Netflix has 5 out-of-the-box films perfect for Halloween

Halloween is here and, if you’re tired of those horrors that always follow the same script: isolated family, easy scares and an obvious villain. Netflix has options that completely deviate from the curve. These are films that rely on discomfort, extreme psychological situations, tense dynamics between characters and moral decisions that leave the viewer uneasy until the final credits. No gratuitous scares: here the fear comes from the idea.

Netflix brings together recent productions and others that went unnoticed, but were marked by provoking debates, interpretations and even discussions about the ending. They combine psychological horror, survival thriller, social satire and domestic paranoia — everything that turns an ordinary night into a disturbing experience that sticks in your head.

For those who want to avoid the obvious, here are five out-of-the-box films now available on Netflix to watch on Halloween, from intimate and claustrophobic suspense to the most provocative social horror.

1. Knocks on the Door

During a trip to an isolated cabin, the family made up of Eric (Ben Aldridge), Andrew (Jonathan Groff) and their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) is surprised by the arrival of four armed strangers, led by Leonard (Dave Bautista). They claim that the world is about to collapse and that only a sacrifice can stop the apocalypse. The film is built on moral and emotional tension, leaving the audience constantly wondering: what if they are telling the truth?

2. Fragmented

The film follows Kevin (James McAvoy), a man with Dissociative Identity Disorder who lives with 23 different personalities. He kidnaps three teenagers, including Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), who tries to understand the kidnapper’s changes in behavior to find a chance to escape. The narrative becomes increasingly harrowing as a new and more dangerous personality begins to emerge. An intense and unpredictable psychological thriller.

3. Death Death Death

A group of wealthy friends gather for a party at a remote mansion during a storm. The game of “who is the killer?” goes out of control when one of those present is found dead. From then on, paranoia, insecurity and old resentments come to the surface, especially between Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova). The film mixes acid humor, horror and criticism of the narcissistic behavior of social media.

4. Escape

Raised isolated and under intense care by her mother, Chloe (Kiera Allen) begins to question whether her health is truly fragile or whether she is being controlled. Little by little, she begins to distrust Diane (Sarah Paulson), who may be hiding secrets much darker than she appears. The suspense is claustrophobic and extremely efficient in placing mother and daughter in a suffocating and threatening love relationship.

5. The Well

Inside a vertical prison, each level receives food only from the platform that descends every day — and inmates have to share what’s left on the upper floors. Goreng (Iván Massagué) tries to understand how to survive and even change the system, but violence and despair increase with each step. It is a social horror that discusses inequality, consumption and human selfishness in a direct and uncomfortable way.