We’re living in unprecedented times of unease and fear. For some, the best way to beat this is to watch light-hearted films – romcoms and comedies. But for others, there’s nothing like a horror or thriller film to keep them hooked and take their minds off the real life situation they find themselves in. If you’re a fan of the genre, you would have already seen classics and popular hits like The Shining (Netflix), The Conjuring (Netflix), The Exorcist (Netflix), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (SonyLiv) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (Daily Motion).
But streaming platforms offer many more films which you may not have watched or may wish to revisit. Here’s our list of Indian and English/foreign films.
Contagion (Netflix): This American thriller may cut a little too close to reality, considering the circumstances we are in. An unknown and deadly virus begins to spread across the US and the world, killing millions. And scientists have to race against time to contain it and figure out the source of the infection. The film exposes how every action matters when it comes to spreading and stopping a disease in its tracks.
Train to Busan (Netflix): This Korean horror film is the zombie apocalypse you need to watch if you believe we have it bad. A workaholic father must save his daughter from the clutches of zombies who are quickly multiplying and taking over entire towns. Nail-biting, emotional and downright scary.
A Quiet Place (Netflix): Think the lockdown is bad? Imagine if you couldn’t make a sound during it! This American horror film is set in a futuristic world where extra-terrestrial creatures with highly sensitive hearing powers have taken over the world. And a family has to live through the horror.
Don’t Breathe (Netflix): Yet another thriller where the protagonists are trapped and cannot make a noise, the suspense might make you forget to take a breath yourself. This American film has plenty of twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat right till the end.
Red Dragon (Netflix): You may have watched The Silence of the Lambs from the Hannibal series but Red Dragon is equally compelling and perhaps even more satisfying as a serial killer film. Definitely watch it if you’re a fan of Ralph Fiennes!
Fracture (Netflix): A man shoots his cheating wife but he makes a seemingly airtight case for his innocence. Can the district attorney catch him in his game? Anthony Hopkins is so riveting as the killer that you’d really wish for him to get away with it.
Gone Girl (Netflix): A psychological thriller that takes revenge games to a whole other level, the film is about a man who finds himself the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance case. The film is based on Gillian Fylnn’s novel by the same name.
It (Netlfix): Based on Stephen King’s novel, It takes the fear of clowns to a whole new level. A group of seven feisty teenagers overcome their personal fears in an attempt to battle the shape-shifting evil force that has taken one of the protagonist’s brother.
The Invitation (Netflix): A man’s ex-wife and her partner invite him and their friends over for a dinner party. Everything seems fine, but something is off. The sense of unease builds up and creeps up on you in unexpected ways in this slow burner.
The Boy (Netflix): When Greta agrees to take up a job as a nanny for an eight-year-old boy in a remote village in Britain, she doesn’t expect that the boy – Brahms – is actually… a doll. What initially looks as a sit-in and coping mechanism for Greta’s employer to cope with the loss of their son becomes eerie as things begin to happen when Greta doesn’t follow the rules.
Before I Wake (Netflix): Foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome eight-year-old Cody into their home and lives. However, unreal things start to happen, and soon they find out that Cody doesn’t want to sleep because his dreams come true – including his nightmares. Jessie goes on a mission to figure out why.
The Visit (YouTube or Google Play Movies): Two teenage siblings come to stay with their grandparents – whom they have never met – for a week. Things seem fine initially until they get really weird, and really creepy, which reflects in their grandparents’ behaviour as well.
Mother! (Netflix): The one feeling you cannot shake off while watching this film is that of unease. Mother! is not a conventional horror film, but it’ll leave you pretty horrified. The home invasion horror film will make your skin crawl, and perhaps even leave you wanting to watch it another time to decipher all its hidden symbolism and meaning.
Oculus (Netflix): Two siblings find a mirror that tore their family apart as children. While one believes it has supernatural powers, the other doesn’t. In a final attempt to find closure, the siblings attempt to prove the mirror’s influence. As the lines between illusion, reality and sanity blur, you are left wondering what to believe.
Sinister (Netflix): The two-part series of films revolves around families who move into new homes and find reels of snuff films of families being murdered. All these reels follow a pattern – and when inexplicable things begin to happen, the protagonists try to figure out the sinister force at work.
