Are you currently looking for the best horror movies on Netflix to see sometime over the weekend?
It’s as wild and diverse as the cinematic genre can get, from indie horror stories and digital murder scenes to high-level masterpieces about evil.
Whatever horror you may find your love, there is something at your service.
So let’s outline some of the scariest new horror releases released on Netflix, including recent additions and concepts like His House, #Alive, and It Comes at Night, and all-time horror classics like The Evil Dead, Pan’s Labyrinth, and more.
This list contains horror for fans of all walks of life, whether it’s Halloween or not!
The most recent additions to the list will be included at the top and marked with an asterisk.
Instead of trying to include as many diverse and memorable options as possible of what’s currently available for streaming, we’ve looked at those horror movies that have performed well on group sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
In some cases, we may choose the best horror movies on Netflix that we think are worth watching.
Still, the ultimate goal is to make sure that there is something for horror fans of all tastes.
Note: The list in this article is exclusive to U.S. Netflix subscribers however, you should always check out if available for your residence too.
Best Horror Movies on Netflix
1. Shutter Island (2010)
An adaptation of Martin Scorsese’s 2003 novel by Dennis Lehane is a reverse psychological game through the cracked halls of a spooky mental institution on Shutter Island.
He plays Leonardo DiCaprio as Marshall’s US representative tasked with finding a fleeing patient, and the film will let him slip and spin into a prison of paranoia.
Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Mark Ruffalo, and Michelle Williams are teammates.
2. The Conjuring (2013)
James Wan’s horror “real story,” about (alleged) real cases of paranormal sniffers Ed and Lorraine Warren, kicked off the entire franchise, Conjuring-verse, which grossed a total of $1.9 billion.
A few Annabelle movies and The Nun movie later, the original Conjuring stands out as a super reliable haunted house movie with strong performances from stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.
3. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
James Wan has taken over The Conjuring 2, about the famous fight between Ed and Lorraine Warren and the Enfield poltergeist in London.
Like ghost hunters from Warrens, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga also returned to this joyous and haunting feast of fear in which the oath verses continued to raise funds and praise.
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
David Fincher’s movie titled The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, shows the director’s brilliance in the serial killer/mystery genre (which he once tried with Seven and the Zodiac).
Based on the freshly compelling novel by Stieg Larsson, the film follows an antisocial hacker (Mara) who privately wages wars against bullies while teaming up with a reporter (Craig) to investigate a 40-year-old disappearance.
Watch Girl with the Dragon on Netflix.
5. Red Dragon 2000s (2002)
This sign of the lambs’ silence, based on the 1981 Thomas Harris novel (which was previously adapted into the 1986 films Manhunter), brought back Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Edward Norton Will Graham.
Lecter captured the brilliant (and problematic) profile of the FBI.
They must team up together to stop a home intruder who kills entire families in the light of each new full moon.
Watch Red Dragon on Netflix.
6. His House (2020)
This unique new horror films focus on a refugee couple from South Sudan trying to adjust to their new life in an English town hidden beneath the surface of evil.
It’s a fascinating weaving of political fears and real fears, with Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Diris, and Doctors Who Matt Smith.
7. The Guest (2014)
This 2014 steamboat from Adam Wingard (You’re Next) portrays Dan Stevens as a mysterious and terrifying stranger who visits a family and claims to be friends with their son, who was killed in combat in Afghanistan.
With the appearance, the soundtrack, and the killer, you have to see the guest.
8. We Summon the Darkness (2019)
Starring Keean Johnson, Maddie Hasson, Alexandra Daddario, and Johnny Knoxville, We Summon the Darkness is a retro horror fun part that balances horror and comedy nicely as three best friends cross paths with sadistic killers at a rustic party in the woods.
9. #Alive (2020)
This exquisite South Korean zombie flick, directed by Cho Il-Hyung, depicts a streamer’s struggle for video games to survive as he is forced to be left alone in his Seoul apartment during a savage and fierce zombocalypse. He is overcome with panic, fear, and isolation.
10. Piercing (2018)
A few years ago, this haunted and sadistic horror film, based on a book by Ryu Murakami, stars Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska in the story of a man who hires a sex worker with the intent to kill her but instead ends up in a terrifying cat and mouse game.
11. Véronique (1991)
Very loosely based on the events of 1991 when a young girl in Spain mysteriously died after using an ouija board, Veronica is a gruesome story about a property designed to get under your skin, about a house attacked by demons hiding after a spiritual ceremony.
12. 1BR (2019)
If you’re into gruesome mind games, check out 1BR, about an ambitious costume designer who moves into a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, unaware that the residents of the complex intend to indoctrinate her into their cult. It’s a solid, terrifying psychological drama with a playful twist.
13. Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020)
This slasher meta-Polish animated film is steeped in nostalgia’s horrors and pop culture (the 1980s).
It follows a group of teenagers addicted to technology taking part in an ‘offline’ resort camp in the woods, where lies a disturbing force seeking to eliminate them one by one.
14. Sweetheart (2019)
This mostly solo survival horror film follows a shipwreck survivor (Kiersey Clemons) on an uninhabited island who must defend against an evil force that appears every night.
Combining Castaway with the excitement of the creature, Sweetheart could be a future cult classic.
15. The Golem (2018)
The frozen piece of folklore, Golem, an Israeli supernatural horror film, focuses on a woman who conjures up an entity to protect her community from foreign invaders, only to establish a much greater evil for her than she imagined.
