The Best Horror Movies on Netflix

Critics Consensus: If you only watch one art-world satire with horror overtones this year -- or most others -- it should probably be Velvet Buzzsaw.

Synopsis: After paintings by an unknown artist are discovered, a supernatural force enacts revenge on those who have allowed their greed to get in the way... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, John Malkovich

Directed By: Dan Gilroy

Critics Consensus: Jaws 2 never approaches the lingering thrills of its classic predecessor, but it's reasonably entertaining for a sequel that has no reason to exist.

Synopsis: Years after the shark attacks that left Amity Island reeling, Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) finds new trouble lurking in the waters. Mayor Vaughn (Murray... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Joseph Mascolo

Directed By: Jeannot Szwarc

Critics Consensus: Unfriended subverts found-footage horror clichés to deliver a surprisingly scary entry in the teen slasher genre with a technological twist.

Synopsis: One night, while teenagers Blaire, Mitch, Jess, Adam Ken and Val take part in an online group chat session, they are suddenly joined by a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz

Directed By: Levan Gabriadze

Critics Consensus: Bird Box never quite reaches its intriguing potential, but strong acting and an effectively chilly mood offer intermittently creepy compensation.

Synopsis: When a mysterious force decimates the population, only one thing is certain -- if you see it, you die. The survivors must now avoid coming... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar

Directed By: Susanne Bier

Critics Consensus: Beware this waking nightmare: Before I Wake isn't always lucid enough to escape its wobbly story, but crafts a neat horror landscape of grief.

Synopsis: Foster parents Mark and Jessie welcome 8-year-old Cody into their home. The boy tells Jessie that he's terrified to fall asleep, but she assumes it's... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Annabeth Gish, Dash Mihok

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Critics Consensus: We Summon the Darkness makes the most of its rather pedestrian plot with palpable affection for genre formula, an appealing cast, and a sharp sense of humor.

Synopsis: Three friends cross paths with sadistic killers after they travel to a secluded country home to party.

Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Keean Johnson, Johnny Knoxville, Logan Miller

Directed By: Marc Meyers

Critics Consensus: Led by a pair of compelling performances, The Perfection is a smart, gripping thriller that barbs its wild twists with cutting wit.

Synopsis: A troubled musical prodigy and a new star pupil embark down a sinister path.

Starring: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman

Directed By: Richard Shepard

Critics Consensus: Enjoyable if not particularly original, The Babysitter makes the most of its familiar genre ingredients with energetic direction and a killer cast.

Synopsis: When Cole stays up past his bedtime, he discovers that his hot babysitter belongs to a satanic cult that will stop at nothing to keep... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bella Thorne, Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell

Directed By: McG

Critics Consensus: Stylish with a sadistic streak, Piercing pairs gripping lead performances with a smartly macabre story that delivers unpredictable thrills.

Synopsis: After kissing his wife and baby goodbye for a seemingly normal business trip, Reed checks himself into a hotel room to accomplish something he's always... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland

Directed By: Nicolas Pesce

Critics Consensus: Director David Bruckner makes evocative use of the Scandinavian setting and a dedicated cast to deliver a handsome -- if familiar -- horror story.

Synopsis: Reuniting after the tragic death of their friend, four college pals set out to hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. A wrong turn leads them into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rafe Spall, Rob James-Collier, Arsher Ali, Sam Troughton

Directed By: David Bruckner

Critics Consensus: Apostle resists easy scares in favor of a steady, slow-building descent into dread led by a commanding central performance from Dan Stevens.

Synopsis: London, 1905. Prodigal son Thomas Richardson has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dan Stevens, Lucy Boynton, Michael Sheen, Kristine Froseth

Directed By: Gareth Evans

Critics Consensus: Old Dolls can learn new tricks: This little murderer with a facelift is sillier and better than ever thanks to Don Mancini's Cult of Chucky.

Synopsis: Chucky returns to terrorize his human victim, Nica, who is confined to an asylum for the criminally insane. Meanwhile, the killer doll has some scores... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Alex Vincent

Directed By: Don Mancini

Critics Consensus: While it may feel muddled at times, The Platform is an inventive and captivating dystopian thriller.

Synopsis: In the future, prisoners housed in vertical cells watch as inmates in the upper cells are fed while those below starve.

Starring: Emilio Buale, Zorion Eguileor, Alexandra Masangkay, Ivan Massagué

Directed By: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Critics Consensus: The Killing of a Sacred Deer continues director Yorgos Lanthimos' stubbornly idiosyncratic streak -- and demonstrates again that his is a talent not to be ignored.

