Halloween may be behind us, but horror movies have no limit on enjoyment. As one of the most prolific and profitable subgenres in cinema, audiences are always in the mood for some spooky scaries. Fortunately, thanks to the accessibility of streaming services, places like Netflix are home to a plethora of chilling choices. Between original offerings and licensed titles, there’s a horror movie for anyone and everyone. To get you started, we’ve tracked down some of the must-see horror titles currently available to stream on Netflix.
Oh, and when you're done here, be sure to also check out our list of the Best Horror Movies of All Time.
Please note: This list pertains to U.S. Netflix subscribers. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms. This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Netflix and to include more horror movies that are now available on the service.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
If it weren’t for the Child’s Play movies, A Nightmare On Elm Street would be my favorite of the evergreen horror franchise. Everything starts with Wes Craven’s original, where Robert Englund asserts himself as the snide dreamland killer. The gloves, the perfect shot when he outreaches his arms to create a Stretch Armstrong shadow effect, his laugh — Englund is so good from the jump as Freddy Krueger. A Nightmare On Elm Street has what it takes to spawn something bigger than even a horror legacy. Freddy Kruger’s looming presence over pop culture at large is a testament to the terror Craven instigates in this spectacularly original slasher.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
As far as Elm Street sequels go, Freddy's Revenge is an underrated continuation. The kills are solid, Robert Englund stays atop his game, and director Jack Sholder does a stellar job keeping the tone set by Wes Craven alive. However, it's become more infamous over the years for different reasons. Mark Patton's performance as Jesse Walsh injects a homoerotic subtext that was unheard of in horror back in 1985. Watch the documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street to hear the whole story. The now-out Patton tells how the reception to Freddy's Revenge affected his career and life, making for one of the better horror documentaries in recent years.
Thanksgiving (2023)
If I’m being honest, part of me thought we’d never see a feature-length version of Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving. Kudos to the slasher filmmaker for pressing studios to make Thanksgiving until Spyglass Media Group finally caved, rewarding patient fans with a Massachusetts massacre that carves with the best of ‘em. Roth sells every delicious Thanksgiving detail and indulges holiday horror accents, utilizing everything from pilgrim costumes to corn cob holders to parade floats at ramming speed. It’s a hybrid slasher that updates the subgenre for modern tastes while remaining dedicated to the splattery golden age of horror violence, finding that sweet spot between storytelling and grotesqueries. I’ll be in line for seconds, thirds, and more if allowed.
Backcountry (2014)
Adam MacDonald’s Backcountry does for hiking what Jaws does for beaches. The film is loosely based on the true story of a 2005 bear attack, which only makes MacDonald’s recreation that much more horrifying. Jeff Roop and Missy Peregrym play an “urban couple” who go camping in the wilderness, bicker about directions, and a man-eating bear ruins their trip. MacDonald keeps it simple and executes with precision, delivering an animal attack film that’s impossibly intense. Backcountry requires so little to make you fear the great outdoors, featuring one of the gnarliest bear encounters put to screen.
X (2022)
Ti West might have driven a stake to the heart of horror’s major “Trauma Horror” movement that became popular after Hereditary. X is not only a tremendous original slasher, but one that defied popular studio approaches to horror filmmaking. All eyes are on Mia Goth as aspiring adult film star Maxine and elderly farm owner Pearl, playing both protagonist and antagonist with ease. It’s a throwback slasher under the scorching Texas heat with contemporary mindsets that highlight bodily autonomy and sex work, proving how the slasher subgenre can thrive by today’s socially conscious standards. Would we even have last year’s Thanksgiving if X didn’t prove that mainstream audiences are still hungry for slashers that aren’t tied to famous franchises?
Resident Evil (2002)
Paul W. S. Anderson's Resident Evil might take liberties with Capcom's famous video game franchise, but that doesn't make it a failure. Milla Jovovich's Alice leads us into the zombified battleground of Umbrella's doomsday apocalypse, filled with T-Virus vials and salivating Lickers. Anderson's vision is an action-horror take on Resident Evil that's filled with excitement, and while it might be scarcer on terrifying scares, that matters less as Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, and other performers kick plenty of undead butts. Rest in peace, James Shade (played by Colin Salmon) — sliced and cubed by Umbrella's laser defense system and forever seared into my mind.
See our guide to the Resident Evil movies in order.
