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These flicks will chill you to the bone.
Presented by Shudder
If you have a taste for all things supernatural, there’s no shortage of flicks that cater to it. Ghosts come in all shapes and sizes, from spectral to digital (hello, Sadako). There’s something downright appealing about the idea of a wandering ghost, and we love watching movies about them as long as they don’t come and haunt us.
If you are in the mood for some classic supernatural movies, you might want to check out Shudder.
What is Shudder?
Shudder is a streaming video service created expressly for fans of horror, gore and all things creepy. A division of AMC Networks, Shudder offers everything from slashers to ghouls, ghosts, and goblins. Shudder subscribers can also enjoy curated collections, exclusive endings, podcasts for horror buffs, Shudder original movies and more.
How much does Shudder cost?
Much cheaper than your run-of-the-mill streaming services, Shudder will cost you at most $5 per month–and that’s after the 7-day free trial the service offers to all new users. Currently, Shudder offers two subscription options payable by credit or debit card:
- $3.99/month for the Annual Membership (which is billed as $47.88 once a year)
- $4.99/month for the Monthly Membership
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10 best supernatural movies on Shudder
1)The Others (2001)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
The Others has that old-fashioned haunting feel that you know from the best supernatural movies: a secluded mansion with old servants, innocent kids with an aversion to sunlight, and Nicole Kidman as a World War II bride waiting for her husband to return. I could tease what happens, but we all know how it goes–wandering spirits slowly invade their lives and make them into a living hell. Kidman and the kids play their roles well, and the twist at the end is elegant and well-executed. If you love a good tension builder, The Others is a solid pick.
2) Dark Water (2002)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
If you live in the U.S., you may have seen that shabby remake of Dark Water starring Jennifer Connelly in the lead role. The original film was directed by Hideo Nakata, who created the Japanese horror classic Ringu, and offers some excellent scares. The plot follows divorcee Yoshimi Matsubara and her daughter Ikuko as they seek out a new place to live. After they choose a run-down apartment, strange occurrences begin, many of them having to do with water. It wouldn’t be J-horror without a haunted spirit with long black hair in her face, but since Nakata was the founder of that trope, it wasn’t overused yet when Dark Water was made.
The film got a remaster on Blu-ray in 2016, making it looks crisp and clean again. If you’re a fan of J-horror and somehow missed this one back in the day, it’s well worth returning to.
The film got a remaster on Blu-Ray in 2016, and thanks to that it looks crisp and clean again. If you’re a fan of J-horror and somehow missed this one back in the day, it’s well worth returning to.
3) Let the Right One In (2008)
Rating on Shudder: 5 Skulls
Adapted from the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, this standout Swedish film introduces a young loner named Oskar who is made fun of in school. He seems like he might be gearing up for a frightening future as he collects newspapers clippings about murders and fantasizes about killing his bullies. But that changes when he meets Eli, a girl that lives down the hall. As it quickly becomes clear that Eli is not human, Oskar falls in love with her–even as her bloodlust starts to consume his small town. A tense, beautifully-shot masterpiece, Let The Right One In is not to be missed. Cloverfield director Matt Reeves clearly paid homage to it when he wrote and directed the English-language adaption Let Me In because quite a bit of his remake is taken shot-for-shot from the original.
4) V/H/S (2012)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
V/H/S clearly took influence from the found footage craze in the late ’90s, but it’s worth forgiving since its one of the best horror movies of that class. It contains six short films: Tape 56/Frame Narrative, Amateur Night, Second Honeymoon, Tuesday the 17th, The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger, and 10/31/98. While all the films are a pretty worthy watch, we have to give top honors to Amateur Night, which not only spawned a full-length film based on its story but traumatized Tinder bros everywhere with its hookup gone horribly wrong. Remember this one before you send that next, “You up?” text, gents.
5) Nosferatu (1922)
Rating on Shudder: 5 Skulls
Nosferatu is both very old and very silent, as it was made before 1927 when the first “talkie” was screened. This may be a turnoff for some horror fans who enjoy their flicks crisp and new, but you really should take the time to watch this film. If you’re a fan of vampire lore, Nosferatu is one of the best (not to mention massively influential for many now-famous directors and producers who went on to make films of their own). By far the film’s greatest strength is the appearance of Count Oriok, played by actor Max Schreck. Fun fact: Bram Stoker’s widow sued the creators of Nosferatu and claimed they lifted the ideas from her husband’s book. They responded by selling the film to a company called Deutsche Film Produktion. The film was then edited without the consent of the creator, and since it had been sold, there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
6) Pulse (2001)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
While the J-horror genre is best known for the volcanic popularity of Ringu, Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa was hard at work creating his own brand of it. Pulse is perhaps his best horror movie, thanks not only to a plot that played on the fear of the internet but also sound design that makes every second of the film’s running time tense and uneasy. The story follows the employees of a plant shop who worry when Taguchi, one of their coworkers, goes missing. When they pay him a visit to check up on him, the man excuses himself to another room and commits suicide. Terrified, the others unite to try to find out what happened to Taguchi and why it seems to be connected to ghostly images left behind on his computer.
While Pulse certainly has its downsides (it’s longer than it needs to be and some of the film’s narrative is left unresolved), it’s still a chilling watch and one you shouldn’t miss.
7) The Mask of Satan/Black Sunday (1960)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
Italian director Mario Bava made an impressive debut with Black Sunday, and it quickly became a contender for one of Italy’s best horror movies of all time. When a witch’s brother chooses to put her to death, she swears revenge against him and curses his descendants, which naturally leads to brutal results. While its original title was The Mask of Satan, the American release was repackaged under the title Black Sunday. The violence in the film doesn’t seem like much these days, but it was considered brutal in its time and was banned in the UK until 1968.
8) A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
A Tale of Two Sisters opens with what seems like a heartwarming moment: Su-mi reunites with her beloved sister Su-yeon after a stay in a mental hospital. But things aren’t well at home thanks to Eun-joo, the girls’ new stepmother. As they begin to experience unexplainable events, they learn that Eun-joo was the nurse who watched over their biological mother before she died, and they suspect foul play. The plot quickly spirals downwards into darkness from there on out, and it’s so masterfully executed that it’d be a shame to give it away here. If you love a good twist ending, you’ll really like this one.
9) Still/Born (2018)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
When a young woman named Mary gives birth to twins, she and her husband are shocked to discover that one is stillborn. But as they learn to adjust to life with their newborn son Adam, Mary starts to see horrific images on the baby monitor in the night. Her husband thinks she’s gone mad, but Mary believes that what she sees is real and that Adam is in danger. Not only is this one suspenseful, but it’s also a Shudder original, so you can only watch it if you have a subscription!
10) Witch in the Window (2018)
Rating on Shudder: 4 Skulls
When Simon and his son Finn team up to repair an old farmhouse in hopes of selling it, Simon hopes that it can bring him and his son closer together. Instead, it throws them in the middle of a haunting they never asked for. The woman that lived in the house before her death was known for her cruelty…and it seems she just might still be in the house with them. This Shudder exclusive was directed by Andy Mitton and looks like just the kind of juicy scare horror fans love most.
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