The 18 best horror movies on Netflix to stream now

Netflix and thrill? It's more likely than you think with the streamer's horror library.

Horror movies are designed to be enjoyed 365 days a year. Fortunately, Netflix delivers an abundance of frights straight to your own (haunted) house.

Craving zombies? Zombieland (2009) is there to tickle your brain. How about supernatural horror? Evil Dead Rise (2023) is a great go-to. Whatever your mood, this list has you covered.

Read below for the 18 best horror movies to watch on Netflix right now.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Seeing dead bodies is endlessly routine for coroner Tommy (Brian Cox). But when an unidentified woman (Olwen Catherine Kelly) lands on his table, he and his son, Austin (Emile Hirsch), discover several anomalies: Her body appears pristine, yet her bones tell a different story; her veins suggest a recent death while her eyes say she's been gone for days. As the pair puzzle over her cause of death, eerie events reveal that they're not the only party present in the morgue.

An unnerving body horror work with spectacular performances, EW's critic perfectly sums up the film in one sentence: "Supporting the theory that any movie can be made four times better with the addition of Brian Cox, The Autopsy of Jane Doe is essentially a 90-minute episode of Jack Klugman’s late-’70s TV show Quincy, M.E. with more graphic gore, goo, and guts." —James Mercadante

Where to watch The Autopsy of Jane Doe: Netflix

Director: André Øvredal

Cast: Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Olwen Catherine Kelly, Ophelia Lovibond, Michael McElhatton

Related: The 21 best horror anthology series ever

The Babadook (2014)

A frightening figure erupts from the pages of a mysterious children's book in The Babadook, a horror tale that's also a sly meditation on grief and parenting. Amelia (Essie Davis), the widowed mother of a troubled 6-year-old boy, tries to reassure her son that the Babadook isn't real, but when she tears the book up and throws it away, it reappears on her doorstep with even more graphic threats.

EW's critic at the time praised the film, writing, "In an age when horror movies have mostly become lazy and toothless, here’s one with ambition and bite." —Danny Horn

Where to watch The Babadook: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Jennifer Kent

Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney

Related: The Babadook director celebrates monster's gay icon status: 'He's trying to stay relevant'

Bird Box (2018)

Sight becomes a burden in Bird Box, a postapocalyptic thriller where the enemy must go unseen, or else. Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie Hayes, a woman responsible for transporting two young children down a river while wearing blindfolds, a strategy intended to help the survivors avoid seeing the entities that attacked Earth five years earlier, and who cause those who look upon them to commit suicide.

Jumping between their present journey and the past events that led Malorie and the children to this point, director Susanne Bier leans into the tension of the unknown and relies on her talented but eclectic cast to do the rest. Released the same year as A Quiet Place, and possessing a somewhat similar premise, Bird Box received less attention when it first premiered, but this sci-fi horror film is a great option for fans of both genres. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Bird Box: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Susanne Bier

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Danielle Macdonald, Sarah Paulson

Related: Bird Box author confirms sequel is on the way, shares first details

Cam (2018)

This fresh techno-thriller plays on the fear of losing control of your online identity. Alice (Madeline Brewer), an ambitious camgirl who works under the name Lola, logs in one day to find that she's locked out of her account, which now belongs to a look-alike streaming in her place. Everyone that she turns to for help dismisses her concerns or asks intrusive questions about her profession, leaving her to confront her doppelgänger alone.

Written by former camgirl Isa Mazzei, Cam tells a trippy take on horror that respects the lead character's perspective and questions societal judgments around sex work. —D.H.

Where to watch Cam: Netflix

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Cast: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid, Michael Dempsey

Related: How a former sex worker dreamed up Blumhouse's latest movie nightmare

Creep (2014)

In this found-footage two-hander, a young videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice) is hired by Josef (Mark Duplass) to record a day of his life. Josef explains that he has an inoperable brain tumor and wants to leave something behind for his soon-to-be-born son, but his eccentric behavior becomes increasingly concerning, and Aaron needs to decide whether to continue filming — assuming Josef will let him leave.

Creep's continued success depends on whether Josef can keep finding fresh ways to be unnerving, and he does. (Things get even creepier in Creep 2, which documents another video project gone terribly wrong.) —D.H.

Where to watch Creep: Netflix

Director: Patrick Brice

Cast: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice

Related: The best horror movies of the 2010s

El Conde (2023)

Director Pablo Larraín sinks his teeth into Chile's most notorious villain, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, a figure who frequented some of his past works like Tony Manero (2008), Post Mortem (2010), and No (2012). But instead of merely depicting Pinochet's military dictatorship that terrorized and killed thousands, Larraín offers an alternative history that sees him as a 250-year-old vampire who's grown tired of immortality after the countless atrocities he's committed.

