The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine has everyone indoors and looking for different things to do to keep their minds occupied. Undoubtedly, one of those things everyone must be doing is catching up on the series or films they have yet to see. For the horror buffs or beginners out there looking for something to watch in the middle of the quiet nights that frequent this enhanced lockdown, this list provides you with movies that’ll keep you from feeling alone at home, and like there’s always someone or something watching your back. You can let us know if that’s a good or bad thing.
THE SHINING (1980)
Starting off this list is the cabin fever horror flick. Even with a basic knowledge of its premise, you’ll know that this may just be the perfect—or worst—film to watch when you’re stuck at home and have nowhere to go. Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Shining follows the Torrance family as they spend the off-season at the Overlook Hotel, where the head of the house, Jack, has accepted the job as caretaker while everyone’s gone. But there are unseen forces in the hotel messing with Jack, and the movie spirals into supernatural and psychotic madness.
CREEP (2015)
Creep is a found footage film directed by and starring Patrick Brice, who co-wrote the film alongside Mark Duplass who also stars in it. The film follows Brice’s character, a videographer named Aaron who answers an ad created by Josef, a man with brain cancer looking for someone to record videos of him for his unborn son. However, there’s something a little off about Josef. Creep is a film that adds another layer to “stranger danger.”
HUSH (2016)
Written and directed by Mike Flanigan, the man behind Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, this film is a refreshing take on the home invasion subgenre. Its main character, deaf author Maddie, is incredibly resourceful and smart, something we often crave out of most horror movie characters. Hush is an insanely suspenseful film that will give you an adrenaline rush and have you double-checking your locks every night after watching it.
GERALD’S GAME (2017)
Another one by Mike Flanigan and based on a Stephen King Novel, Gerald’s Game is the polar opposite of the adrenaline-inducing Hush, while playing with the element of sanity much like The Shining. Jessie and Gerald go to their remote lake-side cabin for a getaway, but after a role play gone-wrong leaves Jessie handcuffed to a bed, the story follows Jessie’s psyche as she battles her inner demons while simultaneously finding a way to survive.
MARIANNE (2019)
The only series on this list, Marianne is a French horror that genuinely might be one of the scariest things to come out of 2019 (in the world of fiction, of course). Successful horror author Emma battles terrifying, nightly nightmares that she hoped to combat through her books. Little does she know that her stories have come to life, and she must confront her fears by returning somewhere she never thought she would–back home. Even just one episode in, Marianne will leave you checking your closets and sleeping with the lights on.
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