Synopsis: Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Camp, Raffey Cassidy, Denise Dal Vera, Colin Farrell

Directed By: Yorgos Lanthimos

Critics Consensus: The Conjuring 2 can't help but lose a bit of its predecessor's chilly sting through familiarity, but what remains is still a superior ghost story told with spine-tingling skill.

Synopsis: In 1977, paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren come out of a self-imposed sabbatical to travel to Enfield, a borough in north London.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Madison Wolfe, Frances O'Connor

Directed By: James Wan

Critics Consensus: Smart, stylish, and well-acted, What Keeps You Alive proves it's still possible to spin an engrossing horror yarn without fundamentally altering established formula.

Synopsis: Jackie and Jules are a couple celebrating their first anniversary at a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Jackie's family. From the moment they... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha MacIsaac, Joey Klein

Directed By: Colin Minihan

Critics Consensus: A yuletide nightmare full of familial angst and slithering scares, Await Further Instructions is a genre treat that pretty much any horror fan will want in their stocking.

Synopsis: On Christmas Day, a family wakes up to find a mysterious black substance surrounding its house, and its TV screen broadcasts a single message: Stay... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Bradley, Abigail Cruttenden, Holly Weston, Sam Gittins

Directed By: Johnny Kevorkian

Critics Consensus: Fear Street Part One: 1994 kicks off the trilogy in promising fashion, honoring the source material with plenty of retro slasher appeal.

Synopsis: A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Gillian Jacobs

Directed By: Leigh Janiak

Critics Consensus: Girl on the Third Floor proves a good old-fashioned haunted house story can still be entertaining -- and put a fresh spin on established genre formula.

Synopsis: A man tries to renovate a dilapidated house for his growing family, only to learn that the house has other plans.

Starring: CM Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks, Elissa Dowling

Directed By: Travis Stevens

Critics Consensus: Well-crafted and gleefully creepy, The Conjuring ratchets up dread through a series of effective old-school scares.

Synopsis: In 1970, paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston

Directed By: James Wan

Critics Consensus: It Comes at Night makes lethally effective use of its bare-bones trappings while proving once again that what's left unseen can be just as horrifying as anything on the screen.

Synopsis: After a mysterious apocalypse leaves the world with few survivors, two families are forced to share a home in an uneasy alliance to keep the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Riley Keough

Directed By: Trey Edward Shults

Critics Consensus: Well-acted, genuinely unsettling, and occasionally even funny, #alive proves the crowded zombie genre still has fresh stories to tell.

Synopsis: A rapidly spreading infection leaves one survivor in the entire city.

Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye, Jeon Bae-soo, Lee Hyun-wook

Directed By: Il Cho

Critics Consensus: Uncommonly restrained for a movie about a flesh-eating menace, Ravenous offers a satisfyingly nuanced entry in the crowded zombie apocalypse subgenre.

Synopsis: A village in Quebec is terrorized by a flesh-eating plague.

Starring: Marc-André Grondin, Monia Chokri, Charlotte St-Martin, Micheline Lanctôt

Directed By: Robin Aubert

Critics Consensus: Cargo takes a refreshingly character-driven approach to the zombie genre that's further distinguished by its Australian setting and Martin Freeman's terrific lead performance.

Synopsis: Stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic, an infected father desperately seeks a new home for his infant child, and a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Martin Freeman, Anthony Hayes, Susie Porter, Simone Landers

Directed By: Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke

Critics Consensus: Stocked with solid performances, Freaks is a clever sci-fi/horror hybrid that suggests a bright future for co-writers/co-directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein.

Synopsis: Kept locked inside the house by her father, 7-year-old Chloe lives in fear and fascination of the outside world. It's a place where Abnormals are... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Lexy Kolker, Amanda Crew

Directed By: Adam B. Stein, Zach Lipovsky

Critics Consensus: A smart and subversive twist on slasher horror, Fear Street Part II: 1978 shows that summer camp has never been scarier thanks to stellar performances from Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins.

Synopsis: Shadyside, 1978. School's out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, Chiara Aurelia

Directed By: Leigh Janiak

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A young boy tries to protect his two siblings when their new babysitter starts to reveal her psychotic nature.

Starring: Sarah Bolger, Joshua Rush, Carly Adams, Thomas Bair

Directed By: Michael Thelin

Critics Consensus: A smart, oddball take on found-footage horror, Creep is clever and well-acted enough to keep viewers on the edges of their seats.

