Let’s get some podcasters up in here to give some recommends. First up comes Rachel Shatto from the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast with her recommends.

1. Prevenge (2016)

Directed, written, and starring Alice Lowe, this slasher comedy was the movie I recommended to everyone when it came out in 2016, largely due to Lowe’s performance of a pregnant woman on a killing spree — on the behest of her unborn child, no less. Yep, this is a weird one, but truly one of the most compelling movies about maternal ambivalence and female rage I’ve ever seen. Plus, it’s so funny in the most disturbing ways and has final shot that horrifies as much as it delights. I’ve been a fan of Lowe’s comedic work ever since Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace and Sightseers, but this film shows that she has incredible range she has both behind and in front of the camera. 

2. Revenge (2017)

I am typically not a fan of the rape revenge genre, but, when experienced through the gaze of French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, there is as much ferocity as there is style, which makes it both compelling and cathartic. It’s also awesomely gruesome and makes you cringe in the most delicious ways. It’s actually hard to believe that Revenge marked Fargeat’s feature film debut as it;s absolutely stunning and confidently created. It’s a feast for the eyes, whether it’s the sprawling desert vistas or gallons of blood and gore coating every surface on screen. 

3. Ravenous (1999)

Ravenous is a criminally under-seen gem. It’s one of those movies that, when it comes up in conversation and you discover there is one other person in the room that has seen and loved it, you find yourself excitedly talking about how weirdly wonderful it is. The film, which was directed by Antonia Bird, stars Guy Pierce and Robert Carlyle who, for reasons I won’t spoil, have to leave a remote 19th century military outpost in order to go on a rescue mission, and from there things get real weird. I’m talking cannibals, frostbite, compound fractures, and wendigos. Yep, this movie really has it all. 

4. Braid (2019)

Fans of surreal horror take note: Braid, the feature film debut of Mitizi Perione, is the mind-bending, technicolor nightmare of your dreams. The film is about two friends who decide to rob a wealthy but dangerous childhood friend who allows them into her home — provided they are willing to play a very special and gruesome game. If you like your horror linear, you’ll want to steer clear, but if, like me, you enjoy having your neurons tweaked Braid is going to be your jam. 

5. Honeymoon (2014)

Director Leigh Janiak (who you’ll be hearing plenty of soon as she’s just been tapped to direct all three of the upcoming R.L. Stine Fear Street movies) made her debut with this moody and gut wrenching film. The movie stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as newlyweds Bea and Paul on their honeymoon in a remote cabin. The couple’s troubles begin when Paul finds his new wife Bea sleepwalking in the woods, appearing as though she has been attacked. Over the course of the following days, what started off as wedded bliss slowly descends into paranoia and haunting body horror. What makes this movie truly special is the chemistry between Leslie and Treadaway. You suffer with them as tragedy unfolds and are horrified with them as their once romantic vacation turns grisly. 

Rachel Shatto is a lifelong horror nerd and opinion haver who, when she isn’t watching horror movies, is podcasting about them. She co-hosts the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast, which critiques horror from a feminist perspective. She can also be found talking about horror movies, both good and (more often) bad, that you can watch online on The Stream Queens Podcast. As if that wasn’t enough, Rachel is also an avid Stephen King fan who podcasts about his master work, The Dark Tower book series, on The Cast of Ka.