Shot in breathtaking, Oscar-nominated black and white cinematography, El Conde is a gothic, politically rich vampire odyssey that renders fascists as literal life-drainers, forcing its heartless protagonist to sit forever with his horrific legacy. —J.M.

Where to watch El Conde: Netflix

Director: Pablo Larraín

Cast: Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger

Related: El Conde director breaks down his vampire Pinochet movie and that wild narrator reveal

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Approximately 6,500 liters of blood were used to create Evil Dead Rise, the fifth movie in the Evil Dead franchise. Released more than four decades after Sam Raimi’s original film, the newest chapter in the series continues to pontificate on the dangers of reading — specifically reading the Book of the Dead, an ancient tome with torturous implications for those who peruse it.

When the book is discovered by a family living in a Los Angeles apartment complex, the results are as twisted and gory as they were back in 1981. Franchise star Bruce Campbell may not appear in this particular film, but he vouches for the quality, saying “it is amazing, and, yes, it is the scariest one yet.” —I.G.

Where to watch Evil Dead Rise: Netflix

Director: Lee Cronin

Cast: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher

Related: Evil Dead Rise director calls SXSW horror movie a 'punk rock opera dripping in blood'

Fear Street Part I: 1994 (2021)

It's a familiar setup — a group of clever, plucky suburban teens battling a hooded, skull-masked serial killer who returns from the dead — but this brisk adaptation of the R.L. Stine novel series offers more than just the obvious tropes. The Fear Street trilogy is a knowing mash-up of slasher films, ghost stories, and summer camp killers bound together by an ancient supernatural curse.

The second chapter in the franchise flashes back to 1978, and the third film to 1666, exploring a detailed backstory. Plus, the lesbian romance at the heart of the trilogy provides a modern spin. —D.H.

Where to watch Fear Street Part I: 1994: Netflix

Director: Leigh Janiak

Cast: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Ashley Zukerman, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Maya Hawke

Related: Fear Street director breaks down that ending and the trilogy's 'insidious' big reveal

Gerald's Game (2017)

On vacation at a remote lake house, Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) plays a kinky sex game with his wife, Jessie (Carla Gugino), handcuffing her to the bed and then dropping dead of a heart attack. Shackled to the bedposts with no chance of rescue, Jessie has to figure out how to survive.

Adapting a Stephen King novel long thought to be unfilmable, Gerald's Game fleshes out the story by bringing Gerald back to life as a hallucination, giving Jessie someone to talk to as she confronts her inner demons. Stirring performances by Gugino and Greenwood make this film a compelling watch. —D.H.

Where to watch Gerald's Game: Netflix

Director: Mike Flanagan

Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Carel Struycken

Related: Gerald's Game director recommends the best movie to watch over Halloween

Pearl (2022)

Ti West’s X film series contains three movies, and Pearl is the strongest. Considered a prequel to the horror films X (2022) and MaXXXine (2024), the movie tells the story of Pearl (Mia Goth) one of the lead characters in X. Set in 1918, Pearl is a farm girl living with her parents while her husband fights in World War I. When Pearl’s life as a caretaker for her father begins to chafe against her plans to become a chorus girl, Pearl’s violent tendencies begin to manifest in unusual ways. 

Goth offers a “standout” performance in the film, guiding audiences through her character’s mental deterioration. EW’s critic writes, “Pearl is the rare origin story where you see the breakdown happening in real time.” —I.G.

Where to watch Pearl: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Ti West

Cast: Mia Goth, Emma Jenkins, Tandi Wright, David Corenswet, Alistair Sewell

Related: A Guide to X, Pearl, and MaXXXine: All about the X trilogy universe

The Perfection (2018)

Cello prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) returns to a prestigious music conservatory after several years away to find that another student, Lizzie (Logan Browning), has taken her place as the star pupil. The perverse, grisly way that Charlotte sabotages her rival is breathtaking — and that's only act one of this twisty psychological horror movie.

Williams' deadpan charm anchors the film, even as it takes several left turns from reality. EW's critic notes, "Some folks may laugh when director Richard Shepard wants their jaws to drop. But it delivers. The Perfection is a pure hit of twisted, absurd camp catnip." —D.H.

Where to watch The Perfection: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Richard Shepard

Cast: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber

Related: The Perfection cast, director break down THAT shocking ending

The Platform (2019)

In this Spanish dystopian thriller, prisoners are trapped in a "Vertical Self-Management Center," a towering structure of stacked cells featuring a large hole in the floor. Every day, a platform loaded with food descends the tower, pausing at each level for the prisoners to eat. Those at the top feast heartily, while those below get the leftover table scraps. If everyone only took what they needed, there would be enough for all, but the greedy folks don't care about those suffering beneath them. (FYI: The Platform 2 comes out on Netflix on Oct. 4.) —D.H.

