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The 10 best straight-to-DVD films on Netflix

The 10 best straight-to-DVD films on Netflix
Settle in (Pictures: Rex/Netflix)

The term straight-to-DVD may conjure up images of lame sequels featuring none of the original cast, brainless B-movies starring action heroes well past their prime and A-listers slumming it in generic thrillers for an easy pay check.

But not every film that has completely bypassed UK cinemas is necessarily a total stinker.

From cult comedies to home invasion horrors, here’s a look at 10 of the best titles on Netflix (ignoring all the Netflix originals), which have only ever been possible to watch from the comfort of your own home.

Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil

Horror comedy is one of the toughest sub-genres to pull off, but director Eli Craig is fast becoming a master at it.

Several years before helming the recent Netflix original Little Evil, the son of legendary actress Sally Field delivered both laughs and shocks in equal measure with this amusing tale of two harmless hillbillies mistaken for deranged killers by a group of college students.

Creep 2

Not to be confused with the London underground horror of the same name, 2014 found footage Creep (also available on Netflix) certainly lived up to its name thanks to a hugely unnerving performance from Mark Duplass as the kind of poster that gives Craigslist a bad name.

Duplass’ deranged serial killer returns for this similarly low-key sequel, only this time the videographer he’s hired to document his every move is a little more clued-up and a little tougher to crack.

The One I Love

Mark Duplass also stars here, alongside recent Golden Globe winner Elisabeth Moss, in an indie romance that becomes increasingly subversive and surreal.

Here, a couple on the verge of a break-up head to a secluded getaway in order to give their marriage one last chance, only to discover that they have some strange yet all-too-familiar company.

Coherence

However, The One I Love looks entirely conventional compared to this under-rated mind-bender from first-time director James Ward Byrkit.

Filmed on a budget of just $50,000, Coherence focuses on a group of eight friends who begin to experience strange things during a dinner party, which was rudely interrupted by a passing comet.

Advantageous

Tackling themes of education, ageism and sexism, Sundance hit Advantageous also makes up for what it lacks in budget with ideas .

The 2015 indie sees Jacqueline Kim’s affluent biomedical worker agree to a drastic and dangerous procedure in order to stay young and keep herself and her daughter in the lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to.

Hush

One of the most effective home invasion horrors of recent years, this 2016 release from the prolific Blumhouse Productions breathed new life into the genre thanks to an intriguing premise and an inspired use of sound effects.

Katie Siegel delivers a magnetic performance as a deaf author who must fight for her life when her isolated home in the woods comes under attack from a masked killer.

Wet Hot American Summer

Starring a whole host of future A-listers (Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks), Wet Hot American Summer flopped hard on its US release in 2001, and subsequently failed to make it to UK cinemas at all.

Of course, the parody of 1980s sex comedies has since developed a reputation as a cult classic and spawned not just one but two spin-off Netflix series.

If you’ve set to see what all the fuss is about, then be prepared for a surreal mix of madcap characters, deliberately overblown melodrama and talking vegetable cans.

Miss Stevens

Released in 2016, this charming indie is an opportunity to see Timothee Chalamet prior to his breakthrough performance in Call Me By Your Name.

The Oscar nominee plays a teenage delinquent who heads out on a road trip to a drama competition with two fellow students and a teacher (played by American Horror Story’s Lily Rabe) who recognises his potential.

Would You Rather?

If the recent Saw reboot has reignited your interest in all things torture porn, you could do worse than check out 2013’s Would You Rather?

Pitch Perfect’s Brittany Snow, the late John Heard, former adult actress Sasha Grey and Oscar-nominated octogenarian June Squibb all make for unlikely co-stars in an entertainingly gruesome spin on the titular party game.

Before I Fall

This adaptation of Lauren Oliver’s same-named novel took $16m at the US box office to become one of last year’s highest-grossing indie movies, but never made it to cinemas on this side of the Atlantic.

Starring Zoey Deutch (Why Him?) as a teen forced to relive the day she and her friends appear to die in a car crash every day for a week, this slightly morbid tale is a surprisingly poignant watch, which proves to be a cut above your usual young adult fare.

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