Searching for the best streaming services to subscribe to for the purposes of finding the scariest movies available can be a time consuming and sometimes costly commitment. However, as the current selection of the best horror movies on Netflix can prove, to satisfy your dark side, a Netflix subscription could be all you need.
As a longtime fan of the genre, I think the platform has some of the best horror movies of all time, even despite the expiration of a few old school classics. Nevertheless, when it comes to acclaimed recent thrillers or upcoming horror movies to keep your weary eyes open for, Netflix is a reliable source. In fact, here are our favorites it currently has available to stream.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
A horror-inspired party game takes a horrifyingly realistic turn during a seemingly innocent get-together for a group of twentysomethings.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Also one of the best Pete Davidson movies, Bodies Bodies Bodies is sharply satirical modern slasher from director Halina Reijn.
Stream Bodies Bodies Bodies on Netflix.
Insidious (2011)
A teacher (Patrick Wilson) and his wife (Rose Byrne) discover a shocking explanation for their young son’s mysterious, comatose state.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan craft one of the most unique and genuinely startling entries to the haunted house movie genre in recent memory with Insidious.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Bizarre circumstances lead a teenager (Heather Langenkamp) to suspect that the badly burned, razor-glove-clad man (Robert Englund) appearing in her dreams is not just a figment of her imagination.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Writer and director Wes Craven introduced the world to one of the all-time most iconic horror movie villains, Freddy Krueger, in A Nightmare on Elm Street, which is a thriller loosely inspired by true events, believe it or not.
Stream A Nightmare on Elm Street on Netflix.
Thanksgiving (2023)
A year after a tragic event on Black Friday, citizens of Plymouth, Massachusetts, begin to fall prey to an elusive, brutal killer.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Co-writer and director Eli Roth put out one of his best movies yet – let alone, arguably, the crown jewel of horror movies set around Turkey Day – with Thanksgiving, which is a feature-length adaptation of a fake trailer he directed for Grindhouse in 2007.
Stream Thanksgiving on Netflix.
The Wailing (2016)
When locals begin to suspect a mysterious illness affecting their village is the work of a demon, a police officer (Kwak Do-won) investigating the matter grows increasingly desperate to understand the source when his daughter becomes a victim.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Director Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing is one of the best Asian horror movies in recent memory for its twisted, modernized reinterpretation of dark fantasy lore.
Stream The Wailing on Netflix.
The Autopsy Of Jane Doe (2016)
A routine examination of an unidentified woman’s body (Olwen Catherine Kelly) found at a crime scene proves to be a living nightmare for a veteran coroner (Brian Cox) and his colleague and son (Emilie Hirsch).
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Director André Øvredal makes a winning English-language debut with The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which already boasts a fascinating concept, but is heightened by its unrelentingly creepy, mysterious aura.
Stream The Autopsy of Jane Doe on Netflix.
The Babadook (2014)
A single mother (Essie Davis) fears that she and her young son (Noah Wiseman) are being taunted by an unsettling character from a children’s book.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: One of the best horror movies directed by a woman (namely writer and director Jennifer Kent) is The Babadook – a thought-provoking, allegorical examination of how grief affects motherhood that also introduced one of the scariest modern horror movie villains.
Stream The Babadook on Netflix.
X (2022)
A group of amateur adult filmmakers set up their production at a Texas farm owned by an elderly couple who are not quite what they seem.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: By borrowing from the tone and aesthetic of classic ‘70s horror movies but adding a refreshingly nuanced commentary on aging, writer and director Ti West crafted one of the best A24 horror movies out of his chilling, star-studded slasher, X.
Train To Busan (2016)
A group of strangers on a train must band together to fight and stay alive after a deadly virus that turns people into vicious flesh-eaters breaks out in South Korea.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: One of the most intense, intelligent, heartbreaking, and surprisingly realistic zombie movies in recent memory (if not ever) is Train to Busan from co-writer and director Sang-ho Yeon.
Stream Train to Busan on Netflix.
Ouija: Origin Of Evil (2016)
A single mother (Elizabeth Reaser) who makes a living pretending to be a medium incorporates a seemingly harmless board game into her act, which comes with grave consequences, in 1960s California.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Only a horror master like writer and director Mike Flanagan could make an effective thriller out of a follow-up to a widely disliked horror flick like he does with Ouija: Origin of Evil, which serves as a prequel to 2014’s Ouija.
Stream Ouija: Origin of Evil on Netflix.