Insidious series (Hotstar, SonyLiv): The first two chapters of the three-part franchise revolve around one family whose son inexplicably enters a coma, which is fuelling a haunting in their home. With the help of a gifted psychic, the family tries to figure out what is happening and finds out a deep connection with the past. The third Insidious film features the same psychic, but a different protagonist. While the first instalment can be streamed on Hotstar, the other two are available on SonyLiv.
Veronica (Netflix): This Spanish horror film has your usual elements – teenagers, an Ouija board, and attempts to contact the dead father of one of the teens during a solar eclipse. It slowly becomes clear that things are very, very wrong, and there are more devious forces at play.
Se7en (Netflix): A true classic directed by David Fincher, the film revolves around a homicide detective on his last case and his new partner as they try to outsmart a serial killer whose crimes are inspired by the seven deadly sins.
Hush (Netflix): A mute woman who has retreated into a remote house in the woods struggles to stay alive after a masked killer arrives. The gripping film keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
The Purge series (Netflix and YouTube): This dystopian film set in a crime-ridden future America has a chilling premise – one night in a year, crimes, including murder, aren’t against the law. The idea is exactly what the title of the film suggests – one night of purging, to discourage crimes for the rest of the year. The violent and gripping film also provides subtle commentary on class divide, and just how brutal survival can be. The first instalment can be streamed on Netflix, and the second can be rented on YouTube. The third part – The Purge: Election Year – is not yet available online.
Helen (Amazon Prime): A survival thriller about a young woman trapped in the cold storage of a restaurant, this Malayalam film is notable for how well it builds up the lead character and makes us root for her to triumph over her circumstances.
Kali (Hotstar): A young man with anger management issues and his wife who can’t drive take a nightmarish road trip that will leave you feeling queasy. Easily one of the best thrillers to come out of Malayalam cinema in the last few years.
Munnariyippu (MX Player): A journalist meets a prisoner convicted for murder and becomes convinced about his story of innocence. But there’s more to the prisoner than she realises. This Malayalam film will surely give you the creeps.
Awe (Netflix): A genre-bending film with multiple characters and storylines that converge unexpectedly – some absurd, some freaky and some funny. This is a unique Telugu film that is yet to get its due.
Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (Amazon Prime): A detective with no cases stumbles upon a huge conspiracy that also connects to a personal tragedy. The Telugu thriller has plenty of humour too, if that helps.
Game Over (Netflix): A rape survivor must fight her post traumatic stress disorder and face her inner demons to fight intruders in her home. With two women characters having the lion’s share of the screen time, this is a unique film that blends several genres. Available in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.
Ratsasan (Hotstar): A gripping serial killer film which has satisfying red herrings and a big reveal, Ratsasan is probably the first true to the genre film that we’ve had in Tamil cinema.
Pisaasu (Hotstar): A ghost decides to move into a young man’s house – but is she out to wreck his life or protect him? This Tamil film is strangely poetic and the unexpected treatment makes it a refreshing watch in the genre.
Pizza (Hotstar): A pizza delivery man goes to a house and finds himself trapped. But is that what really happens? A scary yet fun film which plays mind games with the audience.
Kavaludaari (Amazon Prime): A Kannada thriller about a traffic cop who badly wants to investigate crime, this is a proper investigative film that is rich in detail and surprises.
Lucia (MX Player): This psychological Kannada thriller is about an insomniac who works in a theatre and finds himself in a weird dream. The film has enough twists to keep you engaged till the end.
Pari (Amazon Prime): This Hindi horror film is about a strange, seemingly innocent woman who is given shelter by a young man due to circumstances. Casting aside the usual stereotypes of the supernatural film, Pari is deliciously original in its premise.
Phobia (YouTube): A young woman suffers from agoraphobia after she’s sexually assaulted. She increasingly becomes convinced that her close friend is a murderer but this Hindi film throws a googly at the audience with its unexpected climax.
Stree (Netflix): Chilling and funny all at once, this Hindi film is inspired by local superstitions about an evil female spirit which kidnaps men and leaves only their clothes behind. The feminist subtext is clever and surprising.
There are several other gems in this genre such as Grave Encounters, As Above So Below, Goodnight Mommy, Hereditary, The Babadook, Get Out, Us and The Taking of Deborah Logan which are not available online yet. But if you do get your hands on them, enjoy yourself a good scare!