Synopsis: Aaron answers an online ad and drives to a stranger's house to film him for the day. The man wants to make a movie for... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice

Directed By: Patrick Brice

Critics Consensus: The Invitation makes brilliant use of its tension-rich premise to deliver a uniquely effective -- and surprisingly clever -- slow-building thriller.

Synopsis: While attending a dinner party at his former house, a man starts to believe that his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister plans for... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi

Directed By: Karyn Kusama

Critics Consensus: Wickedly funny and featuring plenty of gore, Zombieland is proof that the zombie subgenre is far from dead.

Synopsis: Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind into flesh-devouring zombies because he's scared of just about everything. Gun-toting,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

Directed By: Ruben Fleischer

Critics Consensus: Fear Street Part Three: 1666 sends the slasher series back in time for a trilogy-concluding installment that caps things off on a screaming high note.

Synopsis: The origins of Sarah Fier's curse are finally revealed as history comes full circle on a night that changes the lives of Shadysiders forever.

Starring: Kiana Madeira, Ashley Zukerman, Gillian Jacobs, Olivia Welch

Directed By: Leigh Janiak

Critics Consensus: In the sharp, socially conscious battle of Vampires vs. the Bronx, comedy and horror blend brilliantly -- and the audience is the winner.

Synopsis: A group of friends band together to save their neighborhood from vampires.

Starring: Jaden Michael, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Shea Whigham

Directed By: Oz Rodriguez

Critics Consensus: Thanks to director Zak Hilditch's patient storytelling and strong work from lead Thomas Jane, 1922 ranks among the more satisfying Stephen King adaptations.

Synopsis: A rancher conspires to murder his wife for financial gain and convinces his teenage son to participate.

Starring: Thomas Jane, Neal McDonough, Molly Parker, Brian d'Arcy James

Directed By: Zak Hilditch

Critics Consensus: Carla Gugino carries Gerald's Game's small-scale suspense with a career-defining performance.

Synopsis: A woman accidentally kills her husband during a kinky game. Handcuffed to her bed with no hope of rescue, she begins hearing voices and seeing... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Carel Struycken

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Critics Consensus: Hush navigates the bloody waters of home invasion thrillers and incisive slashers for a contemporary horror puree.

Synopsis: A deaf woman is stalked by a killer in her home.

Starring: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Critics Consensus: Smart and suspenseful, CAM is a techno-thriller that's far more than the sum of its salacious parts -- and an outstanding showcase for Madeline Brewer in the leading role.

Synopsis: A camgirl has her principles, until a mysterious woman who looks just like her takes over her channel.

Starring: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid

Directed By: Daniel Goldhaber

Critics Consensus: Carried by Kiersey Clemons' performance, Sweetheart balances smart subtext and social commentary against effective genre thrills.

Synopsis: A shipwreck survivor on an uninhabited island must fend off a malevolent force that surfaces each night.

Starring: Emory Cohen, Kiersey Clemons, Hanna Mangan Lawrence

Directed By: J.D. Dillard

Critics Consensus: Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable.

Synopsis: In 1944 in Spain, Ofelia and her ailing mother arrive at the post of her mother's new husband, a sadistic army officer who is trying... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Álex Angulo

Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

Critics Consensus: A demonic possession movie with impressive depth, The Old Ways uses familiar genre ingredients to cast a uniquely gripping spell.

Synopsis: Deep in the Veracruz jungles, Mexican American journalist Cristina Lopez is held captive by a mysterious bruja, or witch doctor who is convinced she's possessed... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brigitte Kali Canales, Andrea Cortes, Julia Vera, Sal Lopez

Directed By: Christopher Alender

Critics Consensus: Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg's Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.

Synopsis: When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody (Roy... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Critics Consensus: Under the Shadow deftly blends seemingly disparate genres to deliver an effective chiller with timely themes and thought-provoking social subtext.

Synopsis: After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian

Directed By: Babak Anvari

Critics Consensus: Creep 2 has everything that made the original work and more -- more laughs, more awkwardness, more unsettling terror.

Synopsis: A video artist quickly realizes she has made a mistake when she meets a serial killer in a cabin.

Starring: Mark Duplass, Karan Soni, Patrick Brice, Desiree Akhavan

Directed By: Patrick Brice

Critics Consensus: Featuring genuine scares through every corridor, His House is a terrifying look at the specters of the refugee experience and a stunning feature debut for Remi Weekes.

Synopsis: A refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith, Cornell John

Directed By: Remi Weekes