Movies
Hidden Horror Gems of 2021
What a year it’s been. And more importantly, what a year it’s been in horror! So many great films came out this year, in fact, that I feel we’ll be looking back on the whirlwind of media from 2021 and find there was a lot more going on in the margins than we thought.
You’re going to see the likes of Malignant, Halloween Kills, and Candyman on a lot of “Best of” lists, and they’re all solid picks for Bests of 2021. (I mean, Malignant is probably the best B-horror of the past decade so I won’t fight you if it is your number one. It’s mine for sure) But this year, I thought I’d do something different. Rather than praising movies that have already gotten their due, I want to shine a spotlight on the horror, both high and low budget, that didn’t get the amount of praise they deserve.
BOYS FROM COUNTY HELL
Released through Shudder in April of this year, this creature feature out of Ireland touts a distinguishingly disturbing opener for a movie and the first that I’ve seen in a while that was genuinely chilling.
Even though it’s billed as a comedy horror, this film is chock-full of biting and fiercely dark humor that complements the serious drama of the film. Jack Rowan, Louisa Harland, and John Lynch specifically bring a lot of intensity to the table as they play out the drama of the film. On the side of horror, we get an ancient vampire terrorizing a town through the night in some of the best undead makeup this side of 30 Days of Night.
While it’s hard to gauge the popularity of the film given it was mostly a streaming release, buzz about it never really hit the level of intensity I expected from a film with acting and effects this good.
CHOMPY AND THE GIRLS
Some movies are just straight up fever dreams. Chompy is one of those fever dreams you wish you had recorded. What starts off as a dramedy about a depressed addict trying to reconnect with her estranged father turns into a genuinely hilarious horror comedy reminiscent of John Dies At The End. As their reunion falls apart, the two see a man walk up, make his mouth massive, and swallow a little girl whole. Sold yet?
While it might not share the same polish as John Dies, it’s fully aware of its microbudget and has no pretenses about its indie horror goofiness. It’s downright silly at times and has some laughably bad effects towards the end. Still, Chompy and the Girls has an undeniable charm that fans of schlocky, low budget horror will appreciate. Christy St. Johnson and Steve Marvel are genuinely hilarious in a film that has one of the most original premises I’ve seen in a long time.
GAIA
This film shows you everything it needs to get you hooked within the first few shots, giving us gorgeous footage of the lush Tsitsikamma National Park in South Africa’s coastal Garden Route region. I’m surprised more people haven’t recommended this film just for how pretty it is, especially after its well-earned win at SXSW this year for best cinematography. Director Jaco Bouwer and his crew made something very sinister from incredibly beautiful and lush forestry.
Monique Rockman’s portrayal of forest ranger Gabi is gripping as we follow her slowly uncovering the dangers of the forest with the help of survivalist father-and-son duo Barend and Stefan. Along with it comes a conversation on man’s role as stewards of nature and a blurring of the line between natural and unnatural.
Fans of grody body horror and enjoyers of bizarre and nightmarish visuals will be delighted by the effects in this movie. This eldritch horror story is the cream of the crop for ecological horror, a subgenre I really wish was explored more.

DETENTION
Produced and released in Taiwan in 2019, censored by mainland China, and only released abroad in 2020, it wasn’t brought to us folks stateside until October of this year. John Hsu’s movie is an especially rare export: it’s a video game adaptation that is compelling and incredibly well done, and it’s a horror film that racked up awards and critical acclaim.
Another foreign film, Detention shows us the most frightening thing we can conjure up is sometimes the history we can never forget. Inspired by true events, the film follows students Fang Ray-shin & Wei Chung-ting during the 1960s as the period of government suppression known as the White Terror runs rampant. After being seized by soldiers for the possession of banned books, Wei meets Fang and the two find themselves trying to escape a haunted, hellish version of their high school.
