Feel a new kind of fear other than the Sunday Scaries. Look out! The 18 best horror movies on Netflix Feel a new kind of fear other than the Sunday Scaries. James Mercadante, :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ILANAGORDONHEADSHOT80577598f8ed442cacff5de184ceb9f5.jpg) Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles. EW's editorial guidelines and Declan Gallagher January 24, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/BestHorrorMoviesonNetflix120526ce7905459ed94126a0dd22029097e0e1.

Feel a new kind of fear other than the Sunday Scaries.

Look out! The 18 best horror movies on Netflix

Feel a new kind of fear other than the Sunday Scaries.

James Mercadante,

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

and Declan Gallagher

January 24, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

Grace Byers as Allison in 'The Blackening'; Mark Duplass as Josef in 'Creep'; Bill Skarsgård as Willard Russell in 'The Devil All the Time'. Credit:

Glen Wilson; Blumhouse Productions; Glen Wilson/Netflix

Every year seems to get bigger and better for horror movies, but 2026 is outdoing itself with *28 Years Later: The Bone Temple*, *Scream 7*, and *The Bride!* all slated to premiere between January and March, and new additions to the *Evil Dead*, *Insidious*, and *Resident Evil** *franchises dropping later on.

But great movies exist outside of classic IP, and the films on this list represent a sampling of the best indie, comedy, and foreign horror projects available to catch up on and stream right now. Read on for EW's list of the 18 best horror movies on Netflix.

28 Years Later (2025)

Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson in '28 Years Later'.

Miya Mizuno/Columbia

Danny Boyle's *28 Years Later *proves the franchise still has a lot to say. Released 18 years after *28 Weeks Later* (2007), the third installment in the postapocalyptic horror series is set on one of the British Isles, where a community has flourished, isolated from the more evolved versions of the infected that still terrorize the region. The film follows 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), who must contend with his mother's growing illness and his father's inability to help her.

Writer Alex Garland and director Boyle reunite for the first time since *28 Days Later*, and their collaboration meditates on British culture and isolationism in a post-Brexit, COVID-impacted world. Its own sequel, *28 Years Later: The Bone Temple*, premieres on Jan. 16. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *28 Years Later*: Netflix

**EW grade: **A–

**Director:** Danny Boyle

**Cast: **Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes

Bird Box (2018)

Julian Edwards as Tom and Sandra Bullock as Malorie Hayes in 'Bird Box'. Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Sight becomes a burden in *Bird Box*, a postapocalyptic thriller where the enemy must go unseen, or else. Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie Hayes, a woman responsible for transporting two young children down a river while wearing blindfolds, a strategy intended to help the survivors avoid seeing the entities that attacked Earth five years earlier, and who cause those who look upon them to commit suicide.

Jumping between their present journey and the past events that led Malorie and the children to this point, director Susanne Bier leans into the tension of the unknown and relies on her talented but eclectic cast to do the rest. Released the same year as *A Quiet Place*, *Bird Box* received less attention, but this sci-fi horror film is a great option for fans of both genres. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *Bird Box*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Susanne Bier

**Cast: **Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Danielle Macdonald, Sarah Paulson

The Blackening (2022)

Melvin Gregg as King, Grace Byers as Allison, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi, Jermaine Fowler as Clifton, Dewayne Perkins as Dewayne, and Xochitl Mayo as Shanika in 'The Blackening'. Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

Fans of *Get Out* (2017) will love *The Blackening* — and if the premise looks familiar, it's because the horror comedy started as a Comedy Central TV short. In the extended version, a group of friends decides to celebrate Juneteenth together in a cabin in the woods, only to find themselves targeted by a racist board game and a killer in a black leather face mask.

The film's tagline is "They can't all die first," and the movie precisely skewers genre tropes from the perspective of an almost all-Black cast. A film that focuses more on the satire than the scary moments, *The Blackening *is a great modern horror film in the style of 2022's *Bodies Bodies Bodies *and *The Menu*. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *The Blackening*: Netflix

**Director: **Tim Story

**Cast: **Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins

Bones and All (2022)

Taylor Russell as Maren and Timothée Chalamet as Lee in 'Bones and All'.

Yannis Drakoulidis/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

If you took a moody YA romance, set it in Ronald Reagan's America, and focused it on two cannibals falling in love, you'd get *Bones and All*. A romantic horror film from Luca Guadagnino, *Bones* stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet as young adults living on the outskirts of society and trying to cope with their hunger for flesh and, eventually, each other.

After the two join forces and travel across America in the late-1980s in search of Maren's (Russell) mother who abandoned her when she was small, these two "eaters" struggle to confront their pasts, their family ties, and their urges. EW's critic describes the film as "two crazy kids with hope in their hearts and a femur bone, perhaps, in their throats, running as fast they can." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Bones and All*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Luca Guadagnino

**Cast:** Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny

Cargo (2018)

Martin Freeman as Andy in 'Cargo'. Netflix

Martin Freeman gives "a performance in turns stoic and heartbreakingly desperate," says EW's critic, in this story about a father and his daughter in the Australian outback struggling for survival after a zombie outbreak. It's more of a character drama than a horror film, and admittedly is not a ton of fun, but it's a strong movie and a brave take on the zombie mythos. If you're a fan of the genre, *Cargo* will offer you something with more emotional weight than you're used to. *—Declan Gallagher*

Where to watch *Cargo*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Directors:** Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke

**Cast: **Martin Freeman, Simone Landers, Anthony Hayes, Susie Porter

Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass as Josef in 'Creep'.

