Horror fans and casual viewers alike are singing the praises of Veronica. REC’s Paco Plaza has delivered a supernatural terror that is so unnerving to some Netflix subscribers that they are turning the film off midway through. The reaction is wide-spread enough that news of the film and its effects on viewers has gone viral. with the movie receiving so much attention from global media we thought we’d take the pepsi challenge. Although the HorrorFix staff genuinely liked the Spanish language shocker, we are admittedly a little desensitized. So, you might ask, “What movies did get under HorrorFix’s skin”? Well, so glad you inquired! Here then are 5 movies currently streaming on Netflix that we feel give Veronica a run for its money!!!
5. The Ritual
This one was gathering quite a bit of steam upon its arrival. 4 friends celebrate the life of their deceased buddy, going on a camping trip that not only gives them the kind of reflection that they need to grieve, but also begs questions about the morality of the group, its members and proves a forum for their guilt. Their emotional journey is cut short by a very real threat to their sanity and lives when they decide to take a shortcut after one of the gang gets hurt.
If this sounds like your usual horror movie trope, you wouldn’t be far from the mark. However, with such a solid cast and its emotional groundings, The Ritual not only veers from the usual horror shortcomings, it makes you genuinely care for the case in a way where the fear becomes contagious, eventually infecting the audience. There’s a genuine sense of dread and foreboding that heightens the tension making this one effective scarefest.
4. BackCountry
Lawdy, lawdy lawdy!!!! Back Country, for all its simplicity of story is just a bucket of suspense. Now I know this is gonna sound familiar, BUT a couple (Jeff Roop, Missy Peregrym) go camping only to find that a wrong turn gives them more trouble than they bargained for. Again, this superbly acted and directed (Adam MacDonald) thriller makes up for the more than tired premise with its execution and in this instance, its antagonist. The couple’s fear is so palpable here that it usually puts you on the edge of your seat.
Although the threat here is very natural in its origins, don’t underestimate the scares. Once the couple realizes that they are being hunted, BackCountry becomes an absolute nailbiter.
3. The Void
Otherworldly cosmic horror can be hit or miss. The Void, like a love letter to the bizarre, hits and keeps hitting all the right Lovecraftian notes throughout its entire running time. An isolated hospital under siege by both human and unnatural forces sets the stage for a Argento/Fulci/Carpenter/Gordon spectacle that harkens back to the golden age of horror.
The Void manages to give the audience an f/x spectacle while still keeping enough in the shadows to let its bizarre imagery get under your skin. fans of Lovecraft and The Thing will rejoice. Others will just have to appreciate The Void’s offerings through their tightly clenched fingers.
2. The Invitation
There is often nothing as terrifying than realizing that everything you thought you new about your friends and family is wrong. The idea of change is scary enough and the concept of change through trauma is both confusing and horrifying.
Couple the confusion of losing your place socially with a healthy heaping of paranoia and Invitation can really get inside your head with that lingering fear that will have you hiring taste testers for years to come. Logan Marshall-Green and horror fave John Carrol Lynch round out a superb cast that ratchets up the tension at every turn!
1. The Nightmare
Part documentary, part hallucinatory trip through primal fear, The Nightmare tops out our list with a very resounding bump in the night. Sleep paralysis affects a lot of people, BUT the common threads, the things that its sufferers commonly see? Well THIS really is the stuff of nightmares.
Room 237’s Rodney Ascher delivers a documentary that will leave you struggling to worm your way under your covers and then realize the horror of what awaits you once you get there. This one will leave you wishing you left the lights on and scanning the bedroom for moving shadows for weeks to come.
