It's officially December; the weather sucks, the days are shorter than ever and there is sincerely no good reason to be outside any longer than you need to be. Combat the winter blues with our list of 23 of the best horror movies hitting your favorite streaming platforms this month.
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10 Cloverfield Lane - Peacock
Credit: Paramount Pictures A “spiritual successor” to the 2008 found-footage horror Cloverfield, Dan Trachtenberg's 10 Cloverfield Lane marked him as a director to watch even before he was handed the keys to the Predator franchise. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, and John Gallagher Jr., the post-apocalyptic pic follows a group of survivors trapped in a claustrophobic underground bunker while an unknown threat supposedly wreaks havoc on the outside world. If that sounds like your festive family gatherings, make sure to stream 10 Cloverfield Lane for catharsis this Christmas.
10 Cloverfield Lane is streaming on Peacock from December 1.
Better Watch Out - Fawesome
Credit: Well Go USA Chris Peckover's Better Watch Out is a perfect festive watch for those who like their Christmas horror full of twists and turns. Set on a quiet suburban street, the film follows a babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) who must defend a 12-year-old child (Levi Miller) from intruders – only to discover it is far from a normal home invasion.
Better Watch Out is streaming on Fawesome from December 1.
The Boulet Brothers’ Holiday of Horrors - Shudder
Credit: Shudder From the Boulet Brothers and scream king David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil, The Creep Tapes), holiday-themed horror special The Boulet Brothers' Holiday of Horrors features four original shorts written and directed by some of horror's key players. Alongside the Boulet Brothers and Dastmalchian, Akela Cooper (Malignant, M3GAN), and Kate Siegel (V/H/S/Beyond, The Haunting of Hill House) will also be sharing their own slices of yuletide terror.
The Boulet Brothers' Holiday of Horrors is streaming on Shudder (U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and Ireland) from December 16.
Brightburn - Netflix
Credit: Netflix David Yarovesky‘s Brightburn takes the Superman story and flips it on its head by asking – what if the Man of Steel was an evil little shit? A gloriously gory hidden gem, Brightburn will make you think twice about picking up abandoned babies that you find in the wreckage of a spaceship crash. Which you probably shouldn't be doing anyway.
Brightburn is streaming on Netflix from December 1.
Christmas Evil - Fawesome
Credit: Fawesome As Santa slashers go, Christmas Evil is a particularly twisted one, with even John Waters himself calling it “the greatest Christmas movie ever made”. If the Pope of Trash's recommendation isn't enough to convince you, you can watch Christmas Evil for free this winter on Fawesome and make your own mind up.
Christmas Evil is streaming on Fawesome from December 1.
Gremlins - Hulu
Credit: Warner Bros. It's not Christmas without Gremlins, and with a third installment of Mogwai madness officially on the way, there's no better time to reacquaint yourself with Joe Dante's classic comedy-horror. And if you won't do it for us, do it for Gizmo.
Gremlins is streaming on Hulu from December 1.
Influencers - Shudder
Credit: Shudder Following a very successful festival run, Kurtis David Harder's Influencers is heading home for the holidays. A sequel to the 2022 film Influencer, Influencers stars Cassandra Naud and Georgina Campbell as a couple at odds with a popular Internet celebrity. Expect sun, sea, and social media satire.
Influencers is streaming on Shudder (U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and Ireland) on December 12.
Ju-On: The Grudge - Arrow Player
Credit: Arrow Takashi Shimizu's J-horror classic Ju-On: The Grudge will crawl off the screen and into your nightmares. The 2002 ghost story follows a series of people who come into contact with a certain unassuming house in Tokyo, only to find themselves haunted by two twisted spirits who are now among horror's most iconic figures; the croaking, creaking Kayako and the mewling little Toshio. Good luck ever hiding under your covers again.
Ju-On: The Grudge will be streaming on Arrow Player in the U.S. and Canada from December 19, and is already available in the U.K.
The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas - Shudder
Credit: Shudder Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl are once again possessed by the Christmas spirit, hosting a double-feature of snowy slashers for Joe Bob's Cold Cruel Christmas– an unholy night full of frozen fear, cold-blooded kills, and the return of their annual charity drive.
The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas premieres LIVE Friday, December 12 on Shudder TV at 9pm ET, and debuts on-demand on Shudder (U.S. and Canada) on Sunday, December 14.
The Life of Chuck - Hulu
Credit: NEON Mike Flanagan's life-affirming existential crisis The Life of Chuck is a perfect watch for the festive season because it's all about the beauty of life, even when it's fleeting, and the importance of treating your loved ones with the love and care they deserve while they're still with us. That doesn't mean it's not scary though – it's downright terrifying at times (as you'd expect from a modern horror maestro like Flanagan!)
The Life of Chuck is streaming on Hulu from December 26.
Men - Tubi
Credit: A24 Alex Garland's Men was divisive among viewers and critics to say the least, but fans of the 2022 folk horror will be pleased to know it's heading to Tubi, where you can watch it for free from today. Featuring two stellar performances from Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear, Men is a biting comment on the everyday misogyny faced by women who are just trying to go about their day. Even if you disliked Men upon release, we advise you give it another try, as Garland's vision seems to sadly become more relevant with every passing year.
Men is streaming on Tubi from December 1.
