the darkest movies you will see in netflix.

Netflix’s catalog of movies is one of the best among the streaming services vying for your hard-earned dollars. With around 4,000 movies to keep you entertained at any hour of the day, even if they’ve lost a few titles to new competition in the last few years, it’s still the go-to streaming service for the discerning, sitting-on-the-sofa moviegoer. And among all the comedies and dramas and action flicks, you’ll find a decent showing of some of the weirdest, disturbingly dark films ever produced. You know, for when you’re in the mood for a good scare or just can’t handle another episode of the
Roseanne reboot.
There are titles on Netflix you’re not going to find anywhere else thanks to their amped-up original productions, and a great mix of older movies you may have missed the first time around or forgotten about completely. So what are the darkest movies you’ll find on Netflix that are actually still good? Let’s get started.
Veronica will make you afraid of Ouija boards again
When Veronica premiered on Netflix, it was widely touted as being a film so scary people couldn’t even finish watching it. In addition, it had the pedigree of being based on a “true” story , something horror producers have made the most of since the days of The Amityville Horror and later The Blair Witch Project to add that extra dimension to the marketing.
Truth is, Veronica, a Spanish flick directed by Paco Plaza, is a tense little tale that quickly impressed critics and currently sits at 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. (This means 88 percent of critics recommended seeing it.) Few horror movies even cross into positive territory in the eyes of most critics, so clearly there’s something there.
For a movie with this much hype, it’s actually a surprisingly good film with some great performances by very young actors. The movie follows a teenage girl and her two younger siblings, relying on them to carry the drama with very little adult support, and they do a great job. It’s at times intense and creepy, and definitely features that edge-of-your-seat build-up to dread you want in a horror movie.
Raw will make you lose your appetite
For a purely visceral, shocking film experience, you can’t get much better than 2017’s Raw, a movie that mixes burgeoning sexuality and gut-chewing violence in a curious coming-of-age story. And it’s about cannibals, so it’s got that going for it.
Most people wouldn’t want to sit down to watch Raw with Ma for a fun afternoon. It’s intensely graphic and pretty gross at times in its stark refusal to water down the brutal aspects of the subject matter. When it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, an ambulance had to be called because a couple moviegoers actually passed out in the theater, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If that’s not priceless marketing gold for a horror movie then nothing is.
In a bizarre twist for a movie so graphic and disturbing, it was also a critical darling because sometimes a movie about eating people really touches your heart in a different way than someone actually eating your heart would. The French-language film is rocking an extremely respectable 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics agree it’s a wonderful story, as long as you view it with some lights on and an empty stomach.
Teeth will make you cross your legs
This is absolutely not the kind of dark movie you want to watch with grandma around, unless you have a pretty out-there family. In that case, grab some snacks and sit down to a darkly funny horror that lays waste to all cautionary tales of sex and promiscuity that came before it. With a name like Teeth, you know you’re heading for dark territory, and this movie delivers.
What makes Teeth memorable is what the titular teeth are. Or really where they are. In this tale, the teeth are in a part of the main character’s anatomy that really shouldn’t have them, if you follow. And if you don’t, the trailer starts with the main character’s trip to the OB/GYN, which gets right to the core of the issue.
Thanks to the crazy story and also some very solid performances, critics enjoyed Teeth and it’s got a decent 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Make no mistake, it’s a seriously disturbed movie. As Digital Spy’s review says, it’s ” probably too lurid and graphic for the mainstream’s tastes.” If you’re mainstream, this might be biting off more than you can chew. If you enjoy the lurid and graphic, this could be a nice movie morsel. Teeth 2007 – Trailer
The Human Centipede II is just so, so wrong
There are three Human Centipede movies, and most people are probably hoping that’s as far as it goes. These movies were not well liked in critical circles or any circles, really. Part 1 nearly got a fresh rating at 49 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while Part 3 dragged the bottom of the barrel with a lowly 18 percent. Part 2 at 30 percent, however, may be worth another look.
Human Centipede II is a gross, disturbing movie. That was clearly the point of all three installments. It’s a film about sewing faces to butts that somehow has to up the ante from a previous film about sewing faces to butts. The final part was too self-aware and lost anything close to charm the first two had. The first one set the groundwork but didn’t go far enough. It’s the middle movie that’s almost too hard to watch, and not just because of the actual grossness of the script and the disturbing things that play out on screen. The performance by lead actor Laurence R. Harvey is completely uncomfortable in every way. You literally don’t want to see the man on screen. And if you’re looking for a creepy, dark movie, that just might be a good thing.
