With streaming platforms cropping up like grass after a good summer rain, it is sometimes hard to stay loyal just to one of them. However, the memberships cost a pretty penny, and now you found yourself loyal to the OG of streaming platforms - Blockbuster. Oh, right, I mean Netflix! And, as we all well know, the selection of movies to watch there is beyond comprehension, and sometimes you end up rotating the same five movies over and over again, just to save you from endless browsing. However, we are trying our hand at being Santa's little helpers in trying to eliminate the 'endless scrolling portion' from your day. How will we do it? Well, easy - here's our homage to thrill-lovers, and this is our list of the best horror movies you can find streaming on Netflix!
What should you expect from this horror movie list? Well, besides thrills, awkward laughter, hours of suspense, and paranormal manifestations, you should definitely expect countless hours of entertainment. That is, if you find the horror genre entertaining, of course. If not, you might want to check out our other articles dedicated to movies - there's at least one for anybody's taste! But, let's go back to our scary movies here - from legends like the Conjuring movies to undiscovered gems like His House and The Ritual, each of these movies promises to scare the bejesus straight out of you. We started feeling quite uneasy even putting this article together, and it is our recommendation not to watch these movies alone, in the dark, in some desolate cabin in the woods. But, it is your choice, after all!
Okay, so, let's go straight back to our list of the best horror movies on Netflix - you'll find them just a bit further down. To make your choice even easier, we've supplied the top twenty scary movies with short descriptions, so you'll know what you are getting into. After you're done checking our selection, recommend this article to anyone who might be up for spooks tonight!
#1 The Ritual
2017 | 94 minutes | Directed by David Bruckner
Starring Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton, and Paul Reid
The Ritual is a 2017 horror movie directed by David Bruckner based on the novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. It all starts quite innocently with five friends planning a hiking trip in Sweden. Right then, the first tragedy strikes, and a year later, only four of them manage to fulfill their trip plans. Of course, the mountain trail is treacherous, and the ancient woods are dark, with monsters and their worshippers lurking in the shadows. Soon enough, their hike takes an unexpected turn, and only one of the guys has the luck to escape the supernatural ordeal. What's even creepier is that this movie was filmed in the Carpathian mountains in Romania, and if you know something about supernatural stuff, it is definitely the fact that Romanian woods are full of chilly mystique. A perfect setting for a truly creepy movie!
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60points
#2 Creep
2014 | 77 minutes | Directed by Patrick Bryce
Starring Patrick Bryce and Mark Duplass
Creep, a 2014 psychological horror movie, is the directorial debut of Patrick Brice with him and Mark Duplass as the only two actors in this film. Creep is shot in the style of found footage, and if you were to ask us, it definitely doubles up the scares. Patrick Brice here is Aaron - a struggling videographer who's assigned to create a video diary for his client named Josef (Mark Duplass). Right from the first moment of their meeting, Josef shows some very weird and eccentric behavior that urges Aaron to leave his assignment and escape the remote cabin they're in. It seems like he's made it, but the actual horror is just starting to unfold. It's a very smart take on the found-footage style of horror movies, so if you're looking for a flick that is sure to keep you biting your nails, give Creep a chance!
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52points
#3 Don't Listen
2020 | 97 minutes | Directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández
Starring Rodolfo Sancho, Ana Fernández, and Ramón Barea
Don't Listen is a 2020 Spanish horror flick directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández. Here, a young family makes a living flipping houses, but upon moving into their latest project, the couple's young son experiences disturbed sleep and complains about hearing voices. This, of course, warrants a visit to a psychotherapist who says that it is merely an inconsistent routine that's causing such disturbances. And boy, was that therapist wrong! It's a classic family-in-a-haunted-house movie that's excellent in building suspense without using any cheap scares. We deem it to be a great addition to our creepy list!
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51points
#4 The Conjuring
2013 | 112 minutes | Directed by James Wan
Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson
You know what's more terrifying than even the best horror movie? A horror movie based on a real, definitely undeniably true story. Yup, Ed and Lorraine Warren are real, and so is the possessed Perron family. And even if you can distance yourself from the fact that this sort of weird stuff can happen to you, The Conjuring is nonetheless horrifying. Filled with old-school horrors and minimum CGI effects, this horror movie will creep up on you heavier and heavier with each minute. A paranormal movie that'll surely scare even a seasoned horror fan.
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51points
#5 His House
2020 | 93 minutes | Directed by Rame Weekes
Starring Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, and Malaika Abigaba
His House is a 2020 horror thriller directed by Rami Weekes in his directorial debut. This movie had its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, getting a significant amount of praise which opened the doors for Netflix. Now, this isn't your regular scary movie - His House is actually a deep exploration of the lives of refugees and the true horror they have to experience seeking shelter. It's a story of a couple escaping war-torn South Sudan with their daughter and barely making it. However, once they find safety in Britain, a black shadow continues to loom over their heads. They have to deal with it if they wish for a peaceful life, but the entity conjured up by their previous actions can only be put to rest with a sacrifice. Watching this movie is an uneasy experience, but hey, that's what we like about horror movies, right?
