Netflix lands revered 2023 horror movie with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes

Hayley Erin in New Life.
(Image credit: Vertigo)

Looking for something new to watch on Netflix that isn't an original from the streamer? Well if you live in the UK, you need to watch a new indie horror movie from 2023 which was just added and may be one of the best movies on Netflix.

This movie is called New Life, and it was added to Netflix UK's library on Sunday, September 1. If you live in the US, you can watch it by renting or buying it digitally, and it's not on any streaming service.

New Life is about a woman on the run, played by Hayley Erin, who wants to escape across the Canadian border. She's near but an agent called Elsa Gray (Sonya Walger) is close on her tail, and as their paths cross an illness changes the scop of their interaction. To say any more would be a spoiler.

It's fair to say that New Life is an undiscovered gem. It polls at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with many excited reviews praising its fresh tone and growing sense of dread, with an audience score a fair bit lower at 70%. However there's a good chance that you haven't heard of the movie.

That's because New Life is an indie movie, not made by a studio, and so it saw a relatively modest digital release. This was in 2023 in the US, and it took until 2024 for it to be available to watch in the UK — again this was on digital, so you'd need to know the movie exists to watch it.

New Life's release on Netflix will almost definitely bring it to countless new viewers, because the streamer cut its teeth with low-budget horrors for many years and it's still what draws many subscribers to the service.

That's doubly true due to the fact that Netflix UK has fairly few new movies in September 2024. Usually, each month starts with a bunch of new additions on the first day, but this time around New Life is one of the few new features gracing the platform. 

So if you're a fan of horror or thrillers, maybe New Life is what you need to watch on Netflix this weekend (or week, whenever you want to watch a horror movie!). It's also worth flagging that the movie clocks in at just shy of 90 minutes, so it's a great watch for people who don't like longer films!

Tom Bedford
Streaming and Ecommerce Writer

Tom is the streaming and ecommerce writer at What to Watch, covering streaming services in the US and UK. His goal is to help you navigate the busy and confusing online video market, to help you find the TV, movies and sports that you're looking for without having to spend too much money.