The 31 Best Halloween Movies on Netflix Right Now
We don’t always enjoy getting scared out of our mind, but there’s something about October that makes it semi-mandatory. So if you’re looking for a real jump-scare (no offense, 31 Days of Halloween), then keep reading for the 31 best spooky and scary movies on Netflix to watch in the lead-up to Halloween.
1. 'The Conjuring' (2013, 1 hour and 51 minutes)
Who directed it? James Wan
Who’s in it? Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Joey King and Sterling Jerins
What’s it about? Two paranormal investigators are enlisted to help a family who recently moved into a seemingly haunted house. They soon learn that they’re in over their heads when they come face-to-face with a supernatural presence. Cue the nightmares.
2. 'Hush' (2016, 1 hour and 21 minutes)
Who directed it? Mike Flanagan
Who’s in it? Katie Siegel, Michael Trucco, John Gallagher Jr., Samantha Sloyan and Emma Graves
What’s it about? A deaf writer isolates herself in a cabin for some much-needed “me” time. Her relaxing experience turns into a silent fight for her life when a masked killer shows up at her doorstep. (Think A Quiet Place, but with a hint of Scream.)
3. 'Cabin Fever' (2002, 1 hour and 38 minutes)
Who directed it? Eli Roth
Who’s in it? Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent and Joey Kern
What’s it about? A college student accidentally shoots a man while vacationing with friends (casual). After trying to cover their tracks, they discover the victim has a highly contagious, flesh-eating disease.
4. 'The Ritual' (2017, 1 hour and 34 minutes)
Who directed it? David Bruckner
Who’s in it? Rafe Spall, Rob James-Collier, Maria Erwolter, Arsher Ali, Sam Troughton, Paul Reid and Matthew Needham
What’s it about? Four friends embark on a hike in the Scandinavian mountains in honor of their late friend. But not so fast. Things take a horrifying turn when they stumble upon a mysterious forest that is haunted by a Norse legend. Dun dun dunnn.
5. 'Coraline' (2009, 1 hour and 40 minutes)
Who directed it? Henry Selick
Who’s in it? Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Keith David, Jennifer Saunders and John Hodgman
What’s it about? Out of boredom, Coraline explores her family’s new home only to find a hidden door that leads to an alternate world. Although it appears all fun and games, everything changes when her parallel family tries to keep her there…forever.
*Family friendly option
6. 'Terrifier' (2018, 1 hour and 24 minutes)
Who directed it? Damien Leone
Who’s in it? David Howard Thornton, Jenna Kanell, Catherine Corcoran, Samantha Scaffidi and Katie Maguire
What’s it about? Introducing Art the Clown, a homicidal maniac who comes out of the shadows and terrorizes three young girls on Halloween night.
7. 'Carrie' (1976, 1 hour and 38 minutes)
Who directed it? Brian De Palma
Who’s in it? Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta and Nancy Allen
What’s it about? Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, the movie follows a sensitive teen who discovers she has supernatural powers. Things take a dark turn when she gets invited to prom and ends up lashing out at her abusive mom and classmates.
8. 'Insidious' (2010, 1 hour and 42 minutes)
Who directed it? James Wan
Who’s in it? Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Angus Sampson
What’s it about? A suburban family moves away from everything they know in an attempt to leave behind their haunted house. However, they soon learn the home isn’t the root of the problem—their son is.
9. 'American Poltergeist' (2015, 1 hour and 18 minutes)
Who directed it? Mike Rutkowski
Who’s in it? Ashley Green Elizabeth, Simona Fusco, Donna Spangler, Luke Brandon Field, Nikole Howell and Aaron Lee
What’s it about? A woman named Taryn is tormented by horrific visions after moving into a new house with her friends. Her worst fears are confirmed when she realizes the hallucinations are actually real.
10. 'Casper' (1995, 1 hour and 40 minutes)
Who directed it? Brad Silberling
Who’s in it? Christina Ricci, Devon Sawa, Bill Pullman, Malachi Pearson, Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle
What’s it about? A kind young ghost falls in love with the daughter of a visiting specialist. The movie follows Casper as he tries to grow their budding relationship, despite the fact that he’s transparent and she’s human.
