10 best horror films to watch on Netflix right now

9. Hellraiser

It should go without saying that opening a portal to a dimension of pain and torment is never a good idea. But because this is a horror movie, pleasure-seeking Frank goes and does just that. After deciding that he has sampled all the pleasures our dimension has to offer, he uses a magical puzzle box to access another world and is promptly ripped apart. Just desserts or no, some conveniently spilled blood at the site of Frank’s little experiment results in him being resurrected as a skinless, misshapen corpse who requires copious amounts of blood in order to resume his fully human form. With a little help from his ex-lover Julia, the pair soon have a neat little system going: she seduces strange men to her attic, where Frank kills and devours them.

The ’80s vibes paired with some pretty bonkers ideas are just one part of what makes this movie great. Most notable are the Cenobites, extra-dimensional beings which mutilate themselves in order to experience all new forms of pleasure. If you’re at all familiar with popular horror iconography, you’ve probably seen the image of Pinhead — a Cenobite with his head stuck full of (you guessed it) pins. Visually, everything about this movie is striking; but what takes it the extra mile are the awesome practical effects. Even when it looks fake by modern standards, it looks viscerally fake — it’s almost impossible not to be either disgusted or terrified during some of the gorier scenes.

The Takeaway

An off the wall concept and awesome practical effects means Hellraiser can keep you entertained as well as scared (or at the very least, grossed out).