5 Gory Horror Movies On Netflix That Are Too Disturbing To Watch Alone
Even if you love horror movies, sometimes a scary flick can really get you spooked — to the point where maybe you sleep with all your lights on or don't even manage to nod off at all because you're so freaked out. Sometimes those scares come courtesy of supernatural forces; the sorts of things that go bump in the night and haunt the protagonists of their respective films. But we're not here to talk about haunted dolls like Annabelle and Chucky or grief-induced ghosts like the Babadook. Instead, the focus is on horror films that are so violent and gory that they're made that much scarier ... because the bloody scenes depicted are maybe a little too realistic.
Not only that, but every entry on this list can be streamed on Netflix ... and actually, this selection is made up of either original horror films or movies that were bought by and are exclusively distributed by the major streamer. One important thing to note: if you've got a weak stomach, these picks definitely aren't for you, and even if you think you've got nerves (and a stomach) of steel, don't watch these alone. Enlist a buddy, make some popcorn, check out one of these gory Netflix horror movies, and see if you manage to keep your appetite.
Gerald's Game (2017)
These days, Mike Flanagan is one of the biggest names in the horror game, but you might not be super familiar with one of his earlier horror outings: 2017's "Gerald's Game." This marks Flanagan's first Stephen King adaptation — he later worked on "Doctor Sleep" in 2019 — and it's particularly remarkable considering that the 1992 novel was always considered to be unfilmable. Clearly, Flanagan pulled it off quite well, especially considering that King himself later praised the film.
So why is "Gerald's Game" so upsetting? The movie centers on couple Jessie and Gerald Burlingame (Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood), who decide to spend a romantic weekend at an isolated cabin in Alabama. Gerald handcuffs Jessie to the bed as the two are about to get down and dirty, but they end up arguing over the state of the relationship, at which point Gerald has a heart attack and dies. Jessie is then stuck alone and completely trapped, unable to reach food or a phone ... and before too long, she starts hallucinating, to say nothing of the lengths she goes to so she can escape the handcuffs and get out of the house.
Between her visions, her escape tactics, and the frightening figure she keeps seeing known as the "moonlight man," you won't want to experience "Gerald's Game" on your own — as Jessie is for most of the film.
The Ritual (2017)
"The Ritual" — a British horror film directed by David Bruckner and written by Joe Barton — might be based in supernatural lore, but it's gory and horrifying nonetheless. The movie opens as friends Phil (Arsher Ali), Luke (Rafe Spall), Hutch (Robert James-Collier), Dom (Sam Troughton), and Rob (Paul Reid) sit together in a pub and decide to take an adventure together and travel somewhere. While they try to decide, Rob suggests Sweden, but nobody is interested. Though after he's mugged and killed when they all leave the pub, the remaining men decide to hike together in the country six months after losing their friend.
The four begin hiking along the real-life Swedish trail known as the Kungsleden, but they leave the path after Dom gets injured, which turns out to be a pretty terrible idea. After being forced to shelter in an abandoned cabin, the friends realize they keep seeing the same strange symbols everywhere, and the situation becomes much more dire very quickly. Some creature in the woods starts picking the men off one by one, and the ways in which they're killed are extremely gross — and portrayed directly on-screen. If you're curious about what exactly this creature is — and you're okay with watching a lot of people get impaled — you'll want to check out "The Ritual."
Apostle (2018)
Ghosts are pretty scary, but sinister cults are also a rich well in the horror genre — one of which is at the center of Gareth Evans' freaky 2018 film "Apostle." The film is set in 1905 and is led by Dan Stevens' Thomas Richardson, whose sister has been kidnapped and held by a cult on a terrifyingly remote island. To rescue her, Thomas goes undercover and pretends to be interested in joining the cult. Soon after, he meets the leader, Malcolm Howe (Michael Sheen), and his two main acolytes and co-founders Frank (Paul Higgins) and Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones). When Thomas meets Frank's son Jeremy (Bill Milner), Jeremy tells Thomas that his sister Jennifer is being held for a ransom, as the cult needs money to fund the animal sacrifices required by the island and its spirits.
"Apostle" is a deeply strange movie with a ton of twists and turns that we won't spoil here, but the idea of blood sacrifice is a major theme, and audiences are treated to plenty of shots of those sacrifices as they're offered up to what's known as "The Goddess." There's no question that "Apostle" is an unsettling and gory film, but it's worth watching for Stevens and Sheen's performances alone, so find a brave friend and queue it up.
The Perfection (2018)
What would you do to be the very best in your field or to achieve a new level of artistic excellence? That exact question is explored to its absolute bloodiest limits in the 2018 Netflix original horror film "The Perfection." Audiences first meet Charlotte Wilmore (Allison Williams), a talented cellist who has just tragically lost her mother and is hoping to return to Bachoff, the prestigious music school she attended before her mother's illness. When Charlotte makes contact with the headmaster Anton (Steven Weber), he not only allows her to return to Bachoff but asks her to join him in Shanghai as he looks for new prodigies. Anton introduces Charlotte to his new star cellist Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wells (Logan Browning), and though the two are direct competitors for Anton's favor, they also strike up an unexpected romantic relationship.
While exploring Shanghai, Charlotte offers Lizzie some ibuprofen to help with her headache ... which only induces disgusting hallucinations for the latter. From that point on, "The Perfection" keeps you guessing in ways that might make you want to look away from the screen altogether. Though Charlotte seems like a villain at first, the movie presents a completely compelling twist later on ... and there's plenty of blood and gore to go along with that twist. You may not even be able to make it through "The Perfection," though, considering it's one Netflix film that literally made some people sick.
The Platform (2019)
Probably the highest-concept film on this list, the 2019 Spanish-language horror movie "The Platform" transports audiences to a disgusting — and bloody — dystopian future. The whole movie takes place in a towering structure known as the Vertical Self-Management Center, and the people who live within the building are constantly moved from floor to floor at random. Even so, there's a constant scramble for sustenance, because food is only distributed throughout the Vertical Self-Management System via a platform that begins at the very top at Floor 0. That means the most privileged people on Floor 0 get dibs on the food, leaving everyone else to fight over the scraps left behind.
Predictably, the protagonist of "The Platform," a man named Goreng (Iván Massagué), soon discovers that people at the very bottom of the structure are cannibalizing each other — and that being hunted by people on the lower levels is a constant threat. Goreng ends up partaking in cannibalism himself to survive, and everything that happens from that point on is genuinely horrible to watch. Beyond all of that, a dog dies, which is a line most moviegoers can't bring themselves to cross.