Now Scream This: 50 Great Streaming Horror Movies To Get You Through Quarantine

Matt: I think I speak for countless horror fans when I say we deserve more werewolf content than what's so stingily unleashed these days. Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers will forever be one of my favorite fanged and furry exemplifications as to why. Military-grade intensity, wicked Lycan costumes, and feral ferocity that exudes front-of-the-pack energies.Chris: I'll never forget the advice my father gave me on my wedding night: "They should make more practical-effects werewolf movies." 

Matt: Under lockdown protocol, there's no better time to take a cinematic risk. Watch something underseen like Deadly Games, a Christmas horror survival story with Home Alone notes that sat around for decades before Shudder inked a US distribution deal. 'Tis may not be the season, but there's no holiday requirement for this wicked winter amusement.Chris: I wanted to like this, but a dog gets killed, so, no dice. 

Matt: Oh look, another reason for me to recommend Issa López's Tigers Are Not Afraid! What a beautifully overwhelming Mexican tale about cartel violence, lost children, and the courage of a tiger. The farther from release we get, the more I recognize the importance of what López created.Chris: I still haven't seen this yet. I am sorry. 

Matt: Joko Anwar's Satan's Slaves is as close any director's gotten – succeeding, mind you – to challenging James Wan's stranglehold on haunted house cinema. An Indonesian import that's one of the scariest damn movies in the last decade. I don't use that kind of hyperbole lightly, please trust.Chris: Believe the hype: this is legitimately scary. 

Matt: Those nutcase comedians behind 5 Second Films pulled off the unthinkable: create an intentional slasher trashterpiece equal parts masculinity satire and throwback 80s cheesefest. Astonishingly hilarious, mesmerically moronic, and unthinkably fun for horror fans who love a smarter-than-it-looks genre roast. You tap a keg, I'll bring the oranges. Chris: I refuse to believe this movie exists. 

Matt: Demon Wind is legendary around these parts (my brain, mainly). A dumbfounding mix of Evil Dead II and The Fog that gets nowhere near either's quality level, nonsensical in narration. Oh yeah, it's also the most fun you can have questioning a film's every single bad decision and outright existence? Supremely satisfying in a best-worst way.Chris: For the longest time, I refused to give in to Matt's Demon Wind obsession. Then I watched it. And I understood. 

Matt: I can't mention James Wan above without directing y'all to his first foray into "The Further," before a trio of sequels. Insidious is a paranormal exclamation point that early-on confirms Wan's immense horror filmmaking talents. Dare I say still one of his tightest, scariest, and most memorable titles?Chris: I love this, as I love almost all James Wan horror movies. Make more horror movies, James! 

Matt: Cloverfield is a special kind of found footage film that's cleverly scaled to make audiences feel helpless and insignificant. Mission accomplished! Kaiju frights are up-close and personal, as New York City crumbles around us based on perspective. This is my Godzilla, no joke.Chris: 9/11: The Monster Movie. This movie haunted me when I first saw it, and it still does to this day. Yeah, it's a "fun" monster movie, but it's also unrelentingly bleak. 

Matt: Is there ever a bad time for funhouse horror, especially when popcorn bazookas and cotton candy cocoons are involved? Killer Klowns From Outer Space is the class prankster of late-night horror, living up to the sideshow appeal in title phrasing alone. An unapologetic pizza-and-beers kind of Friday night winner.Chris: A perfect film? Yes, I think so. 

Matt: Child's Play isn't even my favorite Chucky flick, but respect your elders. Witness where it all started for my favorite slasher franchise, with some voodoo chants and the soul of a serial killer stuffed into some huggable plaything. That charred, melty Chucky though – scrub said image from your mind, go ahead.Chris: I knew one of us would pick this one. Matt and I are #TeamChucky all the way. (I picked a different Child's Play.) 

Matt: Imagine an Amblin alien movie, set on a Celtic Island, but with more townsfolk munching and where staying drunk means staying alive. That's Grabbers. One uniquely enjoyable, creature-first fight against both invaders and sobriety. A genius concept brewed to near-perfection, far more than some throwaway gimmick.Chris: No idea what the hell this is. 

