many underrated movies are as chilling as classics like Rosemary’s Baby or more contemporary popular movies such as Get Out.
5) The Ritual
The Ritual is a 2017 film that uses one of the best-known horror tropes — a group of friends who must face a supernatural threat together in an isolated location — in an original manner. The movie is about a group of college friends in Sweden who go hiking to honor someone who died, only to find themselves hunted by an ancient Norse creature, but this film is very different than other monster movies on Netflix.
The foreign setting and use of Norse mythology sets this film apart from the beginning, but the reason it is so haunting is that it doesn’t rely on the jump scares that have become too common in the genre. Instead, The Ritual relies on the atmosphere and psychological tension to create a sense of foreboding that is hard to shake even after the movie ends.
4) Veronica
Veronica is one of the scariest movies on Netflix. This Spanish film is about a girl who unleashes a deadly supernatural force while using a Ouija board. Shockingly, it is loosely based on a real-life incident in which a teenage girl in Spain mysteriously died after holding a seance.
This film uses shadowy figures and other atmospheric techniques to trigger a sense of dread. Additionally, it is unclear whether the title character suffers a true demonic possession or a psychotic break leading to her death, and this ambiguity leaves viewers unsettled and frightened after they finish the film.
3) His House
His House masterfully blends supernatural horror elements with trauma related to being a refugee to create a truly unforgettable movie experience. The film stars a couple who escape war-torn South Sudan and are given public housing in England. Even before discovering the house is haunted, the couple experiences significant and disturbing problems, such as poor conditions in the house, racism among neighbors, and the constant threat of deportation if they don’t follow strict rules.
This movie is haunting because of its allegorical nature — most of the horror is not from the apeth(night witch) haunting them but from the grief and trauma of their situation in their home country. The movie also uses Sudanese cultural beliefs rather than the standard evil spirit found in American movies, and the couple must face something terrible they did in an effort to survive in order to rid themselves of the apeth.
2) The Old Ways
The Old Ways is a Mexican horror film that is similar to His House in that it combines present trauma and cultural beliefs with supernatural elements to make one of the most unsettling films in the genre.
This film is about a Mexican reporter who is addicted to heroin after a traumatic childhood. She returns to Veracruza in search of a story about local brujas (witches), and is kidnapped and told she is possessed and must be exorcised. The movie is disturbing both because of the intensity of some of the imagery and because, though the possession is real, it also appears to be a metaphor for her drug use and suicidal ideation.
1) I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House is a slow-burning horror movie about a live-in nurse who is caring for an elderly and reclusive horror novelist. The nurse becomes convinced that the house is haunted. The author keeps calling her Polly when her name is Lily — and Polly is not only the protagonist of one of the author’s novels, but also a probable murder victim who is likely haunting the house.
This is a slower horror film than many on Netflix, but the pacing is effective for a film in which the protagonist isn’t sure what’s going on. Additionally, the sense of death in the atmosphere and the ambiguity of the situation contribute to a sense of dread that is not easily forgotten, making this a horror movie that viewers should not miss.
What do you think is the most underrated haunting movie on Netflix? Leave a comment and join the conversation at the ComicBook Forum.
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