The 13 Best Horror Films on Netflix Right Now

Between its new originals, foreign imports and other titles, Netflix’s library is jam-packed. When your recommendations don’t cut it, what are you supposed to do? It can be very difficult to find your way through all of the content to find something you want to watch. You could be searching for quite some time if you’re are simply looking through the different categories or the several highlight groups. This can be a huge problem if you want to watch something from a category that is new for you.

Well, we’re here to help with one of those categories. Netflix has a horror section full of classics, and more recent additions to the horror genre. Whether you want to squirt at gore or lose it with a psychological thrill ride, the streaming has a nice smorgasbord of horror films. There’s cannibalism, period pieces, and even some comedy. Here’s 13 of the best as of February 2018.

13. The Conjuring

Based on actual paranormal investigators, The Conjuring centers on Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who are trying to help the Perron family with the deadly presence in their home. This sinister film was an excellent horror film and has the added bonus of jumpstarting a franchise.

12. Children of the Corn

Sometimes it’s great to just go with the classics. Luckily 1984 horror film Children of the Corn, based on a Stephen King short story, is on Netflix just waiting to be watched. It’s about a town where most of the children join a cult and kill the adults as human sacrifices for their bloodthirsty deity.

11. Raw

Justine’s a vegetarian in Raw who is beginning her journey at veterinary school with her future laid out for her. That is until she tries meat for the first time and develops a hunger for flesh. The horror comes from the realism of its starting point and following Justine makes for a thrilling and terrifying story. It’s a modern-day horror tale and that’s its selling point.

10. It Follows

It Follows is a suspenseful and scary film about teenage girl Jay who is pursued by a supernatural being after she has sex. Where many horror films may explain its creatures or evil in depth, It Follows’ ambiguity is a strength. By revealing very little the film makes the viewer think about the film and examine its monster on their own.

9. The Ritual

Four friends go on a hike to honor a dead friend then decide to take a short cut through the woods? Yeah, The Ritual does not end well for the friends or add much to the horror genre, but it’s the film’s focus on trauma and grieving process that makes it an interesting choice. The group all have feelings about the death of their friend and the horror film also spends time examining that as the four try to escape the woods with their lives.

8. The Sixth Sense

1999 horror classic The Sixth Sense is just sitting on Netflix waiting to give you both old-school horror and nostalgia. Bruce Ellis and Haley Joel Osment star as a trebled child psychologist and a troubled young man who can see and speak with the dead. M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed the film that established him as a filmmaker and gave us the well-known quote “I see dead people.”

7. Curse of Chucky

Longtime horror fans will remember the very creepy killer doll Chucky and Netflix has Curse of Chucky available to stream. The film takes the franchise back to horror after a few comedic installments by tapping into the source material of the film series. Revitalizing the franchise Curse of Chucky is good terrifying fun.

6. 1922

1922 tells the story of Wilf, a stern man who convinces his son to help him kill his own wife to stop her from leaving with their child. The gruesome crime has lingering effects on Wilf and it’s his long deterioration that makes the film a thrilling watch. Plus, part of the horror comes from lots and lots of rats if you’re into that kind of thing.

5. They Look Like People

They Look Like People is a psychological thriller where the villain is the human mind. Wyatt is a man struggling to figure out what’s real when he begins to believe humanity has secretly been taken over by evil creatures. The film’s suspense and examination of paranoia make it a great watch as Wyatt’s potential psychological breakdown is realistic enough to be terrifying.

4. Creep

Creep centers on videographer Aaron who answers a Craigslist ad to follow Josef around all day and record what he’s doing. Turns out Josef is much for chilling and menacing than Aaron expects. The film raises above other horror films because of Mark Duplass’ performance as Josef. It’s both somewhat humorous and utterly bone-chilling, which is the main draw of the film.

3. The Craft

Cult classic The Craft centers on four teenage outcasts who seek out witchcraft to improve their lives and must deal with the ramifications. In the age of cookie-cutter teen films, The Craft put aside the high school parties and desperation for popularity seen abundantly in teen films for darker fare, which makes it a film worth viewing.

2. The Babadook

When Netflix mistakenly marked horror film The Babadook an LGBTQ film the movie’s evil entity went on to get become an internet meme and a gay icon. Finding out the film that made its way to the world of memes is enough to watch the film, but The Babadook is actually a solid horror film about a mother and son who haunted by monster The Babadook. The mother-son dynamic and exploration of grief are positive aspects of the film.

1. Hush

Maddie Young is a deaf-mute woman living along in an isolated cabin unbothered until a killer chases her friend Sarah right to Maddie’s front door. Hush follows Maddie as her fights for her life trying to survive the masked killer who has entered her home. A combination of old-fashioned horror and genuine suspense make Hush an excellent watch.

Netflix has just released its March 2018 list. Come back to Inverse to check out our Horror recommendations for next month.