What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to It first
It 1990
Series
In 1960, seven outcast kids known as "The Losers' Club" fight against an ancient shape-shifting alien who poses as a child-killing clown, while also dealing with bullies and abusive parents. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the creature once and for all when it returns to their hometown.
The sides of It
- A shape-shifting clown called Pennywise
- Seven outcast kids in a small town in 1960
- The same friends reunited thirty years later
Good for you if
- you like being scared by a clown in a storm drain.
- you like the Losers' Club sticking together against bullies and worse.
- you like a story that cuts between seven kids and the adults they became.
Bad for you if
- you can't watch children dying or abusive parents.
- a TV miniseries from 1990 feels dated to you.
About: childhood fear · friendship · memory · bullying
Stranger Things 2016
Series
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.
The sides of Stranger Things
- The eighties
- A gang of friends
- Monsters and real fear
- A family you choose
Good for you if
- you love the 1980s: bikes, walkie-talkies, arcade games.
- you like a monster hunt in a small town.
- you like a gang of kids who never leave a friend behind.
Bad for you if
- creatures and gore are too scary for you or the kids.
- five long seasons is more than you want to start.
About: friendship · growing up · the unknown
It Chapter Two 2019
Film
27 years after overcoming the malevolent supernatural entity Pennywise, the former members of the Losers' Club, who have grown up and moved away from Derry, are brought back together by a devastating phone call.
The sides of It Chapter Two
- The Losers return as adults
- Memories they buried
- The clown is back
Good for you if
- you want more of the clown.
- you like childhood friends reuniting.
- you like adults joking to hide their fear.
Bad for you if
- nearly three hours is too much for one evening.
- you can't stand gore. The film opens on a brutal hate crime and gets bloodier from there.
About: memory · trauma · friendship
The Haunting of Hill House 2018
Series
Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.
The sides of The Haunting of Hill House
- Five siblings and the house they fled
- A night their father never explained
- Ghosts hiding in the background of shots
Good for you if
- you want ghosts you only spot in the corner of the frame.
- you like a horror story that is really about brothers and sisters.
- you like a reveal that makes you rethink the first episode.
Bad for you if
- you can't take grief, addiction and suicide on screen.
- you need horror that moves fast. This one lingers on memories.
About: grief · family · memory
The Outsider 2020
Series
When an insidious supernatural force edges its way into a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in.
The sides of The Outsider
- A boy's murder in a Georgia town
- A suspect seen in two places at once
- An investigator who sees what others miss
Good for you if
- you like dread that builds in quiet rooms and dark caves.
- you like a case with proof that a man was in two places at once.
- you like a patient story that takes its time with grief.
Bad for you if
- the murder of a child and a grieving family are too much for you.
- you need a crime explained without anything supernatural.
About: grief · belief · evil
Supernatural 2005
Series
When they were boys, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father raised them to be soldiers. He taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America ... and he taught them how to kill it. Now, the Winchester brothers crisscross the country in their '67 Chevy Impala, battling every kind of supernatural threat they encounter along the way.
The sides of Supernatural
- Two brothers hunting monsters
- A black Impala
- Angels, demons and the end of the world
Good for you if
- you like a bond between two brothers above everything.
- you like a monster of the week.
- you like Sam and Dean fighting demons with salt, shotguns and a '67 Impala.
Bad for you if
- fifteen seasons is far more than you want to start.
- gore and bloody fights ruin a show for you.
About: family · sacrifice · fate
FROM 2022
Series
Unravel the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.
The sides of FROM
- A town you can't drive out of
- Creatures that come out at night
- Talismans that keep the houses safe
Good for you if
- you like creatures smiling at the window after dark.
- you like piecing together why every road leads back to town.
- you like a town where nobody is safe after sunset.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand the gore of the night attacks.
- you need answers, and each season of FROM adds new questions.
About: being trapped · fear · community
The Shining 1980
Film
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
The sides of The Shining
- An empty hotel in winter
- A father going mad
- A boy riding his tricycle down the halls
Good for you if
- you like dread that builds slowly in empty corridors.
- you like long gliding shots behind a boy on his tricycle.
- you like a performance that becomes truly frightening.
Bad for you if
- you scare easily. Some images stay for years.
- you can't watch a family threatened by the father. Jack's drinking and rage turn on his wife and son.
About: isolation · madness · family

Pretty Little Liars 2010
Series
Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.
The sides of Pretty Little Liars
- Four friends and a missing queen bee
- Text messages signed "A"
- Secrets in a small town called Rosewood
Good for you if
- you want to guess who "A" is for years.
- you like a reveal at the end of almost every season.
- you like four girls who stick together under threat.
Bad for you if
- you lose track easily. Four girls, their families, boyfriends and a long list of suspects all keep secrets.
- you need a stalker plot that could really work.
