It doesn’t matter if it is October on the brink of Halloween or in April at the beginning of spring, cuddling up with a scary movie is never a bad idea.

Here are the top-five horror movies on Netflix.

5. “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” (2010):

This underrated horror comedy wasn’t on the radar of many casual movie-goers. While it has something of a one-note premise, it uses to its full capacity.

The movie flips the lid on the idea of “killer rednecks” making them the heroes of the tale, being grossly and hilariously misunderstood.

While “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” fails slightly at the end, the movie as a whole is the perfect comedy for any horror fan.   

4. “Troll Hunter” (2010):

At first glimpse, this movie looked like a ridiculous attempt at a found footage film. But this Norwegian horror flick pushes past those expectations and becomes a frightening, dark fantasy film.

It uses a monster rarely touched upon in modern horror and manages to do a decent attempt at the Captain Ahab story with Hans, the trollhunter.

The special effects can be a bit wavering, but there are a few scenes of absolute beauty and terror involving the Trolls.

3. “Creep” (2014):

Another new-age found footage film, uses the idea of tension to make the terror even more deadly.

The movie is basically one big set-up toward a final scare. While lesser films would fail at doing this, “Creep” does it to perfection and keeps viewers on the edge of their seat.

It also manages to make fun of the trend to rely heavily on jump scares in horror, having a variety of jump scares that make viewers say, “Wow. That scared me?”   

2. “The Babadook” (2014):

“The Babadook” perfectly takes an idea people are already afraid of and pumps it up to level 11. 

Again, this movie uses more profound ways to scare than the average jump scare. The film makes the Babadook almost unstoppable and puts a child on the line, something any parent would fear.

The film also talks about mental illness in a way few dramas can and questions the very idea of becoming a parent.

1.”The Exorcist” (1973):

Religion can be a frightening topic for those who believe in it and those who don’t. Many horror movies still struggle with portraying a good, scary religion-based movie, something “The Exorcist” defined.

This William Friedkin film tells the tale of a priest losing his faith and a little girl being tortured by a demon. 

From the make-up to the screenwriting, this film is near perfect. It takes an idea — being possessed — out of the main character’s hand and shows how little control people actually have. This is one of the scariest concepts to most people regardless of religiosity.

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected] or 618-536-3325.