7 Of The Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right Now

Horror is one of those genres that has quietly powered the film industry for decades. It has given us absolute classics like The Exorcist, The Conjuring, and Scream, and yet it somehow still doesn’t get the respect it deserves. 

Although horror fans know the truth, which is that few genres give the same adrenaline rush, emotional release, and genuinely unhinged storytelling as a good scare-fest.

Horror is ridiculously accessible now. Instead of hunting down DVDs or waiting up for late-night cable TV, most of the genre’s best entries live on streaming platforms. 

Netflix, in particular, has become a cosy (or terrifying) home for everything from supernatural slow-burns to blood-curdling creature features. You can even binge entire franchises in one sitting if you’re brave enough.

So, if you’re new to horror or simply overwhelmed by Netflix’s many options, here’s a guide to some of the platform’s best spanning series, modern films, cult hits, and chilling classics.

The film follows Emma Larsimon, a famous horror novelist desperate to leave her bestselling witch character, Marianne, behind, but life has other plans. 

After a disturbing encounter with a former childhood friend, Emma is forced to return to the coastal town where she grew up. What she finds there is a web of creepy townspeople, old secrets, and a witch who seems determined to leave the page and slip into the real world.

Marianne feels like a nightmare you can’t wake up from. It’s atmospheric, sharply written, and genuinely frightening. If you love “witchy, small town horror with a pulse,” this is your binge.

READ ALSO: ‘The Herd’ Didn’t Invent Insecurity, Why Are We Upset About It?

Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s novel, this film follows the Crain siblings, a family forever marked by one long, traumatic childhood summer in a haunted mansion. Now grown up, they are pulled back together by tragedy, forcing them to confront the ghosts of their past… both literal and emotional.

The storyline flips between past and present seamlessly, building tension until it explodes in one devastating conclusion. Keep your eyes open as hidden ghosts lurk in the background of nearly every episode. 

Set in 1960s Los Angeles, the film centres on a widowed mother who runs a small fortune-telling business with the help of her two daughters. When they incorporate an Ouija board into their act, they accidentally invite something far more sinister into their home, and into the youngest daughter.

This is one of the rare films that takes a familiar horror gimmick, the Ouija board, and makes it fresh.

The long-awaited continuation of one of Britain’s most iconic horror franchises. Set nearly three decades after the rage virus first broke loose, the story explores a world that has adapted, albeit bleakly, to its new reality. Small pockets of survivors live in heavily protected communities, including one isolated island connected to the mainland by a single guarded causeway.

When one member goes on a risky mission beyond the safety of the island, he discovers dangerous new evolutions of the infected… and chilling truths about the people still alive.

This new entry shifts the franchise into something grander with folk horror, post-apocalyptic drama, and social commentary. It expands the world in surprising ways while keeping that frantic, “run for your life” energy the series is known for.

READ ALSO: Bolu Babalola’s Honey & Spice Is Becoming A Film

A gory, slow-burning folk horror tale set on a remote island, and one of Netflix’s most underrated gems.

In 1905, a troubled man named Thomas travels to a secluded island to rescue his sister, who has been kidnapped by a religious cult. Disguised as a recruit, he infiltrates the community and quickly realises that the group is both more desperate and more dangerous than they appear. Something ancient and supernatural is at the centre of their belief system, and it is hungry.

A psychological horror film that proves you don’t need elaborate sets or dozens of characters to scare an audience senseless.

A couple retreat to a remote lake house to rekindle their marriage. Things take a dark turn when Gerald dies suddenly, leaving Jessie handcuffed to the bed with no way to get help. As dehydration, fear and memories from her childhood begin to warp her perceptions, Jessie must fight to survive not only the physical situation but the horrors brewing inside her own mind.

When a beach town’s summer season is disrupted by a series of deadly shark attacks, the local police chief teams up with a marine biologist and a grizzled fisherman to hunt down the gigantic great white lurking in the water. The town’s mayor, desperate to keep tourists coming, refuses to take the threat seriously… until things spiral out of control.

Jaws is a masterclass in suspense. Steven Spielberg, the film’s director, built fear through what you don’t see, like the fin slicing through water, the iconic score, and the tension of knowing something is beneath the surface. 

If you’re into ghost stories, cult mysteries, creature features, or psychological nightmares, Netflix has a horror pick for every kind of viewer. These titles have a mix of old-school classics, modern gems, and bold reimaginings of the genre. 

So grab your blanket, turn off the lights and get ready for a chilling night in, just don’t blame me if you sleep with the lights on afterwards.