By Jamil Oakford/ managing editor
Halloween is fast approaching, and while costume parties, trick-or-treating and visiting local haunts are great ways to celebrate, staying in with a Netflix marathon isn’t so bad either. For some, the horror section of Netflix can often be a confusing field of second-rate and frankly awful “scary” movies.
This guide will hopefully make navigating through said field a bit easier and eliminate obvious choices like The Exorcist, The Omen, Silence of the Lambs and Rosemary’s Baby, which are all streaming on Netflix.
The Hits
American Mary (2012)
☆
Arguably Netflix’s hidden gem lies with gore-flick American Mary. The movie follows the story of a medical student who is both hopelessly broke and in a class with a professor who hates her. After attempting to get a job at a seedy gentlemen’s club, her interview suddenly requires all the medical knowledge she knows, effectively making way more money than she anticipated.
From there, she descends into the underground world of body modification.
American Mary is not a typical horror movie. It’s sleek, it’s slightly offbeat, and best of all, it has dark humor that doesn’t seem too forced or too awkward. The writing is well done, and the film features music that actually aids the storytelling.
Let The Right One In (2008)
☆
Vampire films have been a tough sell since Twilight emerged on the scene, but Swedish film Let the Right One In definitely redefines the subgenre in a modern sense. The vampire in this film feeds on humans — lots of them.
The story follows Oskar, a young boy who finds protection and companionship in a girl named Eli. It’s a love story of sorts and a particularly beautifully presented one. With beautiful, cold, almost blue-tinted shots and just enough atmospheric tension, this is a great Netflix pick.
This film was made for a holiday like Halloween.
The Sacrament (2013)
Another understated horror film that’s probably more atmospheric than a movie chock full of jump-scares is 
The Sacrament. There isn’t a single paranormal reference in this movie, and that’s rare to find these days in the horror genre. The film follows a crew of journalists as they journey to a religiously segregated commune in a tropical jungle. While one of the crew members is making this journey to reconnect with his sister, a recovering drug addict, the other two are interested in what this religion is all about.
And while all seems well, the film makes every exchange and interaction with the members of the community both interesting and somewhat saccharine. Everyone seems nice and has a moving story for why they ended up on that compound.
Things seem unbearably uncomfortable on the compound, but it pays off in a big way as the film races to the climax.
At the Devil’s Door (2014)
For the horror movie fan who’s interested in the new surge in the paranormal subgenre, At the Devil’s Door is 
just what the doctor ordered. Filled with plenty of jump-scares and doused in paranormal, it’s a modern-day horror film.
The movie centers on Vera, an artist, who pauses her life to figure out what happened in the death of her sister (who dies in the house she was preparing to sell).
This story has demons, a creepy child, plenty of dark scenes and a good build-up of tension. It borrows from a few famous and older horror films, but it somehow takes a more modern approach.
Naya Rivera, best known for her role as Santana on Glee, creates a dynamic character in Vera, and three leading ladies of color at the helm with almost no male characters makes for an interesting watch on Halloween.
The Misses
V/H/S: Viral (2014)
While the first film in this series held a lot of promise and the second failed to capitalize on its predecessor, the third is poorly written and fails to entertain.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this movie, including the end. It’s probably good if found footage is satisfying.
The Nightmare (2015)
☆
This is just a boring recount of several people who swear they have supernatural experiences while in sleep paralysis. The biggest problem is the film tries hard to get audience members to buy into how authentic it is and, in the process, fails miserably.
The ABC’s of Death (2012)
☆
This movie will grace a Netflix dash quite frequently if the streaming service assumes a viewer watches a lot of horror, but it’s a waste of time. The anthology series often features boring stories and even cheesier acting. It’s hard to tell which is the worst offense.enter
