The world’s a scary place. So sometimes the best thing to do is just scare yourself in the safety of your cozy home. Thanks to Netflix, HBO Max, and Shudder, we’ve got a ton of incredible international horror for you to enjoy during these chilly months. Whether you love exorcism stories, folk horror, sci-fi bloodbaths, or haunted house tales, there’s something for you to enjoy!
30 Coins
HBO Max
Where to Watch: HBO Max
This Spanish language horror was so good it actually inspired this list. Sitting somewhere between The Exorcist and Indiana Jones, this is a blood-soaked adventure tale. When strange occurrences begin to overwhelm a small village, all eyes turn to the new priest. His dark past puts him, a local vet, and the mayor on a monster-filled quest for Judas’ gold.
Folklore
Where to Watch: HBO Max
HBO’s stellar anthology highlights horror from all over Asia. This awesome series features episodes directed by icons like Joko Anwar, Eric Khoo, and Lee Sang-woo. Taking on traditional folklore tales and spirit stories from each region, we get terrifying takes on familial ghosts, vampiric monsters, cannibalistic creatures, and a murderous marriage.
The Third Day
HBO Max
Where to Watch: HBO Max
Jude Law and Naomie Harris lead this atmospheric folk horror from Dennis Kelly. A man arrives at a small village just before an annual celebration. But when he can’t leave, things begin to get exceedingly strange. Months later, a woman and her children find themselves in the same place searching for someone that they lost… will they be able to escape alive?
Sweet Home
Where to Watch: Netflix
Making waves on Netflix since its release, this Webtoon adaptation is completely addictive. After a family tragedy, a young man moves into a lonely new apartment. But his solace is not the only threat as he soon realizes that nothing in his new home is what it seems. He’s suddenly thrown into a battle for his life and the fate of the world alongside his new neighbors.
Bloodride
Netflix
Where to Watch: Netflix
There’s not many laughs to be had in this list, but Bloodride is an exception. This Norwegian anthology series combines bleak horror with lashings of dark humor. The setup is simple: a group of passengers travel on a bus through a stormy night. Each episode, one of them leaves and becomes the central figure in their haunting and strange story.
Alice in Borderland
Where to Watch: Netflix
Adapting the manga series of the same name, this is a wildly addictive horror show. A group of friends find themselves trapped in an alt-universe version of Tokyo where they’re apparently the only survivors. Things quickly go from bad to worse as the crew realize they’re part of a maniacal and murderous game where they have to solve deadly puzzles to survive.
The Call
Netflix
Where to Watch: Netflix
Two women are connected over two decades via a strange phone line in their shared abode. One is a serial killer and the other a young woman who has recently returned to her dilapidated childhood home. The former realizes there’s an opportunity to gain a second life while the latter will have to use her wits, strength, and patience to survive her new spiritual homeshare.
The Night Comes for Us
Where to Watch: Netflix
If you want a little crime sprinkled in with your incessant horror, then this cult smash from Timo Tjahjanto is the perfect choice. Joe Taslim stars as Ito, a troubled man who betrays his Triad bosses to save the life of a young girl. That momentous decision at the same time both selfless and selfish sets off a series of brutal events, leading to an all out martial arts/horror bloodbath.
The Dead Lands
Shudder
Where to Watch: Shudder
Another one we’ve been yelling about for a while. This is a truly great fantasy show that was made by and stars Indigenous creatives. Imagine Xena Warrior Princess in hell and you’re halfway to what makes The Dead Lands so great. Te Kohe Tuhaka and Darneen Christian star as the reluctant heroes thrown together to fight the dead in ancient Maori times.
Blood Quantum
Where to Watch: Shudder
One of the best horror films of the last decade, Jeff Barnaby’s stunning zombie film turns the trope on its head. The film is set in a world where Indigenous people are immune to the zombie plague; we follow two brothers as they attempt to protect their reservation, family, and lives against the undead hordes and perhaps the more dangerous threat of white people trying to find sanctuary.
The Queen of Black Magic
Shudder
Where to Watch: Shudder
We are huge fans of this terrifying new flick from Kimo Stamboel and Joko Anwar. When a young father takes his family on holiday to the orphanage where he was raised, things get very bad very quickly. Secrets are revealed and old grudges reappear, as does the rightfully angry spirit of a young woman with a dark connection to the old inhabitants of the eerie kids home.
Impetigore
Where to Watch: Shudder
Joko Anwar makes his third entry onto this list with this stone cold chiller which will also be Indonesia’s entry for the Oscars this year. After a life filled with horror and bad luck, a young woman is intrigued to discover she might have inherited a house in her father’s ancestral village. Alas, her welcome is less than warm and she has to fight for her survival at every turn.
Featured Image: HBO Max