*Family friendly option
11. 'Gerald's Game' (2017, 1 hour and 47 minutes)
Who directed it? Mike Flanagan
Who’s in it? Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Chiara Aurelia, Carel Struycken, Henry Thomas and Katie Siegel
What’s it about? When a woman accidentally kills her husband while she’s handcuffed to the bed, she loses all hope. That is, until she begins having strange visions that change everything.
12. 'Scream' (1996, 1 hour and 51 minutes)
Who directed it? Wes Craven
Who’s in it? Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette and Rose McGowan
What’s it about? As a young girl approaches the one-year anniversary of her mother’s murder, she discovers the crazed serial killer is coming after her next. (If you’re a wimp when it comes to haunting flicks, we highly recommend this horror classic, which is an ideal combination of cheesy and scary.)
13. 'The Sixth Sense' (1999, 1 hour and 47 minutes)
Who directed it? M. Night Shyamalan
Who’s in it? Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Donnie Wahlberg, Olivia Williams, Mischa Barton and Trevor Morgan
What’s it about? A young boy has a terrifying secret: He can see dead people. When he teams up with an esteemed psychologist, the doctor makes it his mission to uncover the truth about the boy’s supernatural abilities.
14. 'Truth or Dare' (2018, 1 hour and 28 minutes)
Who directed it? Jeff Wadlow
Who’s in it? Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Sophia Taylor Ali and Nolan Gerard Funk
What’s it about? It’s Halloween night, and a group of friends decide it would be funny to rent a haunted house that claimed several lives years ago. To no surprise, history begins to repeat itself.
15. 'Cult of Chucky' (2017, 1 hour and 30 minutes)
Who directed it? Don Mancini
Who’s in it? Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Alex Vincent, Adam Hurtig, Christine Elise McCarthy and Summer H. Howell
What’s it about? Nica is confined to an asylum for the criminally insane. After a string of murders take place, she realizes that the killer doll is seeking revenge.
16. 'The Invitation' (2015, 1 hour and 40 minutes)
Who directed it? Karyn Kusama
Who’s in it? Logan Marshall Green, Michiel Huisman, Tammy Blanchard, John Carroll Lynch, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Lindsay Burdge
What’s it about? A man accepts an invitation from his ex-wife to bring his new girlfriend over for dinner. Although the offer seems genuine, the get-together sparks tension between the former lovers, resulting in a thrilling twist.
17. 'The Bye Bye Man' (2017, 1 hour and 35 minutes)
Who directed it? Stacy Title
Who’s in it? Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas and Michael Trucco
What’s it about? When three college students move into an off-campus house, they soon discover that they’ve unleashed a supernatural killer, dubbed “Bye Bye Man.” Oh, and did we mention the movie stars Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Cressida Bonas?
18. 'The Autopsy of Jane Doe' (2016, 1 hour and 26 minutes)
Who directed it? André Øvredal
Who’s in it? Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch, Ophelia Lovibond, Michael McElhatton, Olwen Catherine Kelly and Jane Perry
What’s it about? The movie follows a father-son coroner duo. When they investigate the body of a Jane Doe, they find a series of bizarre clues that lead them to a supernatural presence.
Watch ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’
19. 'The Open House' (2018, 1 hour and 34 minutes)
Who directed it? Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote
Who’s in it? Dylan Minnette, Piercey Dalton, Matt Angel, Patricia Bethune, Sharif Atkins and Edward Olson
What’s it about? A mother and her son relocate following a tragedy. When eerie things start happening around their new home, the family discovers that there’s an ominous force who wants them out at any cost.
20. 'The Perfection' (2018, 1 hour and 30 minutes)
Who directed it? Richard Shepard
Who’s in it? Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman, Glynis Davies and Graeme Duffy
What’s it about? When a troubled music prodigy becomes friends with a new classmate, they go down a sinister path resulting in horrifying consequences. (Two words: Psychological thriller.)
21. 'Most Likely to Die' (2015, 1 hour and 20 minutes)
Who directed it? Anthony DiBlasi
Who’s in it? Heather Morris, Perez Hilton, Jake Busey, Tatum Miranda, Skyler Vallo, Jason Tobias and Ryan Doom
What’s it about? A group of former classmates throw a pre-party in honor of their ten-year high school reunion. Little do they know, it will be the last night they spend together.
