The 5 best horror movies to watch on Netflix this February

Polygon readers and Horror Movie Fans, Happy February

For us, horror is an ongoing pursuit. Long gone are the days when this great genre was contained to just the month of October — instead, we can get spooked to our heart’s content all year round.

This month, we’ve picked out five great spooktacular picks for you to watch on Netflix in February. Some of these movies will leave Netflix by the end the month. Other films have new sequels. Seasonally, they are just plain good.

Without further ado, let’s dig into it.

The Conjuring

Warner Bros. Picture

Year: 2013
Run time: 1h 52m
Director: James Wan
Cast: Vera Farmiga Ron Livingston, Patrick Wilson

One of the best demonic possession movies ever, and arguably the real kickoff point for the still-going horror boom, director James Wan’s first movie about the husband-and-wife demonologist duo remains one of the best and most enjoyable horror movies of the last few decades. The film follows the Perron family, who have to call in the Warrens (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), a church-supported, though unofficial, team of exorcists willing to take on some of the more difficult cases that may be a little too fringe for the Vatican’s official sanction.

Aside from just launching a monumentally successful franchise and horror movie universe — which now includes two official sequels, three Annabelle movies, one Nun film (soon to be two), and La Llorona: The Curse of La Llorona — The ConjuringThe movie is packed with carefully constructed tension and well-made freakouts. There are also a few humorous jump scares. But it’s also just an extremely fun movie — at least as fun as a movie about a mother of five being possessed by the demon Bathsheba could be. —Austen Goslin

It

Image Credit: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Year: 2017
Run time: 2h 15m
Director: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis

In the long canon of Stephen King adaptations, 2017’s It is chapter 1It is still one of the most beloved and faithful films ever made. This story is about a group kids played by Finn Wolfhard (Stranger ThingsSophia Lillis and ),Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesThey are fighting an intergalactic clown who feeds off fear known as Pennywise.

King’s original novel combines two separate stories, decades apart from each other, of his main characters doing battle with the monster known as It. But, as sometimes happens with King’s work, the earlier part is much stronger than the later one. It is all good news that the first half with the children’s main characters, is the best. It is chapter 1 covers. The kids themselves each get their own horrific encounters with the entity, but it’s Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown that really steals the show here. The iconic look of his menacing, blood-reddened lips and deep blue eyes has made him a household name. His dancing is a hit since its debut.

It is chapter 1The film is a mixture of horror and adventure, with director Andy Muschietti managing to balance it perfectly. It makes a good choice for Netflix nights. —AG

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Universal Pictures

Year: 2016
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Elizabeth Reaser and Lulu Wilson were interviewed by Annalise Baso

Ouija: Origin of EvilAlthough it may seem at first like an unfinished prequel to a series of horror movies based on board games (which it technically is), it proves to be much more engaging and better-made than the original origins. Under the direction of Mike Flanagan, a writer and director who has created series like “Flatiron,” it is now a Netflix phenomenon. Haunting of Hill House, Haunting of Bly manorAnd, perhaps, the best part? Midnight MassIt becomes more disturbing and beautiful than you could have imagined.

Origin of EvilThe story follows the life of a young widow working as a medium along with her daughters. She knows that her job is fraudulent and she employs her two daughters to do the trick, until her youngest begins showing strange behavior which suggests she might be communicating with something supernatural. As fans of Flanagan’s might expect, Origin of EvilIt’s mainly about its characters. They are shown how the supernatural haunting impacts each character and get more than just a few scary monologues. Origin of Evil isn’t Flanagan’s best movie — that title still belongs to his director’s cut of Doctor Sleep — but it is pretty creepy and a lot of fun for anyone who has loved his Netflix work since. —AG

The Scream 4

Image by Dimension Films

Year: 2011
Run time: 1h 51m
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette

There’s a new Scream movie coming out next month, from the creators of the last one. It’s the perfect time to get caught up on one of Hollywood’s most beloved franchises.

The Scream 4 This is the last entry in the franchise, directed by Wes Craven. He churned out four consecutive series bangers with unmatched Hollywood consistency. Sidney Prescott makes a return to Woodsboro for the 15th anniversary the initial killings.The Scream 4 It was released fifteen years after its original release ScreamThe killings begin again.

The new additions to the cast are great — Emma Roberts steals every scene she’s in, and Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, and Alison Brie round out a strong list of new faces. This time, the meta commentary focuses on social media. It’s the usual fun mix of stabbing thrillers and knowing in-jokes that makes the franchise special.

You can watch every Scream movie somewhere online — the other entries in the series are on Paramount Plus. So if you’re a Scream diehard, now’s a great time to work your way through the franchise again, or to just revisit the fourth entry before it leaves Netflix on March 1. But if you’re new to the world of Scream, you have some delightful times ahead of you. —Pete Volk

Unfriended

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Image

Year: 2014
Run time: 1h 23m
Director: Levan Gabriadze
Cast: Heather Sossaman; Matthew Bohrer; Courtney Halverson

It was my first ever time watching UnfriendedIt was displayed on a screen at a Starbucks. It was a surreal experience, as I was absolutely transfixed — it felt as though a spell was cast that pulled me out of the presence of other people and directly into the screen in front of me.

I’ve seen Unfriended Since then, I have seen it a number of times and it has never failed to impress me no matter which screen it is on. A found-footage movie with the added gimmick of “it all takes place on a computer screen,” Unfriended is, for my money, the best version of the computer screen thriller that we’ve seen replicated in movies like Looking for something? And You are missing. Intoxicating and frightening is the feeling of being contained and alone within the screen’s frame.

UnfriendedThe Skype conversation between high school students and their unexpected guest is interrupted by a series of deaths. It’s a pretty simple setup, but it’s the execution of the gimmick that makes it special.

If you like UnfriendedThe sequel is a must-see! Dark Web, which takes the original’s premise and puts a fun twist on it to keep things interesting. To enhance your experience, I recommend that you view it on a computer screen. —PV