Halloween may be over, 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 Best 90s Horror Movies list, or our 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.
There’s Someone Inside Your House
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.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
Who says PG-13 horror films can’t be terrifying (besides very wrong people online)? Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark adapts Alvin Schwartz’s children’s book series about spider babies in faces and pale pursers with horror at a premium. All those kiddos who were traumatized by Schwartz’s lack of coddling see their nightmares come to life through a collection of monsters, top-notch creature actors, and André Øvredal’s exceptionally mature take on gateway horror. There’s no hand-holding or easing into Stories to Tell in the Dark — a film that treats younger horror fans like genuine horror fans, not lesser appreciators who can’t handle even the softest scares.
Coming Home In The Dark
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
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.
Till Death
"A woman finds herself shackled to a corpse as part of a revenge plot." Megan Fox plays the previously mentioned woman handcuffed to her stone-cold dead ex in one of her recent indie horror ventures. It's not that Till Death is revolutionary; more how Fox carries a gimmick film through engaging thrills as she drags her co-star's lifeless body around a house and away from killers. Till Death knows it's only ever trying to be a chilly Friday night stream at barely ninety minutes, and that's the proper mindset. Fox's "comeback tour" raises eyebrows with Till Death, a movie worth a gamble based on the premise's better-than-expected execution.
The Babysitter
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.
The Ritual
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.
Hell Fest
Add Gregory Plotkin’s Hell Fest to the list of underappreciated original slashers in recent years. Lovers of amusement park horror are treated to deaths in a Halloween Horror Nights or Six Flags Fright Night setting that’s lush with macabre carnival decor. Tony Todd welcomes patrons to another “Hell Fest” event as master of ceremonies — then it’s to the slicing and dicing throughout mazes where bodies pile under the guise of killer special effects. Bex Taylor-Klaus plays her character Taylor like a distant cousin of Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby from Scream 4, and I’ve never wanted a crossover more. Also, where’s my Hell Fest prequel or sequel already?
Blood Red Sky
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.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
At the front of the 2000s remake trend is Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. For my money, the best Leatherface film in the entire franchise (also not to be confused with 2022’s wildly inferior Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The Platinum Dunes remake honors Tobe Hooper’s original by upping the primal fear, whether a gritter slasher vibe or Leatherface’s sharklike predator tendencies. Jessica Biel gives a solid final girl performance, rounding out an elevated Texas Chainsaw entry that lives its slaughterhouse inspirations with a viciousness unmatched.
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Thir13en Ghosts unleashes a roster of imprisoned ghouls inside a glass house that keeps shifting its walls into labyrinthian mazes. Tony Shalhoub and Matthew Lillard dash away from vengeful spirits like “The Hammer” with steel railroad spikes piercing his muscles to a straight-jacketed psychopath known as “The Jackal.” It’s a special brand of 2000s horror that overspends on gruesome ghost cosmetics, the translucent house etched with binding spells, paranormal finder glasses — every detail is so extravagantly and freakishly outrageous. They don’t make horror like they used to, especially considering the extraness of early aughts releases.
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.
For more like this, check out our list of the best Stephen King movies of all time.
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.
It Follows (2014)
If you’re looking for a film to make you feel even more paranoid and fearful of strangers around you than a pandemic has already made you, It Follows is the film for you. Based on the simple yet soul-stirring concept that no matter what, something is constantly coming toward you, It Follows is filled with creeping dread, effective jump scares, and a score guaranteed to raise your blood pressure.
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.
Raw (2016)
French director Julia Ducournau has recently made waves with her Palme d'Or win for her film Titane, but Netflix is the home to her incredible debut feature, the coming-of-age cannibal film, Raw. A young vegetarian named Justine goes away to veterinary school and consumes meat for the first time in an attempt to fit in with her peers. Unfortunately, this taste of meat ignites the truth about Justine’s nature that had been hiding within her all along, and sends her on a path of destruction, violence, and flesh eating mayhem.
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.
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