The 25 best horror movies on Netflix

It doesn’t have to be October to get into the spooky spirit. Going for the gory is always in season—and Netflix knows this, which is why its digital library is stuffed to the gills with horror films.

Rather than waste time searching for nightmare fuel and get right to white-knuckling your way through it, leave it to us to bring the platform’s top fright fare to your fingertips.

Ahead, the best horror movies on Netflix for stream queens and kings. And when you’re done here, check out the scariest horror movies of all time, funny horror movies, and the best classic horror films.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Before director Halina Reijn’s next production, Babygirl (which stars Nicole Kidman in another age-gap rendezvous), hits theaters on Christmas, give her sophomore feature—perfect for spooky season—another watch. A horror-comedy hybrid that offers plenty of food for thought with its oft-hilarious banter and social commentary, Bodies Bodies Bodies is one of the best entries in the genre. And it keeps getting better with every play.

Creep (2014)

You’ve never seen Mark Duplass like this. The harmless everyman from sitcoms (The League), indies (Safety Not Guaranteed), and bingeable dramas (The Morning Show), and producer of stellar true crime (Evil Genius, Wild Wild Country), Duplass can actually do harm, it turns out. So. much. harm. Here, he plays Josef, a terminally ill recluse who hires a videographer to record his last words. Unfortunately for the guy who answers the ad, Josef’s request is just a ruse to lure prey into his den.

Day Shift (2022)

A violent and vampy romp through L.A.’s San Fernando Valley with Jamie Foxx in the driver’s seat, Day Shift is horror satire about a vampire hunter masquerading as a pool cleaner. When he isn’t dropping jokes or annihilating bloodsuckers, Bud is carrying out daddy duties with his 10-year-old daughter. It’s a humble existence that gets interrupted when he stakes a vampire with ties to the film’s über-villain, Audrey, played by How to Get Away With Murder’s Karla Souza.

El Conde (2023)
Writer-director Pablo Larraín delivers the blackest of black comedies with El Conde, inspired by a real-life monster. Biting and supremely deadpan, his horror spoof centers on Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator who tortured, killed, and disappeared thousands of his own people. In this story that spirals into a fantastical satire, a 250-year-old vampire who is ready to hang up his cloak tries unsuccessfully to say farewell to this world.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

With two more films already in the works, it’s safe to say Lee Cronin’s resurrection of Sam Raimi’s four-decade-old demonic series is a hit. Offering a fresh take with next-level intensity, the film pays homage to its predecessor with its score, gore, and more, while also unleashing a force all its own. Moving the action from a cabin in the woods to a high-rise in the city, the film follows two sisters into the depths of hell. And you best believe there will be blood.

The Fear Street trilogy (2021)
Inspired by the R.L. Stine series of teen screams that kept kids in the ’90s awake at night, Netflix’s trilogy follows a group of friends through the decades on a quest to unravel an ancient killing curse. Each film—1994, 1979, and 1666—has its own cast of characters and era-defining traits (fashion, music, etc.), but all share a graduated style of adult horror. So mind that R rating. More fun news for Stine fans: The Prom Queen is officially on the way.

Gerald’s Game (2017)

Nothing is ever as it seems in a Mike Flanagan horror picture (or a story by Stephen King, whose 1992 novel was adapted into the film). So when a married couple heads to a secluded lake house to rekindle the romantic spark with some kinky lovemaking, you can bet twists and turns are coming. From Oculus and Hush to the Haunting series and Gerald’s Game, Flanagan is a master at toying with his audience, unloading the genre jolts that fans crave while also crafting thoughtful narratives that make every scream count.

His House (2020)
Horror fans demand more these days. No longer can an uninspired director terrorize a woman in a tank top for 90 minutes on the big screen for no good reason. Today’s audiences demand variety. Inclusion. Storytelling. With His House, a haunting journey through the refugee experience, they get all of the above in spades. After fleeing war-torn South Sudan, Bol and Rial make a home in a quiet English town—unable, it seems, to outrun the ghosts of their past.

Incantation (2022)
Kevin Ko’s found-footage film begins with a woman named Ronan explaining the origin of a curse that threatens to bring misfortune to her and her six-year-old daughter, Dodo. From there, the film straddles two timelines, pre- and post-curse, all the while building tension, tightening its grip, and causing that creepo factor big studios only wish they could produce to bubble over. Do yourself a favor and watch this Taiwanese gem with the lights on.

It Follows (2014)

Revered by many as one of the best horror films of the 21st century, It Follows began as a festival film that generated a ton of buzz on the circuit, with early lauders insisting on keeping as tight-lipped as possible about the film’s narrative. Of course, that was 10 years ago, so the secret’s probably out. Still, we’ll just say that modern scream queen Maika Monroe gives a stellar performance as Jay Height, a college student whose one-night stand cuts her carefree existence short.

Pearl (2022)
Mia Goth stars in this 2022 prequel to Ti West’s next-gen slasher flick X. Fixating on the life of an aspiring starlet destined for terrible things, Pearl rewinds the decades to 1918, when a lonely Texas farm girl first succumbed to her rage. Pearl wears a visionary style that has nothing in common with the first film, so there’s no need to hold out on this revelation if you haven’t seen X. Each films, as well as the trilogy’s third chapter, MaXXXine, can stand by itself.

Sister Death (2023)
Another chilling outing from Spanish director Paco Plaza, Sister Death sets its plot in the 1930s within the walls of a former convent turned into a school for girls. Plaza fans might recognize the film’s namesake from another entry on this list, Verónica, as Sister Death serves as a prequel to that movie’s 1991 possession. Following Sister Narcisa, a novice whose supernatural gifts manifest in the form of disturbing incidents, the film explores the backstory of the blind nun.