The color grading, set design, and costuming in this movie are phenomenal, and the subject matter is treated with gravity without ever being gratuitous. At its core, even those without knowledge of the horrific true history can enjoy a thought-provoking ghost story about sacrifice, regret, and confronting the past.
Here’s to you, underdogs of horror, and here’s to another year of gems to be found.
Movies
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in November 2025
Halloween season is over, and many streamers have forgotten about us horror kids. While they take their 11-month hiatus from the genre, we can be grateful that we still have an app that cares. We are so lucky that Shudder remains that girl year-round. Whether you’re finishing their new original show Guts & Glory, catching up on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, or running at some of their deep cuts like I am, Shudder has your best interests at heart. As usual, she has quite a few titles fighting for our attention. Which is why I am here with five titles I think should be at the top of all of our watch lists this November. So, cancel your holiday plans and pick up your remote because we have got horrifying things to watch.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Habit (1995)
An alcoholic unwittingly enters into a relationship with a succubus in New York City. If you ever wondered what Larry Fessenden was getting up to in his youth, you need to see this ’90s gem. I lucked out and caught it at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last year, and I lived my best life. While watching it on the small screen will not be the same, I plan to hit play anyway. Mostly because I love to see 1990s succubi leaving their mark on men…and also the horror genre. Shudder is also adding The Last Winter and Depraved, so we can spend a whole day with Uncle Larry’s work.
Sew Torn (2024)
A seamstress happens upon a failed drug deal and steals a briefcase. She soon finds herself caught in a deadly situation where all roads lead to death. I caught Sew Torn at SXSW last year and have been wondering what happened to it. So, I am very happy this odd little bird has found her way to Shudder. I cannot wait to make my friends who are looking for something cute and deadly watch. I knew nothing when I hit play on this, and I encourage you to know as little as possible, too. I fear I have already written too much in this blurb to be completely honest.
You can watch Sew Torn on November 1st.
The Retreat (2021)
A couple goes on a pre-wedding retreat and unwittingly becomes targets of a group of serial killers. We have seen too many movies about retreats, and I thought this one would be more of the same. This title does not completely reinvent the wheel, but it does set itself apart within this oversaturated subgenre. The Retreat is a surprisingly fun and tense little thriller that feels made for the winter watches. Come for the lesbian characters leading the film, and stay for the violence. I also encourage you to check it out while it is on Shudder, because it is usually on apps with ads.
You can watch The Retreat on November 1st.
The Creep Tapes (Season 2)
Peachfuzz returns with more tapes, chaos, kills, and WTF moments. Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice have reentered the TV arena and are making things weird again. If award shows were real, this duo would be leading the Emmys charge. I saw the first three episodes, and Josef/Peachfuzz is still the serial killer after our own hearts. Our Wolfie is still cutting up (literally and figuratively) in the most amazing ways. Guest stars in danger this season include David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), Katie Aselton (The League), and Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House).
You can watch The Creep Tapes (Season 2) on November 14th.
Krampus (2015)
A kid accidentally summons demons during the holidays in this horror comedy. Krampus remains one of the top-tier Christmas horror titles for me. It is also my favorite Michael Dougherty film. Not only because it has the star power of Adam Scott and Toni Collette, either. This movie is wicked, and even the kids are in danger. I do not have many holiday horror movies I revisit every year, but Krampus is one of the very few. It still holds up, and I cannot wait to rewatch it with a festively boozy beverage.
You can watch Krampus on November 15th.
Those are a few reasons I am grateful for Shudder this holiday season. While the rest of you are fighting with your family and friends, I will be parked in front of my TV. You can have your turkey because I would rather gorge myself on episodes of The Creep Tapes anyway.
Let me know what Shudder shenanigans you have got your little eye on. I am nosy and want to make sure I am not missing anything on my favorite streamer.
