5 Scary Movies to Stream for Friday the 13th

Today is the only “Friday the 13th” of 2016, so we as a society have a duty to celebrate and/or cower in fear. To do both, we’ve picked out five scary movies on Netflix and Hulu that you can watch tonight (or whenever). You’ll notice we didn’t list any actual Friday the 13th films; quite frankly, they’re not very good. The films listed below may not be familiar to you, but trust us—they’re great.

Just a warning—none of these films are family friendly, so put the little ones to bed before watching!

The House of the Devil
Where to stream: Hulu Plus
This 2009 indie is written and shot as an homage to horror films of the 1970s and 1980s, but still manages to be fresh and surprising. When college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) wants to move into an off-campus apartment, she reluctantly takes a babysitting job at a remote mansion on the outskirts of town. When Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) tells her that she’ll be “babysitting” his sick mother who’s asleep upstairs, Samantha is nervous but agrees, for a higher fee. Alone and bored, Samantha explores the mansion and starts to notice weird things and hear strange noises. The film also stars character actress Mary Woronov and Greta Gerwig.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Where to stream: On cable by Xfinity (Starz, Encore)
This film is the rare crime drama/horror hybrid, and it’s simultaneously scary and thought-provoking. A lawyer (Laura Linney) is hired to defend a priest (Tom Wilkinson) who is being accused of negligence in the death of a young woman (Jennifer Carpenter) who died following an “exorcism.” Questions of faith, mental illness, family and justice abound, and Carpenter’s performance is incredible—as the titular victim, she is forced to contort and change her voice throughout the film. Made scarier by the fact that it’s based on a true crime story!

Deadly Blessing
Where to stream: Amazon Prime
This lesser-known Wes Craven film from 1981 will surprise you. Deadly Blessing tells the story of Martha (Maren Jensen in her final screen appearance), a woman who lives with her husband Jim (Douglas Barr) on the outskirts of a farm community owned by the Hittites, a religious group that, as one of the characters says, “make the Amish look like swingers.” When Jim is suddenly killed in a suspicious accident, Martha’s friends Lana (a young Sharon Stone) and Vicky (Susan Buckner) come to help her get her affairs in order. But when someone, or something, starts terrorizing Martha and her friends, a dark mystery begins to unravel. Ernest Borgnine, Michael Berryman, Lois Nettleton and Lisa Hartman also star.

The Uninvited
Where to stream: HBO Go
The Uninvited is an underrated film that was cast off by most as teen horror schlock, when in fact it’s a gripping psycho-thriller. When Anna (Emily Browning) returns from a psychiatric institution after her terminally ill mother died in a fire, she learns from her sister, Alex (Arielle Kebbel), that their father Steven (David Strathairn) has moved on with their mother’s live-in-nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). Anna and Alex don’t trust Rachel, and start investigating her past, while Anna starts to see terrifying visions. As Rachel becomes more sinister and Anna’s visions become more intense, she and Alex decide to confront Rachel. A shocking twist ending will make you want to watch the movie again to see what you may have missed.

The Innkeepers
Where to stream: Hulu
A bit lighter than the other films on this list, The Innkeepers is a cross between a horror film and a slice-of-life about two bored hotel employees. The Yankee Pedlar Inn is closing, and Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are determined to prove that the dilapidated hotel is haunted. When a famous medium (Kelly McGillis) comes to stay at the hotel and agrees to help them, thinking they’re just bored kids, strange things start happening.