Netflix Adds 2022 Horror Movie Fresh From Theaters
It may almost be January, but Netflix's streaming library is getting a jumpstart on spooky season. Over Christmas weekend, the streamer's horror catalog bulked up with a surprising new addition, with the 2022 film The Invitation joining the lineup on Saturday, Dec. 24, just months after its theatrical release.
Directed by Jessica M. Thompson from a screenplay by Blair Butler, and inspired by Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, The Invitation centers around Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel's Evelyn "Evie" Jackson. Following her mother's death, she reconnects with long-lost family members, only to discover the dark secrets they carry with them. Along with Emmanuel, the film stars Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Courtney Taylor, Hugh Skinner, and Sean Pertwee. The movie was released in theaters on Aug. 26 and has gone on to score a 25% critics rating and a 60% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Invitation's addition to Netflix came as part of Netflix's first window deal with Sony.
The film marks a notable addition to Netflix's content catalog, which has caught some flak from subscribers online over its lack of decent horror titles. In fact, in recent months, a number of popular horror titles have exited the streaming library, including several films from The Conjuring franchise, The Exorcist, and the latest seasons of American Horror Story, among many others.
There's clearly a desire for more horror options on the streaming platform. While The Invitation has only been streaming on Netflix in the U.S. for a handful of days, the film is already making its mark. The movie currently ranks as the second-most-popular film currently streaming on the platform, and it only falls behind Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. It comes ahead of titles including Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical, After Ever Happy, and Dreamworks Trolls. It is unclear how many viewing hours it has enjoyed, though Glass Onion clocked 82.1 million hours watched during its first weekend of streaming.
Interested in more horror options on Netflix? While the streamer may not have the most impressive horror catalog, it does still have a few must-watch titles. Director Mike Flanagan's 2016 movie Hush offers two hours of "seat-clutching terror," and Netflix's own Fear Street trilogy gained plenty of traction when the films were released back in 2021. You can check out PopCulture.com's guide to the best horror movies streaming on Netflix by clicking here.