22. 'Apostle' (2018, 2 hours and 10 minutes)
Who directed it? Gareth Evans
Who’s in it? Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Paul Higgins, Bill Milner, Catrin Aaron and John Weldon
What’s it about? The movie takes place in 1905 in London. When Thomas returns home to his family, he discovers that his sister is being held hostage by a religious cult. Although he’s determined to get her back, he ends up uncovering secrets about the group that were better left buried.
23. 'Would You Rather' (2012, 1 hour and 33 minutes)
Who directed it? David Guy Levy
Who’s in it? Brittany Snow, Sasha Grey, Jeffrey Combs, Robb Wells, John Heard, Robin Taylor and Logan Miller
What’s it about? Iris is drowning in her sick brother’s medical bills. So, she takes part in a lethal, winner-takes-all game that could result in a massive cash prize…or deadly consequences.
24. 'Don't Knock Twice' (2016, 1 hour and 33 minutes)
Who directed it? Caradog W. James
Who’s in it? Katee Sackhoff, Lucy Boynton, Richard Mylan, Nick Moran, Pascale Wilson, Sarah Buckland and Jordan Bolger
What’s it about? The film’s tagline is, “Knock once to wake her from her bed, twice to raise her from the dead…” Enough said.
25. 'He's Out There' (2018, 1 hour and 29 minutes)
Who directed it? Quinn Lasher
Who’s in it? Yvonne Strahovski, Anna Pniowsky, Abigail Pniowsky, Ryan McDonald, Justin Bruening and Julian Bailey
What’s it about? What starts out as a quiet escape for a family at a remote lake house turns into a twisted game for a maniac killer. The worst part? No one can hear them scream.
26. '1922' (2017, 1 hour and 41 minutes)
Who directed it? Zak Hilditch
Who’s in it? Thomas Jane, Molly Parker, Dylan Schmid, Kaitlyn Bernard, Neal McDonough, Tanya Champoux and Brian d’Arcy James
What’s it about? Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, the film follows a farmer who initiates a murderous plot against his wife…but not before convincing his teenage son to participate.
27. 'Ghost Ship' (2002, 1 hour and 31 minutes)
Who directed it? Steve Beck
Who’s in it? Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Isaiah Washington, Alex Dimitriades and Karl Urban
What’s it about? While traveling through a remote region of the Bering Sea, a crew stumbles upon a passenger liner that has been missing for more than 40 years. They soon learn the eerie ship isn’t vacant.
28. 'Satanic' (2016, 1 hour and 25 minutes)
Who directed it? Jeffrey G. Hunt
Who’s in it? Sarah Hyland, Steven Krueger, Justin Chon, Clara Mamet, Sophie Dalah, Anthony Carrigan and Steven Knight
What’s it about? When four college kids purchase tickets to Coachella, they take a detour on their way to the music festival to explore infamous true-crime sites. It’s not the smartest decision, but it’s entertaining as hell.
29. 'The Silence' (2019, 1 hour and 30 minutes)
Who directed it? John R. Leonetti
Who’s in it? Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, Kate Trotter, John Corbett, Dempsey Bryk and Billy MacLellan
What’s it about? In a dystopian society, the world is under attack by carnivorous creatures. Similar to A Quiet Place, the monsters hunt their prey based on sound, forcing a family to seek remote refuge as they learn to live in silence.
30. 'Cloverfield' (2008, 1 hour and 24 minutes)
Who directed it? Matt Reeves
Who’s in it? Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Odette Annable and Margot Farley
What’s it about? Before there was 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox, there was the original 2008 movie, which follows a group of New York City citizens as they try to escape a shadowy creature that is plaguing Manhattan. Think of it as a combination between Godzilla and Blair Witch Project.
31. 'Verónica' (2017, 1 hour and 45 minutes)
Who directed it? Paco Plaza
Who’s in it? Sandra Escacena, Bruna González, Claudia Placer, Iván Chavero, Ana Torrent, Consuelo Trujillo and Ángela Fabián
What’s it about? This Spanish film has a reputation as one of the scariest films on Netflix. You've been warned.
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