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51points
#6 It Follows
2014 | 100 minutes | Directed by David Robert Mitchell
Starring Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto
It Follows, a supernatural psychological horror film, centers around the story of Jay (Maika Monroe), a college student haunted by a terrifying entity. Together with the entity that's bound to kill, this curse is passed to a person after intercourse, and Jay, unbeknownst to her, falls victim. She could just pass it to someone else and forget all about it, but Jay is a smart girl, and however much the entity tries to satiate its bloodthirst, the joke's, in fact, on it. It Follows will be just the right thing for those viewers who'd like to stray away from the classic horror tropes and watch something that's thrilling in an entirely unique way!
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48points
#7 The Conjuring 2
2016 | 134 minutes | Directed by James Wan
Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, and Frances O'Connor
A second installment in The Conjuring series, this movie follows the same paranormal investigators that we're already acquainted with - Ed and Lorraine Warren. This time they're headed to England to dig deeper into a poltergeist case. Once again, we get to see old-school horror tricks done in a fresh and unnerving way, raising our hairs and tingling our spines.
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47points
#8 Hush
2016 | 81 minutes | Directed by Mike Flanagan
Starring Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco
What's a horror movie list without at least one good slasher? Here, our top pick would be Hush, a slasher that's so terrifying we do not recommend watching it before going to bed (unless you don't like sleeping that much). Now, imagine this - a deaf-mute horror author Maddie Young (Kate Siegel) lives in an isolated cabin in the woods with her cat. That's all well and fine up until an intruder kills her friend and tries to kill Maddy too. However, Maddy is not some wimp, and through rivers of blood, soundless screams, and unimaginable pain, she finds her triumph. It's a slasher that will leave you positively terrified not only because of the bloody carnage but also the ominous atmosphere its director keeps from start to end.
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46points
#9 Mercy Black
2019 | 88 minutes | Directed by Owen Egerton
Starring Daniella Pineda, Austin Amelio, and Elle LaMont
Mercy Black follows the story of Marina Hess (Daniella Pineda), who stabbed a woman in her teenage years, believing that this sacrifice would save her mother from the haunting of the Mercy Black ghost. And, subsequently, cure her of her mental illness. Of course, it doesn't, and Marina is sent to a psychiatric hospital only to be released some fifteen years later. Much to her dismay, the story of the Mercy Black ghost is now somewhat an urban legend. One thing leads to another, and now Marina is convinced that the ghost is, in fact, very real. Check the movie to see how the story unfolds, but we cannot promise there will be a happy ending here.
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45points
#10 Apostle
2018 | 129 minutes | Directed by Gareth Evans
Starring Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, and Mark Lewis Jones
Apostle is a period horror piece that is set in 1905 Britain. An isolated Welsh island, to be exact. One with an ominous cult thriving there. And from this creepy island, one Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) is hoping to save his sister, kidnapped and held for ransom by the same mysterious cult. And you know how it goes - even with the cults of today, it's pretty ominous, but travel back some hundred years, and it's straight horrifying. It also helps that Apostle doesn't give in to cheap scares and skillfully builds up the creeps.
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45points
#11 Creep 2
2017 | 80 minutes | Patrick Brice
Starring Mark Duplass, Desiree Akhavan, and Karan Soni
Creep 2, a sequel to 2014's Creep that we've already mentioned here, follows further the story of a serial killer luring his videographer victims to their ultimate demise. Same as in the original movie, this psychological horror film is also filmed in a found-footage style, giving the viewer an illusion of a true story. Thankfully, though, it isn't! Creep 2 is brimming with plot twists, and although the style is much the same, the story is unlike anything else; proof that sequels can be even better (or more horrifying) than the originals! Oh, and if you thought that laughs are forever a relief in horror movies, then this time, each laugh will send a shiver down your spine.
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41points
#12 The Bridge Curse
2020 | 108 min | Directed by Lester Hsi
Starring Ning Chang, Cheng Ko, J.C. Lin
Missing some ghost action? Well, rest assured that The Bridge Curse isn't lacking in that department! Here, we get to follow a group of university students preparing to test an urban legend stating that a vicious female ghost is haunting a bridge on their campus. And you know what, each urban legend usually has at least a smidgen of truth in it, but with The Bridge Curse, it's a whole entire slice of terrifying realness. Although it isn't the most original movie per se, the ghost sequences will make you jump out of your skin nevertheless. And that's precisely the thing you want to hear about a horror movie!
