Streaming Horrors: “The Descent” Will Destroy Your Spelunking Ambitions

SPOOKY PICK 1:

If you’re planning a spelunking expedition, Neil Marshall’s The Descent (2005) could make you reconsider. A group of outdoorsy friends unknowingly enter a previously unexplored cave system, led by their hubristic pal Juno (Natalie Mendoza). While descending farther underground, they discover that others have tried and failed to escape the massive cave, likely due to the presence of killer “crawler” creatures. Notably, The Descent passes the Bechdel test for the vast majority of its runtime (#GirlPower)—and its formidable female explorers fight like hell. Amazon Prime, Paramount +, Tubi.

SPOOKY PICK 2:

Another movie about the unknowable underground, John Erick Dowdle’s As Above, So Below (2014) offers major claustrophobic horror as a group of ragtag explorers search the Parisian catacombs. The film is shot like a grungy found-footage reel with a plotline straight out of National Treasure (2004). Young and reckless anthropologist Scarlett Marlowe (Perdita Weeks) will stop at nothing to complete her father’s lifelong search for the philosopher’s stone. The journey she undergoes is shocking, disturbing and mysterious, so prepare to watch from the edge of your seat. Hulu.

SPOOKY PICK 3:

The only scary part of What We Do in the Shadows is how much you’ll laugh. A documentary crew follows vampires living in modern New Zealand in this film created by two of the minds behind Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. If you enjoy surrealist deadpan comedy (i.e., a group of immortal predators arguing about household chores) and delightfully idiotic humor (“we’re werewolves, not swearwolves”), What We Do in the Shadows will become one of your horror-comedy favorites. Rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube and Vudu.

SPOOKY PICK 4:

Christophe Gans’ Silent Hill (2006) is the kind of movie your older sister’s best friend would make you watch during a sleepover. Radha Mitchell plays Rose Da Silva, a mother whose daughter, Sharon (Jodelle Ferland), experiences disturbing night terrors. All signs point to Silent Hill, an abandoned town in West Virginia, as the source of her fears. After blacking out in a mysterious car accident as they enter town, Rose must search for her missing daughter while evading fantastical monsters hidden around every corner. Her harrowing experience will keep you up at night, replaying each gory scene in your mind and questioning the film’s enigmatic storyline. AMC+, Roku.