August 1st is World Wide Web Day, so it’s only fitting to celebrate by streaming a few horror movies whose plots couldn’t happen without the internet. Here are 11 internet related horror movies!
1) Unfriended (2014)
A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead friend.
From what I’ve seen online, not many people seem to enjoy Unfriended, but I did. It’s not perfect, and makes some odd choices, but it’s a unique and creepy watch, especially if you watch it on a computer, alone, in the dark, like I did the first time I saw it.
Available to stream on Netflix
2) Unfriended Dark Web (2018)
A teen comes into possession of a new laptop and soon discovers that the previous owner is not only watching him, but will also do anything to get it back.
If you aren’t a fan of the first Unfriended movie, I can live with that. I won’t even try to sway your opinion on it, or ask for details on why you don’t, because I get it. For the sequel though… I LOVE Unfriended Dark Web. Calling it a sequel, doesn’t even feel right. Dark Web has about as much in common with it’s predecessor as it does any other movie on this list. It follows all new characters on a completely different storyline. One big reason why so many people dislike Unfriended is due to the paranormal element of the film. Well, that’s nowhere to be seen in Dark Web. The dark web is something we’ve all heard of but in reality probably know very little about. There are tons of scary stories and conspiracy theories about what goes on on the dark web, but the truth is we don’t really have any clue what does, which just makes it all the more scary. Seeing Unfriended: Dark Web in theaters was such a cool and unique experience because the released it with two different endings, and you didn’t know which one you were going to get. It truly made going to see the movie in theaters an event. Also, the movie has a Dead character and ASL in it, so that just makes me love it 10x more.
Available to stream on FX Now
3) Cam (2018)
Alice, an ambitious camgirl, wakes up one day to discover she’s been replaced on her show with an exact replica of herself.
While I have yet to see this Netflix original, it’s not because I don’t want to. While most of the movies on this list seem to have pretty similar stories, Cam’s story seems to be extremely unique, and reminds me of something you could see on another Netflix original, Black Mirror.
Available to stream on Netflix
4) The Den (2013)
While studying the habits of web cam chat users from the apparent safety of her own home, a young woman’s life begins to spiral out of control after witnessing a grisly murder online.
I featured ‘The Den’ in the first article I wrote for The Horror Syndicate in April of 2016, Horror Musts On Netflix, it being the first entry in my list! Back then, I said it was eerie, and that even though I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, I enjoyed the movie overall. In the time that has passed, I haven’t made my way back around to The Den again, so I can’t say I remember much of it. My positive feeling about The Den overall definitely overshadowed any negative thoughts I had about parts of the story, because I honestly don’t even remember what the thing I didn’t like was, which I’d say is a good thing.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime, and Vudu
5) Untraceable (2008)
FBI agent Jennifer Marsh is tasked with hunting down a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. As time runs out, the cat and mouse chase becomes more personal.
This may be the least “horror”-y movie on this least, it’s more of a dramatic, crime, thriller, but you shouldn’t let that make you write it off. It has so many intense, and creepy moments, topped with some insane kills, with Diane Lane, Collin Hanks, and Billy Burke leading the way.
Available to stream on Starz
6) FearDotCom (2002)
A New York City detective investigates mysterious deaths occurring 48 hours after users log onto a site named feardotcom.
FearDotCom is the oldest movie on the list, and is the only one that doesn’t have to do with a social site. This is another one I have yet to see, but the trailer makes it seem like a mix between the Saw movies, and the previous entry in this list, Untraceable.
Available to stream for free, with ads, on Vudu and Tubi tv
7) Cry Wolf (2005)
Eight unsuspecting high school seniors at a posh boarding school, who delight themselves on playing games of lies, come face-to-face with terror and learn that nobody believes a liar – even when they’re telling the truth.
Most of the films on this list are more recent, and are shot in a more ‘found footage’ type of way that really puts you inside the movie. Cry Wolf is another earlier release in this list, and is presented in a more basic movie format. It was released in 2005, just a couple of years after MySpace was created. I haven’t seen Cry Wolf, but it’s on my list. The trailer gives me similar vibes to the Scream and Urban Legend movies.
Available to stream on Hulu
8) Host (2020)
Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong.
Host is a Shudder original that was made, and released last summer during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and even takes place during quarantine as well. Even though it’s been just over a year since it was released, the buzz on it hasn’t stopped!
Available to stream on Shudder
9) Searching (2018)
After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.
Searching is another movie on the list that may not have as many horror elements in it as you want, again being more of a thriller, but it is the most realistic movie on the list, which in my opinion could make it the scariest. Searching keeps you on the edge of your seat. Most of the films hear really only show how these technologies can be harmful, making them the villain of the stories. While that is still a large part of Searching, it also show’s how helpful it can be as well.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime, and Vudu
10) Tragedy Girls (2017)
A twist on the slasher genre, following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-western town into a frenzy, and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.
Tragedy Girls is a horror comedy that has been compared to the cult classic, Heathers. If you watch the trailer, the similarities are clear; it just updates the basic premise of Heathers with the inclusion of technology, kind of how the 2013 remake of Carrie did for that story, except Tragedy Girls focuses even more on the new technological components.
Available to stream on Hulu
11) Untitled Horror Movie (2021)
A comedy about making a horror movie. When six co-stars learn their hit TV show is about to be canceled, they decide to shoot their own film, unintentionally summoning a spirit with an affinity for violence.
Like Host, Untitled Horror Movie was made during the pandemic last year. Even though Untitled Horror Movie is self described as a comedy, to me, the trailer makes it seem very similar to the way Scream is called a comedy, and pokes fun at the tropes of the horror genre. However, Meggy, my partner in crime for our ‘women in horror’ zine, Fright Like A Girl, did say it was very funny, so that makes me think it is in fact more like Scary Movie, then Scream. If that is the case, I think the trailer should show more of the comedic elements. Nevertheless, the trailer does make me very intrigued. Meggy’s complete review of the film on Letterboxd reads, “Super impressed this was filmed by everyone on their own devices in the middle of quarantine/the pandemic. Super funny, needed a little more horror but definitely enjoyed it.”
Available to rent on Amazon Prime, and Vudu
There were a handful of films on this list that I haven’t seen yet, but am dying to. It’ll be hard to pick which of them I should watch to celebrate World Wide Web Day. Which ones are you picking?