Thanksgiving (2023)

So, we’re going on the record: There are far too few worthy genre movies utilizing Turkey Day. Think about it: Carving knives, maddening in-laws, sinister colonialism—the holiday is ripe for exploitation. And yet the gravy train remains untapped. Thankfully, we have Thanksgiving! Born from a faux trailer from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s 2007 double feature Grindhouse, Eli Roth’s pilgrim slasher is a bloody fun feast with all the trimmings.

Grave Torture (2024)
Horror fans—particularly those fond of Indonesia’s premier genre filmmaker, Joko Anwar—have another bold, visually shocking thrill to add to their lists. His latest, Siksa Kubur (translated to Grave Torture) is a psychological trip exploring the Islam belief that if one sins in life, they’ll be tortured for eternity. Unfolding around a young woman named Sita, who sets out to prove the myth is nothing but religious fearmongering, the movie goes six feet under with the wicked.

Disappear Completely (2022)
Santiago Mendoza is a tabloid photographer whose ethos fits right in with “If it bleeds, it leads.” But although the shutterbug banks on gruesome exploitation, he gets more than he bargained for when he snaps pics of a cursed crime scene, unleashing a series of eerie events that see Santiago lose all five of his senses, one by one. At about 90 minutes, Luis Javier Henaine’s festival winner doesn’t waste your time, delivering a visceral hypothetical that is not only frightening but thought-provoking.

The Babadook (2014)
In 2014, Jennifer Kent joined an impressive league of women making genre films, like Karyn Kusama, Kasi Lemmons, Julia Ducournau, and Nia DaCosta—a field diverse in both voice and narrative. Kent emerged onto the scene with The Babadook, a gripping tale about a mother whose grief and resentment manifest into the horrifying boogeyman from her son’s picture book. Based on her same-name short, it’s grade-A horror that will shake even the most macho viewer.

The Babysitter (2017)

Samara Weaving—star of Ready or Not, Hollywood, and the upcoming Borderline (directed by Weaving’s husband, Jimmy Warden)—lends her prowess to McG’s fusion of horror, teen screams, and dark comedy. But the secret she’s hiding behind that perfect complexion ain’t pretty—as the 12-year-old kid she babysits discovers one night, to his horror. When you’re done here, hit play on the sequel, Killer Queen, which passes the mantle to fellow genre superstar Jenna Ortega.

The Conjuring (2013)
Several of the installments that comprise the occult universe launched by James Wan in 2013 are now streaming on Netflix. A good place to start, though, is with The Conjuring, Wan’s foray into the true possession stories of real-life ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren. Technically, this one falls nearer to the middle of the nine-movie franchise; see here if you want to watch the series in chronological order.

The Deliverance (2024)

First things first: This exorcism movie has nothing in common with the 1972 backwoods thriller starring Burt Reynolds except the noun in its title. Now that that’s out of the way, we can focus on The Deliverance’s megawatt stars. Andra Day, Mo’Nique, and Glenn Close team up under the guidance of Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels for an exorcism movie full of unrest, tension, and—oh, yes—ectoplasm. Though it’s horror action you’ve most likely seen before, Daniels’s foray into the genre is totally worth it’s a watch.

The Platform (2019)
Only those with strong stomachs need apply, because this bleak Spanish parable set in a vertical prison requires the steeliest of traps. Here’s the deal: A platform filled with food descends daily through the clink, with those on the upper levels taking more than their fair share and those on the lowest levels left with scraps. A comment on greed, class, and man’s worst instincts, The Platform is a difficult watch, no doubt, but at least you can look forward to its rewarding final course.

The Rental (2020)
Dave Franco made his directorial debut with this home invasion thriller. Starring his real-life wife, Alison Brie, along with Sheila Vand, Jeremy Allen White, and Dan Stevens, The Rental will do for Airbnbs what Jaws did for open waters. Two couples head to a beautiful rental off the coast of Oregon, only to find their dream vacay turn into a nightmare of revealed secrets, hidden cameras, and a rising body count.

The Wailing (2016)
When a policeman is recruited to help solve the mystery of a deadly virus infecting a small community set back in the mountains of South Korea, Officer Jong-goo (played by Kwak Do-won from Bong Joon Ho’s superb Mother) heeds the call. However, when his own daughter becomes infected with the vile disease, his task becomes a personal quest that leads him down a rabbit hole of ghosts, folklore, and religion.

Under the Shadow (2016)

Set during the military conflict between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, Under the Shadow is a master class on how to disguise allegory. Mixing supernatural elements, djinn mythology, and the horrors of war to brilliant effect, Babak Anvari’s Persian-language debut belongs to Shideh, a mother who slowly begins to believe that her daughter and home are being taken over by an evil spirit. Click below stat—this one is a highlight lurking in the corners of the streaming giant’s digital library.

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

Genre fans have been sinking their teeth into vampire fare since the beginning of cinema. But Oz Rodriguez’s teen scream picture brings new blood to the well-treaded subgenre. In an apt metaphor for how gentrification can drain a city of its culture and vibrancy, transforming it into something unrecognizable, a nest of bloodsuckers is infiltrating the Bronx, and it’s up to adolescent hero Miguel and his buddies to save his community from the infestation.

Verónica (2017)

An effective watch, Verónica borrows its supernatural narrative from an infamous 1991 case that took place in the Vallecas district of Madrid, which continues to stir fascination in Spain in the same way the Amityville house remains a horror phenomenon in the United States. About a teenage girl who is possessed by a demon after playing with a ouija board, the film definitely flashes its artistic license. But really, isn’t that to be expected when even the official police report describes the case as a “situation of mystery and rarity”?