'Hereditary'? Fans: Stream These 11 Other Must-Watch "Family Horror" Films
Still looking to get spooked? We've got you covered.
by Eric FranciscoIf you’ve seen Hereditary and want even more scares, first off, you’re insane. But second, you’re in luck, because there’s no shortage of worthy follow-ups to binge on all the major streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and premium cable channels like HBO and Starz.
Out now in theaters, Hereditary is the debut horror film from director Ari Aster about a suburban family whose quiet, if unfulfilling life is disrupted by an ancient and powerful force. Emerging to great fanfare at Sundance earlier this year, the film was acquired by powerhouse studio A24, and critics are raving about the movie as a new classic.
Taking into account Hereditary’s themes, Aster’s stylistic influences, and the film’s general approach to cinematic horror — more arthouse horror, less jump-scare porn — the following are some choice chasers to binge after worshipping Paimon. (Hail Paimon.)
11. All of Ari Aster’s Short Films
Available on: Vimeo
Before Hereditary, Ari Aster was an AFI alum who was working through pretty much the same storytelling themes through twisted short thrillers. On the director’s public Vimeo page, you can stream films like The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011) and Munchausen (2013), about families torn apart by self-destructive individuals, or Basically (2014), an experimental tableau about an L.A. actress living a privileged home life.
With Hereditary set to make Aster a powerhouse name in horror, it’s more than worth your time checking out Aster in the early stages of his creative voice.
10. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Available on: STARZ On Demand
If you have a premium cable subscription that includes STARZ, you’re in luck. Arguably one of the biggest influences of Hereditary is Roman Polanski’s 1968 classic Rosemary’s Baby. In its exploration of home life disrupted by a shadowy cult told through long takes that usher in atmospheric dread, Rosemary’s Baby is practically required viewing before and after watching Aster’s classic.
9. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives Inside the House (2016)
Available on: Netflix
In this Netflix original acquired from TIFF, this supernatural horror/thriller from writer/director Osgood Perkins follows a nurse (Ruth Wilson) who learns the house belonging to an ill horror novelist is, in fact, haunted. Spooky!
8. The Babadook (2014)
If you haven’t yet checked out The Babadook, in which a single mother and her young son are haunted by a creepy supernatural storybook, do yourself a favor and watch it immediately. This neo-classic from writer/director Jennifer Kent was a big hit at Sundance before becoming something of a viral comedy sensation when it was made available to the masses. But the film itself remains creepy and dreadful in all the right ways. Like Hereditary, The Babadook will go down as part of the 21st century horror canon.
Anya Taylor-Joy in 'The Witch' (2016).
7. The Witch (2015)
Available on: Amazon
Before Paimon, A24 buffs worshipped Black Philip. This period horror from Robert Eggers is set in colonial New England, when a farmer and his family are exiled to live in isolation only to be subject to the terror of a witch who lives deep in the woods nearby. Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?
Paul (Joel Edgerton) and Will (Christopher Abbott) of 'It Comes at Night.'
6. It Comes at Night (2017)
Available on: Amazon
Like a smarter The Walking Dead, It Comes at Night is a post-apocalyptic thriller in which a mysterious disease has ravaged the world. Deep in the woods, a family tries to live peacefully before another young family seeking refuge asks for help. That’s when everything, somewhat literally, goes to hell.
5. The Conjuring (2013)
Available on: Netflix
The original horror blockbuster that started a new franchise, James Wan’s The Conjuring is quintessential Americana terror: A Rhode Island farm is plagued by a supernatural entity, thus requiring the help of real, and controversial, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
4. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Available on: Amazon
Take a break from dread and kick back with Taika Waititi’s unabashedly New Zealand comedy-horror What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary about vampires who try to live a normal life as roommates in Auckland until they accidentally turn a victim into one of their own. Taking a decidedly old school, “I vant to suck your blood” take on vampirism (the vamps roast Twilight for being inaccurate), Waititi’s comedy will make you laugh to death.
Logan Marshall-Green in 'The Invitation.'
3. The Invitation (2015)
Available on: Netflix
Karyn Kusama’s indie horror hit The Invitation stands out from the rest of the films on this list in one major way: Instead of families, the focus here is on sociable young adults, an inner circle of hip Angelinos who are unknowingly dragged into something dark and sinister.
2. They’re Watching (2016)
Available on: Netflix
When you start They’re Watching, an underrated gem from ex-SpongeBob Squarepants writers Jay Lender and Micah Wright, you’re slammed by an arrestingly upbeat ripoff of House Hunters International. But as an underpaid TV crew are dragged to a remote part in eastern Europe to film a shitty, paint-by-numbers reality series about a couple looking for a new home, they soon find themselves surrounded by something ancient.
1. The Omen (1976)
Available on: HBO Go
Another irreplaceably entry in 20th century cinematic horror, Richard Donner’s The Omen is one of the best examples of a home, interrupted. As a U.S. ambassador in Italy adopts a child, he has no idea that his son Damien is, in fact, is the Antichrist incarnate. As a highly-influential piece of cinema, it’s not hard to see where Hereditary got its ideas from.
Hereditary is in theaters now.