About: secrets · friendship · guilt
Bird Box 2018
Film
Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
The sides of Bird Box
- A mother and two children blindfolded
- Something that makes you want to die if you see it
- A river trip
Good for you if
- you like survival with a strict rule.
- you like a threat you never see.
Bad for you if
- you want answers. What the creatures are and why they kill is never explained.
- mass suicide shown on screen is too much for you.
About: motherhood · survival · fear
Hereditary 2018
Film
Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.
The sides of Hereditary
- A family after a grandmother's funeral
- A clicking sound
- A mother's grief turning into something else
Good for you if
- you want horror that stays with you for days.
- you like a mother's grief played at full force.
- you like dread that builds slowly.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand gore. Some of its images are shown up close and held.
- a family torn apart by grief and mental illness is too much for you.
About: grief · family · fate
Jaws 1975
Film
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.
The sides of Jaws
- A shark off a summer beach
- A town that won't close the beach
- Three men on a small boat
Good for you if
- you like dread from two notes of music.
- you like a monster you barely see.
- you like three very different men stuck together on a boat.
Bad for you if
- films from 1975 feel slow and dated to you.
- you can't stand bloody animal attacks. When the shark strikes, the water turns red.
About: fear · duty · nature
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1997
Series
Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.
The sides of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- A cheerleader who slays vampires
- A high school built on a mouth of hell
- A librarian who trains her
Good for you if
- you like quick, joking banter between monster fights.
- you like Buffy, Willow and Xander facing the apocalypse as a gang.
- you like monsters standing in for the pains of growing up.
Bad for you if
- seven seasons is too much for you.
- you find late-nineties monster makeup and effects dated.
About: growing up · duty · friendship
I Am Legend 2007
Film
Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.
The sides of I Am Legend
- The last man in New York
- A dog as his only friend
- Creatures that come out at night
Good for you if
- you like dark buildings you have to go into.
- you like a lonely hero and the dog who keeps him going.
- you like daily routines of survival in an empty city.
Bad for you if
- you can't take loneliness and grief on screen. Neville talks to mannequins to stay sane.
- you like a big cast. Will Smith is nearly alone on screen for an hour.
About: loneliness · hope · survival
The Sixth Sense 1999
Film
Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
The sides of The Sixth Sense
- A boy who sees dead people
- A psychologist trying to help him
- A mother who doesn't understand
Good for you if
- you like an ending that makes you replay the whole film in your head.
- you like quiet, creeping fear.
- you like a ghost story that's really about grief.
Bad for you if
- you scare easily, especially with children in danger.
- you need momentum. It moves quietly, one session with Cole at a time.
About: grief · communication · fear
The Thing 1982
Film
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
The sides of The Thing
- A research station in Antarctica
- Something that copies anyone
- A blood test
Good for you if
- you like paranoia where anyone could be the monster.
- you like practical creature effects that still shock.
- you like an ending that leaves you unsure.
Bad for you if
- grotesque body horror ruins it for you.
- films from 1982 feel dated to you.
About: paranoia · trust · isolation
Anne with an E 2017
Series
A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s, who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.
The sides of Anne with an E
- A red-haired orphan sent instead of a boy
- A farm on Prince Edward Island
- A rivalry with Gilbert at school
Good for you if
- you like watching Anne grow from orphan to young woman over three seasons.
- you like being moved by Marilla and Matthew learning to love a child.
- you like a kindred-spirit friendship like Anne and Diana's.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes at Anne's big speeches about imagination and hope.
- you can't watch flashbacks of a child mistreated in orphanages.
About: belonging · imagination · found family
The Conjuring 2013
Film
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.
The sides of The Conjuring
- A family in a haunted farmhouse
- Two paranormal investigators
- A game of hide and clap
Good for you if
- you want real scares done the old-fashioned way.
- you like a dark house where you wait for the next sound.
- you like horror said to be based on a real case.
Bad for you if
- you need a film to stay within what science can explain. This one has demons, a possession and an exorcism.
- you're watching with children. A possessed mother and a witch on the wardrobe are too much for them.
About: faith · family · evil
Wonder 2017
Film
The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
The sides of Wonder
- A boy with a different face starts school
- A family who adores him
- Halloween, the only day he blends in
Good for you if
- you like a family film that makes everyone cry.
- you want a kind, uplifting story.
- you like a boy's first year at a real school, from eating lunch alone to his first true friend.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather stay with one hero. Chapters move from Auggie to his sister and his friends.
- you need things to happen. It's lunch tables, a science fair and a school trip.
About: kindness · difference · family
Chucky 2021
Series
After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies — and allies — from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins.
The sides of Chucky
- A killer doll bought at a yard sale
- A gay teen in a small New Jersey town
- Murders that expose the town's secrets
Good for you if
- you laugh at a doll who kills with one-liners.
- you like the Child's Play doll back, with a whole town to haunt.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand gory murders, even when they're played for laughs.
- you can't take a bullied gay teen and his scornful father at the centre of it.
About: identity · secrets · revenge