Horror movies are great for Halloween, but you can enjoy the best horror movies on Netflix any time of year. Whether you love movies about haunted houses and monsters or you prefer a good psychological horror, there’s something for everyone in the extensive Netflix horror movie library.
Give the following films a try if you’re in the mood for some spooky entertainment.
1. Insidious Is a Psychological Thriller
Director James Wan has more than one of the best horror movies on Netflix including films such as Saw, Dead Silence, and The Conjuring. However, his Insidious just may be the most unique movie he’s put out to date.
The general plot centers around a family whose youngest child goes into a coma, where evil spirits aim to keep his soul trapped in another realm. The atmosphere is spooky, and this movie relies more on psychological effects than it does jump scares.
2. Before I Wake Mixes Reality & Dream States
Before I Wake is a supernatural thriller about a couple who fosters an eight-year-old boy. But they soon discover that the boy, Cody, is afraid to go to sleep.
The couple assumes that his fear of sleep comes from his difficult and troubled upbringing, but the real reason is more startling. When Cody sleeps, his dreams—both beautiful and horrifying—become reality.
3. Dark Skies Is a New Take on Alien Invasions
Dark Skies is one of the more unique alien movies in recent memory. The film feels like a typical haunted house movie, with doors opening unexpectedly during the night and objects moving around on their own.
It plays like Poltergeist, but with the discovery that the house isn’t actually haunted. Instead, extraterrestrials are visiting the family to study them.
4. IT Is Why You’re Afraid of Clowns
Stephen King has been the king of horror for decades with many of his novels and short stories showing up on the big screen. So, if you’re looking for the best horror movies on Netflix, you can’t overlook the Stephen King classic, IT. The story centers around a supernatural killer clown called Pennywise who feasts on the souls of children.
The saga has two parts, the first when the protagonists are children and the second part showing their battle against Pennywise as adults. If you weren’t already afraid of clowns, you just may be after watching IT.
5. The Mist Explores the Human Condition
Another Stephen King adaptation, The Mist, takes place in a small town in King’s home state of Maine. In the film, a strange mist engulfs the town after a storm. The mist itself isn’t deadly; it’s what’s hidden within it that traps a group of the town’s residents in a convenience store.
The Mist is about more than the dangers hidden outside, though. The true horror is in the way the people react while trapped together.
6. The Boy Explores Grief & Life
The Boy is about a young woman named Greta, who takes a job as a nanny. Soon you find out that the boy Greta is caring for is actually a doll and the couple who hired Greta had been caring for the doll as if it were a real boy since the tragic death of their son many years earlier.
Greta makes the mistake of breaking some of the couple’s rules and soon begins experiencing strange occurrences that lead her to believe the doll is actually alive.
7. Christine Is a Murderous Car
One of the best horror movies on Netflix is Christine, from 1983. Though it’s a little older than many of the other films on this list, it stands the test of time.
The movie is another Stephen King adaptation and is about a teenage boy, Arnie, who buys an old car. But the car, named Christine, isn’t just an ordinary car. The vehicle seems to have a murderous mind of its own. Soon the car’s essence seems to rub off on Arnie, changing him profoundly.
8. Let Me In Is an Acting Masterclass
Let Me In is the American adaptation of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In. While some may argue that the Swedish version was the better film, audiences did seem to like the American take on the story.
A young Chloë Grace Moretz gives a fantastic performance portraying Abby, a vampire child who befriends her new neighbor, a young boy named Owen. The story centers around how Abby becomes protective of Owen while fighting against her vampiric urges.
The Bottom Line: Netflix Has a Lot to Offer Horror Fans
We’ve only scratched the surface on the best horror movies on Netflix. The eight films here are a good place to start if you’re looking for suggestions, but the more you explore the library the more frights you’re sure to find.
