8 Best Horror Movies to Stream on Netflix This Halloween Season

Spooky season is officially here, and if you’re looking for a scream this Halloween season, Netflix has you covered. The streaming giant is well-known for its original series like Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Wednesday, but Netflix’s streaming library also boasts a deep catalog of horror movies, making it easier than ever to find the next title for your Halloween movie marathon.

Subscribers browsing through the Netflix library as they countdown to Halloween 2024 will find plenty of streaming options, including original films like the iconic Fear Street Trilogy and director Mike Flanagan’s Gerald’s Game, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Netflix’s horror catalog has also become a standout for its rotating library of licensed titles, with films from major franchises like Halloween also currently streaming on the platform.

Keep scrolling to see the best horror movies streaming on Netflix this Halloween season. And don’t forget, to add these movies to you watch lists, you will need a Netflix subscription. The streamer three subscription plans – the basic with ads plan ($7 per month), the standard plan ($15.50 per month), and the premium plan ($20 per month).

Fear Street Trilogy

Synopsis: “In 1994, a group of teenagers discover the terrifying events that have haunted their town for generations may all be connected – and they may be the next targets. Based on R.L. Stine’s best-selling horror series, FEAR STREET follows Shadyside’s sinister history through a nightmare 300 years in the making. For loglines and images pertaining to Fear Street Part 2: 1978 and Fear Street Part 3: 1666, please visit the specific Media Center title pages.”

Why you should watch it: One of the most buzzed about horror titles to come from Netflix in recent years, the Fear Street trilogy brings R.L. Stine’s books of the same name to the small screen. Offering plenty of scares, the Fear Street films are also a fun watch that are reminiscent of ’80s and ’90s slashers like Scream and Friday the 13th. All three films in he trilogy topped the Netflix streaming charts in the U.S. upon their release.

Creep

Synopsis: “When a cash-strapped videographer takes a job in a remote mountain town, he finds that the client has some unsettling ideas in mind.”

Why you should watch it: If you’re looking for a movie that will make your skin crawl, the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, and have you constantly looking over your shoulder, then look no further than Creep. Released in 2014 as part of the found footage genre, the Patrick Brice-directed film was dubbed “a deeply uncomfortable yet compelling viewing experience” by critics.

If the 2014 film isn’t enough to give you nightmares, the followup, Creep 2, just may be enough to keep you up at night. Meanwhile, a six-episode series adaptation of the films, The Creep Tapes, is set to premiere on Shudder and AMC+ on Nov. 15.

Gerald’s Game

Synopsis: “While trying to spice up their marriage in their remote lake house, Jessie must fight to survive when her husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her handcuffed to their bed frame.”

Why you should watch it: From director Mike Flanagan, the name behind popular Netflix horror titles like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, Gerald’s Game has been described by critics as one of Flanagan’s “most accomplished to date” and praised for being one of the few adaptations that manages “to outdo their source material.”

Pearl

Synopsis: “In 1918, a lonely Texas farm girl with a ravenous appetite for stardom goes to increasingly extreme lengths for what she believes is her big break.”

Why you should watch it: Although Pearl marks the second installment of Ti West’s X trilogy, it is widely regarded as the best out of the three films. Serving as a prequel to X, the movie showcases actress Mia Goth’s acting talents as the maniacal farm girl Pearl. The film is currently streaming on Netflix following the July release of MaXXXine, the final installment of the critically acclimated trilogy.

The Pope’s Exorcist

Synopsis: “Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars in this horror thriller inspired by real-life Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth.”

Why you should watch it: After grossing $76 million, The Pope’s Exorcist shot to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts, climbing to the No. 3 spot in the global top 10 with 6 million streams.

Halloween (2018)

Synopsis: “A masked killer who went on a Halloween night murder spree 40 years ago escapes incarceration, targeting the victim who got away — and her family.”

Why you should watch it: Serving as a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 slasher, director Gordon Michael Green’s Halloween is regarded by many as the best sequel in the 13-film franchise. Although Green’s latter two entries – 2021’s Halloween Kills and 2022’s Halloween Ends – were met with more mixed reviews, 2018’s Halloween was praised for returning the slasher franchise to its roots, once again centering the story on Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. The film remains the second highest-rated movie in the franchise after 1978’s Halloween, holding a 79% critics score and 72% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Babadook

Synopsis: “Sam’s frequent tantrums turn sinister when a creepy children’s book mysteriously appears in his room and he asks his mother, ‘Do you want to die?’”

Why you should watch it: A decade after its release, Jennifer Kent’s directorial debut The Babadook remains one of the most influential indie horror movies of the last decade. Offering an exploration of grief as it centers around a widowed mother struggling to raise her son following her husband’s death, The Babadook is credited as being one of the first entries in the elevated horror genre.

The Babysitter

Synopsis: “The Babysitter follows a lonely, 12-year-old boy who falls in love with his hot babysitter only to discover that she’s part of a satanic cult that wants to kill him.”

Why you should watch it: The campy horror flick pays homage to the slasher era and is considered one of the best popcorn horror titles Netflix has put out, with critics saying that the movie “makes the most of its familiar genre ingredients with energetic direction and a killer cast.” Making it even better, in 2020, Netflix released a sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, which is also available to stream.

Honorable Mentions

The Ritual
Apostle
In the Tall Grass
1922
Cam
We Have a Ghost
The Curse of Bridge Hollow
Ouija: Origin of Evil
American Psycho
Bone Tomahawk
The Platform
Thanksgiving
It’s What’s Inside
Evil Dead Rise
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Annabelle
Run Rabbit Run
His House