The Occupant of the Room - Shudder
Credit: Shudder Renowned author and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse (‘House of Psychotic Women',Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror) makes her narrative film debut with The Occupant of the Room as part of the horror anthology series The Haunted Season. Based on the classic chiller of the same name by Algernon Blackwood, Janisse's The Occupant of the Room is a must-watch this festive season, pulling from the classic tradition of telling ghost stories for Christmas in equally creepy and cozy amounts.
The Occupant of the Room is streaming on Shudder (U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Ireland) from December 1.
Perfect Blue - HBO Max
Credit: GKIDS Long before The Substance, Skincare or Black Swan, Satoshi Kon's 1997 psychological horror anime was exposing the dark side of fame and fortune experienced by women in the industry. If you've not seen this masterpiece of spiralling paranoia and obsession (that also features one of the most catchy J-pop songs of all time), we urge you to drop what you're doing NOW and go watch it. That's an order.
Perfect Blue is streaming on HBO Max from December 1.
Queens of the Dead - Shudder
Credit: IFC Films Here at FANGORIA, we love Tina Romero's Queens of the Dead so much that we put it on the cover. Gloriously camp, unapologetically queer, and filled with glitter and gore to the nines, the daughter of the legendary George A. Romero has truly done her father proud with this story of found family in the midst of a Brooklyn-based zombie apocalypse.
Queens of the Dead is streaming on Shudder in the U.S. and Canada from December 19.
Red Christmas - FOUND TV
Credit: FOUND TV When you'd had a White one, a Black one and a Blue one, why not have yourself a Red Christmas? In Steve Rudzinski's found-footage horror, a young woman enjoys murdering men during the holidays. But just in case she is ever caught, she is making a how to video describing all of her tricks to avoid the FBI while just having fun with it. Lots of blood, cringe and torture, how festive!
Red Christmas is streaming on FOUND TV from December 5.
The Ring - Paramount+
Credit: Paramount Back in 2002, Gore Verbinski's The Ring traumatized a generation of horror fans and remains to this day one of the best (perhaps the best) Western remakes of a Japanese horror film. An English-language take on Hideo Nakata‘s Ring from 1998, The Ring follows a young mother desperately trying to figure out the mystery of a cursed videotape that claims to kill anyone who views it after 7 days.
The Ring is streaming on Paramount+ from December 1.
Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh - HBO Max
Credit: HBO/Greg Endries Sarah Squirm, the unholy alter ego of comedian Sarah Sherman, is unleashing her first stand-up comedy special on the world with Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh hitting HBO Max this month. Described as a festering and hilarious hour of bodily fluids and open-wound confessionals, Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh will leave scars on your soul.
Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh is streaming on HBO Max from December 12.
Saw X - Peacock
Credit: Lionsgate As we prepare for whatever Blumhouse and Atomic Monster have in store for Saw, remind yourself of the latest exercise in Jigsaw torture as Saw X heads to Peacock for the festive season. Saw X joins Saw, Saw 2, Saw 3, Saw 4, Saw 5, Saw 6, Saw 3D, Jigsaw and Spiral on the streamer, so you can have yourself a bloody little Christmas.
Saw X is streaming on Peacock from December 19.
Shin Godzilla - HBO Max
Credit: GKIDS Following a theatrical re-release earlier this year, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s Shin Godzilla is stomping onto streaming as part of a new deal between HBO Max and GKIDS. Upon release, in 2016 Shin Godzilla grossed $79 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Japanese-produced Godzilla film in the franchise’s history until the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One came along in 2023. Get up to speed before Toho unleash the sequel onto the world.
Shin Godzilla is streaming on HBO Max from December 1.
Silent Night, Deadly Night - Shudder
Credit: Shudder Before Mike P. Nelson's reboot hits U.S. theaters on December 12, remind yourself of Charles Sellier Jr.'s 1984 festive slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night as it slices onto Shudder just in time for the holiday season. After witnessing his parents getting killed by Santa as a child, 18-year-old Billy is out of the orphanage and on a rampage – hat, beard, boots and all.
Silent Night, Deadly Night is streaming on Shudder (U.S.) from December 1.
Together - Hulu
TOGETHER (Credit: NEON) After bonding with the box office earlier this summer, Michael Shanks' romantic body horror Together will be heading to Hulu later this month. Starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, this slippery tale of co-dependence is really a Valentine's Day watch, if we're being honest, but there's no reason you can't add it to your winter watchlist.
Together is streaming on Hulu from December 31.
Troll 2 - Netflix
Credit: Netflix Roar Uthaug's Troll 2 (no, NOT THAT ONE) stomps onto Netflix just in time for snowy season, and what better way to celebrate the upcoming holidays by watching a giant Norwegian kaiju throw people around like they're tiny dolls? Answer: there is no better way.
Troll 2 is streaming on Netflix from December 1.
Werewolf Santa - FOUND TV
Credit: FOUND TV With a title like Werewolf Santa you'll probably already know whether this festive horror-creature-comedy is up your alley or not, and if you want to find out, it's heading to FOUND TV just in time for Christmas. As the name suggests, Werewolf Santa follows a lycanthropic Saint Nick and an amateur monster hunter's attempts to take him down.
Werewolf Santa is streaming on FOUND TV from December 3.