It’s that time of year when the chill in the air makes cozying up with some great horror movies the best streaming services have to offer a fantastic idea. As a horror enthusiast who’ll watch everything from the grungiest indie slasher to the glossiest studio thrill ride, I plunged headfirst into six films this month. Some were worth shouting from the rooftops about, while others had me scratching my head, wondering how they got greenlit. Here’s my rundown of four films I highly recommend, and two you should steer clear of.
Horror Films I Watched This Month That I’d Recommend
1. American Mary (2012)
When it comes to horror, originality often feels like a scarce commodity. Enter American Mary, a female-led horror flick that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go. Directed by the Soska Sisters, this tale of revenge and surgical transformation follows Mary Mason, a med student who takes an unconventional career path after a traumatic event.
Why It Works: The film thrives on its unique concept, dark humor, and a magnetic performance by Katharine Isabelle. It’s as stylish as it is grotesque, cementing itself as one of the best body horror movies by exploring the body modification culture, which feels both bizarre and strangely poignant.
For fans of sexy horror films like Black Swan or The Skin I Live In, this one’s a must-watch, and you can stream it now on Tubi or Pluto TV.
2. Bruiser (2000)
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the underdog of the list: Bruiser. Directed by horror legend George A. Romero, this film is a moody and surreal meditation on identity. While there is a long laundry list of Romero projects that never happened, Bruiser did, but sadly, it’s an entry in his filmography that is all but forgotten.
The plot follows Henry Creedlow–played brilliantly by former X-Men: First Class cast member Jason Flemyng–a man who wakes up one day to find his face replaced by a featureless mask, which serves as an eerie visual metaphor for how he feels about his life.
Why It Works: Romero’s signature knack for weaving social commentary into horror is on full display. While it’s not as celebrated as his zombie classics, Bruiser has an eerie charm that lingers long after the credits roll. It’s unsettling in the best way possible and proves you don’t need buckets of gore to deliver a chilling story.
This forgotten 2000s horror movie is one of the best horror movies on Tubi.
3. Mr. Crocket (2024)
Scary movies have a knack for turning childhood innocence into nightmare fuel, and Mr. Crocket takes this concept to spine-chilling new heights.
Brandon Espy directs this supernatural horror flick in his feature debut, expanding on his 2022 short film of the same name. The story follows Summer Beverly, a grieving mother desperate to rescue her son from the clutches of a demonic children’s television host, Mr. Crocket. Think Mr. Rogers meets Pennywise the Clown with a dash of Freddy Krueger, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of the vibes of this flick.
Why It Works: From the opening scene, Mr. Crocket immerses viewers in a twisted world where nostalgia is weaponized against us. The titular Mr. Crocket played with unnerving charisma by Elvis Nolasco, serves as both a protector and a predator, drawing abused children into his realm under the guise of sanctuary.
You can access one of the streamer’s best horror flicks if you have a Hulu subscription.
4. Thanksgiving (2023)
Who would have guessed that a fake trailer from Grindhouse would one day evolve into one of the best holiday horror movies of recent memory? Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving delivers on all fronts: gore, humor, and a killer (pun intended) holiday vibe.
Why It Works: Roth leans heavily into the absurdity of the premise, delivering a blood-soaked slasher that feels like a love letter to the best slasher movies of all time. The kills are as inventive as they are brutal, and the self-aware humor hits all the right notes. If you’ve ever wanted your turkey dinner served with a side of carnage, Thanksgiving is the answer to your prayers, and you can check it out now with your Netflix subscription.
Horror Films I Watched This Month That I Wouldn’t Recommend
1. The Beast Within (2024)
Werewolves have long been a symbol of inner turmoil and transformation, but The Beast Within fails to capitalize on this rich mythology. Kit Harington stars in this new werewolf movie as Noah, a lycanthrope whose secret double life as a werewolf begins to unravel when his young daughter Willow (Caoilinn Springall) stumbles upon the truth. Despite the intriguing premise, this film doesn’t sink its teeth into its potential, leaving viewers with a messy, uninspired horror-drama hybrid.
Why It Doesn’t Work: Director Alexander J. Farrell attempts to explore domestic violence through the lens of a werewolf story. However, the allegory is so heavy-handed that it overshadows any real tension or scares. Instead of creating a layered narrative, it comes across as preachy with little nuance.
The film is further bogged down by its lack of genuine frights. While the atmospheric shots of the West Yorkshire countryside provide a haunting backdrop, the scares are limited to predictable jump scares, and the bloodless presentation leaves horror fans wanting more. Even the werewolf transformations—typically a high point in such films—are kept largely offscreen, robbing the genre of its visceral appeal.
Harington delivers a solid performance as the tormented father, but the script fails to commit to either its horror roots or its ambitions as a domestic drama. The story meanders, blending serious themes with genre tropes in a way that feels disjointed.
The final nail in the coffin comes in the form of a clumsy, overly expository ending that spells out the film’s metaphor with such explicitness that it borders on absurd. By the time the credits roll, you’re not left with a movie with a mind-blowing ending. Instead, any goodwill built by the performances or cinematography is lost.
2. Don’t Turn Out The Lights (2024)
Road trip horror can be a thrill ride when done right, but Don’t Turn Out The Lights takes a wrong turn and never recovers. Written and directed by Andy Fickman, the film follows a group of friends en route to a music festival whose journey is derailed by supernatural horrors after their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. While the premise holds potential for suspense and scares, the film’s execution leaves much to be desired.
Why It Doesn’t Work: What starts as a lightly comedic, hangout-style road trip movie quickly devolves into a chaotic and frustrating narrative. The characters are thinly written, with stock personalities that make it hard to root for anyone. Olivia, the self-absorbed friend dragging the group to the festival, and her anxious bestie Carrie offer little beyond predictable archetypes. Even Jason, the stoic ex-Marine, is defined solely by his competence in tense situations. The humor often feels forced, as exemplified by a gross-out gag about RV bathroom woes, which only adds to the film’s meandering tone.
Fickman’s decision to keep the source of terror ambiguous for much of the runtime is a bold choice, but it ultimately backfires. The floating red eyes that sporadically appear—suggesting everything from supernatural beings to stalking road-trippers—fail to generate real fear. Instead, the lack of clarity makes the film feel aimless, as though it’s cycling through horror tropes without committing to any of them.
The Final Verdict
This month’s horror marathon was a mixed bag, but it reaffirmed why I love the genre so much. Films like American Mary and Thanksgiving remind us of horror’s ability to surprise, shock, and entertain, while striving to dig deeper than the genre’s lowest common denominators. While disappointments like The Beast Within and Don’t Turn Out The Lights serve as cautionary tales about the pitfalls of mediocrity.
So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and dive into the good ones—you’ll thank me later.