Sayak Basu
Mirza Aaqib Beg
Well, what are movies for? Entertainment, right? A story that deeply touches you and takes you places you’ve never been before? That definition is far too narrow when it comes to movies or for that matter, any form of art. We as human beings are capable of feeling various emotions. We can be happy, sad, afraid, angry, and so on. And what we generally want is for a piece of art to touch upon our emotions. But do they always have to be the good emotions that make us feel better about life, ourselves and the world in general? Certainly not.
When it comes to art, we want to enjoy all those emotions which we may or may not have enjoyed in real life. We want to get scared, we want to die, we want to feel sad, afraid and shameful, because art always acts as a medium through which we can healthily experience our entire spectrum of emotions. Everyone enjoys a good scare now and then in a movie. A horror film that genuinely makes us feel afraid is a movie that has served its purpose. There are certain movies that creep you out because of their subject, tone or the way in which they’ve been shot. These movies f*** with our sense of security and thus impact our hearts and minds in a unique manner. Keeping all this in mind, we’ve managed to compile such movies for you. Here’s the list of the most fucked-up movies on Netflix that are available to stream right now.
9. Gerald’s Game (2017)
This is one of the creepiest movies produced by Netflix and really pushes the boundary in a lot of ways. Jessie and Gerald are a couple who decide to spend some time at their country house. The house is big, and there is nobody around for quite a few miles. Gerald has a rape fantasy which he wishes to satisfy and though reluctant at first, Jesse agrees to be handcuffed to the bedposts. But with Jesse still handcuffed, the couple have an argument and in an excited state, Gerald suddenly suffers from a heart attack and dies. With Jessie still tied to the bedpost, she has no way to free herself and the key is beyond her reach.
After a while, a dog enters the room and though Jessie tries to shoo it away, the dog bites off a piece of Gerald’s hand. Jesse slowly falls asleep and in a sequence, we realize the trauma she has been through earlier and how it is affecting whatever is happening with her right now. The movie is intense, scary, creepy, and in a flashback scene, it gives us a deep insight into Jessie’s horrific past. We then see all her inner demons manifesting into what happens in the movie in the later parts. ‘Gerard’s game’ has been praised by critics for its bold approach and the powerful performance of Carla Gugino as Jessie.
8. The Old Ways (2020)
Directed by Christopher Alender, ‘The Old Ways’ is a folk horror film. The story follows Cristina, a journalist. When she was a child, Cristina witnessed exorcism being performed on her mother. As an adult, she struggles with drug issues and returns to her hometown in Veracruz, Mexico, to investigate the ruins located in a region called La Boca. After some time, she wakes up as a captive to some people. One of them is supposed to be a witch, and they claim that she has been possessed by a demon. Cristina discovers that her cousin, Miranda, is there as well, asserting that she found Cristina at La Boca, lying unconscious, and thought that it would be best to bring her to the witch.
7. Fractured (2019)
Starring Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Adjoa Andoh, ‘Fractured’ is a psychological thriller film written by Alan B. McElroy. The Brad Anderson directorial follows Ray, who is driving his family home after a Thanksgiving dinner with his in-laws. But when they stop at a gas station, his daughter’s arm is fractured, and the family ends up in a hospital in a hurry. Once there, Ray realizes that there is something suspicious about the place, and his worst fears are realized when his daughter and wife go missing. Now, he must unravel the mystery behind their disappearance before it’s too late.
6. Clinical (2017)
Written by Luke Harvis and Alistair Legrand, ‘Clinical’ is a horror movie directed by Alistair Legrand. The Vinessa Shaw and Kevin Rahm-starrer revolve around Dr. Jane Mathis, an experienced psychiatrist who has PTSD following a surprise attack by one of her patients who ended up attempting suicide in her office. While she fights the trauma of the attack, Jane meets a patient with a horrifying past. With PTSD slowly complicating her life, is it the right decision for Jane to continue seeing new patients?
5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022 )
The ninth installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, Netflix’s ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is set about five decades after the events of the original film. Entrepreneurs Melody and Dante arrive in Harlow, Texas, with Melody’s sister Lily and Dante’s girlfriend Ruth. They encounter an elderly woman named Ginny at a ramshackle orphanage, and she claims that she still owns the place. As Melody and Dante wish to gentrify the town, this poses serious problems to their plans. When Ginny has a heart attack and dies, the man living with her is revealed to be Leatherface, who goes on yet another killing spree. Meanwhile, Sally Hardesty, the survivor from 50 years ago, now works as a Texas Ranger. After learning that Leatherface has become active again, she travels back to Harlow in pursuit of revenge.
4. The Ritual (2017)
‘The Ritual’ is one of the scariest and weirdest movies out on Netflix right now. It is the story of a group of friends who take on a hiking trip in Sweden. Their trail crosses through a deep forest which they enter but soon realize this place has something awry about it as they notice certain symbols drawn on tree trunks. As the night falls upon the group, the strange and horrible things of the forest start creeping upon them. They have no one to call out for. Eventually, they come across a monster which chases them and plans to take their lives. In such a state, the friends have nowhere to escape.
The movie is pretty intense and the thought of being lost in a jungle surrounded by sinister creatures in itself is creepy. The movie might serve as a metaphor for the fact that human beings have started encroaching upon forests and this is the same sanctuary where many creatures live. It might serve as a warning for humans to stay away.
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3. Eli (2019)
Written by David Chirchirillo, Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, ‘Eli’ is a horror-thriller movie that stars Kelly Reilly, Sadie Sink, Lili Taylor, and Max Martini. The film revolves around an innocent boy named Eli, who is struggling with a rare disease that makes it impossible for him to lead an ordinary life. In order to help him, the protagonists’ parents take him to Dr. Isabella Horn’s secluded medical facility hoping that he will finally get the much-needed that he desperately needs. However, things only get worse for Eli as he gets stuck in a haunted house.
2. 1922 (2017)
Inspired by Stephen King’s novella of the same name, ‘1922’ is a horror drama film written and directed by Zak Hilditch. The Thomas Jane and Neal McDonough-starrer follows a Wilfred “Wilf” James, a farmer who lives with his wife and son on a farm. But when Wilfred’s wife decides to move to a city for a better life, the protagonist mercilessly kills her without a second hand. While he never bothers about the horrible consequences of his actions, sinister forces soon begin to make life complicated for the father-son duo.
1. The Platform (2019)
The Spanish film ‘The Platform’ is set in a tower-like structure called the pit, where people can enter voluntarily, though most residents are inmates serving sentences. Seeking a diploma, the protagonist, Goreng, volunteers to spend six months at the “Vertical Self-Management Center” and learns the rules of the place from his cellmate Trimagasi. Food is delivered to the residents on a platform that travels downward. This means the higher a resident’s cell level is, the more option they have. Every month, residents are assigned a new level. The prisoners can only eat what the people above have left behind, and if they keep food for later, they are killed with extreme temperatures.
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