Blumhouse Productions/Duplass Brothers Productions

In this found-footage two-hander, a young videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice) is hired by Josef (Mark Duplass) to record a day of his life. Josef explains that he has an inoperable brain tumor and wants to leave something behind for his soon-to-be-born son, but his eccentric behavior becomes increasingly concerning, and Aaron needs to decide whether to continue filming — assuming Josef will let him leave.

*Creep's* continued success depends on whether Josef can keep finding fresh ways to be unnerving, and he does. (Things get even creepier in 2017's *Creep 2* — also on Netflix — which documents another video project gone terribly wrong.) —*Danny Horn*

Where to watch *Creep*: Netflix

**Director:** Patrick Brice

**Cast:** Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice

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The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Adam Driver as Officer Ronald Peterson in 'The Dead Don't Die'.

Frederick Elmes/Focus Features

*The Dead Don't Die* defies explanation. A zombie movie that dabbles in absurdist comedy, sci-fi, and horror — and delights in breaking the fourth wall — the movie is never what you expect, but that doesn't detract from the viewing experience.

As EW's critic notes, the film isn't particularly scary or gory, so if those are your zombie priorities, you've come to the wrong place. However, if your goal is to watch a "genre-tweaking experiment" laden with director Jim Jarmusch's favorite acting collaborators, then *The Dead Don't Die* is the deadpan zom-com for you. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Dead Don't Die*: Netflix

**Director: **Jim Jarmusch

**Cast:** Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi

The Devil All the Time (2020)

Tom Holland as Arvin Russell in 'The Devil All the Time'.

Glen Wilson/Netflix

A Netflix original and horror thriller, *The Devil All the Time *explores several interconnected groups of people living in two small towns in Southern Ohio between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s. Linked by religious evangelism, war, corruption, suicide, abandonment, and serial murder, the cast — which includes a host of young Hollywood heavy hitters — makes the most of the story's melodrama and dark subject matter. Based on the 2011 novel and directed by Antonio Campos (*The Staircase*), *The Devil All the Time *takes the "all the time" portion of its title literally: the sins are multitudinous and the depths of human depravity on full display. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Devil All the Time*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director:** Antonio Campos

**Cast:** Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Eliza Scanlen

El Conde (2023)

Paula Luchsinger as Teresita in 'El Conde'.

Pablo Larrain/Netflix

Director Pablo Larraín sinks his teeth into Chile's most notorious villain, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, a figure who frequented some of his past works like *Tony Manero* (2008), *Post Mortem *(2010)*, *and* No* (2012). But instead of merely depicting Pinochet's military dictatorship that terrorized and killed thousands, Larraín offers an alternative history that sees him as a 250-year-old vampire who's grown tired of immortality after the countless atrocities he's committed.

Shot in breathtaking, Oscar-nominated black and white cinematography, *El Conde *is a gothic, politically rich vampire odyssey that renders fascists as literal life-drainers, forcing its heartless protagonist to sit forever with his horrific legacy. —*James Mercadante*

Where to watch *El Conde*: Netflix

**Director:** Pablo Larraín

**Cast:** Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger

Fear Street Part I: 1994 (2021)

Kiana Madeira as Deena Johnson and Olivia Scott Welch as Samantha Fraser in 'Fear Street Part I: 1994'. Netflix

It's a familiar setup — a group of clever, plucky suburban teens battling a hooded, skull-masked serial killer who returns from the dead — but this brisk adaptation of the R.L. Stine novel series offers more than just the obvious tropes. The *Fear Street* trilogy is a knowing mash-up of slasher films, ghost stories, and summer camp killers bound together by an ancient supernatural curse.

The second chapter in the franchise flashes back to 1978, and the third film to 1666, exploring a detailed backstory. Plus, the lesbian romance at the heart of the trilogy provides a modern spin. —*D.H.*

Where to watch *Fear Street Part I: 1994*: Netflix

**Director:** Leigh Janiak

**Cast:** Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger

Gerald's Game (2017)

Bruce Greenwood as Gerald and Carla Gugino as Jessie Burlingame in 'Gerald's Game'. Fantastic Fest 2017

On vacation at a remote lake house, Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) plays a kinky sex game with his wife, Jessie (Carla Gugino), handcuffing her to the bed and then dropping dead of a heart attack. Shackled to the bedposts with no chance of rescue, Jessie has to figure out how to survive.

Adapting a Stephen King novel long thought to be unfilmable, *Gerald's Game* fleshes out the story by bringing Gerald back to life as a hallucination, giving Jessie someone to talk to as she confronts her inner demons. Stirring performances by Gugino and Greenwood make this film a compelling watch. —*D.H.*

Where to watch *Gerald's Game*: Netflix

**Director:** Mike Flanagan

**Cast:** Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Carel Struycken

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'.

