Plot: Craig, a young boy, befriends the elderly billionaire John Harrigan. Craig then gives him a mobile phone. However, when the man dies, Craig discovers that he can communicate with his friend from the grave.

KBZ’s Take: Before going into this film, it’s best to know that it isn’t much of a horror film though it’s an adaptation of one of the novellas from Stephen King’s If It Bleeds. It’s much more of a coming-of-age tale with supernatural undertones and relies on suspense vs. shock scares. We would equate the supernatural aspects and tone of the film as similar to another King adaptation, The Green Mile (1999).

While the film isn’t as good as The Green Mile, it’s still an interesting take on technology and the supernatural with some fine performances by Donald Sutherland and Jaedan Martell.

Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix

Plot: A disgraced internet personality attempts to win back his followers by livestreaming one night alone in a haunted house. But when he accidentally pisses off a vengeful spirit, his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life.

KBZ’s Take: We mentioned earlier in this article that the Found Footage film format has expanded a bit to include social media-themed films – especially with YouTube. This is one of those innovative films of the subgenre and it’s a blast.

The film has an equal balance of comedy and horror as YouTube personality Shawn (Joseph Winter) spends the night in Death Manor. The entire film hinges on the likability and comedy of Shawn and Winter gives an amazing performance as the social media star that gets more than he bargained for.

We strongly recommend checking out the film (especially around Halloween) and to keep an eye on Shawn’s livestream with viewer commentary and his reactions. It’s one of the funniest aspects of the film and hopefully more Found Footage films can make use of this real-time, interactive format.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: After the strange death of his young son at their new home, Daniel hears a ghostly plea for help, spurring him to seek out a renowned paranormal expert.

KBZ’s Take: This Spanish film one of those films where its plot will be very familiar to horror fans. But what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for with some generally creepy sequences and jump scares.

If you’re a fan of the Conjuring series of films and enjoy horror films with great twist endings, this is a film you should move to the top of your queue right away.

Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix

Plot: Six years ago, Li Ronan was cursed after breaking a religious taboo. Now, she must protect her daughter from the consequences of her actions.

KBZ’s Take: Like Deadstream on our list, this is another Found Footage film. However, unlike Deadstream, Incantation relies on the traditional found footage format. And where Deadstream is innovative with its use of real-time livestream commentary, Incantation innovates with its storytelling and use of past and present found footage to piece together the horror and mystery of the present.

This is a film that is genuinely scary and shows another avenue where the found footage format can reinvent itself through a non-linear structure (and through different variations of found footage). Even if you’re not fond of found footage, this is one film you shouldn’t miss as it’s one of the scarier films released over the last few years.

Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix

Plot: A lonely young boy feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses the boy’s devices against him to break into our world, his parents must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.

KBZ’s Take: Come Play is a different type of horror film that tackles one of the up-and-coming themes of horror – technology. There will likely be a good set of horror fans that don’t like the film as it’s a slow film that is more focused on conveying the issues of isolation and loneliness with technology than typical horror scares and gore.

With that said, there are some very scary moments in this film especially when ‘Larry’ first appears on Oliver’s (Azhy Robertson) iPad and eventually makes it into in the real world. The film has a PG-13 rating so it’s a recommended film for teens and families with a relevant message for today’s technology focused mindset.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Six friends hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom during lockdown – but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they begin to realize they might not survive the night.

KBZ’s Take: During the Covid-19 pandemic and eventual shutdowns, it forced filmmakers to get more creative with how they could make a film without a typical production crew. Host is a result of that creativity with a horror film shown entirely on the videoconferencing platform Zoom.

There have been a few other films that have utilized videoconferencing for horror such as Unfriended (2015), but Host is on another level with its creepiness and jump scares. The film is only about an hour long, but it’s an intense hour that doesn’t let up once it gets going.

We would implore any horror fan to check this film out if they haven’t seen it yet. And it’s also a great film for aspiring filmmakers to watch to see how horror can be done right with a low budget and innovative format.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: An immigrant in search of the American dream is forced to take a room in a boarding house and soon finds herself in a nightmare from which she can’t escape.

KBZ’s Take: We were honestly surprised that this film currently only has a rating of 5.4/10 on IMDb. It was by far one of the better horror films we’ve seen in the last few years, and we’ve seen quite a few of them. Our only guess is that some people downvoted the film before seeing the third act as the film does take awhile to get there.

The film initially starts off with various haunted house film tropes but by the third act delves much more into the Folk Horror subgenre. And though it doesn’t fully explain some of the origins around its folk horror aspects, it doesn’t make it any less frightening.

This is a good slow burn and creepy film with a very unsettling third act that most horror fans will enjoy. You’ll just need to be patient until the scares (and monster) reveal themselves.

Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix

Plot: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill and high-stakes party game – until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

KBZ’s Take: Though this film is clearly aimed at a younger teen audience, if you’re an older fan of 70’s and 80’s horror, you won’t want to miss it. The film harkens back to those good old days of horror when films were more reliant on storytelling, atmosphere and creepiness vs. CGI.

We purposely didn’t watch trailers or read reviews of the film as it’s been hyped up quite a bit since its release. But we can definitively say the film lives up to the hype and has some of the scariest scenes of the subgenre from the last few years.

Our advice is to follow our path of just going into the film knowing little to nothing about it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with a film that brings the best aspects of old school horror to Generation Z.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A young teacher discovers that her troubled student s father and younger brother harbor a deadly supernatural secret. Taking the boy into her care, the teacher must fight for their survival against horrors beyond imagination.

KBZ’s Take: Antlers is much more of a Folk Horror film than Supernatural Horror. But the film is able to balance elements of both subgenres for one of the more effective (and scary) horror films from the last few years.

If you’re a fan of Wendigo folklore such as Dark Was the Night (2014) and other Folk Horror such as The Ritual (2017), then this is a film you won’t want to miss.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

KBZ’s Take: Black Phone is not only one of the best films of the subgenre from the last few years but also one of the best recent films in the entire horror genre. This is a film that has already established itself as a classic film of the subgenre.

Based on Joe Hill’s collection of short stories in 20^th Century Ghosts, the film is a unique mixture of child abduction, serial killers, psychic powers and the supernatural. Also, like Talk to Me (2022), it’s a film not only set in the late 1970’s but is also a throwback to the 1970’s and 80’s with a dark theme and even darker content. It replicates an era of horror where what you are watching is not only unsettling but increasingly frightening.

We’re going to assume most fans of horror and this subgenre have already seen this film, but if you have somehow missed it, we would strongly recommend checking it out as soon as possible. It’s a rare horror film that recaptures the atmosphere and darkness of a horror era long gone and will genuinely scare the crap out of you.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon