So a little confession: I spend a lot of time on Netflix. The obvious first reason is because I love movies and Netflix is the obvious place to go to find those, but the second reason is because after all of the popular and widely released fare there are so many movies that never get any press and are released into obscurity. I love finding these movies. For the majority of these movies it becomes very apparent in the opening moments why a studio just wanted these to go away, but for others you can find a movie that is worth your time and admiration and these are the movies I absolutely fall in love with. I thought I’d highlight some of these I’ve found and break them into genres and have a little fun. First up is horror and “It Follows” was the real inspiration of this post. I love horror movies, the ones that stay with you days after. I’m not a fan of movies with slight stories that rely on easy scares with jumps and loud music, here are a few I’ve found and am a big fan of in no particular order:

Absentia – A movie that completely took me by surprise. The setup is smart and slow, introducing you to the characters and their situations; which is smart because all of this comes into play later. By the time you start to realize something might be amiss you’re drawn in and really want to know what is going to happen to these people you’ve been introduced to which is so important in the horror genre, if I’m invested then it becomes all the more real and terrifying. Now this is a small movie and you can absolutely tell because the special effects aren’t all that impressive but they’re smartly introduced and manipulated. Less of a pure horror movie and more psychological drama I still walked away freaked but knowing that I had just seen something special.

Honeymoon – About halfway through “Honeymoon” I forgot I was even in a horror movie and I loved that. You’re lulled into this false sense of security that when things start to get really strange it’s even that more unsettling. Another thing done really well is that you’re completely convinced of how much the lead couple, played so well by Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway, truly care about each other and are completely in love. Little clues lead to bigger reveals and once the climax arrives you pretty much have an idea of what is happening but even then the movie can still throw a few surprises your way.

Oculus – Descent into madness movies are a hard sell for me, it just always seems to me that there are several steps along the way where someone…anyone should take a step back and say “Wait, maybe we should get the hell out of here.” “Oculus” was effective though by using time as a barrier and excellent acting by Karen Gillan and Katie Sackhoff to be more effective. The creep factor completely works here and there wasn’t a huge amount of gore to take you out of the movie. Overall I liked the story but really it was the acting that impressed me the most and kept me in the movie.

Don’t Blink – More than anything I liked how this movie solved what can be the biggest problem for horror movies and that’s, just leave. Scary house? Just leave. Scary Lake? Just leave. Scary town? Just leave. Good horror gives you that sense of no escape and that can be terrifying all by itself. You’re not exactly sure what is happening and there are good character moments too but I really remember going in not really expecting much and walking away purely satisfied.

You’re Next – I remember seeing the card for this movie and passing by it a few times, but when I finally clicked on it and put my feet up I had no idea what I was in for. Without giving away spoilers it’s hard to talk about this movie because most of things I loved are better experienced cold, but once the story is set in motion just hold on.

We Are What We Are – Stop me when you’ve heard this horror pitch before, “There’s a seemingly normal family, but they have a secret…” Seen it a million times right? Well this movie has all of that but something more. The way it’s shot, its slow pacing, it’s overall mood really drew me in and by the end I was surprised by just how drawn to this world I was. Again, a movie that’s difficult to discuss without giving anything away but it’s unsettling and disturbing.

The Babadook – This one might be cheating a little bit because it’s not exactly under the radar but I remember when I saw it that it was only a festival film. Man, this movie is just so damn good. A disturbed boy and his frazzled mother find a mysterious book and the rest is horror history, no I’m serious, it’s that good. Stop reading this and go see it.