There’s not a massive library of Netflix Original horror movies but there are some absolute gems, particularly from a number of years ago. Here are our rankings of the best Netflix Original horror movies currently streaming on Netflix.
After the first-ever debut of a Netflix Original movie (Beats of No Nation in October 2015) it took another full year until Netflix released their first Original horror movie in the form of I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.
Please note: we’re only going to include largely English titles unless the movie broke down borders and performed well in countries like the United States. This is simply to keep this article from ballooning in size. Here are some of the titles that won’t feature in our ranked list (but doesn’t meant they’re not worth checking out:
- Ghost Stories (2020) – Hindi horror anthology
- Bulbbul (2020) – Hindi
- Cadaver (2020) – Norweigen
- Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020) – Polish
We’re also skipping some of Netflix’s thrillers from this list too including the likes of Rebecca and The Devil All The Time.
15. Rattlesnake
Netflix Release Date: October 25th, 2019
Although this one could be considered more of a thriller drama than horror at least, to begin with, as the plot slowly unravels and gets crazier by the second.
We follow a woman and her daughter who has just got her foot bitten, at least that’s what she thought.
Unfortunetely, the interesting plot falls rather thin as backed up by its rather abysmal 28% critic score and 15% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
14. The Open House
Netflix Release Date: January 19th, 2018
This film is an absolute horror show and not in a good way. The main draw to this movie was no doubt the inclusion of Dylan Minnette who has become a mainstream star thanks to his appearance in 13 Reasons Why seasons 1 and 2. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to save this movie which ranks last on our ranking.
The movie features a familiar story where new inhabitants move into a home to find out that not all is what it seems and it’s in actual fact, haunted. The writing is lazy and holds the accolade of being 57th on IMDb’s worst-ranked movies of all time.
13. In the Tall Grass
Netflix Release Date: October 4th, 2019
In The Tall Grass is the first of three Stephen King books Netflix has adapted into movies thus far but sadly, the latest one doesn’t quite meet the standard of the previous two.
The movie is praised for its solid production values and often jumpy nature but unfortunetely, there’s not enough substance.
In the hour and forty minutes long movie, we go through the tall grass with a sister and brother attempting to find the source of a young boy’s cry but end up getting stuck.
12. Death Note
Netflix Release Date: August 25th, 2017
Netflix’s foray into adapting anime’s into movies hasn’t gone quite to plan and Death Note represents the worst effort so far. Despite having Willem Dafoe voice Ryuk and young and upcoming actors such as Nat Wolff, Margaret Qualley and Laekith Stanfield the movie wasn’t very memorable nor compelling nor scary.
The story revolves around high school students who discover a notebook that sees anyone whose name is written in the book die. The student decides to get rid of the world’s criminals with some strange effects.
Stick to the anime folks, nothing to see here.
11. Eli
Netflix Release Date: October 18th, 2019
With the creators of Gerard Game and The Haunting of Hill House behind this project, you’d have thought it’d be a home run. Sadly, it wasn’t the case for this title which received mixed reviews.
Clocking in at just over an hour and a half, the movie released on Netflix as part of the strong 2019 lineup.
The movie itself is about a young boy getting treatment for auto-immune disorder living in a house that’s being haunted.
10. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
Netflix Release Date: October 28th, 2016
Oz Perkins is either known for his fantastic writing on horror movies or as Dorky David Kidney in Legally Blonde. This Netflix Original movie first released back in 2016 was well-received and technically counts as the first Netflix Original horror movie ever to release.
The story revolves around a young nurse taking care of an elderly author living in a haunted house. The movie has a fantastic atmosphere throughout and is one of the best gothic horror movies of all time but is often criticized for being a tad slow on its pacing.
9. The Perfection
Netflix Release Date: May 24th, 2019
Logan Browning and Allison Williams take the leads in this thriller which sees the girls go down unexpected turns throughout with a musical twist that almost could be considered three movies in one.