Malignant (2021)
If I didn’t put Malignant on this list, I feel like there’d be a riot. Jame Wan’s throwback to late 90s, early 00s horror where anything goes takes huge scripted swings on a studio budget. There’s bone-snapping action, gothic dread, Giallo lighting, and plenty of blood — a bit undefinable, but that’s why people love Malignant. In a time where horror’s so reliant on trends like haunted house crazes after The Conjuring or trauma-based storytelling after Hereditary, Malignant defies all expectations. Wan embraces camp, randomness, and unpredictability, which is so much fun to behold. Wan earned Malignant, and we deserve Malignant.
Insidious (2010)
The Conjuring might be James Wan’s best haunted house movie, but Insidious might be his scariest. Between The Further ghouls and “Tiptoe through the Tulips,” Wan proves a mastermind behind morphing the comforts of home into the devil’s playground. From Patrick Wilson to Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye to Leigh Whannell, Insidious is such an expertly cast horror movie that takes the familiar and makes it exceptional. We’re still talking about trailer shots like the red-faced demon behind Wilson because they’re that impressive, and that’s just in a few minute glimpse. The rest of the film keeps pace with ease, giving The Conjuring a run for its money.
The Meg (2018)
Hello! It’s me. An outspoken The Meg defender. I’m still baffled by its poor reception upon release. Maybe horror fans would have been more forgiving should the film have become an R-rated ocean of blood, but that’s wishful thinking. The Meg works well within its PG-13 confines as Jason Statham fights a megalodon, shows another dimension with cute romantic banter, and is more than just another of his action stereotype heroes. Plenty of shots convey how menacing and gigantic the titular “Meg” can be as nightmare fuel. Regarding summer shark attack flicks, The Meg is no guppie compared to the competition.
The Conference (2023)
Work sucks, but luckily The Conference doesn’t. It’s a furious “Worksploitation” slasher that puts a knife to the throat of scummy corporate culture. Kills all have a taste of the great outdoors since the film takes place at a woodland work retreat, from machetes through hammocks to a splashy jacuzzi death. The Swedish commentary on greedy business folk comes with a nasty savageness and cheeky workplace satires, comparable to other winning work retreat horror tales like Severance.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)
I won’t lie and say the 47 Meters Down sequel is better than 47 Meters Down. The original nails the basics of shark cinema like the best have in the past, which this sequel doesn’t try to match. Uncaged instead leans into the more B-Movie nature of fin flicks, turning the movie into an underwater slasher riff where the sharks are the killer. It’s the moment where a Great White sneaks up on a diver like Jason Voorhees lurking behind a counselor that won me over, so if you’re into a campier brand of aquatic horror, Unchanged should be on your list.
The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)
I won’t say The Pope’s Exorcist is a horror masterclass. I will say that The Pope’s Exorcist is more fun than you’d expect. The film understands that the least exciting part of most exorcism films is the exorcism itself, building this zany Vatican demmon-chasing world around Russell Crowe’s Father Gabriele Amorth. Expect more than just memeable moments of Crowe zipping around on his scooter. Like I said in my review, “Those who want something profound will be utterly doomed, while others who love to laugh through questionable pulp that aims to entertain might find more enlightenment than they expect.”
Circle (2015)
Clever indie filmmakers can make something out of nothing. Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione’s Circle is an excellent representation of that idea, about 50 people who wake up in a dark room arranged in a circular formation. The premise is simple: someone has to die every two minutes. That’s it. Hann and Miscione turn social experimentation into a thriller about characters arguing their point about why they should be the one who lives another round, relying on dialogue to sell the existential dread at the script’s core. Minimalism is the film’s secret ingredient: getting straight to the point and keeping a quick pace in a way that never loses our attention.
Lights Out (2016)
Before David F. Sandberg took on Annabelle and joined forces with Shazam, he gained notoriety for his short film Lights Out. The bite-sized thriller was so successful it spawned a feature film that’s filled with Scotophobia (fear of darkness), unleashing a monster that hides in the shadows. It’s filled with jump scares, but that’s alright because Sandberg executes them so well. Teresa Palmer anchors the spooky survival story as someone who must wield light like a weapon against the shadow-dwelling villain, leading to fantastic fear-first scenes where you’ll hold your breath.
