Disney+ might not be the obvious place to go for dark horror films, being unashamedly the most family-friendly of the major streaming services. But the platform’s ownership of the Fox movie studio, 21 Century Fox (and its partnership with Hulu) means you’ll find significantly more creepy, adult-oriented movies on there than you might think.
We’ve now combed through the Disney+ catalogue to bring you the best horror movies from Disney +.
Signs
Mel Gibson portrays a priest who became a farmer after losing his faith in God as a result of his wife's tragic death in a car accident. He now resides in an old house with his two small children and younger brother, Joaquin Phoenix, from the days when he played "normal" people instead of just misfits and villains. The house is surrounded by what seems like endless fields of corn, which starts to show "signs" in the form of crop circles that some people think are left by extraterrestrial visitors.
It couldn't have been easy to follow up a blockbuster like The Sixth Sense, but despite not having the same cultural or commercial impact as its predecessor, M. Night Shyamalan's Signs is still a gripping thriller with lots of jump scares and a signature Shyamalan plot twist.
The Sixth Sense
We strongly advise you to spend an evening with Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, and a group of restless spirits if, by some miracle, you (a) haven't already seen The Sixth Sense and (b) haven't had the knockout ending spoiled for you. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist that Willis plays, is given his most difficult case to date. that of a disturbed young man claiming to be able to see the dead. Crowe finds himself drifting farther and farther away from his wife, despite the fact that he is growing more and more persuaded by the boy's claims.
Perhaps because of that frequently revealed conclusion, The Sixth Sense has not received the respect it deserves from time. However, it is still a potent chiller that depends more on a slow accumulation of spookiness than on gore or jump scares.
The Fly
Jeff Goldblum plays a reclusive and socially awkward scientist who has spent years working on a device that will change the world in David Cronenberg's classic sci-fi horror film. He meets journalist Geena Davis as he is about to succeed, and she offers to record and chronicle his process. As the two worked together to finish the last experiments, a terrible mistake occurred. The terrifying metamorphosis that ensues solidified Cronenberg's reputation for unsettling body horror and amazing special effects.
Predator
If Arnold Schwarzenegger could be reduced to a single Platonian concept, Predator would be the result—a clear-cut summary of what made Peak Arnie. He has muscles, gurns, grimaces, grunts, chews a big cigar, shoots guns, kills people, and then makes corny jokes. He acts like the goddamn American hero that he is—he's Arnies.
But Arnold isn't the only star of Predator. Arnold and his elite team of ultra-macho special forces operatives are being pursued by an alien through the Central American jungle, where they are being eliminated one by one in a strange game of cat and mouse. It's an exciting and occasionally quite frightening monster film. It's not especially subtle or clever, but then, you don't go into an Arnie film expecting Cinema.
Barbarian
It's challenging to talk about this popular indie horror film without giving away its plot points and lessening its impact. However, Barbarian starts with a young woman (Georgina Campbell) finding herself at an Airbnb in a pitch-black, lonely Detroit suburb. She discovers that a man (played by Bill Skarsgård) has already taken up residence in the house, claiming to have reserved it through another short-term rental app. He asks her to come in so they can work things out after an awkward exchange of words.
Is she going to accept the stranger's offer to stay somewhere, or is she going to give up and look for a place to stay altogether? It's easy to picture yourself in such a situation, which heightens the unsettling nature of what occurs next.
The Woman in Black
This iconic British novel was adapted for the screen twice in 2012; it is most known for its lengthy stage play and 1989 TV movie. Daniel Radcliffe portrays a young attorney tasked with resolving a deceased client's estate in a secluded coastal town. a customer who resided in an eerie mansion encircled by even more eerie marshes.
Our hero chooses to stay at the house because of the unfriendly locals and weather, and while there, he learns of a terrible tale involving murder, retaliation, and a lot of weird noises. Much more could be revealed without jeopardising the slow-burning shocker's methodical build-up, which succeeds in making an archaic scary story seem pleasantly contemporary.
Looking for more family-friendly horror films? Check out our list here.
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