With the vast realms of streaming, that classic “there’s nothing good on TV” problem is a thing of the past. Far more pressing is the idea that there are too many good things on TV. Now that the Olympics are over, it’s time to return to your horror, sci-fi, and fantasy diet with these eight (plus a few bonus titles!) Netflix picks.
Life
Have you heard of this guy Ryan Reynolds? He’s the third-billed star in this 2017 sci-fi thriller after Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson, in a cast that also features Shōgun‘s Hiroyuki Sanada. In the vein of the Alien films, Life follows what happens when the International Space Station crew realizes a recently returned Mars probe may offer proof of extraterrestrial life—which, despite being charmingly dubbed “Calvin,” turns out to not be of the friendly variety. Watch on Netflix.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
With The Conjuring‘s fourth and final series entry on the way—subtitled Last Rites—there’s no better time to revisit the third film, also from director Michael Chaves. As with all the Conjuring films, The Devil Made Me Do It is based on a real-life case investigated by occult experts Ed and Lorraine Warren; instead of a haunted house, however, this one’s about a man who claimed being possessed drove him to commit murder. Watch on Netflix. If the story piques your interest, the recent documentary exploring the same true-crime tale, titled The Devil on Trial, is also on Netflix.
The Babadook
It’s The Babadook‘s 10-year anniversary this year; it’s getting a theatrical re-release in September (more on that here), but in the meantime, you can re-traumatize yourself by viewing this tale of a mother tangling with her young son and the monstrous embodiment of grief in dangerous proximity to your own spooky basement. Watch on Netflix.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Netflix is going all in on Ghostbusters, with Variety reporting this week that the streamer’s long-teased animated series has found a showrunner in Elliott Kalan (The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Mystery Science Theater 3000). If you’re feeling the spooky fever but missed the latest big-screen entry when it released earlier this year, you can now dig into all the proton packs and New York City adventures on Netflix.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Did you binge season four of The Umbrella Academy and think to yourself, “That was not enough Klaus!” after the series finale? You don’t even have to change streamers to watch 2013’s The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which also stars Robert Sheehan. Though this Cassandra Clare adaptation was intended to kick off a movie franchise, it didn’t quite meet that mark, though Freeform did use the same source material for a TV series a few years later. However, as Netflix itself has pointed out, not only does it star Umbrella Academy‘s Klaus, it also features two other Netflix superstars: Lily “Emily in Paris” Collins and Jamie Campbell “Stranger Things” Bower. Watch on Netflix.
Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color
The gorgeous monochrome version of Toho’s Oscar-winning triumph has been streaming since August 1. That means nothing, short of perhaps Godzilla himself, can stop you from watching it over and over again. Watch on Netflix. (The original, full-cover version is also still streaming.)
Spider-Man
Thwip now if you want to revisit Sam Raimi’s trilogy of Tobey Maguire Spidey films—all three depart Netflix at the end of August. Watch on Netflix (as well as Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3).
Black Mirror, “Beyond the Sea”
While, yes, this is technically a single episode of a TV series, Black Mirror season six‘s “Beyond the Sea” runs 80 minutes—and it really does feel like a feature film. Josh Hartnett’s performance in Trap is currently earning raves, but over a year ago he was already making new fans—and reminding ’90s admirers why they fell for him in the first place—with his performance as a deep-space astronaut facing both tragedy and an identity crisis in his neural-linked life back on Earth. Watch on Netflix.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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