The Best Horror Movies On Netflix

You want scary movies? Thriller movies galore? Monster movies? We got you. Here are the best horror movies and scary films on Netflix worth watching right now.

The Conjuring
Warner Bros.

Image via Warner Bros.

The Conjuring

If you're looking for good horror movies on Netflix, look no further. For those seeking a scare, there's no shortage of blood-curdling films on the streaming giant. From small-screen adaptations of Stephen King's famed novels, to cult classics directed by Mike Flanagan, you'll find your fix with some of the scariest horror out there. Whether you get your thrillers—excuse us, thrills—from found-footage camerawork, slashers, zombie movies, jump scares, horror-comedy, low-budget, or prestigious Oscar winners, there's something on Netflix for every scary movie stan out there. Already binged all of Stranger Things and The Haunting of Hill House? Why not try one of the top horror movies on Netflix on for size? Recent favorites like Green Room and The Conjuring are available, and so are classics like Poltergeist. So if you're more of a horror movie fan than a lover of romance movies or dramas, keep reading. Here are the latest and greatest horror films the genre has to offer, guaranteed to leave you yearning for more.

These are the best horror movies on Netflix in 2021.

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring

Director: James Wan

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston

Genre: Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 1h 51m

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (Critics) 83% (Audience)


Loosely based on the real life reports of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring is one of the scariest and most successful horror movies of this decade. It follows the married Warrens (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they investigate a family being terrorized by a presence in their farmhouse and find themselves face to face with a dark entity. The Conjuring solidifies James Wan as a horror director for the ages; the film easily stands among the best recent horror films, alongside Saw and Insidious, two of his other films. Packed from top to bottom with inventive scares, The Conjuring was both critically and commercially acclaimed, spawning a whole cinematic universe which includes a sequel and spin-offs, including Annabelle and The Nun. If you’re looking for a good scare on Netflix, you can’t do much better than The Conjuring.

Unfriended (2014)

Unfriended

Director: Leo Gabriadze

Cast: Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz

Genre: Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 1h 23m

Rotten Tomatoes: 62% (Critics) 36% (Audience)

Just like The Blair Witch Project in 1999 before it, 2014’s Unfriended ushered in a new type of film genre: the computer screen film. Reminiscent of the found footage genre, the computer screen film takes place entirely on smartphones or desktop computers, has camerawork that matches the device’s camera, and unfolds in real time. While not the first computer screen film, Unfriended is one of the most popular films of the genre, thanks to a wide release from Universal. The film follows several high school students in a Skype conversation as they begin to suspect that they’re being haunted by a student that was bullied and committed suicide. While staring at a computer for close to two hours may seem boring, Unfriended cooks up some inventive scares that feel all too familiar to anyone who spends a lot of time on social media. The use of real computer apps only heightens the realism, as does the tendency for the main character to type something out and then delete before sending a completely different message. Unfriended is as inventive as it is unnerving, and showcases an exciting step forward for horror cinema.

Creep 2 (2017)

Creep 2

Director: Patrick Brice

Cast: Mark Duplass, Desiree Akhaven, Karan Soni

Genre: Horror

Rating: NR

Runtime: 1h 18m

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (Critics) 71% (Audience)

There are way too many horror films that get bad sequels so that the studio can coast off of name recognition and make a quick buck. What’s interesting about the indie horror film Creep is that a) it’s the last film that anyone (even fans of the film) would expect to get a sequel and b) it’s actually a very well done horror sequel. Creep 2 centers on serial killer Josef (Mark Duplass) from the original Creep, as he undergoes a midlife crisis. Videographer Sara (Desiree Akhaven), wanting to create a truly shocking work of art and fully aware he claims to be a serial killer, decides to film him for a day, soon realizing she may be in a dangerous position. Creep 2 effectively ramps up both the horror and the comedy from the original film, digging deeper into Josef’s psyche, in ways both interesting and terrifying. Desiree Akhaven proves to be a great foil to Mark Duplass, her overconfidence contrasting with his strange awkwardness. Twisty, funny, and well-acted, Creep 2 is an effective horror sequel that makes the first Creep look even better by association.

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House (2016)

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House

Director: Oz Perkins

Cast: Ruth Wilson, Paula Prentiss, Bob Balaban, Lucy Boynton

Genre: Horror

Rating: TV-14

Runtime: 1h 27m

Rotten Tomatoes: 58% (Critics) 24% (Audience)


Director Oz Perkins has made a name for himself with his eerie horror films such as The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel and Hansel. I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House treads similar territory, but with a decidedly more gothic flavor. The film follows nurse Lily (Ruth Wilson) as she takes care of elderly author Iris (Paula Prentiss) in a house that’s seemingly haunted. Perkins slowly builds dread throughout the film with deft direction and haunting apparitions that appear in the corner of your eye. Ruth Wilson’s icy performance perfectly fits the tone of the film, where scares come quickly and quietly, resulting more in quiet gasps than screams. While not for everyone, Perkins’ sense of atmospheric horror will appeal to fans of more cerebral horror, as well as classical horror such as The Turn of the Screw. Stylistically impressive and very chilling, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House is another successful horror film from Oz Perkins. 

Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020)

Vampires vs. The Bronx

Cam (2018)

cam

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Cast: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters

Genre: Horror

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 1h 34m

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics), 54% (Audience)

Sweetheart (2019)

sweetheart premiere

Hush (2016)

Hush Trailer

Apostle (2018)

'Apostle' director Gareth Evans

Director: Gareth Evans

Cast: Dan Stevens, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones

Genre: Horror

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 2h 9m

Rotten Tomatoes:  78% (Critics), 54% (Audience)

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2017)

paul urkijo

Director: Paul Urkijo

Cast: Uma Bracaglia, Eneko Sagardoy, Kandido Uranga, Ramón Agirre

Genre: Horror

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 1h 38m

Rotten Tomatoes: 78% (Critics), 71% (Audience)

Verónica (2017)

veronica premiere

Under The Shadow (2016)

under the shadows

Before I Wake (2017)

Kate Bosworth

Director: Mike Flanagan

Cast: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay

Genre: Horror

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 1h 27m

Rotten Tomatoes:  63% (Critics), 47% (Audience)

Gerald’s Game (2017)

geralds game

Director: Mike Flanagan

Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood

Genre: Horror

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 1h 43m

Rotten Tomatoes:  91% (Critics), 71% (Audience)

Creep (2014)

Creep

Little Evil (2017)

little evil

Director: Eli Craig

Starring: Adam Scott, Evangeline Lilly, Bridget Everett, Owen Atlas, Chris D’Elia, Donald Faison

Genre: Horor

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 1h 34m

Rotten Tomatoes:  92% (Critics), 47% (Audience)

The Ritual (2017)

the ritual

Director: David Bruckner

Cast: Rob James-Collier, Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Sam Troughton

Genre: Horror

Rating

Runtime: 1h 34m

Rotten Tomatoes:  73% (Critics), 60% (Audience)

Latest in Pop Culture