Where to watch The Platform: Netflix

Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Cast: Iván Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor

The Ritual (2017)

A stylish spine-chiller, The Ritual sends four British friends on a hiking tour through a dark Swedish forest, where they find that someone's been busy gutting animals and carving strange runes on the trees. None of the guys like to admit they're scared, so they keep pushing forward through the wilderness, as the occult threats grow more terrifying. However, they tend to make some newbie monster-movie mistakes, like spending the night in an abandoned cabin featuring an effigy with antlers for hands. Events get progressively bleaker from there. —D.H.

Where to watch The Ritual: Netflix

Director: David Bruckner

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

Related: From The Signal to rebooting Hellraiser: David Bruckner's life in horror

Thanksgiving (2023)

There's a cornucopia of festive holiday-themed killings in Eli Roth's Thanksgiving, a tongue-in-cheek slasher pic featuring a killer dressed in a Pilgrim costume. One year after a catastrophic Black Friday sale that resulted in multiple gory casualties, people involved in the riot are being targeted, including (of course) a group of wisecracking, attractive teens. Patrick Dempsey heads the cast as the town sheriff, investigating a string of gruesome and entertaining kills. You have to respect a movie that bleeds cranberry sauce. —D.H.

Where to watch Thanksgiving: Netflix

Director: Eli Roth

Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon

Related: Eli Roth spent decades cooking up his horror movie Thanksgiving

Under the Shadow (2016)

Living in Tehran during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her young daughter (Avin Manshadi) are under constant threat from missile strikes — and from the terrifying djinn that appears to be haunting their apartment. While her husband and neighbors urge Shideh to take her daughter to safety, the spirit taunts her, questioning whether she's a respectable woman and a good mother.

Complex and thought-provoking, Under the Shadow makes a unique addition to the horror canon. EW's critic calls the movie "a skilled, chilling feature debut that might follow you around a while after seeing it." —D.H.

Where to watch Under the Shadow: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Babak Anvari

Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi

Related: Oscars 2017: Academy announces 85 contenders for foreign language film category

Verónica (2017)

In Madrid, 15-year-old Verónica (Sandra Escacena) has a dead father, an absent mother, and three young siblings whom she cares for on her own. In an attempt to contact her dad, she and two friends play with an Ouija board. She cuts her hand, and drips blood on the board — an obvious no-no among Ouija enthusiasts — causing something demonic to emerge and attach itself to her.

Dark forces start to attack, and Verónica's descent into madness is all the more upsetting because it threatens her adorable little brother and sisters. Verónica notably wraps up with an explanation of the true story that inspired the film. —D.H.

Where to watch Verónica: Netflix

Director: Paco Plaza

Cast: Sandra Escacena, Claudia Placer, Bruna González, Iván Chavero, Ana Torrent, Ángela Fabián, Carla Campra

The Wailing (2016)

If you're looking for unrelenting horror, this South Korean police procedural from Hell offers mass murder, zombie-like infections, and red-eyed demons. In a remote village, a repulsive skin rash is spreading that causes sufferers to kill their families, and the bumbling police sergeant (Kwak Do-won) investigating the murders is absolutely out of his depth — especially when his own daughter (Kim Hwan-hee) starts to exhibit signs of the disease.

Writer-director Na Hong-jin constantly raises the stakes, offering twist after twist. EW's critic promises that "despite its epic length, The Wailing never bores as [director Na Hong-jin] slathers his tale with generous supplies of atmosphere and awfulness." —D.H.

Where to watch The Wailing: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Na Hong-jin

Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, Jun Kunimura, Kim Hwan-hee

Related: The 25 best Korean horror movies of all time, ranked

Zombieland (2009)

Expertly blending horror, comedy, and post-apocalyptic action, Zombieland has proved to be one of the more endearing modern movies about the undead. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin star as an unlikely band of survivors who trek across a desolate America to seek sanctuary. It's a delightfully bloody affair, featuring some truly gruesome deaths and one hell of a cameo.

While the filmmakers behind Zombieland are more interested in entertaining rather than truly frightening the audience, they don't skimp on providing some rather graphic imagery. As EW's critic observes, "The ghouls who, after an out-of-control virus hits planet Earth, have overrun the world in this smartly made, chat-loving comedy are plenty hideous, prone to feasting on intestines." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Zombieland: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

Related: Zoey Deutch on her scene-stealing turn in Zombieland: Double Tap

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.