The 17 Best Horror Movies of 2017

One coed's murder plays on a loop in this sleeper hit with a Groundhog Day-esque storytelling structure. But instead of daily déjà vu-ing with Punxsutawney Phil, Tree Gelbman (played awesomely by Jessica Rothe) goes round for round with a slasher in a cherub mask. Fun stuff.

Part babysitter horror, part Home Alone homage, Chris Peckover's twisted film is so naughty, it's nice. Without giving anything away, the story takes a stab at reinventing horror's hostage subgenre, with more carnage than the milled-over contents of this year's Thanksgiving table.

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McG, director of Charlie's Angels and Terminator Salvation, goes dark for his next trick, which follows a kid who learns his babysitter belongs to a Satanic cult. It's actually not as insidious as it sounds, with more cartoon violence (i.e., Scream Queens) than, say, visceral gore (anything Rob Zombie). Still, it's a wild ride.

Stream on Netflix.

Blink and you would've missed this self-aware delight that welcomes the slasher flick into our social media-obsessed world. A festival hit that unfortunately barely saw the light of the theater projector, it's about two high schoolers who would kill to be online sensations—so that's exactly what they do.

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Two lovers, one twisted Stephen King story, and a whole lotta WTF. Read: kink, handcuffs, Viagra, murder, visions, the list goes on. Luckily, the script is in the crafty hands of Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus) and the leading role in the talented chops of Carla Gugino.

Watch on Netflix.

Ethan Embry, who's been slaying the indie horror realm lately (Cheap Thrills, The Guest) gives the performance of his career as Jesse Hellman (what's in a name?) in The Devil's Candy, a haunted house tale about a family man painter possessed by the devil. It's difficult to get through but totally worth it.

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Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass reunite for another installment of their shoestring saga determined to keep people from ever answering online wanted ads again. Duplass plays the title creep, and this time he's terrorizing a video artist whose focus is intimacy. Alone. In a forest. With a killer. Intimate enough?

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Filmmakers can't leave Stephen King's stories alone, and we can't blame them. Here, Zak Hilditch takes on King's novella about a man who recruits his son to kill his wife for financial gains (of course). However, like all carnage in King's tales, what's dead never dies. Oh, and Thomas Jane, bravo.

Stream on Netflix.

Darren Aronofsky is a polarizing filmmaker. But no matter where you reside on his likability spectrum, one thing's certain: the man always has something to say. Here, he uses Jennifer Lawrence as his mouthpiece, and the message she's spewing will make you cringe, giggle, and want to call your mother.

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Director Andy Muschietti, who teamed with Guillermo del Toro for Mama, works wonders with Stephen King's demented story about a supernatural clown monster obsessed with killing kids. More than a freak fest clowning around with jump scares, It is a tale of friendship, growing up, and facing your fears.

Director Olivier Assayas and muse Kristen Stewart deliver one of the moodiest, most fascinating horror shows you'll see all year. Stewart plays Maureen, a personal shopper who's lingering in Paris so she can reconnect with her dead brother. It's high fashion dressed in lofty storytelling, and it just works.

Stream on amazon.com.

With the holiday season as its backdrop, Kevin Phillips's debut feature is anything but merry. It starts out like an homage to Stand by Me—teen boys being teen boys—but when a group of friends cover up a horrific accident, it takes a super-dark turn, leaving a bloody mess in its diabolical wake. Have fun.

Stream on amazon.com.

A slasher film that's not a slasher film, Lake Bodom materializes into a meta, self-aware night out in the not-so-great outdoors. But Finnish director Taneli Mustonen doesn't use the 1960 true story of four teens murdered in their tent for his tale; he uses the campfire theories the massacre spawned as inspiration.