Eli (2019)
Eli can feel like a horror movie Mad Libs as the story keeps evolving, but that becomes the film’s ultimate charm. It’s about a boy suffering from an auto-immune disease trapped in a quarantine environment who begins to ponder his imprisonment. The “Bubble Boy” beginning turns into a haunted house thriller that becomes an even crazier third act that I won’t spoil for you now. I’m not saying every big swing is successful, but I’ll go to bat for Eli as a horror film that loves to prove expectations wrong. Give me weird and wild over conventional any day — especially when you have the freedom of streaming releases over theatrical constraints.
Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight (2020)
In the mood for a 2020s Polish slasher created by lovers of 80s American horror trends? Bartosz M. Kowalski uses the campground massacre template to execute a contemporary slasher that feels as throwback as rereleases of Crystal Pepsi. It's a familiar brand of campers meeting gruesome fates one by one with a massive emphasis on practical effects, the goriest and most obscene of which become an overall saving grace. Kowalski aims to prove that Polish slashers can hack 'em up with the best of them, even if there's not much else to praise with the same enthusiasm. If you want blood, you've got it by the truckload.
Girls With Balls (2018)
It’s killer rednecks versus a championship volleyball squad in Girls With Balls. Expect a horror comedy with exploding heads and a musical cowboy acting as a narrator who sings about the gratuitous violence on screen. Don’t expect a brilliant subversion of gender tropes in slasher movies — Girls With Balls is an effects-heavy slaughter spree that doesn’t try to be anything else. International approaches to comedy make some jokes harder to laugh at stateside, so as long as you can focus on the balls-out aggression on screen, you should find entertainment in another bloody backwoods fight for survival.
The Block Island Sound (2020)
Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus summon a creepy coastal caper from the depths of Rhode Island waters. It’s more eerie than aggressive as multiple subgenres swirl together in this unsettling waterlogged mystery. You can expect psychological horror, eco-horror, aquatic horror, even possession horror as Block Island community members try to understand the unexplainable events washing upon their shores. The Block Island Sound weaponizes the idea of "siren songs," toys with out-of-body nightmares, and mixes a spoonful of grief into the batter as storytelling churns like a storm that won’t pass.
The Invitation (2022)
Is The Invitation worthy of standing alongside the best vampire movies of all time? Nah. Is it still Good Actually™, especially after being unfairly pegged as a pre-release dud due to a marketing campaign that wasn't as aggressive as prior summer horror releases? Absolutely. Ready or Not and a host of erotic vampire thrillers appear to lend influence, and while The Invitation is never as successful as its inspirations, it's still a worthwhile bloodsucker watch with gorgeous production designs primed to entertain as a choice weekend night Netflix pick.
Before I Wake (2016)
It’s the Mike Flanagan movie that gets talked about the least — in my experience — yet deserves the world. Flanagan does what he does best: tell a powerfully emotional story using fear, family, and creatures. Jacob Tremblay plays an adopted child who’s terrified of falling asleep because of a ghoulish figure known as “The Canker Man.” Butterflies and fantasy worlds don’t detail the scariest horror experience, as Flanagan leans on childhood imaginations that turn traumatic memories into inescapable boogeymen. Maybe it’s that softness of scare volumes — coupled with unfortunate studio bankruptcies that forced an unceremonious Netflix dump premiere — that caused such comparatively little fanfare over the years (considering Flanagan’s hype elsewhere). Hopefully my recommendation can help Before I Wake find new streaming life.
Under The Shadow (2016)
Babak Anvari’s Under the Shadow is a phenomenal cross section of national trauma invaded by nightmare demons. A family in war-torn Iran is plagued by visits from djinns as if exploding bombs outside and military threats weren’t enough. Anvari manipulates shadows and creates haunted architectures under Iraq-Iran conflict conditions, highlighting the terrors of both. There are some extremely effective scares and fresh deliveries of otherwise common fright-flick molds because, when in doubt, turn to international flavors for something original.
Incantation (2022)
Kevin Ko’s Taiwanese found footage flick Incantation speaks in clichés, but that doesn’t make them any less frightening. You’ll get a few good jolts as a mother must protect her daughter from evils she called upon by breaking religious taboos. Translation: foolish viral video ghost hunters defy the unknown and pay consequences both then and later. The script is murky on the camera’s rules regarding who is filming from a found footage sense and taboo happenings around the entity’s curse. Nevertheless, there’s an interesting concept around interactive found footage horror that smacks of the Ring franchise in its social media focuses, and you’ll yip a few scared noises — you could do way worse on Netflix.
