Winter is still a hideous bitch goddess. So, when the snow rolls in, and the ice falls from the sky, and pillars of Heaven shake, it’s always nice to be able to curl up in a ball in the couch and just chill with the Flix. So, to make your selection ritual go a little smoother this time of year, here’s This Guy’s Top 10 “hidden gems” on Netflix!

 

1. The Trip To Italy

The Trip follows reluctant friends Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as they travel the country, writing about fancy cuisine along the way. Originally a miniseries, The Trip was essentially just an excuse for Coogan and Brydon to screw around and do random impressions at each other while eating noisily. The series was eventually edited down to feature-length, and the result is a highly concentrated dose of hilarity with a side order of beautiful food to look at. The second season, set in Italy, has also been similarly condensed, and is now one of the funniest and most enjoyable buddy movies on Netflix, featuring two funnymen who refuse to accept that they’re at their best when together.

 

2. The Girl With All The Gifts

Netflix has no shortage of shitty zombie movies. But occasionally you can strike gold if you dig a little deeper through the rotting flesh. In a post-apocalyptic Britain, a number of children are kept in cells, and studied every day by a crack team of military scientists. But these are not ordinary children. They’re inhabited by a sentient fungal infection that can turn them into bloodthirsty monsters at a moment’s notice. The movie takes no time to pick up, and throw our heroes out into a wilderness to which they’re no longer acclimated. The acting is solid, the action sudden and brutal, and it has a strangely thought-provoking message for a zombie flick.

 

3. What We Do In The Shadows

Spinal Tap, Best In Show, What We Do In The Shadows. The holy trinity of mockumentaries. From Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Concords) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), this inside look at a trio of New Zealand vampires is blood-curdlingly hilarious. It borrows inspiration from all the greats, from Bram Stoker to Anne Rice, and even The Lost Boys. And it’s the first time a vampire-werewolf rivalry has been entertaining or fresh in like a decade.

 

4. Hush

Directed by Mike Flanagan (whose Netflix original Gerald’s Game was one of the best of 2017), Hush finds Maddie, a young author living in her isolated house in the woods (because why not?). Maddie is deaf, and this becomes a pretty significant disadvantage when she’s suddenly besieged by a masked psycho who decides to play an evil game with her. This Guy’s not usually one to fall for horror flicks with a gimmick, but Hush executes it just so damn well. The terror is genuine and effective because, just like Maddie, we are at the killer’s mercy. And the lack of dialogue in the film works to create a constant sense of tension.

 

5. What Happened To Monday/7 Sisters

Few actors can manage to pull off multiple roles in one film. In What Happened To Monday, Noomi Rapace manages seven! While she’s not always picking award winners, she is quickly cementing herself as a superbly well-rounded actress, comfortable in thrillers, dramas, and as an action star. This dystopian Netflix original takes place in a future ravaged by overpopulation. So, a new law limits families to one child only. Any siblings are taken away and put into cryo-sleep in hopes of a more plentiful future. In this Orwellian nightmare, seven sisters find themselves targeted by powerful forces after one of their number goes missing. It’s a unique spin on an old story, but Rapace’s presence and the intense action make it well worth the watch.

 

6. Train To Busan

Train To Busan starts off as your average family drama. Absenteee workaholic dad, cynical daughter who’s just so done with his shit. But when a wounded woman boards their train, an infection quickly spreads, turning the passengers into mindless zombies. All the train can do is try and choo-choo it’s way to Busan, and hopefully safety, while the passengers are forced to fight for their lives, and this father has to put aside his selfish nature to protect his daughter. Few zombie flicks can evoke tears from its audience, but like all types of horror and melodrama, Koreans just do zombies right. The movie has real scares, tense chases, and snappy dialogue. Plus, Sang-hwa (not the lead, but a strong side character) is the hero we all wish we’d be during the apocalypse.

 

7. Colossal

Colossal is not remotely the kind of film This Guy was expecting it to be. What looked like a bit of a goofy offbeat comedy, turned out to be a thoughtful character study. . . against the backdrop of a giant monster attacking Seoul. Anne Hathaway stars as a deeply troubled woman. Her boyfriend leaves her when he decides he can’t handle her drinking problem anymore, so she moves back to her hometown to try and get herself back on track, with the help of a childhood friend (Jason Sudeikis in probably the best performance of his career). She soon finds herself mysteriously connected to the giant beast spotted halfway across the world, and her own personal demons begin bubbling to the surface. This Guy can’t say too much more without giving away the whole bag, but trust him, it’s definitely worth a look.

 

8. The Resurrection of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts

Now, this one could hit close to home for a lot of us. Many kids of the 90s grew up with Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts in the WWF, terrorizing his opponents with deadly charisma, and his pet, Damian. But, the demons got a bad hold of Roberts, and he’s spent a large chunk of his life and career dealing with substance abuse and depression. This heart-wrenching, but also  uplifting documentary, follows Robert’s friend and fellow wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page, as he attempts to help Roberts get clean and healthy again. It’s a wonderful story about friendship, forgiveness, self-reflection, and conquering your own past to make your own future. It also features a ton of old WWF/E footage, and interviews with various superstars and industry legends.

 

9. Snowpiercer

And another example of Koreans just being the best at cinematic weirdness. Bong Joon-ho, director of The Host (awesome monster movie, not shitty teen romance movie), concocts a terrifically visceral, claustrophobic journey from one end of a train to the other. Sounds simple. Sure. But this train is home to the last remnants of humanity after a worldwide catastrophe. The poor and sick inhabit the tail of the train, while the rich and powerful are at the front. Soon, Curtis, a tail resident, leads an armed uprising to take the engine, and therefore control of the train. Chris Evans, Ed Harris, and Tilda Swinton all turn in powerhouse performances, and the in-your-case message of class warfare never distracts from the awesome story being told.

 

10. Monsters

Some fans gave Gareth Edwards a lot of flak for his take on Godzilla, that was light on the monster, and heavy on the disposable humans. His earlier film Monsters proves that you can make an effective monster flick in this style, provided the characters you choose to focus on are actually compelling on their own, and the world you put them in is engaging. Monsters finds a young journalist in Mexico, tasked with finding his boss’s daughter and escorting her back to US soil, in the midst of a spreading alien invasion. The pair must rely on each other to make the dangerous trip north, all the while discovering hidden truths about themselves, their world, and the creatures they’re running from. It’s an awesome independent movie, and an intimate monster flick. Keep an eye out for its cartoony cover on Netflix.