Mexico Barbaro is eight times disturbing
Horror anthologies are fairly rare. Often you end up with too much of a mixed bag, one part that’s great, one part that’s terrible and several in between. So it’s always a treat when you find a new one because half the fun is discovering where each segment fits into that scale. That’s part of the fun of Mexico Barbaro , a Mexican horror anthology that delves into Mexican folklore and doesn’t spare on the full throttle, over-the-top darkness.
Featuring eight different short stories from eight different directors, this Spanish-language movie is a trip from the get-go. It’s not light, happy fare, so you’ll need to be prepared to see some things you’ve probably never seen on film before, and maybe a few things you never wanted to see. And you may need Google handy if you’re not super current on Mexican and Mayan folklore because when you run across something like an Alux in the middle of the movie, you’ll want to know what it is. (It’s basically a spooky, vengeful spirit.)
Mexico Barbaro is like V/H/S or Tales from the Darkside with a Spanish twist and a heck of a lot more disturbing scenes. What more can you ask for?
The Wailing will draw you into its mystery
From Korea, 2016’s The Wailing is not just an excellent horror film, it’s an excellent film in general. With a
staggering 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes this movie has been nearly universally praised for its engaging story and performances while at the same time being pretty dark. The atmosphere, the visuals, the symbolism — they’re all rich and layered and make this movie well worth a watch.
Packed to the gills with religious allegory, you’ve got a lot of small-town-evil going on in The Wailing, but it’s also nicely couched in a police mystery, so it has some good crossover appeal even if you’re not a fan of straight horror. It’s a bit like a Korean Silence of the Lambs meets The Exorcist . And while it does have its share of blood and gore, it’s not over-the-top like some dark movies that can turn people away. Not everyone needs to see gallons of movie blood every time someone stubs a toe. And it even manages a few scenes of levity to contrast some of the more awful aspects of the movie.
The Invitation offers up a party you won’t soon forget
If you’ve ever found yourself feeling anxious in social situations, then The Invitation just might be the film for you. With its setup of a simple dinner party invite that slowly degrades into something much more sinister, this is the perfect dark and twisted tale for everyone who’d rather stay home than deal with other people.
This critically hailed movie pushes the envelope on tension straight from the start, in which everything is just slightly off enough to give you that ominous sense of dread about what’s yet to come. You know something’s wrong, you’re just not sure what it is yet. Then it continues until the payoff, which is just unbridled madness with a twist or two along the way. As ScreenCrush points out, the fun in the movie is found in the ” increasingly bizarre and uncomfortable evening .” A real claustrophobic vibe settles over the whole movie, mostly set in a single home from which escape isn’t entirely an option. And hey, there’s a creepy cult thing going on, too, so bonus.
Cube will trap you in its simple yet bizarre story
If you’re a fan of science fiction and you haven’t seen the low-budget 1997 Canadian film Cube, you absolutely need to add it to your list. A triumph of minimalist style stretched to the very limits, Cube has more imagination than you can shake a stick at and a ton of surprising and occasionally sadistic twists and turns.
The movie divided critics, with only 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but that just means you really need to see it and find out where you fall -– people either love this movie or hate it. The concept, though, is hard to deny for its awesomeness. Imagine waking up in the most bizarre prison ever, beset by deadly puzzles and surrounded by total strangers. That’s Cube at its core. The film is an attempt to solve those puzzles while simultaneously showing you just how many ways you can torture a group of people inside a box.
The New York Times review described it as “surprisingly gripping, in the best ‘ Twilight Zone ‘ tradition,” which is the kind of compliment sci-fi can only hope to achieve. And if you’re less a fan of cerebral horror and Twilight Zone twists, don’t worry — there’s some face-melting, too.
The Void is basically a waking nightmare
This entry from north of the border proves Canada has more to offer than maple syrup, Drake, and delicious poutine. 2016’s The Void is a horror that takes us back to the days of David Cronenberg and John Carpenter. It features practical, gross effects in a body-horror nightmare world that’s confined mostly to one lonely, creepy hospital and a handful of very unlucky people. Doesn’t that sound fun? Not for them necessarily, but for you watching it’s pretty entertaining.
With 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, The Void was well received by critics and audiences alike, but to really appreciate the movie you need to be a fan of old school practical effects, and it doesn’t hurt if you also like gruesome, mind-blowing weirdness. The movie brutalizes its cast and gives you everything a fan of ’80s horror could want from crazy cults to undead monstrosities to mutating bodies and an every-increasing sense of hopeless dread that maybe we’re not heading for a super-happy ending for everyone.
As the Arizona Republic’s review notes, the movie is ” off the rails, unhinged, absolutely bonkers .” So definitely worth putting in your queue.