Matt: We all deserve a smile right now, and Lupita Nyong'o is here to oblige in Little Monsters. A searing ray of sunshine who plucks Tay-Tay covers on the ukulele and protects her schoolchildren from undead zombie threats. Throw in Josh Gad's asshole kid's show host and family-unfriendly carnage for a riotous undead comedy that effortlessly makes the grade.Chris: I've heard this is, in fact, quite bad. But don't take my word for it! Matt seems to like it. 

Matt: A story of mothers, daughters, and the demons we summon when at our most foolishly vulnerable. Pyewacket is Lady Bird, but for horror fans. The kind of emotional horror that'll spook you stiff and leave you speechless, all stemming from the finality of desperate consequences.Chris: This is one of those great under-the-radar horror flicks that deserves more attention. 

Matt: I often find myself fighting against naysayers who spout about how all found footage films are forgettable, so here's another to challenge such basic incorrectness: Grave Encounters. Paranormal investigators get more than they bargained for, yadda yadda, but trust this film delivers on both horror and first-person engagement. There's more to this subgenre than The Blair Witch Project.Chris: I know "found footage" gets a bad rap, but this is one of the good ones.

Matt: Gaspar Noé is responsible for 2019's top horror film Climax, and it's about professional dancers. Locked inside their practice facility, tripping on spiked sangria, descending into synth-heavy hellscapes as morality disintegrates like a hallucinogenic pill fizzing in liquid. Fear the rhythms, try to maintain control.Chris: This movie fucks, as the cool kids say. 

Matt: Yes, Christmas horror films can be delightful. Anna And The Apocalypse may be about zombies, but musical elements and a core anti-Disney backbone key into expressive rewards minus typical sugarcoating. One of the most unique horror reinventions we never asked for but desperately needed.Chris: I love half of this movie. There's a point where it kind of loses me. But everything before that is a delight. 

Matt: Afflicted will never be discussed as frequently as it should, because we should be talking about Afflicted every damn day. Once again, a brilliant tweak on found footage that enhances vampiric action in an almost Hardcore Henry way at times. A modern bloodsucker marvel that deserves a much more popular cinematic legacy.Chris: This is one of the first movies I learned about when we started Now Scream This, and it's pretty damn good! 

Matt: The mockumentary horror throne is Leslie Vernon's to lose, probably for quite some time. What starts as a sharp skewering of slasher tropes eventually proclaims "anything you can do I can do better." You know what? It can.Chris: A clever twist on the slash-genre, and a must for horror fans. 

Matt: You've seen snippets of George A. Romero's classic zombie masterpiece borrowed by countless horror films thanks to the public domain, but have you actually sat down and viewed yourself? Night Of The Living Dead is where so much started. Go ahead and erase that blindspot.Chris: Never heard of it. No, I'm kidding. Wouldn't that be wild? Anyway, this is the movie about the shopping mall, right? 

Matt: What if the shady lookin' backwoods yokels weren't actually killers, and partying teenagers were accidentally offing themselves in ways that frame the otherwise innocent suspects? That's what Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil suggests, then plays out, as a horror comedy that's damn-near impenetrable. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine need to revisit these characters pronto.Chris: I saw this movie a while ago, and thought it was pretty funny. But it's also a bit forgettable – I barely remember what happened. Then again, I barely remember what the hell I was doing earlier today. My brain is mush, that's what I'm saying. 

Matt: Oh hey look, more werewolves! This time as a coming-of-age metaphor, particularly for females experiencing certain maturation side-effects. Goth vibes and mean streaks and creature transformations make for an unforgettable werewolf riff that'll forever retain its cult Canadian status.Chris: The teen werewolf movie you've been waiting for.

Matt: Love is a monster untamed in Spring. Lifesaving, tragic, unbreakable, damning. Romance makes for the most difficult horror pairing, but Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead crack proverbial codes in a way that's nothing short of miraculous. Oh the things you'll feel.Chris: I love this movie so, so, so much. A romantic horror film! They do exist! 

