The 10 Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right Now

Are you missing the adrenaline rush you get from riding a roller coaster? How about a story that makes you think about something you’ve never even imagined before? If you want your senses to tingle from the comfort of your home, you might be looking for a great horror film. Between chilling sound design, a haunting soundtrack, properly used camera angles, low lighting, and a great monster/villain/creature/ghost, horror films can be one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have without leaving your couch. A good scary story can be a great experience if it’s something special and original, so we’ve compiled a list of the best ones you can watch right now on Netflix.

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Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

Genre Thriller, Mystery, Horror

Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Zawe Ashton

Directed by Dan Gilroy

watch on Netflix

In what could be considered a satire on the genre as well as of the art-buying community, Velvet Buzzsaw is a gory romp of jump-scare antics and well-known celebrity cameos. For those who value art commerce over art quality, the recently discovered art of Ventril Dease might literally blow your mind, at least if Velvet Buzzsaw is to be believed.

The Conjuring (2013)

Genre Horror, Thriller

Stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor

Directed by James Wan

watch on Netflix

Featuring homages to classic horror movies in its cinematography, sound design, lighting, and music, director James Wans’ The Conjuring is exactly as scary as you might expect it to be. Two paranormal investigators and demonologists named Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren are asked to look into the Perron home, where spirits unlike anything they’ve ever seen before haunt and torment the family due to events that took place in that house. For those that would like to experience the next step in this series, The Conjuring 2 is also available now on Netflix.

Girl on the Third Floor (2019)

Genre Horror, Thriller

Cast Phillip Jack Brooks, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks

watch on Netflix

An unfaithful husband who is renovating a mansion for his family is tormented by ghostly appearances, visions, and painful experiences that begin to drive him mad in this excellent update on the familiar haunted house genre. What allows Girl on the Third Floor to separate itself from similar fare is ultimately a psychological twist that culminates in a violent ending.

1922 (2017)

Genre Horror, Crime, Drama, History

Cast Thomas Jane, Molly Parker, Dylan Schmid

watch on Netflix

From the haunting novella by Stephen King, 1922 is a truly scary psychological thriller that features a career redefining performance from Thomas Jane. When a farmer’s wife threatens to leave him and his desolate farm for the city, Wilfred (Jane) convinces his son to be an accomplice to her murder, and they both pay the price.

Fear Street: 1994 (2021)

Genre Horror, Mystery

Stars Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr.

Directed by Leigh Janiak

watch on Netflix

All three movies in the Fear Street trilogy are worth watching, but that’s especially true of the first installment, Fear Street Part One: 1994. The film tells the story of a group of high school kids who are forced to deal with a generational curse that has transformed their town into a terrible place. In addition to being genuinely suspenseful and frightening, the Fear Street movies also work well as parodies of the kinds of horror movies that we’ve become so familiar with. The first installment is reminiscent of a 90s slasher, but it updates the formula enough to be plenty compelling in its own right.

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

Genre Comedy, Horror

Stars Jaden Michael, Gerald W. Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV

Directed by Oz Rodriguez

watch on Netflix

With a surprisingly successful blend of comedy and horror, Vampires vs. the Bronx is in the mold of the social horror movies that have become more common in recent years. The movie features group of teens who band together to save their neighborhood from the throes of poverty and crime, only to realize that the gentrification occurring in their neighborhood is being caused by bloodsucking vampires.

Hush (2016)

Genre Horror, Thriller

Stars Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Samantha Sloyan

Directed by Mike Flanagan

watch on Netflix

Aided by an original and concise plot, Hush creates an ever-growing sense of suspense that tops the charts of the over-saturated, home-invasion horror sub-genre. A deaf and mute writer decides that the best place to do her work is alone in a house in the forest, which is the perfect place for a psychotic stalker to have some sadistic fun.

Cam (2018)

Genre Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Cast Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters

watch on Netflix

Highlighted by an excellent performance from Madeline Brewer and an original, new-age concept, CAM takes a psychological premise and turns it into a bloody, mind-twisting thriller that hits a little too close to home for some online content personalities. An ambitiously driven cam girl named Alice responds well to her audience’s requests until an exact replica of herself takes over her account and begins to please the darkest corners of the internet.

Sweetheart (2019)

Genre Horror, Thriller

Stars Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence

Directed by J.D. Dillard

watch on Netflix

Boasting a refreshingly new movie monster, Sweetheart is an isolated horror film that harks back to classic monster movies with a modern flare. When Jenn ends up stranded and alone on a remote island, she soon discovers that the nighttime brings a threat that comes to feast.

His House (2020)

Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller

Stars Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Matt Smith

Directed by Remi Weekes

watch on Netflix

His House is a psychological thriller that contains some truly unexpected twists. A couple flee their home in South Sudan and barely escape death and are allowed to live in England as asylum-seekers, but required to live in a home of the government’s choosing that turns out to be haunted, reminding them of the dark journey they have already taken. In addition to being genuinely terrifying, His House also provides some trenchant commentary on the international refugee crisis and how countries have responded to it.

The 10 Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right Now

Related Guides

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

The Conjuring (2013)

Girl on the Third Floor (2019)

1922 (2017)

Fear Street: 1994 (2021)

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

Hush (2016)

Cam (2018)

Sweetheart (2019)

His House (2020)

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