Love is in the air this February, particularly regarding horror. The month is packed with theatrical darlings finding new homes on streaming, brand-new originals, and unearthed deep cuts. February has everything from polarizing indie darlings to sleeper hits and beyond.
Here are ten noteworthy horror titles available for streaming in February 2023 on some of the most popular streaming services, along with when/where you can watch them.
The Loved Ones – Paramount+
What’s February without horror romances? This brutal feature introduces Lola, who wants to be a princess and find Prince Charming. She decides that Brent is the one and invites him to the school dance. When he rejects her offer, and she sees him with another girl, Lola decides she’ll get what she wants. Lola doesn’t take rejection lightly, and things get downright brutal. The truth is that maybe no one will love her as much as daddy, and that’s most terrifying of all. Love hurts.
Skinamarink – Shudder (February 2)
The polarizing feature debut of writer/Director Kyle Edward Ball heads home to Shudder. The 1995-set Skinamarink uses the setup of two young children, Kevin (Lucas Paul) and Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault), waking in the night to find their parents gone along with all windows and doors. The siblings band together around the living room TV with toys and blankets for comfort as they fend for themselves, but it soon becomes clear that perhaps they’re not alone. The immersive nightmare’s unconventional approach elicits strong reactions either way.
Sssshhh… – Screambox (February 3)
If you’ve already binged through all five Scream movies in anticipation of Scream VI in March, this musical slasher might help. The Bollywood horror movie draws heavily from Scream and follows popular college student Mahek as she’s stalked by the clown-masked killer that brutally murdered her sister. Sssshhh isn’t an exact recreation of Scream, and its musical numbers are minimal. In other words, expect something different with this pick. Also, look for The Eye-inspired Naina and Fright Night-esque Neighbours to hit Screambox on the same day.
Yellow Dragon’s Village – Screambox (February 7)
Running just over an hour long, this Japanese horror movie opts for breakneck horror and speed. Writer/Director Yugo Sakamoto’s horror movie sees a group of campers stumble upon a cannibalistic village. Chaos ensues. Yellow Dragon’s Village is described as “an hour of grisly, claustrophobic terror” that plays like The Hills Have Eyes meets Hostel.
Attachment – Shudder (February 9)
ATTACHMENT | Photo by Søren Kirkegaard
Has-been Danish actress Maya (Josephine Park) bumps into the younger Jewish academic Leah (Ellie Kendrick, “Game of Thrones”) at a library, and sparks fly. A health issue prompts the pair to return to Leah’s home, where awkward and abrasive behavior from Leah’s family gives Maya pause. It’s only the tip of the iceberg; strange behaviors and unsettling experiences of relationship interference might extend to the supernatural, with Leah harboring the biggest secret of all. Engaging performances, a unique and dread-soaked world, and a flair for spooky horror grounded in realism set Attachment apart from the familiar possession formula.
Piggy – Hulu (February 9)
In Piggy, it’s not just the bullies and the bullied that deal with the emotional fallout and ramifications of bullying. Spanish writer/director Carlota Pereda adapts her 2018 short, expanding on the complex effects of bullying against a backdrop of horror. It ripples through a small town, exacerbated by the arrival of a serial killer, presenting an immersive, psychological character study. Pereda frames everything through Sara’s (Laura Galán) browbeaten perspective and puts the viewer in her shoes, making us complicit and empathetic to her moral conundrum.
Something in the Dirt – Hulu (February 10)
DIY filmmaking wunderkinds Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead continue their unique nesting doll cinematic universe with their latest. Something in the Dirt harkens back to the filmmakers’ roots, offering another introspective, intimate sci-fi tale centered around an unlikely comedic duo. Levi (Benson) snagged a no-lease apartment in Hollywood Hills, sight unseen, as he prepares to leave Los Angeles for good. He quickly establishes a rapport with new neighbor John (Moorhead), trading life stories and made-up ones about the apartment’s history. They grow even closer when they witness a bizarre supernatural event in Levi’s apartment, sending them on a quest to capture proof for fame and fortune.
The Strays – Netflix (February 22)
The Strays. Jorden Myrie as Carl in The Strays. Cr. Chris Harris/Netflix © 2023
In Netflix’s The Strays, “Deputy head of a private school Neve (Ashley Madekwe), lives with her husband Ian (Justin Salinger), and teenage children, Sebastian (Samuel Small) and Mary (Maria Almeida), in a nice house in an idyllic country town. But her carefully crafted upper-middle-class life begins to unravel with the arrival of two shadowy figures from her past, Abigail (BAFTA Award winner Bukky Bakray) and Marvin (Jorden Myrie).” The unsettling trailer sets an eerie tone.
Smile – Prime Video (February 24)
Sosie Bacon stars in Paramount Pictures Presents in Association with Paramount Players A Temple Hill Production “SMILE.”
Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) begins to suffer horrific visions after witnessing a patient commit suicide, and the terror quickly escalates. The more Rose realizes time is running short as something is closing in around her, the more others become convinced she’s unwell. Writer/Director Parker Finn presents some interesting and frequently familiar ideas about trauma and its insidious, parasitic nature on our psyche, using horror effectively to convey it. If you missed it during its theatrical release and subsequent Paramount+ run, Smile is soon available on Prime Video, alongside Halloween Ends (on February 14) and Beast (on February 7).
We Have a Ghost – Netflix (February 24)
We Have A Ghost. (L to R) Isabella Russo as Joy, Jahi Winston as Kevin, David Harbour as Ernest in We Have A Ghost. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
Up next from Happy Death Day and Freaky director Christopher Landon is the Amblin-style family adventure, We Have a Ghost, starring David Harbour as the funny ghost in question. In the film, “Finding a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home turns Kevin’s family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest go rogue to investigate the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA.” It sounds like fun paranormal hijinks that the whole family can enjoy.
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