You can't escape the sins of your past in *I Know What You Did Last Summer*. A horror film with a serious hook — both literal and metaphorical — the success of the project helped enable a resurgence of slasher movies in the '90s. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr. star as four recent high school graduates with a deadly secret that stays between them until they reunite the following summer in their hometown. Soon, intimidating messages indicate that someone else knows what happened a year ago and will stop at nothing to seek retribution. EW's critic writes that the movie "knows how to assault you as crudely — and efficiently — as its vengeful slasher." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *I Know What You Did Last Summer*: Netflix

**Director:** Jim Gillespie

**Cast: **Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Johnny Galecki

The Perfection (2018)

Logan Browning as Lizzie and Allison Williams as Charlotte in 'The Perfection'. Netflix

Cello prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) returns to a prestigious music conservatory after several years away to find that another student, Lizzie (Logan Browning), has taken her place as the star pupil. The perverse, grisly way that Charlotte sabotages her rival is breathtaking — and that's only act one of this twisty psychological horror movie.

Williams' deadpan charm anchors the film, even as it takes several left turns from reality. EW's critic notes, "Some folks may laugh when director Richard Shepard wants their jaws to drop. But it delivers. *The Perfection* is a pure hit of twisted, absurd camp catnip." —*D.H.*

Where to watch *The Perfection*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Richard Shepard

**Cast:** Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber

The Platform (2019)

Alexandra Masangkay as Miharu in 'The Platform'.

Everett Collection

In this Spanish dystopian thriller, prisoners are trapped in a "Vertical Self-Management Center," a towering structure of stacked cells featuring a large hole in the floor. Every day, a platform loaded with food descends the tower, pausing at each level for the prisoners to eat. Those at the top feast heartily, while those below get the leftover table scraps. If everyone only took what they needed, there would be enough for all, but the greedy folks don't care about those suffering beneath them. (FYI: *The Platform 2* is also available on Netflix.) —*D.H.*

Where to watch *The Platform*: Netflix

**Director:** Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

**Cast:** Iván Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor

The Ritual (2017)

Paul Reid as Robert in 'The Ritual'.

Everett Collection

A stylish spine-chiller, *The Ritual* sends four British friends on a hiking tour through a dark Swedish forest, where they find that someone's been busy gutting animals and carving strange runes on the trees. None of the guys like to admit they're scared, so they keep pushing forward through the wilderness, as the occult threats grow more terrifying. However, they tend to make some newbie monster-movie mistakes, like spending the night in an abandoned cabin featuring an effigy with antlers for hands. Events get progressively bleaker from there. —*D.H.*

Where to watch *The Ritual*: Netflix

**Director:** David Bruckner

**Cast:** Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton

Train to Busan (2016)

Gong Yoo as Seok-woo in 'Train to Busan'. Well Go USA Entertainment

The only thing faster than a bullet train is the zombie infection overtaking its passengers. In the South Korean action horror film *Train to Busan*, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is a work-obsessed hedge fund manager and absentee father who agrees to accompany his young daughter, Soo-an (Kim Su-an), on a bullet train from Seoul to Busan so she can spend her birthday with her mother.

As the train departs, a sick woman begins transitioning into a zombie — and infecting everyone around her. These zombies seem to have studied at the *World War Z* School of Swarming; they move at the same frenetic speed, infecting the entire country during the course of the movie's under two-hour run time. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Train to Busan*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Yeon Sang-ho

**Cast: **Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik

Under the Shadow (2016)

Narges Rashidi as Shideh and Bobby Naderi as Iraj in 'Under the Shadow'. Kit Fraser

Living in Tehran during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her young daughter (Avin Manshadi) are under constant threat from missile strikes — and from the terrifying djinn that appears to be haunting their apartment. While her husband and neighbors urge Shideh to take her daughter to safety, the spirit taunts her, questioning whether she's a respectable woman and a good mother.

Complex and thought-provoking, *Under the Shadow *makes a unique addition to the horror canon. EW's critic calls the movie "a skilled, chilling feature debut that might follow you around a while after seeing it." —*D.H.*

Where to watch *Under the Shadow*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Babak Anvari

**Cast:** Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi

Verónica (2017)

Olga Segura as Verónica and Arcelia Ramirez as the psychologist in 'Verónica'.

Everett Collection

In Madrid, 15-year-old Verónica (Sandra Escacena) has a dead father, an absent mother, and three young siblings whom she cares for on her own. In an attempt to contact her dad, she and two friends play with an Ouija board. She cuts her hand, and drips blood on the board — an obvious no-no among Ouija enthusiasts — causing something demonic to emerge and attach itself to her.

Dark forces start to attack, and Verónica's descent into madness is all the more upsetting because it threatens her adorable little brother and sisters. *Verónica* notably wraps up with an explanation of the true story that inspired the film. —*D.H.*

Where to watch *Verónica*: Netflix

**Director:** Paco Plaza

**Cast:** Sandra Escacena, Claudia Placer, Bruna González, Iván Chavero, Ana Torrent

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movie"

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Source: Movie

Published: January 27, 2026 at 11:38AM on Source: RED MAG

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