Matt: It's been years since Green Room hit Fantastic Fest and there's still no equivalent in terms of gut-nasty horror devastation. Between mangled effects work and such a bleak outlook on death's finality, there's magnificence in a punk band's survival hopelessness. Never a bad time to be reminded that Nazis are bad.Chris: While I still prefer Blue Ruin, Green Room is a brutal, unrelenting work that's more relevant than ever. 

Matt: Half cop. Half man. All boozehound lawman. WolfCop is far, FAR more than a catchy title. This werewolf comedy imagines a world where one's transformative curse makes him a "better" police officer, donut appetite and all. Reader, I laugh frequently every time I watch.Chris: Jesus Christ, Matt, you think you have enough werewolf movies on this list? 

Matt: Social media satires are all the Hollywood rage, and in horror there are few more fruitful commentaries than Tragedy Girls. Two high school crime solvers create their own solvable murder scenes in an attempt to gain popularity. Well acted, impressively snappy, and super funny as cameo celebrities are victimized one by one.Chris: I am proud to say I've seen almost everything on Matt's list for once – but not this. 

Chris: Robert Eggers' dark, gorgeous, hauntingly authentic The Witch follows a Puritan family coming apart due to malevolent – and supernatural – forces lurking in the woods surrounding their home. The term "masterpiece" gets thrown around way too much these days, but I firmly believe The Witch is a horror masterpiece. Matt: Puritanical period pieces aren't my general brand, but The Witch is a cut above. All hail Black Phillip.

Chris: I loved Ari Aster's Hereditary (that's on my list too), but his follow-up Midsommar is even better. More ambitious, bolder, and, most surprising of all, pretty god damn funny, Midsommar follows a group of Americans who just want to party in Sweden, but end up getting mixed-up in a midsummer ceremony from hell. Florence Pugh is just as great as everyone says she is here. And I, too, remember the fun night of that premiere. Well...most of it. Drinks were drunk. Matt: Sentimental story time! I got to screen Midsommar when it premiered, with my brother in arms, Mr. Chris Evangelista. There were free drinks. Ari Aster and cast members were there. That night was the textbook definition of fun, and while my review was maybe an hour or three late to my editor given hangover circumstances the next morning, boy do I miss spending time with my friends at events like that right about now.

Chris: John Carpenter has several stone-cold classics to his name, but one of my personal favorites is In the Mouth of Madness, which I would argue is his last great movie. Sam Neill tries to track down a horror novelist, only to discover the novelists scary books are becoming real. And oh yeah, the world is ending. Just like now! Matt: CHRIS, I GET IT. I STILL NEED TO WATCH IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. Fineeeeeeeeeee.

Chris: Very few movies actually scare me, but Lake Mungo did the trick. This faux documentary about a potentially haunted house is ultimately a meditation on grief. But it's also full of really creepy stuff that makes my blood run cold.Matt: Oh! I actually took Chris' advice after an October "Now Scream This" and watched Lake Mungo. While I didn't love it as much as many folks, it's still everything you've heard. Thumbs up.

Chris: A hidden gem of a movie, Lovely Molly is disturbing to the extreme. Gretchen Lodge gives an award-worthy performance as Molly, a recovering drug addict who may or may not be going insane or haunted by her dead father. Trust me: this one will scare you. Matt: Yeah, Lovely Molly is on my watch list too. Once work dies down this week, you have my word I'll finally tackle this beast.

Chris: Ari Aster burst onto the scene with Hereditary, an anxiety-inducing nightmare about Toni Collette screaming at her son. Heads roll, literally. And faces smash against desks. And cake is eaten. And ants show up. Are you scared yet? You should be. Matt: Few films in the last [x] years have achieved the level of dread, unease, and dire grief of Hereditary. Empathic "yeah."

Chris: Guillermo del Toro's visually striking gothic romance is a love story with a ghost in it. It also features Jessica Chastain hamming it up big time, running around a giant, spooky mansion brandishing a meat cleaver. I honestly don't know what else you need from a movie. Matt: I am sorry for being part of Team "Didn't Care For Crimson Peak."