Read our review of Incantation.
There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021)
Patrick Brice’s slasher adaptation accomplishes two massive feats for modern horror flicks: keeps us guessing and slaughters without restraint. It’s another film about teenagers getting sliced and diced by a masked killer, but it’s stylish and fierce enough to carve its own path. Situational misdirects keep audiences guessing who could be guilty of mass murder as characters point fingers while blood runneth everywhere from church confessional booths to aflame corn mazes. Don’t expect the next Scream or anything, just a solid contemporary slasher that succeeds when it matters most.
Coming Home In The Dark (2021)
Are you in the mood for something insufferably bleak and sweater-gnawing tense (meant as a compliment)? That’s Ozploitation flick Coming Home in the Dark. It’s a vacation tragedy that sees a family on a road trip who encounters the evilest of humans. It’s the epitome of wrong place, wrong time, and captures the ultimate parental horror of mothers and fathers trying to protect their children. There are no further cat-and-mouse complications — people are the real monsters of horror, no demons or supernatural entities needed.
Cargo (2017)
One of Netflix's first original horror films is still one of my favorites. Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke's Cargo stars Martin Freeman as a father traversing the Australian outback with his daughter — also, there are zombies. Think The Walking Dead as an undead film that's more about its human characters facing survival drama than zombie action, except this one packs sturdy emotional stakes. Freeman's traveler encounters psychos, ferocious walkers, and weather elements that add thrills to Cargo, but what's unexpected is how a baby doesn't weigh the narrative down. Child subplots in horror are a tricky formula to crack that Cargo gets right, as the fears of protective parents translate into a hearty zombie experience.
Read our review of Cargo.
The Babysitter (2017)
Does The Babysitter indulge McG’s tendencies as a director who loves popular needle drops and quotes pop culture like a middle schooler who discovered HBO? Yes. Is it also written by Brian Duffield of Spontaneous fame — a magnificent young adult dark comedy – and does it star modern scream queen in the making, Samara Weaving? Thankfully, these saving graces play into McG’s bounce-about take on horrific humor as a child realizes his babysitter is performing a cult ritual while mom and dad are out for the night. A supporting cast including Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Hana Mae Lee, and Andrew Bachelor all have their moments subverting specific “hunted home alone” tropes — still, The Babysitter is Samara Weaving’s showcase. Tune in, share some laughs, soak in a devilish Weaving performance, and check out Netflix’s funniest spooky original so far.
Read our review of The Babysitter.
The Ritual (2017)
Netflix's original horror game rose to another level with The Ritual, David Bruckner's directorial debut outside segments in The Signal, V/H/S, and Southbound. Four friends take a northern Swedish hiking trip in memory of their deceased fifth, only to become victims of a woodland nightmare. Visions begin by layering psychological horror as the characters confront fears or guilt, then cultism adds communal dread, and lastly, Bruckner delivers on creature-feature goods. One source of terror feeds into the next and provokes future traumas, all interconnected as Bruckner weaves in and out of multiple horror subgenres with ease. There's so much to enjoy as Swedish forestation becomes an isolated outdoor prison, and then all hell breaks loose. Bruckner flaunts his filmmaking chops in a significant way.
Blood Red Sky (2021)
Peter Thorwarth’s Blood Red Sky boils down to vampires on a plane — but not like the SYFY channel throwaway such a title suggests. Nadja (Peri Baumeister) is a bloodsucking mother whose only motivation is to keep her son alive from hijackers who want to crash a commercial flight. It’s far tenser and emotionally comprehensive than expected, staying far away from being another Snakes on a Plane knockoff. Performances are substantial, whether gruff terrorists or ferocious mothers, while intensity drives home an action-horror experience like airliner blockbuster Non-Stop but with more sucked blood. It's a solid vampire movie worth your time.
Crimson Peak (2015)
If you can't make it out to a theater to check out Nightmare Alley yet, or are just looking for the perfect follow up after seeing Guillermo del Toro's latest, the impeccable Crimson Peak is the perfect film for you. One of the most gorgeous films in a man whose entire filmography is known for how jaw droppingly stunning, it is features incredible performances from Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain. This hauntingly human story will keep you guessing as supernatural forces seem to swirl around Edith Cushing and Sir Thomas Sharpe.
