What horror fans are streaming, and spinning, after dark

There is a wide variety of horror media out there, some good, some bad and some occupying the space in between. What horror media is looked upon with fondness by fans of the genre? What are they watching and playing when the lights go out?

Video games

There are many horror video games to choose from; we’re going through somewhat of a golden age regarding this, so we’ll treat you with some recommendations to really get you on the edge of your seat.

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The Outlast series of games – especially the most recent addition, The Outlast Trials – offers an anxiety-inducing, narrative-driven adventure that includes MK-Ultra conspiracy theories, classic big bad corporation subterfuge and much more!

Although The Outlast Trials offers a cooperative experience, your preferences may perhaps lie more within the player-versus-player realm. For that, Dead by Daylight is a great option, pitting survivors against a player-controlled enemy, racing to escape their grasp. This game offers players an experience that will certainly have you engaged and enthralled.

The expanses of horror cinema

To the untrained eye, horror cinema offerings can all appear virtually the same, but that most certainly is not the case; there are countless sub-genres that vary significantly in tone and storytelling. For example, the recent award-winning body-horror The Substance offers a brutal look at how fame, and the patriarchy in general, treats women in the industry. This will be sure to turn your stomach in more ways than one, with its horrifically great practical effects and makeup.

This is contrasted with something slower but equally dreadful. The Shining is a great example of this, with a great performance from Jack Nicholson, and a haunting soundtrack. It would be hard to sit through this one without your heart rate increasing.

We can’t forget the tried and true slasher format; these can be less horror and sometimes a little more camp, so perhaps not the best for a lot of genuine scares, but classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th are a fun and entertaining watch, especially when together with friends around Halloween time.

Extreme cinema

You may be thinking that these examples are all well and good, but you want something that’s really going to scare you; something to watch after dark, something that will keep you awake for weeks. Well, you need to be careful what you wish for, as there exists a smaller sub-genre that people in the community have dubbed “extreme cinema”. Now, these movies most certainly are not for the faint of heart or those with weak stomach. But they can really keep you up at night, if that’s what you so desire.

So, with that out of the way, let’s get into some particularly haunting examples. I must stress, though, that you need to know what you’re getting into before diving into these.

Cannibal Holocaust is a prolific example, although considering how extreme this genre can get, it is rather light. Praised for its creation of found-footage-style filmmaking, which is now a mainstay within the genre, it was most certainly ahead of its time. But as this was a new style and looked very real, it landed the director in some hot water, having to prove that the cast were still alive, and it was, in fact, just a work of fiction. Along with other controversies, such as including real animal abuse, this movie was doomed from the start. Nonetheless, it marks an important milestone within the industry.

A Serbian Film is perhaps the most controversial and well-known piece of extreme cinema out there. Garnering widespread attention for its absurdly brutal and grotesque nature, with inclusions of pretty much every awful taboo topic you can think of, this film is a tough watch and is certain to leave a stain on your mind for weeks, if not months, after viewing.

A lesser-known movie, but just as haunting, The Poughkeepsie Tapes is great at keeping you on your toes; the documentary-style format can have you asking: “Wait, is this real?” throughout its runtime. This one is bound to stay on your mind, and would be best watched alone, at night, with the lights off – if you can handle it.

Perhaps the most well-known example, the Terrifier series, has seen somewhat mainstream success, with three entries so far. Starting as a short film in the anthology, All Hallows’ Eve is an extreme body horror that will likely have you covering your eyes, retching or evacuating the cinema. It’s most certainly not for those who are timid or easily frightened, but is a great entertaining watch for those who can tolerate it.

What comes next for horror cinema?

Horror media on the whole has gone through many peaks and troughs throughout its run time, but fortunately, we are currently in a growth period for horror cinema. Directors such as Ari Aster are bringing more abstract filmmaking into the mainstream, with his three feature films, Hereditary, Midsommar and Beau is Afraid.

We’re also seeing a lot of movies enter popular zeitgeist, such as Smile, the aforementioned The Substance and many more. This attention to the genre is great, as it attracts more eyes, meaning more funding, which will in turn lead to more of this type of movie.