16. 13 Sins (2014)
Daniel Stamm of The Last Exorcism directs this sea horror field about a salesman (Mark Webber) who takes on a series of increasingly disturbing and criminal challenges. Ron Perlman, Rutina Wesley, and Pruitt Taylor Vince are teammates.
17. The Evil Death (1981)
The disgusting and splashed original demon possession game “Cabin in the Woods” is ready to swallow your soul.
Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams must battle the nightmarish monsters he inadvertently unleashes as he utters an ancient conspiracy. Memory!
18. Girl on the Third Floor (2019)
CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, and Banshee’s Trieste Kelly Dunn star in Travis Stevens’ Dirty Girl on the third floor, about a man trying to rebuild a ruined mansion for his family and caught up in a disgusting story at home.
19. Creep (2015)
In this mind-boggling cinematic-style psychological horror piece, he plays Patrick Brice (also the director) as the cinematographer tasked with filming an eccentric client (co-writer Mark Duplass) who claims to have an inoperable brain tumor. An excellent sequel to the film, Creep 2 is also on Netflix.
20. CAM (2018)
This well-received Netflix original offers a new kind of double story when camgirl, played by Madeline Brewer of The Handmaid’s Tale, meets a mysterious woman who looks like her and takes over her channel.
21. Before I Wake (2016)
Gathering dust on a shelf two years before its 2018 release, Before I Woke Up by Mike Flanagan starring the head, Dr. Sleep’s Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, and Jacob Tremblay in the story of a couple who mourn the death of their son get a foster parent, a child in his life.
A child whose dreams and nightmares manifest themselves physically while sleeping.
22. Eli (2019)
This new Netflix original focuses on a boy being treated for his autoimmune disease who finds out that the house he lives in isn’t as safe as he thought.
Kelly Reilly, Max Martini, and Charlie Shotwell.
23. Perfection (2018)
Girls Allison Williams, along with dear whites Steven Weber and Logan Browning, star in this intense thriller about a struggling music prodigy looking for a new star from his old school, sending the two musicians down a sinister path with consequences. Shocking!
24. Killa Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
Maybe no movie on Netflix blatantly sits on the line between horror and camp humor, and that’s why we love Killer Klowns from space.
This wacky, low-budget cult classic captures the invasion of clowns devouring a man from outer space.
It’s a fun homage to the B movies of the past, but the creature effects and the music are excellent enough to make killer Klowns scratch that horror itch, even if it makes you laugh.
Watch Killa Klowns from Outta Space on Netflix.
25. The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
If this is a horror film distributed by A24, it is probably worth watching.
The Girl in the Blackcoat may not have garnered as much attention as other versions of A24, like The Witch.
Still, it’s a great example of a psychological thriller that eschews the usual clichés scares of Most modern horror movies on Netflix.
Emma Roberts and Lucy Boynton play two boarding school students who stay on vacation and find out that their teachers may be Satanists, though the plot there requires a particular twist.
26. It Comes at Night (2017)
One of the most critical horror truths is that what you cannot see is infinitely more terrifying than what you can see.
Very few horror movies seem to understand this, but at least there is Night Coming. It’s a post-apocalyptic horror that works a lot with very little.
Set amid a global pandemic, it focuses on a single-family struggling to stay alive in an isolated cabin.
The oppressive darkness & uncertainty surrounding the plague and its victims make the journey profitable.
27. Hush (2016)
This Netflix original is about a family horror subgenre – a home invasion thriller – with a fun new pin. Kate Siegel plays a lonely writer who is also deaf and dumb.
This handicap puts her life in danger when the spy killer begins to harass her. Hush is incredibly uncertain and makes full use of his premises.
It was one of the first signs that Netflix was a real force to be reckoned with when it came to original horror movies plot.
28. In the Tall Grass (2019)
One of the latest additions to Netflix’s horror library is a pretty solid pedigree in The Tall Grass.
It is based on a novella written by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, directed by Vincenzo Natali, director of Cube and Splice, and starring Patrick Wilson of The Conjuring.
It also has a simple and compelling premise. Innocent people are tempted into a cornfield when they hear screams, but their rescue is complicated.
The film sometimes attempts to complement this premise in a feature film’s action, but this one is worth the detour.
29. Under the Shadows (2016)
This universally acclaimed horror film in Persian is a must-have for horror fans with a Netflix subscription.
Set in 1980s post-revolutionary Tehran, Under the Shadow plays Narges Rashidi as a woman struggling with the usual pressures of living under an oppressive regime and decidedly supernatural gadgets in her apartment building.
Like many best horror movies on Netflix, Under the Shadow manages to deliver insightful social commentary and cool horror.
30. Would You Rather (2012)
If the hostel isn’t enough, do you want more? This is another valuable addition to the genre of the “torture of pornography” division.
She has a powerful premise, and Brittney Snow plays a woman who struggles to care for her terminally ill brother.
He was approached by a wealthy philanthropist (Jeffrey Combs) with an intriguing offer: to participate in the friendly game “Would you rather?” and willfully pay his brother’s salary.
Of course, this game involves much more than what its participants could have imagined.
See Would You Rather on Netflix.
Factors Considered Before Choosing The Best Horror Movies on Netflix
Horror is a vast genre, from classic monster festivals to horror films and thoughtful creeps.
We’ve tried to focus on the best horror movies on Netflix that have a proven reputation record, like Poltergeist, as well as movies that have performed well on group sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
In some cases, we may choose separate movies career like The Cult of Chucky, which in our opinion, are still worth watching.
The only thing in common is that all of these films entirely explore fears and screams.
