Quarantine and Chills

In the midst of this heartbreaking pandemic, here's a small playlist of entertaining distractions that'll keep your pulse pounding

There are quite a number of horror heavy-hitters and classics available for your streaming pleasure at the moment. Netflix currently has titles like "Candyman", "Child's Play", "The Evil Dead", "Final Destination" and "Rosemary's Baby" while Hulu has acclaimed haunts like "28 Days Later", "A Quiet Place" and "The Descent". There are also a stockpile of formidable suspense films between the two. With lockdown initiatives sweeping the country, now may be the perfect time to curl up on the couch and let some movies scare away the cabin fever.

Annihilation (Hulu and Amazon Prime Video)

Alex Garland's follow-up to his Oscar award-winning directoral debut "Ex Machina" is another twisted thinkpiece. This mind-bending sci-fi adventure follows a research team (headed by Natalie Portman) as they journey into a mysterious area that's been ground zero for alien contact. While brainier than the average horror flick, make no mistake, it presents some truly disturbing scenarios and memorably creepy visuals. There's no hulking, homicidal space insectoids or head-hunting predators, but it leaves you asking some existential questions about man's own appetite for destruction and honestly, that's more terrifying.

Cop Car (Netflix and Amazon Prime Video)

While director Jon Watts is frying much bigger fish these days (like helming "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home"), he cut his teeth with films like 2014's "Clown" and this slick, low budget thriller. Two mischievous young men (Hays Wellford and James Freedson-Jackson) run away from home and after coming across the titular abandoned vehicle, they decide to take it for a joyride. Unbeknownst to them, it belongs to a particularly corrupt sheriff (Kevin Bacon) with a surprise in the trunk. It's a tense, harrowing and engrossing affair that makes expert use of its simplistic premise.

Freaks (Netflix and Amazon Prime Video)

This import comes to us by way of Canada and boy, is it a doozy. The story follows Chloe (Lexy Kolker) and her father Henry (Emile Hirsch), who live isolated from the world. Henry has convinced Chloe her very life depends on never going outside and doggedly instills paranoia within her. Naturally, she longs to leave the house and things take a turn when she finally gets her wish. I'll stop there to keep from spoiling anything, as it's best to watch this one blind. Written and directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, this genre mashup is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Gerald's Game (Netflix)

Before directing the excellent "Doctor Sleep", horror auteur Mike Flanagan took a crack at another Stephen King property that was once thought to be unfilmable. This Netflix original stars Bruce Greenwood as Gerald and Carla Gugino as Jessie, his doting wife. The two plan a getaway at their summer home and look to spice up their marriage. Said spice slips from steamy roleplay into an uncomfortable bondage and rape fantasy, but before Gerald can uncuff his bride from their bed, he drops dead. With no way to free herself and no one coming to help her, Jessie wrestles with her sanity in search of survival. Thematically, it balances a lot and as is the case with several King properties, the ending gets away from it a little bit, but it's a taut, well-acted thrill-ride with a gnarly climactic payoff.

Pilgrim (Hulu)

Most of the other movies listed prey on psychological fears or, at the very least, offer their thrills with a side of substance. This, however, has none of that. It's a schlocky black comedy that gets points for being unapologetically grisly. Brought to us by the minds behind the latter half of the "Saw" franchise, "The Collector" and "The Collection" (Marcus Dunston and Patrick Melton), this installment of Hulu's "Into the Dark" series is a violent romp about a family that hosts a group of extremely committed pilgrim "actors" to recreate the first Thanksgiving. While Turkey Day feels like an eternity from now, this slice of holiday horror may be just what the doctor ordered if you're looking for some guilty pleasure gore.

Train to Busan (Netflix and Amazon Prime Video)

This Korean zombie film is one of the most well-rounded action-horror movies of the past decade. It's packed with tension and emotion, as it follows a father (Gong Yoo), daughter (Kim Su-an) and other passengers during their trek to Busan in the middle of an outbreak. It knows when to ramp up the excitement, when to sprinkle in bits of levity and when to tug at the heartstrings; which isn't a winning combination you often find in films like this. However, here it works in spades. If you have a problem with subtitles, that's a shame. Regardless, the performances shine through crystal clear and breathe life into an apocalyptic thriller that could have been dead on arrival in the hands of lesser talent.