Apostle (2018)
Director Gareth Evans did not come to play with the gorgeous and gory Apostle. While the Netflix original is several years old at this point, it still feels like this one never got the attention it quite deserved. Before the era where Netflix original films were super prevalent, Apostle follows Thomas Richardson (played by none other than Dan Stephens) as he seeks out to rescue his sister from a strange, secluded cult.
#Alive (2020)
No one does a zombie movie quite like South Korea, and #Alive is one of the absolute best. A video game streamer decides to lock himself in his apartment while a zombie outbreak destroys the surrounding city of Seoul, but just as he’s losing all hope, he discovers that his neighbor in the apartment across from him is also still alive. The two create a zipline to share food, and share walkie-talkies to communicate with one another, while zombies terrorize the world outside of their walls. It’s a film as much about the human need for interaction as it is about survival, and the constant threat of zombies keeps keeps every moment filled with exhilarating tension.
Creep (2014)
Fans of POV/found footage horror films, rejoice, because Creep is one of the best in this style. In Patrick Brice’s directorial debut, Creep follows a filmmaker named Aaron who answers a strange man named Josef’s online ad to film him for the day, the final request of a man claiming to be dying of cancer hoping to make a video for his unborn child. Upon arrival, Aaron realizes that there’s something super weird about Josef and with the camera constantly rolling, we witness the absurdity and danger in store for Aaron. Come for the wild as hell Mark Duplass performance, stay for the Peachfuzz mask. If you love it, Netflix also has the sequel — Creep 2.
The Fear Street Trilogy
Leigh Janiak was the talk of the summer when Netflix dropped the cinematic trilogy based on the popular book series by “Goosebumps” author R.L. Stine, Fear Street. The Fear Street trilogy brought three separate movies to tell one cohesive story about the cursed town of Shadyside and the inhabitants impacted by generational horror. Each film is predominantly set in a different time period, delivering a little treat for fans of slashers, hauntings, teen horror, queer horror, and folk horror. The three films work best when watched all together, but each film can successfully stand on its own, making it a must-see trilogy.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game was considered to be his “unfilmable” work, but if anyone is capable of proving King wrong, it’s Mike Flanagan. The man behind The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, Hush, Doctor Sleep, and others successfully tackled Gerald’s Game and provided one of Netflix’s best original horror releases. Gerald’s Game is a terrifying descent into madness and home to a dynamite leading performance by Carla Gugino.
His House (2020)
Remi Weekes truly made something special with His House, arguably one of the scariest films on the Netflix roster. A haunted house story on the surface, His House centers on a refugee couple escaping war-torn Sudan only to find that the English town they’ve fled to may be just as harrowing as the land they left. The source of the film’s horror lies not just with the supernatural elements, but also with themes of grief, guilt, abandonment, xenophobia, and assimilation. It’s a powerful haunt that will linger with you long after the credits roll.
May The Devil Take You (2018)
If there’s one area where Netflix thrives with their horror offerings, it’s with their international selection of scares. Genre fans have been praising the work of Timo Tjahjanto for years with his standout shorts in The ABCs of Death and V/H/S/2, but his feature film work in Indonesia is arguably his best, and Netflix’ acquisition has brought his work to mainstream Western audiences. In May The Devil Take You, a young woman visits her father’s former home trying to find the answer regarding his mysterious illness, only to discover the horrifying truth about his past.
The Perfection (2018)
Go into The Perfection as clueless as possible (but be aware of some triggering rape stuff), because half the fun of this psychological horror film is trying (and failing) to guess just what happens next. Allison Wiliams plays a former cello prodigy who returns to her prestigious music school to find that she’s been replaced by the new star student, Lizzie played by Logan Browning. The Perfection plays with exploitation film conventions and completely subverts them on their head in absolutely unpredictable ways. It’s a wild thrill ride and truly, perfection.
Vampires Vs. The Bronx (2020)
Vampires have been used as metaphors for a variety of othering, but Vampires Vs. The Bronx highlights humanity’s true villain –gentrification. After a trio of young best friends discover a brood of vampires are preparing to destroy The Bronx, they take matters into their own hands and get the community together to fight back against the monsters invading their home. Calling it The Lost Boys for a new generation feels too easy, but the Frog Brothers would be proud do see how Miguel, Bobby, Luis, Gloria, Lil Mayor, and the rest of the gang tackle the aptly named Murnau real estate film. Leave the stake, take the adobo.
See our list of the best vampire movies for more like this.