It Follows (2015)
A young woman (Maika Monroe) becomes targeted by a merciless shapeshifting entity only she can see as part of a curse that can only be passed down through sexual intercourse.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: One could argue that the spark of the horror genre’s modern renaissance was writer and director David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows – a stunningly unique, captivatingly suspenseful, and cleverly nuanced creepfest that has a follow-up called They Follow in the works.
The Fear Street Trilogy (2021)
A group of teenagers struggle to survive against multiple costumed killers while trying to uncover the dark secrets plaguing their town.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Inspired by a series of young adult horror novels by R.L. Stine, the Fear Street movies are a trio of fun old school horror throwbacks that each take place in a different time period to tell the full story.
Stream the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix.
His House (2020)
After taking refuge in England, a South Sudanese couple (Sope Disiru, Wunmi Mosaku) find themselves living a different kind of nightmare when they move into their new home.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Writer and director Remi Weekes’ BAFTA-winning debut, His House, is one of a few horror movies to earn 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for its powerful, grounded message amid an otherwise traditional haunted house movie conceit.
Run Rabbit Run (2023)
A single mother (Succession cast member Sarah Snook) is forced to confront her dark past as she tries to understand her young daughter’s (Lily LaTorre) concerning behavior.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Writer Hannah Kent and director Daina Reid crafted a horror film that effectively addresses grief and will keep you mystified until the shocking ending of Run Rabbit Run.
Stream Run Rabbit Run on Netflix.
Vivarium (2020)
While looking for a new home, a couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) find themselves trapped in a strange, desolate, inescapable neighborhood where they soon discover they are not alone.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling would have been proud of co-writer and director Lorcan Finnegan’s recent, underrated sci-fi/horror thriller, Vivarium for its satirical mundanity, stunningly surreal production design, and creeping atmosphere of existential dread throughout.
The Ritual (2018)
Already traumatized by a tragic loss, a group of college buddies reunite for a hiking trip in the Swedish wilderness, only to find themselves haunted (or, more accurately, hunted) by a sinister presence.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: From director David Bruckner, The Ritual is an underrated Netflix original you should see for its old school camping trip disaster enhanced by other shocking horror elements and relatable themes of friendship to keep it grounded.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
A woman (Carla Gugino) takes a weekend getaway with her husband (Bruce Greenwood), whose plans to spice up their love life take a devastating turn for the worse.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Without giving too much away, I would call this adaptation of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game one of the most intense Netflix original titles by Mike Flanagan for its deeply grim story about survival of both the body and soul.
Stream Gerald’s Game on Netflix.
#Alive (2020)
A young man (Ah-In Yoo) lives in isolation to protect himself from a viral outbreak that has affected most of Seoul, Korea, and from the flesh-eating, reanimated corpses those infected have become.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: The Netflix original hit, #Alive, is a Korean horror movie offering a clever, claustrophobic take on the zombie genre.
The Babysitter (2017)
A young boy's (Judah Lewis) latest night with the girl of his dreams – his fun and attractive babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving) – becomes a living nightmare after discovering that she and her unexpected party guests are hiding a deadly secret.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Before leading Ready or Not, Samara Weaving's reign as one of Hollywood's top Scream Queens began when she played the titular antagonist of The Babysitter – McG's comical satanic panic throwback that later spawned a sequel.
Stream The Babysitter on Netflix.
Creep And Creep 2 (2014, 2017)
This pair of intense found footage thrillers chronicles the interactions of a disturbed – and disturbing – man (Mark Duplass) with two different videographers whose curiosities get the best of them.
Why they are some of the best horror movies on Netflix: Duplass and director Patrick Brice developed the concepts for Creep and Creep 2 (the first two installments of a planned trilogy), which are both full of shocking twists – the biggest surprise of all being that the stories are improvised pretty much from scratch.
Stream the Creep movies on Netflix.
In The Tall Grass (2019)
A pregnant woman (Laysla De Oliveira) and her brother (Avery Whitted) follow a young boy's cry for help into a large field of high-growing grass, but it soon becomes apparent that there is no way out.
Why it is one of the best horror movies on Netflix: Father/son writing duo Stephen King and Joe Hill’s novella, In the Tall Grass, inspired this survivalist thriller with elements of startling fantasy, engrossing mystery, and a menacing performance by The Conjuring star Patrick Wilson that makes this Netflix original one of the coolest surprises in horror of its year.
Stream In the Tall Grass on Netflix.
Whether you click on an old school classic, freaky favorite, or one of Netflix’s own original horror movies, the platform is sure to keep you streaming into the wee hours of the night – partially because you might not be able to sleep.
