The 8 Best Horror Movies You Can Stream on Netflix Right Now

The widespread appeal of horror films is simple: We love the adrenaline rush, and we feel safe knowing that a machete-wielding maniac isn’t lurking outside our window. (Probably. Feel free to go check.)

X (2022)
The Invitation (2022)
Blood Red Sky (2021)
The Perfection (2019)
The Ritual (2018)
Gerald’s Game (2017)
It Follows (2015)
Creep (2014)

If you’re in the mood for those thrills without leaving the comfort of your sofa, there’s an easy solution: Kill the lights and check out eight of the scariest movies on Netflix right now.

X (2022)

It's 1979 and a ragtag film crew rents space on a dusty farm to film their latest pornographic project, but the elderly owners have something a bit bloodier in store for them. For years, director Ti West has been channeling video nasties and classic slashers to create horror tableaus, and he has crafted something of a magnum opus with X and its subsequent prequel (Pearl) and sequel (MaXXXine). Mia Goth is the brightest gem here, playing both an aspiring adult film star and the ancient farmwife who expresses her jealousy of youth and stardom in an, um, unique way.

The Invitation (2022)

A wedding trip to England becomes an exercise in survival in this effective chiller starring Nathalie Emmanuel. Co-star Sean Pertwee is the son of one-time Doctor Who star Jon Pertwee.

Blood Red Sky (2021)

This creepy and inventive German-language chiller has become a standout hit for Netflix. When a group of terrorists hijacks a transatlantic flight, they’re surprised to discover that one woman on board will go to any lengths to protect her son—up to and including unleashing her vampire side. Director Peter Thorwarth said he got the idea during a transatlantic flight, wondering what he would do if he were a vampire flying toward the rising sun.

The Perfection (2019)

The dark side of musical genius is explored in this gory thriller about a cello prodigy (Allison Williams) who returns to her old private school to find her teacher (Steven Weber) taken with a new student (Logan Browning). It’s a triangle of jealousy that only gets twistier—and more twisted—from the first frame to the last. Williams and Browning did most of their own cello playing.

The Ritual (2018)

Four friends on a hiking trip in the Swedish wilderness find forces both natural and unnatural could interfere with their return home. Director David Bruckner has said he was influenced by The Wicker Man, The Descent, and even Deliverance, so if those titles appeal, this might be the movie for you.

Gerald’s Game (2017)

A romantic weekend retreat turns into a claustrophobic struggle for survival for Carla Gugino after her husband drops dead and she’s left handcuffed to their bed. This adaptation of Stephen King’s novel is one of the rare films to do right by the author, preserving his psychological (and visceral) scares.

For Gugino, however, it came at a cost: The handcuffs she wore for weeks were so uncomfortable that director Mike Flanagan, who wanted to show solidarity with his actors, could only wear them for five minutes before quitting.

It Follows (2015)

A lethal evil is stalking a group of friends, passing from one to the next. It will take a lot of ingenuity—and a bit of luck—to break the cycle. Director David Robert Mitchell based the movie on dreams he had as a child of being followed.

Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass stars in this low-budget, found-footage chiller about a very strange man named Josef who solicits the help of a videographer. As the bizarre behavior mounts, Josef seems to be looking at his new hire more like a victim than an employee. Director Patrick Brice and Duplass originally envisioned it as a “dark comedy about two sad people forming a connection” under the title Peachfuzz, but feedback from friends convinced them to shoot more footage and go in a darker direction.

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A version of this story ran in 2021; it has been updated for 2024.