It’s about a music prodigy who seeks out the help and training for a star pupil which sends them down twisted paths.
The production value exhibited throughout this film alone makes this worth watch even if the plot gets a little silly at times. A good flick with some solid ratings from critics and fans alike.
8. Vampires vs. The Bronx
Netflix Release Date: October 2nd, 2020
Vampires vs. the Bronx rather unceremoniously dropped onto Netflix for Halloween 2020 with it in the shadow of the much larger promoted series, The Haunting of Bly Manor. That’s not to say it’s not worth your time hence it ranking so high on our list.
The movie is directed and written by Oz Rodriguez and is a comedy horror about a group of friends from the Bronx teaming together to save their neighborhood from a nasty group of vampires.
It’s funny and critics largely agreed that it combines horror and comedy for perfect infusion.
7. Apostle
Netflix Release Date: October 12th, 2018
Apostle is perhaps one of the strangest Netflix Original movies I’ve ever seen. Set in the early 1900s it’s about a man who goes to an island to rescue his sister from a cult but it quickly spirals from there. Not all is what it seems with the supernatural seemingly claiming the island.
It’s a compelling watch that will make the over two-hour runtime flyby and was criminally under-promoted when it first released.
Among the talent in the movie is Dan Stevens who takes center stage but also features great performances from Michael Sheen, Paul Higgins, and Bill Milner.
6. Cargo
Netflix Release Date: May 18th, 2018
This movie adaptation of a short that released several years before it was one of the biggest horror movies added in 2018. It stars Hollywood sweetheart Martin Freeman who plays a father looking for a new home for his daughter during an outbreak of a zombie-like infection.
While the movie is certainly not scary, the first time the yellow honey infection is quite shocking.
5. 1922
Netflix Release Date: October 20th, 2017
The second of the three Stephen King titles that make up this list of the best Netflix Original horror titles. This movie didn’t do quite as well as Gerald’s Game which really was the better of the two titles but is still a great watch for Stephen King fans.
Set back in the 1920s, a farmer conspires and follows through with his plans to murder his wife for financial gain. As you’ve probably guessed, things don’t go exactly to plan.
4. Little Evil
Netflix Release Date: September 1st, 2017
Adam Scott is the headline actor in this horror spoof. It involves Adam playing a stepfather who moves into his wives’ home to find out her child is potentially possessed. With a handful of standout laugh out loud moments mainly in part to Owen Atlas’s fantastic performance as Lucas. Adam Scott and Evangeline Lilly also put in fantastic performances throughout.
The story is a little slow and convoluted at times but it ultimately pays off at the end with a good ending which is rare for most horrors.
3. The Babysitter & The Babysitter: Killer Queen
Netflix Release Date: October 13th, 2017 & September 10th, 2020
If you love teen comedy horror movies, then you couldn’t do much worse than The Babysitter. The insanely popular movie released in 2017 and will have a lot of fans return to it for Halloween 2018.
The movie stars Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, and the biggest draw is Bella Thorne.
The sequel movie released 3 years later and continues the camp yet infinitely watchable movie franchise which to date, is Netflix’s first horror franchise.
2. Cam
Netflix Release Date: November 16th, 2018
Although critics were huge fans of this one, it struck a chord with me as someone who loves Black Mirror and this plays out like an extended episode.
The movie is about a camgirl who’s doing well for herself on a cam site when she gets her account blocked and finds out someone is on the site being her.
It’s a fantastic psychological thriller with AI twists. Also, the chances are you’ve never heard of it.
1. Gerald’s Game
Netflix Release Date: September 29, 2017
Without a doubt, the best horror movie to come exclusively to Netflix over the past few years has been Gerald’s Game. The movie was adapted to the big screen by Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard from one of Stephen King’s lesser-known novels.
The movie is about a fight for survival when a husband dies unexpectedly. It’s creepy and will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat throughout.
What has been your favorite Netflix Original horror? Let us know in the comments down below.
