5 Great Indie Horror Movies You Should Watch Right Now

With the mainstream success of "It" and "Happy Death Day," and the endless discussion of "mother!," horror movies from big studios are all the rage these days. They're armed with ample budgets, packed with terrific actors, and aim to give you the biggest scares. But there are just as many frights to be found in indie cinema or on demand. The following are just as spooky, but without all that studio polish. It makes them just a tiny bit more dangerous than what you'd get at the multiplex.

'Jungle' (2017)

Few horror survivor tales are actually true stories, but "Jungle" is. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as a man who gets separated from his friends after an accident. It just so happens that he's in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, where just about everything can kill you. Directed by Greg McLean, the Australian horror auteur behind this year's underrated "The Belko Experiment," the film has a rawness and visceral excitement that is unparalleled. At least, for all your nervousness while watching, you know that he at least gets out.

'Creep 2' (2017)

Back in 2014, Patrick Brice debuted "Creep" at South by Southwest and it was an instant favorite. A wacky mash-up of cultish comedy and found footage horror, it starred Mark Duplass as a goofy loner who could also possibly be a serial killer. If you'd ever wondered what the unholy mash-up of "What About Bob?" and "The Blair Witch Project" would look like, well, tah-da! Quickly, plans were constructed for a trilogy of films and the second entry is finally here. In "Creep 2" a video artist (Desiree Akhavan) goes to interview a man claiming to be a serial killer (Duplass). More weirdness ensues.

'78/52' (2017)

A documentary in the vein of "Room 237," "78/52" takes a look at the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's immortal classic "Psycho." (The title comes from the 78 camera set-ups required for the sequence and the 52 cuts contained within.) While there is some unnecessary fluff, the documentary contains a number of fascinating interview subjects, everyone from Guillermo del Toro to Bret Easton Ellis to the woman who served as Janet Leigh's body double. (Herself the subject of Robert Graysmith's amazing nonfiction book, "The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower.") It's as big a thrill to watch this sequence get deconstructed as it is watching the sequence itself.

'Tragedy Girls' (2017)

The post-modern slasher film gets a much-needed facelift in "Tragedy Girls," which follows a pair of social media-obsessed teens (Alexandra Shipp and Brianna Hildebrand) who also happen to be serial killers. When their small town is beset by grisly slayings, the girls end up capturing the serial killer and then take his place, all the while gaining social media attention (the likes just keep coming!) It's funny and scary in all the right places; it is as much a girl-power coming-of-age tale as it is a gruesome slasher movie.

'Super Dark Times' (2017)

Another coming-of-age gem that also happens to be something of a horror film, "Super Dark Times" is set in the mid-'90s and follows a group of friends who get into some very big trouble. If anything this is a cautionary tale for what happens when you mix casual marijuana use with childhood curiosity. In this case, it's when these kids get into an older brother's stash, steal a samurai sword, and the rest is (very violent) history. A tale of guilt and regret but also of what it means to age and discover who you are, "Super Dark Times" is original and audacious.