Train to Busan is one ride you can’t miss
Another entry from Korea, Train to Busan breathed new life into the zombie genre with a film widely lauded by critics and audiences alike. Decider called it the best zombie movie of the decade. It’s hard to keep a zombie movie fresh, but Train to Busan does it and actually makes you care about the characters at the same time, instead of patiently waiting for them to be eaten by the undead. Don’t worry, though. Lots of people get eaten by the undead.
The real strength in Train to Busan comes from the layered and believable performances. You’re right there with these people, it’s just unfortunate they’re all on the brink of dying and the world seems to be ending. Plus there’s an amazing performance from Kim Soo-Ahn, a little girl who proves you can have children in horror who don’t make you want to rip your hair out.
There’s blood and guts aplenty in Train to Busan. It never skimps on the zombie gore and actually manages to inject some crazy new ideas, which is something any good zombie movie needs to do. The fact it’s sitting at
95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes is no mistake.
The Bar will make you want to stay home for breakfast
Straight from Spain comes The Bar, with a dark comedy edge to a paranoid nightmare. The Bar puts you right alongside the confused patrons of a Spanish restaurant fearing for their lives and draws from some classics of the genre that keep you guessing. Is it a zombie apocalypse? A serial killer? The breakdown of society as we know it? Hard to say, but it’s clear you don’t want to go outside to find out.
There’s a real intensity to The Bar, potentially due to the fact that director Álex de la Iglesia is a former comic book artist with an eye for packing each frame with a frenetic energy that draws you into the next. It also makes great use of limited space — the entire movie is split between basically three locations that are all cramped and uncomfortable, if not downright gross. That and a decent dose of random violence, intense paranoia, and the odd bloated corpse should be enough to keep you interested until the end of the movie.
Creep will get under your skin
Another critical favorite –- holding strong at 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – Creep is a master class in making you feel uncomfortable thanks in no small part to the ” unhinged ” performance of actor/writer Mark Duplass, which Variety claimed was the strongest aspect of the whole film. The title of this movie isn’t a metaphor or a random word pulled from a hat; it’s completely on the money describing the film’s antagonist.
While a lot of movies in the horror genre rely solely on trying to manipulate fear through terrifying imagery,
Creep builds up its character with awkward, cringe-inducing weirdness. You feel uncomfortable watching this guy, and it just gets worse as the film progresses. You know the other shoe is going to drop, you know you’re watching a horror movie and have to expect the worst, but the journey there is what sets Creep apart. This is the kind of guy you fear ever meeting in real life because, unlike a Jason or a Leatherface, this guy seems real.
The film makes use of the found-footage trope effectively, and thanks to the performance by Mark Duplass as the titular Creep, there’s enough awkward humor to keep the film from getting bogged down in too much cringe.
Gerald’s Game is not playing around
A Netflix original based on a book by Stephen King and directed by Mike Flanagan, who brought us Oculus and
Hush, Gerald’s Game is an exercise in tension and total discomfort. Alongside It, Gerald’s Game made 2017 a banner year for Stephen King adaptations, which have a pretty rocky history in terms of quality. Feel free to check out Maximum Overdrive for proof.
Gerald’s Game jumps into an awkward, uncomfortable scenario almost from the beginning and then ramps into overdrive and stays there for the rest of the film. King’s book seemed like the sort of thing that would nearly be impossible to film given the nature of the story, but Flanagan gives it hell right out of the gates and with some clever storytelling techniques puts you right alongside star Carla Gugino for a psychological kick to the head complete with one of the most hard-to-watch scenes ever filmed. You’ll know it when you see it.
The Verge called Gerald’s Game one of Stephen King’s worst books but acknowledged it became one of his best movies at the same time, and critics quite enjoyed the movie, too.
Hellraiser raised the bar for horror
No list of disturbing, dark movies is complete without
Hellraiser, one of the most grisly and shocking horror films of all time. It’s also the beginning of the franchise that spawned nine sequels to date, all featuring Pinhead, the leader of the demonic cenobites and that mysterious puzzle box people can’t seem to keep their hands off.
The original Hellraiser is the only film in the series directed and written by horror legend Clive Barker, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. While later films strayed from his vision and took a number of curious twists and turns with the characters, the one Barker made himself best displays his graphic and twisted aesthetic. It’s like a cautionary tale meets adult-themed nightmare meets serious family dysfunction all wrapped up in a goth fashion explosion. Plus there’s a guy with pins in his head and more blood and guts than you can shake a stick at.
Hellraiser has become a cult classic since its 1987 debut, and Pinhead is in the upper echelon of horror icons alongside Jason and Freddy Krueger. So the fact that Roger Ebert absolutely despised the film and called it a movie without “wit, style or reason” might actually make you want to see it more.,