The Best Horror Movies on Netflix as Picked by a Hardcore Horror Fan
Spooky season is upon us, which means that it’s time for some Netflix and Chills. After you’ve loaded up on that pumpkin spice and decked out your space with the best Halloween decor, there’s nothing left to do other than to settle in for a good ‘ole fashioned horror movie marathon. There are a ton of streaming sites out there, but Netflix offers an array of spooky selects that will satisfy any scary movie craving. The best horror movies on Netflix encompass everything from:
- Home invasion movies
- Possession movies
- Haunted house movies
- Classic horror movies
- Horror movies with twist endings
- Found footage horror movies
- Lost in the woods horror movies
- And, of course, a little Stephen King
Looking for something paranormal? They’ve got The Ritual and Poltergeist. How about something a little more grounded in reality, like Hush or The Silence of the Lambs. No matter what Halloween 2020 looks like during lockdown, these 13 horror movies will send shivers down your spine. Don’t forget to stick around till the end for some honorable mentions, including a Jennifer Lawrence horror movie and a mind-bending thriller.
So check under the bed and don’t turn off the lights –– here are the best horror movies on Netflix right now.
1. Hush (2016)
BEST HOME INVASION
Watch this if you like: The Strangers, You’re Next
Synopsis: An ordinary evening turns into a night of survival for a deaf and mute writer when a sadistic masked killer arrives at her doorstep. The terrifying-because-it-could actually-happen fright flick stars Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill House). She also co-wrote the script alongside her real-life husband, director Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep).
Image courtesy of Netflix
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
BEST HORROR CLASSIC
Watch this if you like: Seven, Psycho
Synopsis: A young F.B.I. trainee (Jodie Foster) turns to a convicted cannibal killer, Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins), in order to catch another sadistic serial killer who is still on the loose. The film is inspired by real-life killer Ed Gein, who also served as the basis for the villains in Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Image courtesy of Orion Pictures
3. Insidious (2010)
BEST JUMP SCARE
Watch this if you like: The Conjuring, The Amityville Horror
Synopsis: A family (Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne) is tormented by evil spirits that will stop at nothing to harm their young son. Desperate for relief, they turn to a psychic medium for guidance. However, they soon discover that a spine-chilling family secret might be the root of all their problems.
Image courtesy of Blumhouse Productions
4. The Boy (2016)
BEST TWIST ENDING
Watch this if you like: Annabelle, Dead Silence
Synopsis: A young nanny (Lauren Cohan, The Walking Dead) takes a job to watch over an elderly couple’s son, but when she discovers that the boy is actually a doll, things begin to happen that make her question her own sanity.
Image courtesy of STX Films
5. As Above So Below (2014)
BEST FOUND FOOTAGE
Watch this if you like: The Descent, Quarantine
Synopsis: A crew of treasure hunters experience a trip from hell as they search for the philosopher’s stone in the Catacombs of Paris. The film came out at the tail end of the found footage boom that was kicked-off by Paranormal Activity in 2009 but stands out as a fresh entry within the sub-genre.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
6. The Ritual (2018)
BEST “LOST IN THE WOODS” HORROR MOVIE
Watch this if you like: The Blair Witch Project, The Witch
Synopsis: A group of friends on a hiking trip through the Swedish wilderness begin to realize that they’re far from alone in the desolate setting, and mysterious occurrences start to rattle the members of the group. The atmospheric flick was a film festival darling, playing at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 and selling to Netflix for a reported $4.75 million afterward.
Image courtesy of Netflix
7. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
BEST SUPERNATURAL
Watch this if you like: The Exorcist, The Possession
Synopsis: Horrific occurrences happen at a morgue as two coroners (Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox) attempt to unravel the mysterious cause of death behind their latest arrival.
Image courtesy of IFC Midnight
8. Green Room (2016)
BEST ADRENALINE-INDUCING HORROR
Watch this if you like: Don’t Breathe, The Belko Experiment
Synopsis: Members of a traveling rock band (Anton Yeltsin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat) land a gig at a Neo-Nazi skinhead bar, but after witnessing a murder occur backstage, the job turns into a fight for survival.
Image courtesy of A24
9. Creep (2014)
MOST UNSETTLING
Watch this if you like: Paranormal Activity
Synopsis: A videographer (Patrick Brice) accepts a job in a remote mountain town. The task? Document the client’s (Mark Duplass) every move –– but it soon becomes apparent that one of them might be harboring dark secrets of their own. Creep 2 is also on Netflix, so this could make for a spooky double feature.
Image courtesy of Blumhouse Productions
10. Poltergeist (1982)
BEST ’80s THROWBACK
Watch this if you like: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Synopsis: A family living in a quiet suburban neighborhood experiences mounting paranormal phenomena around their home, ultimately culminating in the disappearance of the youngest daughter, Carol Anne. The horror classic spawned two big-screen sequels, a short-lived television series, and a theatrical remake in 2015.
Image courtesy of MGM
11. 1BR (2020)
BEST INDIE
Watch this if you like: The Invitation, Get Out
Synopsis: A young woman new to Los Angeles struggles to find comfort in her bizarre apartment complex. The film, directed by first-timer David Marmor, scored positive reviews from critics, which is a rarity in the horror genre.
Image courtesy of Dark Sky Films
12. Would You Rather (2012)
BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
Watch this if you like: Saw, Escape Room
Synopsis: A group of strangers (Brittany Snow, Sasha Grey, Logan Miller) is invited to a dinner party at a wealthy businessman’s estate, but there’s a twisted catch: only one of them will be making it out alive.
Image courtesy of IFC Midnight
13. Gerald’s Game (2020)
BEST STEPHEN KING
Watch this if you like: IT, The Shining
Synopsis: Following an intimate rendezvous gone wrong, a woman (Carla Gugino) finds herself handcuffed to a bed frame at a remote lake house. As she attempts to find an escape, her past comes back to haunt her. The film, directed by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), is based on a short story by Stephen King.
Image courtesy of Netflix
Honorable Mentions
Image courtesy of FilmNation Entertainment
- House at the End of the Street (2012), a Jennifer Lawrence thriller.
- The Perfection (2019), a twisted mind-screw.
- In the Tall Grass (2019), based on the short story by Stephen King.
- Emelie (2016), about a wicked babysitter.
- Veronica (2017), a foreign tale of ghostly possession.
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