With Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to watch some scary movies. Netflix, the most popular streaming giant, has plenty of original horror films that keep fans coming back for more, not just in spooky season, but all year long.
Whether you like creepy thrillers, ghost stories, or psychological horrors, there’s something for everyone. To help you find the best ones, we’ve put together a list of 15 Netflix Original horror films you won’t want to miss.
Fear Street
This is an American horror film series that involves supernatural and slasher elements. It is based on R.L. Stine’s popular book series of the same name and is set in the fictional town of Shadyside, known as the “murder capital of the United States.” The series has three main parts: Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666, all released on Netflix in July 2021. A fourth movie, Fear Street: Prom Queen, came out in May 2025.
The story revolves around a group of teenagers who come together to end a curse that has haunted their town for many years.
Blood Red Sky
Directed by Peter Thorwarth, this vampire thriller film has received positive reviews. At the time of its release, it became Netflix’s most successful German original film. It may not be the scariest movie on the platform, but its unusual story makes it worth watching.
The movie follows a woman with a strange illness who has to use her hidden vampire powers to save her son when terrorists hijack their flight.
The Babysitter
Starring Bella Thorne, Hana Mae Lee, Samara Weaving, Judah Lewis, and Robbie Amell, 2017’s The Babysitter is a black comedy slasher film. The story is about a lonely 12-year-old boy who finds out that his cool babysitter is involved in a satanic group planning to kill him. Critics have generally praised the film, and on IMDb, it has a rating of 6.4 out of 10. After the first film’s success, a sequel titled “The Babysitter: Killer Queen” was released in 2020.
Gerald’s Game
Released in 2017 by Netflix, this psychological horror film is edited and directed by Mike Flanagan. He managed to successfully make a movie out of Stephen King’s novel Gerald’s Game, which many people thought couldn’t be turned into a film.
Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood play a married couple on a vacation at a quiet, isolated house. But things take a dark turn when the husband suddenly dies of a heart attack, leaving his wife handcuffed to the bed with no way to escape. Alone and terrified, she must find a way to survive while also facing her painful memories. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 91% rating.
His House
Written and directed by Remi Weekes, this horror thriller film is one of the most critically acclaimed Netflix horror films. It has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Starring Wunmi Mosaku, Matt Smith, and Sope Dirisu, the film follows a refugee couple from South Sudan as they try to start a new life in an English town, only to discover that something evil and deadly is hiding there.
On January 27th, 2020, the film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and on October 30th, 2020, it was released by Netflix. Wunmi Mosaku earned a BAFTA nomination for her exemplary performance.
It’s What’s Inside
This 2024 comedy horror film is about a group of college friends who meet again for a party eight years after graduation, but the night takes a wild turn when one of them suggests playing a strange body-swapping game.
Its cast includes James Morosini, Nina Bloomgarden, Brittany O’Grady, Madison Davenport, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Gavin Leatherwood, David Thompson, Reina Hardesty and Devon Terrell. With lots of unexpected twists, this sci-fi film will keep you hooked until the end.
Calibre
“Calibre” is the kind of movie that makes you tense from the start, but in the best possible way. Directed and written by Matt Palmer, the movie was released on Netflix on June 29th, 2018. It stars Martin McCann and Jack Lowden as two hunters who go on a hunting trip in the Scottish Highlands. Their quiet trip quickly takes a dark turn after a tragic event, and they have to find a way to leave the village without anyone finding out.
While “Calibre” isn’t a typical horror film, it does a great job of creating psychological fear through its dark atmosphere.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
This 2022 film is the ninth installment of the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise. Set fifty years after the first movie, the story follows killer Leatherface as he hunts down a group of young people and ends up facing a survivor from his past crimes who wants revenge.
It features some of the most talented actors, including Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Sarah Yarkin, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Alice Krige, Jessica Allain, Olwen Fouéré, and Jacob Latimore.
There’s Someone Inside Your House
“There’s Someone Inside Your House” was released on Netflix on October 6th, 2021 and received both positive and negative reviews. It is one of those slasher films that takes a different approach. Instead of wearing a mask, the killer wears the faces of their victims.
The story follows Makani Young, a high school senior who moves from Hawaii to Osborne, Nebraska, where she gets caught up in a series of shocking murders. Written by Henry Gayden and directed by Patrick Brice, it is based on Stephanie Perkins’ 2017 novel of the same name.
Cam
Another horror film that is worth watching in this spooky season is “Cam,” which is written by Isa Mazzei and directed by Daniel Goldhaber. It was the first feature film for both personalities.
Set in the world of webcam pornography, the movie is partly inspired by writer Isa Mazzei’s own experience as a camgirl and explores the dangers and dark side of online identity. Further, its talented cast includes Michael Dempsey, Madeline Brewer, Devin Druid, Melora Walters, and Patch Darragh.
A Classic Horror Story
This chilling Italian horror film, directed by Paolo Strippoli and Roberto De Feo, has plenty of scary and violent scenes. Released in July 2021 by Netflix, the story is about five people traveling in a camper who crash into a tree. When they wake up, the road vanishes, and they are replaced by a dark forest and a strange wooden house.
The cast includes Peppino Mazzotta, Yuliia Sobol, Matilda Lutz, William Merrick, and Francesco Russo. Though the film didn’t get great reviews, if you just want a simple horror film to watch this spooky season, it’s a good pick.
Creep
If you love watching “found footage” type horror films, then “Creep” is a good option. It is a 2014 psychological horror movie that looks like it was filmed by the characters themselves. The story was written by Brice and Mark Duplas, who also act in the film. Brice plays a cameraman hired to record a strange man, played by Duplas.
The film received great reviews from the critics and later became the start of a franchise. A sequel, “Creep 2,” came out in 2017, followed by a spin-off series “, The Creep Tapes”, on Shudder in 2024, and a third film is now being planned.
1922
Next entry in the list of Netflix Original horror films you cannot miss is “1922.” This American horror film is based on Stephen King’s 2010 novel and was released soon after “Gerald’s Game.” Directed and written by Zak Hilditch, the movie features many talented stars, including Bob Frazer, Neal McDonough, Kaitlyn Bernard, and Brian d’Arcy James.
The film is extremely dark and disturbing as it tells the story of a man named Wilfred James, who conspires with his son to kill his wife. Later, he writes a letter confessing to the crime, and everything in his life starts falling apart. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 92%.
In The Tall Grass
Based on Joe Hill and Stephen King’s novel, this film isn’t a typical horror with monsters or ghosts. It has a creepy setting with a field of tall grass, which creates fear and tension. Directed and written by Vincenzo Natali, the movie is about a pregnant woman and her brother who hear a young boy calling for help and enter a strange field of grass, only to get trapped inside. On October 4th, 2019, the film was released by Netflix.
Apostle
Popular for intense action films like “The Raid” and “Havoc”, Gareth Evans tried something different with this 2018 folk action horror film “Apostle”, and it turned out to be a great success.
Released on Netflix on October 12th, 2018, the film is about a British man who travels to a distant island to save his sister from a dangerous group. The film was well-received by the critics, and on Letterboxd, it earned 3.1 stars out of 5.
