Netflix Users Only Have One Week Left To Watch One Of Horror's Biggest Titles
Netflix is reshuffling its streaming offerings once again, and the latest round of movies set to leave the platform includes a few new horror classics. More specifically, if you're looking for a scary movie to watch in September, you'll have to cross Oren Peli's 2009 horror phenomenon "Paranormal Activity" off your to-watch list before then, as it's due to leave the streamer at the end of this month.
"Paranormal Activity" may not be the most enduringly scary horror touchstone of the past two decades (its slow burn scares were polarizing even upon initial release), but it's certainly among the most replicated. The shoestring-budget flick about a couple who set up security cameras to pinpoint the source of unusual happenings in their home was inescapable upon its release, earning nearly $200 million at the box office and spawning six sequels and spinoffs and counting. Along with J.J. Abrams' "Cloverfield," the film also may have kicked off a 21st-century found footage film resurgence, with other movies like "The Devil Inside," "The Last Exorcism," and "As Above, So Below" making a dent in the box office soon after.
Two of the scariest films from the aughts are expiring soon
For the uninitiated, Peli's film stars Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat as characters named Katie and Micah whose move to a new home in San Diego is plagued by a demonic presence. While subsequent films explored Katie's childhood and her sister's haunting, the first film focuses squarely on the experiences of just two characters — and their increasingly harrowing interactions with an entity plaguing them while they sleep. If you weren't already scared at the idea of someone standing at the foot of your bed in the night, you definitely will be after watching this.
If you're planning a late August spooky season marathon, it's also worth noting that another freaky aughts favorite, "The Ring," is also set to leave the streamer on September 1, 2023. The Gore Verbinski-directed movie has joined "Paranormal Activity" on many a list of the scariest films of all time for good reason, as its cursed videotape premise and water-soaked ghost girl are absolute nightmare fuel any way you slice it. MTV's "Scream" television series, the 2004 Stephen King adaptation "Secret Window," and a 2011 remake of "The Thing" are also horror titles set to expire from Netflix by month's end.
As with every streaming service shuffle, it's likely that these movies will pop up elsewhere soon. "Paranormal Activity" and "The Ring" are also currently available to Paramount+ subscribers in the United States, and since the former is a Paramount film, it's unlikely it'll be leaving that streaming service anytime soon. If you want to catch these films on Netflix, though, you'll have to do so before September 1, 2023.