Sommerleigh Pollonais – Senior Writer
There are vacations and then there are stay-cations. This year, I’m doing the latter so that means lots and lots of bingeing on Netflix. Of course being the twisted little chipmunk I am, it’s all about the scary stuff.
Now ask any self-respecting horror fan, and they’ll tell you Netflix’s movie horror line-up is a list of “been there, done that” but when it comes to their horror TV shows, the big red “N” shines bright.
Let’s take a look at my favourite TOP 5 NETFLIX HORROR SERIES:
#5 Black Summer
So you’re in the mood for some good ole fashioned zombie action, but you’re seen every Romero movie twice and The Walking Dead stopped being good five seasons ago.
Well boy do I have something for you! Black Summer follows a group of different people in the early days of a zombie outbreak and while it does sound a lot like The Walking Dead, I promise you it’s nowhere NEAR that boring.
Tense doesn’t begin to describe these episodes as each one is an adrenaline-fueled nightmare. You see, these zombies don’t shamble. No, no, no. These zombies are of the 28 Days variety.
So if you weren’t wearing your running shoes when Black Summer started, well, it was nice knowing you.
#4 Perfume
Back in 2006, there was a movie made called Perfume: Story of a Murderer. I won’t hold it against you if you never saw it as it wasn’t a big hit, but I did and it was pretty decent. Now Netflix is streaming the German-made adaptation of Perfume and it’s a doozy of a thriller.
I’ll readily admit, this isn’t gonna be everyone’s shot of whisky. It’s the story of six friends who come together after one of them is brutally murdered (and I mean brutally) and like all good thrillers, secrets are revealed and they are ugly.
It’s smart, it’s suspenseful and it might make you wanna give up on wearing perfumes for the rest of your life.
#3 Slasher
It’s right there in the title. If you’re a fan of old-school slashers like Halloween, Friday the 13th and Black Christmas, but you also enjoy a good whodunit, Slasher will be right up your blood-filled alley.
Each season is a self-contained story, with three parts so far: Solstice, Guilty Party and The Executioner.
Brutally inventive kills (who comes up with this stuff?), characters you love to see get their comeuppance (Solstice and Guilty Party were brimming with folks who you can’t wait to see get knocked off) and a mystery to keep you clicking for the next episode.
If anyone asked me what horror TV series I should start off with on Netflix, this would be the one I would send them to first.
#2 Marianne
Do you have an exam you need to study for? A presentation for work? Do you need to pull an all-nighter and caffeine just isn’t doing the trick?
Go watch Marianne, a French horror series about a writer who realizes the characters she writes about in her horror novels are coming to life. I PROMISE YOU, there will be no sleep in your near future.
Marianne has a smile that would make Pennywise pee his clown pants and she’s only one ingredient in this soup of nightmares. It doesn’t make my Number One on this list, only because the lead is unlikable and it’s hard to back a horse you wanna see run off a cliff. That said, Marianne is not for those who just like to dabble in horror. Seriously, if you decide to watch this, don’t blame this little horror blogger for your insomnia. I did warn you.
#1 La Mante
Ah the French. They give us fine wines, delicious desserts, fries (that last one isn’t French but who’s counting) and intelligently, well-crafted psychological thrillers with the kind of mystery that keeps even hard-core fans of the genre guessing until the very end (unlike, let’s say Slasher, where I figured out who did it every single time).
La Mante tells the story of a famous serial killer who terrorized the country 25 years ago. When a copycat pops up, the police have no choice but to turn to her (yep, I said her), to bring the killer down.
If Hannibal Lecter had a wife, it would be La Mante. Then again, I’m not sure who would outwit who in that relationship, as La Mante is wickedly clever and ruthless in ways that would shock the good doctor himself.
It’s a bit of a slow burn, but aren’t those the best kind when it comes to an intense thriller? And horror fans will be able to get their fix as the French don’t pull their punches. Don’t forget, the guillotine executions were basically a night at the movies for these folks back in the day.
So the next time you’re flicking through your Netflix account and you’re in the mood for the macabre, why not check out one of these binge-worthy blood-fueled titles, or any of the others like Ghoul, Typewriter, and The Haunting of Hill House (of course) and many others.
Turns out Netflix is Latin for Nightmare Fuel. Who knew!
For my Top 5 Body Horror Movies you can click here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby!