The horror genre [1] is predominantly about spooks and scares, but that doesn't mean that you can't have a good cry while watching a scary movie. In the vein of its preceding season, Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor [2] strikes a balance between horror and emotion [3] skillfully. While it begins with creepy dollhouses and demonic faceless spirits, the story peels back to reveal layers of tragedy beneath the initial scares. Of course, the sucker-punch combination of horror and drama isn't obscure or inaccessible. After you've binged your way through Mike Flanagan's latest project, you'll still be able to get your fix of emotional spooks elsewhere. From A Quiet Place [4] to The Babadook, read ahead for the next heart-wrenching horror movies to add to your streaming queue — you'll want to keep the lights on and tissues at hand!
Hereditary
Hereditary, much like The Haunting of Bly Manor, features creepy dolls and a family curse of sorts. When her mother passes away, miniatures artist Annie Graham (Toni Collete) faces a series of other terrifying family tragedies. Amidst the death and drama is a creepy demonic presence, so stay tuned for the wild ending [5].
Watch Hereditary on Amazon. [6]
A Quiet Place
When sound-sensitive monsters bring about the apocalypse, the Abbotts hide out in a rural area in complete silence in A Quiet Place [7]. While this film is all about side-stepping the monsters, it also explores the tense but loving relationship between Lee (John Krasinski [8]) and his deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds [9]).
Watch A Quiet Place on Amazon. [10]
Pet Sematary
Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), his wife, and his children move into a rural Maine town that just so happens to be near a pet cemetery [11], which is rumoured to resurrect the dead. The Creeds soon face a tragic event that a grief-stricken Louis tries to remedy through unnatural means.
Watch Pet Sematary on Hulu. [12]
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is more of a sci-fi thriller [13], if we're being technical. But there's no doubt that it's emotional. Elisabeth Moss [14] stars as Cecilia, a woman who escapes her abusive partner. Later on, she has reason to believe that he staged his death and has continued to terrorize her while wearing an invisible suit. Also, the ex-boyfriend in question is none other than Oliver Jackson-Cohen [15], aka Peter Quint.
Watch The Invisible Man on HBO Max. [16]
In the Tall Grass
Netflix's In the Tall Grass [17] follows siblings Becky and Cal as they enter a field of tall grass where menacing events unfold, similarly set up in surreal cycles like The Haunting of Bly Manor. Beyond creepy grass blades that send people into time loops, the psychological horror is ultimately about family and relationships as the film traces Becky's relationship with her brother as well as that with her baby's father.
Watch In the Tall Grass on Netflix. [18]
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Ouija: Origin of Evil is directed by Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Flanagan knows how to pack a story with stirring family drama, and he also has many cast members from his rotating Haunting cast [19] here as well (including Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, and more). As the story goes, a widowed mother sets up a scam séance business, but an evil spirit comes out of her Ouija board and possesses her daughter.
Watch Ouija: Origin of Evil on Amazon. [20]
Oculus
Adult siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaite) continue to be haunted by their parents' passing from ten years ago in Oculus, which is also directed by Flanagan. Kaylie begins to suspect that a creepy antique mirror has something to do with her parents' tragedy, believing that the reflections contain an evil force that infects the minds of anyone who looks at the mirror.
Watch Oculus on Hulu. [21]
Midsommar
Ari Aster's Midsommar follows the slow demise of a couple as they head on a trip to Sweden. The midsummer festival [22] is beautiful and idyllic until it's not — we've got grisly scenes interwoven with pointed relationship drama all throughout.
Watch Midsommar on Amazon. [23]
Train to Busan
While Seok‑Woo (Gong Yoo) and his daughter Su-an (Kim Soo‑Ahn) head to Busan, a zombie outbreak hits South Korea. The infection spreads on their train as well, and they have to team up with other passengers to stay safe. Train to Busan critiques greed and capitalism while emphasising a poignant father-daughter story [24] at its core — with a few zombie fight scenes to spare, too.
Watch Train to Busan on Amazon. [25]
The Conjuring 2
Like The Haunting of Bly Manor, cursed children [26] play a big part in The Conjuring 2. In the late '70s, strange occurrences terrorize the Hodgson family as the second-oldest Janet finds herself taken by a strange spirit. Throughout, we see how Peggy, the single mother, tries to keep her children afloat through these odd happenings.
Watch The Conjuring 2 on HBO Max. [27]
The Babadook
After her husband dies, Amelia (Essie Davis) is left to raise their son all by herself. Her son Sam begins displaying odd behaviour, building weapons to fight a storybook monster called the Babadook.
Watch The Babadook on Amazon. [28]
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth is a horror fantasy that takes place a few years after the Spanish Civil War. Witnessing her stepfather's cruelty in war, Ofelia enters an ancient maze where she meets a faun named Pan, who tells her that she is a lost princess and must complete three tasks to attain immortality. Watch until the very end for a conclusion that will gut you.
Watch Pan's Labyrinth on Netflix. [29]
Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In is a heartbreaking star-crossed love story full of trauma, with two slightly unnerving children at the centre of it all. It follows Oskar, a young boy who befriends his pale young neighbour Eli, who turns out to be a vampire. As Oskar and Eli grow close, mysterious, gruesome deaths take place.
Watch Let the Right One In on Hulu. [30]
Jacob's Ladder
After heading home from the Vietnam War, Jacob faces tormenting hallucinations. Along with creepy monsters and dangerous situations, he also sees visions of his late son Gabe, who had passed away shortly before the war.
Watch Jacob's Ladder on Amazon. [31]