For some people, summer is, oddly enough, the perfect time to binge-watch their favorite horror shows. After all, the sun is out for most of the day, leaving less time for things to go “bump” in the night. Some have even called this the summer of new horror, with films like Backrooms and Obsession leading the way at the box office.
You might even say that some viewers could be inspired to watch some more horror films as a result of these two, with the genre taking a massive leap forward in recent years. While there are more horror options than ever before, though, not many are free to view. However, these four titles are sure to send a shiver down your spine while stopping just short of your wallet. I’ve put this list in order from most-to-least scary, by the way, so feel free to start at the bottom and work your way up on your next binge day.
The Taking of Deborah Logan
Its grotesque nature has taken horror-tok by storm
For whatever reason, possession movies have always given me the most uneasy feeling. This one, free to stream on Tubi, might actually be my favorite one in recent memory. I first discovered it while scrolling through TikTok, and I immediately had to watch. The film follows Deborah Logan through her battle with what is assumed to be Alzheimer’s disease, but something much worse lies in wait. It’s gruesome, falls perfectly in line with just the right number of possession tropes, and does it all through a documentary/found-footage style of cinematography that leans into the unsettling nature of the main character’s possession.
It’s a psychological horror through-and-through, much like Hereditary and others from Ari Aster. It doesn’t rely too heavily on the cheaper jump scare tricks, and Jill Larson smashes her role as Logan. What makes this film so impactful is its very real implications in the medicinal world. Alzheimer’s disease is something many, if not most, people are familiar with at this point, and that same number are aware of the impact it can have on the older generations of our society. This film uses that angle of fear and the unknown to its advantage, mixes it with shocking scenery, costume and makeup, and then leaves the viewer to wrestle with what their perceptions of the disease actually are. It’s one of the more underrated horror films from the mid 2010s, in my opinion.
Hush (2016)
Remember when everyone was playing with sound design?
If the possession movie isn’t your thing, I’d bet that slashers are. This one in particular even has Mike Flanagan at the helm, the director of ever-popular Netflix horror series such as The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher and Midnight Mass. In Hush, a mute and deaf writer, played by Kate Siegel, lives alone in the woods while she profits off her first novel, which was wildly successful. However, a bad case of writer’s block has befallen her as she works on the second. She has a few neighbors to vent to, but by in large, she’s struggling with this by her lonesome.
In the middle of the night, a psychotic masked killer appears at her door. Flanagan really plays into the angle of silence in this one, as this was around the time that seemingly every horror director experimented with some level of sound design to evoke a more eerie feeling. However, most only used it in spurts or sparingly throughout a film, as the plot required some necessary dialogue to come across. Here, though, the effect lasts the entire way through, and Flanagan directed the entire experience around that effect of silence. If you’re looking for a slightly different slasher to check out, look no further.
Vivarium
Like The Backrooms’ vibe? You’ll love this
If the never-ending, labrynth-like vibe of The Backrooms has you craving more horror just like it, then look no further than Vivarium, where a young couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) move into a new neighborhood with dark secrets. Horrible things can happen anywhere, and movies like Vivarium join American Beauty and others like them in showcasing that yes, even the suburbs can be a home to the more shadowy side of all of us.
Above all else, Vivarium feels perfectly made for this moment in cinema. From the pastels present throughout to the maddening feeling of life slowing down and being out of one’s control, this one has aged well since its release during the early 2020s. IMDb has it rated as a 5.8/10, but it’s steadily gaining steam and is being recognized as a film that might have been made just before its ideal time.
Insidious Ch. 1-3
It never hurts to play the classics
The Insidious franchise has completely blown up since its inception and has morphed into one of the most beloved modern horror franchises to date. But it hasn’t always been that way. The first installment didn’t review extremely well, but has aged better since, and luckily enough, the first three full chapters of the franchise are all available on Tubi.
In the film’s first installment, a family is tasked with keeping evil spirits from bringing their comatose son into a different realm dubbed “The Further.” Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne star in their first-ever appearances as Josh and Renai Lambert, and a very young Ty Simpkins stars as their son, Dalton. The movie explores the utmost of the supernatural world, and has grown to represent the traditional Haunted House film in the 21st century. It doesn’t rely on over-the-top gore or shock-and-awe, and instead settles into that creaky, destitute vibe that a good haunted house movie should have. If you’re like me and awaiting the next installment in the Insidious series, why not look back at how far we’ve come first?