Chris: While Candyman often gets lumped into the slasher genre, it's much more than that (not that there's anything wrong with slashers). This is, instead, an artfully constructed, almost poetic horror-drama about urban legends that can reach out and hook you. It's a classic. Matt: At this point, I'd be fine with saying "Candyman" five times if it meant he'd show up in my apartment. Good lord I am lonely. Also this movie rips and tears and rules.

Chris: Is Event Horizon a Hellraiser knock-off? Kind of! But it's also a lot of fun. It's also surprisingly disturbing at times – that video transmission still gives me chills. The story follows a space ship that vanishes in a black hole and returns decades later – haunted. Because the black hole trip took the ship to HELL. Matt: I don't care if no one can hear me scream in space, because I'll keep revisiting Event Horizon and screaming by myself anyway. Anywhere is space adjacent while I'm watching the movie. That's how this works right? My neighbors can't hear me yelping like mad?

Chris: Hey, you ever heard of this movie called The Exorcist? It's suppose to be good! Get this: it's about a child who gets possessed by the devil. Fuckin' wild, right? But seriously folks, The Exorcist is one of the top 5 horror movies ever made. You know this. Right? Matt: I steered my picks away from classic horror because I knew Chris would fill in those blanks. This is what teamwork looks like. Be jealous.

Chris: Sorry I keep picking so many obvious choices, folks. I'm just a little drained. And I also want to recommend movies I know you'll enjoy. Movies that are classics, you might say. Like Alien, a film that is just as scary now as it was in 1979. And there's a lesson to be learned from this film. Ripley urges her shipmates to respect the quarantine rules – and they ignore her. And we all know what happens after that: bad stuff. Matt: Event Horizon and Alien on the same list is a sci-fi bounty of payload riches. Also, where have all the heavy-hitting interstellar horror films been hiding these past years?

Chris: Am I a basic bitch for including Halloween on this list? Maybe. In fact, probably. But this list is really all about the horror films that mean something to us; horror movies that can bring us some semblance of comfort in these weird times. And Halloween is one of those rare perfect movies that I can rewatch over, and over, and over again – and never get sick of it. Matt: Some would argue Bob Clark's Black Christmas is the original slasher (me), but most modern horror fans know Michael Myers as the father of modern slasher cinema. As you know, for a reason.

Chris: Halloween III is famous for being the Halloween movie without Michael Myers, but once you get past that, it's a blast. A story about deadly masks, ancient curses, and Tom Atkins drinking a lot of beer, Halloween II has emerged as a cult classic in the last few years, and rightfully so. Matt: Halloween is my least-studied horror franchise, and this threequel is a massive blindspot. Admission of guilt.

Chris: David Cronenberg's icky, nasty, yet surprisingly beautiful horror remake is all about a body falling completely apart. Scientist Jeff Goldblum accidentally splices his DNA with that of a fly, and then proceeds to hideously transform before our eyes. It's gross – but it's also incredible. Matt: See what all the buzz is about! Ha, hahahaha everything is fine.

Chris: Rosemary's Baby is a horror classic for a reason. Even to this day, the film about a New York housewife (Mia Farrow) who gives birth to the offspring of Satan (spoiler?) remains as powerful now as it ever was. And since Rosemary spends the majority of the movie hanging out in her apartment, it fits in perfectly with our current situation. Matt: Not sure how Rosemary's Baby is going to play with our own delusions of social isolation, but I'd suggest undergoing such an experiment. Truly an intoxicating and terrifying dive into depths uncharted.

Chris: Moody and atmospheric, The Others is a great ghost story with a killer twist. Nicole Kidman gives a stellar performance as a troubled woman who starts to believe the house she inhabits with her two children might be haunted. She's right. Matt: Nicole Kidman is exquisite in The Others. A damn fine performance that deserves its withstanding legacy.