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41points
#13 Insidious: Chapter 2
2013 | 106 minutes | Directed by James Wan
Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Ty Simpkins
A sequel to 2010's Insidious, this second chapter (or fourth in terms of the series' in-story chronology) follows Josh and Renai Lambert as they seek to uncover secrets of the spirit world further. And though this premise might seem kind of bland, it's nothing but - getting your life together while fighting your possessed spouse and malevolent spirits is a chilly, to say the least, experience.
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40points
#14 Sweetheart
2019 | 82 minutes | Directed by J. D. Dillard
Starring Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence
Sweetheart is a survival horror film that proves once again that our oceans are way creepier than we could ever think! Here, Jennifer is washed ashore on a small uninhabited island after her and her friends' boat overturns in a storm. Soon enough, Jen figures out that there's something very wrong with this island, and her fears aren't put to rest even when her boyfriend and their friend reach Jen's island on a liferaft. A monstrous entity relentlessly stalks its prey, and only one of the trio manages to come out of this ordeal alive. Sweetheart is a very effective horror movie, elevated to new heights by Kiersey Clemons' ingenious performance.
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38points
#15 Hell Fest
2018 | 89 minutes | Directed by Gregory Plotkin
Starring Amy Forsyth, Reign Edwards, and Bex Taylor-Klaus
Since 2018, Halloween has found its new staple movie - a slasher called Hell Fest. Set on the night of All Hallows Eve, the movie centers around a group of teenagers visiting a theme park. Lo and behold, a serial killer finds the group to be the perfect target for his newest killing spree. Oh yes, there's gore, and there's suspense, and the ending will leave you cringing your hardest. And although critics gave Hell Fest quite average points, the audience liked it, and so will you!
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37points
#16 Pet Sematary
2019 | 101 minutes | Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer
Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow
Pet Sematary is a supernatural horror film based on a novel of the same name written by the horror master himself, Stephen King. The story centers around a family with two young kids and their pet cat moving into their new home in a small town called Ludlow in Maine (the town is perfectly real, by the way!). There lies a creepy little pet cemetery that proves to be anything but ordinary right behind their house in the woods. The story itself is an ominous mix between the zombie lore and harsh psychological thriller, a mix that works oh so well on the big screen! Although, if you want to experience its thrills in full color, why not read the original book?
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37points
#17 Malevolent
2018 | 88 minutes | Directed by Olaf de Fleur Johannesson
Starring Florence Pugh, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, and Celia Imrie
Malevolent is a British horror movie based on a novel called Hush written by Eva Konstantopoulos. Seeing that the cast includes the scream queen herself, Florence Pugh, you might have an inkling that this movie will definitely give you the creeps. So, Malevolent follows the story of a group of scam artists making their money by staging fake paranormal encounters. Sure enough, one of their assignments proves that paranormal entities and phenomena exist, and the group finds themselves amidst a very vivid and horrific manifestation. Losing their grip on reality, the group tries to escape from this calamity alive. Will they make it? Well, watch the movie and tell us!
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35points
#18 The Influence
2019 | 99 minutes | Directed by Denis Rovira van Boekholt
Starring Manuela Vellés, Alain Hernández, and Claudia Placer
The Influence (Spanish: La influencia) is the directorial debut of Denis Rovira van Boekholt. And although plenty of directors choose some lighter topic for their first movies, van Boekholt dives straight into the world of childhood traumas and horror. The story here centers around Alicia and her family as Alicia decides to return to the childhood home she once fled from. Here, she starts to relive her childhood traumas that are now shrouded in ominous occurrences and haunting entities. It's one of those movies that'll keep you both entertained and scared to death at the same time!
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33points
#19 Fear Street Part 1: 1994
2021 | 107 minutes | Directed by Leigh Janiak
Starring Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr.
Fear Street Part One: 1994 is a slasher movie based on the book series of the same name by R. L. Stine and is the first installment in the Fear Street trilogy. All of the action is based in a fictionary town called Shadyside, that's also dubbed America's capital of murder. Thus, it is no wonder that when a creepy killing spree starts to unfold, townspeople react to it as if it was the norm. Except, that is, for a group of teenagers who are convinced that it's some ancient evil that is responsible for the killings and seek to end it once and for all. This slasher is doused in ‘90s nostalgia, so if you'd like to reminisce on your childhood while blood splatters all over the screen, hit that play button now.
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33points
#20 Fear Street Part 2: 1978
2021 | 110 minutes | Leigh Janiak
Starring Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is, you guessed it, the second installment in the Fear Street trilogy. It's still the Shadytown inhabitants that are terrorized here, and it all starts where the first movie ends, thus connecting the two very nicely. But, now, it's the memories of one of the townspeople that we get to follow, and it includes a possessed camp counselor and a grisly massacre. And, since it is a part of a trilogy, do not expect a happily-ever-after conclusion at the end, but rather a cliffhanger to die for.
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32points