Movies
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in November 2025
The year is winding down, and I don’t know about you, but I am trying to pack in as many 2025 horror movies as I can. Is this because I love making end-of-the-year lists? Yes. Is it because I am an unhealed overachiever? Also, yes. So, I am assuming some of you are also cruising the streamers to see what you may have missed. While Netflix has had my favorite new slasher Heart Eyes for a bit, and I have mentioned that in previous streaming guides, they also have other new horror titles to show you.
I do not talk about them as much because I did not have a good time with them. However, that does not mean you won’t enjoy some of these titles. That’s why I am taking the high road and finding something to be grateful for about each of them. That way, you will know there is a silver lining if you do watch them. Allow me to help you figure out what to prioritize this month and what to skip. Check out this chaotic Netflix hitlist below!
The Best Movies to Stream on Netflix This Month
28 Years Later (2025)
A group of survivors on a small island has built a fortress to protect them from the rage virus. However, a young boy discovers what is really outside the walls of their community and sets off to find a cure for his sick mother. We all loved 28 Days Later, and some of us liked 28 Weeks Later. So, 28 Years Later was never going to live up to the hype with almost thirty years of anticipation. While I didn’t love it, I did enjoy seeing Danny Boyle helm another zombie installment. What he does in the subgenre is top-tier, and we are welcome (even if the script left me wanting more). That might have gotten buried in all the talk about the dicks seen in the movie, though.
Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
A group of girls competing for prom queen starts disappearing, leaving the underdog to figure out what is happening to her competition. I had a lot of thoughts about this lackluster installment in Netflix’s Fear Street adaptations. As someone who grew up reading Fear Street books and wanting to adapt them myself, I do not understand how this movie came out so badly. Which made it hard to find something nice to say about this title. However, the soundtrack slaps, and it is not the soundtrack’s fault that it was wasted on a low-energy bottom-tier slasher. So, if you hit play on this, you can at least look forward to hearing some retro bangers selected by music supervisor Nora Felder. If you are familiar with her work on Yellowjackets and Stranger Things, you know Felder does not miss.
Maa (2025)
To battle a demon’s curse, a mother transforms into the legendary goddess Kali. As usual, Netflix did not advertise an international horror movie that seemed to have some potential. If they had told us Maa was an Indian Hindi-language mythological horror movie, most people who yell for intersectionality and originality would have run at it. Instead, we had to find out about it months later while looking for something we hadn’t already seen on the app. This movie is too long, and I cannot say it is good by any stretch of the imagination. However, it also made me realize how little I know about the goddess of destruction. If you are a nerd like me, this might lead you down a cool rabbit hole. You can also say you gave a view to a horror movie starring Brown people. Who knows, maybe you could be one of the few who enjoy this chaotic film.
Until Dawn (2025)
A group of friends find themselves trapped in a time loop where they keep getting killed in gruesome ways. I love the video game and was so bummed this adaptation was so bad. However, the practical effects are very cool and should be celebrated more. I think the stuff that the SFX team pulled off might be the only reason to watch the movie personally. I’m happy the actors whose work I enjoy got paid, and that’s another positive thing I can say. However, if we want to see young people in deadly time loops, we have so many movies that do it better. Excuse me as I look right at Happy Death Day and all of the movies that have tried to copy her.
Ziam (2025)
A Muay Thai fighter battles through a zombie apocalypse to save the woman he loves. Netflix fumbled the advertising for this one too, because who doesn’t want to see a Thai zombie film? So, I was excited to watch it, but then sad I did not like it. However, I think this one is on me. It is an action-horror with a lot of heartfelt moments, and that’s not my bag. I wanted more violence and zombie action because I am a broken and heartless ghoul. So, Ziam might be the only movie on this list that does not deserve my bombastic side eye. I am waiting for other people to watch it and let me know if they have a better time with it, though.
While I was not the audience for these movies, I am assuming some of you will dig them. Worst-case scenario, you cross off a few more 2025 horror movies and have something to talk about at Friendsgiving. Happy Horrordays! I will see myself out now…