Chris: Karyn Kusama's The Invitation grabs you by the throat from the get-go, and never lets up. Consider this film an invitation to the world's most awkward dinner party – one that grows progressively more unsettling as the clock ticks on. Matt: This is where I argue with Chris, among many other horror genrephiles, who regard The Invitation as next-level craftsmanship. You keep lovin' it, I'll keep keepin' my mouth shut.

Chris: Matt finished his list before me, and I was shocked to see he didn't include The Return of the Living Dead. But his forgetfulness is my gain. A group of punks who just want to party end up having to go up against brain-chomping zombies. It's an absolute hoot. Matt: First off, how did I miss that my favorite horror comedy is still streaming? Second off, PLEASE WATCH MY FAVORITE HORROR COMEDY.

Chris: Neil Marshall's brutal The Descent traps a group of women in an underground cave, and that's pretty god damn scary on its own. But there are also monsters in this cave, which just makes thing worse. This is a masterclass on building tension. Matt: Subterranean claustrophobia has the same paranoia effect on me as drowning, which makes The Descent one of the scariest experiences I can imagine (and watch).

Chris: Another John Carpenter banger, Prince of Darkness takes one of the filmmaker's favorite scenarios – a group of people trapped in one location – and goes hog wild with it. You see, this location is an old church. And located in the basement of the church is a giant tube full of weird green liquid. And the weird green liquid is Satan. Long live John Carpenter for making movies like this. Matt: One of my Carpenter skips thus far. Still haven't reached royalty status.

Chris: I love the original Child's Play, but Child's Play 2 is my favorite film in the franchise. It takes the ideas of the first – well, idea: killer doll – and runs wild with it. The kills are more creative, the characters are more compelling, and that ending in the Good Guy warehouse is perfection. Matt: I think Child's Play 2 is my favorite Chucky movie after Bride Of Chucky? I don't know, ask me again tomorrow.

Chris: There are weird movies, and then there's Tourist Trap. This 1979 curiosity starts off seeming like your standard Texas Chain Saw Massacre-style story of young people on a road trip who end up somewhere they don't belong. And then it goes completely off the god damn rails, and brings in mannequins who are alive, and who are prone to opening their mouths wide and...singing? Moaning? I'm really not sure. It's truly a fever-dream of a film. Matt: I watched Tourist Trap because of Chris, and now you should watch Tourist Trap because of Chris. Approval granted.

Chris: I'm cheating here a bit and including both Pet Sematary's, because I can do whatever the hell I want. There are no rules in a pandemic! Pet Sematary is my all-time-favorite Stephen King book, and I love both film adaptations for different reasons. The 1989 movie is scarier, because Mary Lambert cranks up the weirdness. That said, the 2019 remake feels more true to the bleak, cruel spirit of the novel. And I am 100% fine with the huge switchero in the third act that seemed to piss off so many people. Get over it, nerds. Matt: As one of the defenders of the Pet Sematary remake, allow me to concur with Chris' support here. The remake brings dread in spades and I'm here for that narrative twist.

Chris: Is it weird to say I love Antichrist? It probably is. But I do love it. This is basically Lars von Trier making an art house version of the "cabin in the woods" horror film, and gosh is it nasty. Husband and wife Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg go into the woods to get over the death of their son. What they find, instead, is...evil. And talking foxes. It's weird, it's scary, it has scenes that probably shouldn't have been filmed. Matt: At this point, yeah. Why not. Watch Antichrist. Abandon all hope.

Chris: Lost Highway is a bit of a warm-up for Mulholland Drive, and Mulholland Drive is the better-made movie. But Lost Highway is a great movie in its own right – a strange, eerie, and at times terrifying tale of idenity, mystery, and murder. Like all David Lynch movies, it embraces the unexplainable, and that's part of what makes the movie so god damn scary. Bill Pullman is a jazz man who gets arrested for murdering his wife (Patricia Arquette). But then, while in jail, he transforms into a completely different person. And then he meets another woman who looks exactly like his wife (also played by Arquette). Just what is going on here? As one character says, "This is some spooky shit we got here." Happy quarantine, everyone! Matt: Ending with Lynch? I truly think Chris *is* trying to break you all.