Apostle and 6 best religious horror movies on Netflix

Religious horror movies are some of the most frightening out there. Often involving cults, demons, exorcisms and ominous symbols, these films include the classic horror movie The Exorcist and more current ones like Saint Maud and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

If you’re in the mood to watch something truly haunting, check out our list below of the best religious horror movies streaming on Netflix. Some of these movies are just licensed to stream on the service, so you’ll want to watch them sooner rather than later in case they are removed in the near future. The others are Netflix Original films that should stick around for the long haul!

Best religious horror movies on Netflix

Apostle (2018)

Apostle is a very twisted religious horror film set in 1905. Directed by Gareth Evans, Apostle is terrifying and stylish Netflix film, with the kind of distinctive tone we’ve come to anticipate from Evans. Dan Stevens stars as Thomas Richardson. Not long after returning home to London, Thomas learns that his sister has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by a religious cult on a secluded island.

Desperate to find her, he travels to the island and infiltrates the community, discovering that the cult’s influence extends far behind a small sector and has actually corrupted the mainland society. While searching for his sister, Thomas uncovers a secret more evil than he could have ever imagined.

The Seventh Day (2021)

Guy Pearce, Keith David and Stephen Lang star in this horror film written and directed by Justin P. Lange. In it, a rookie priest arrives for his first day of training with a well-respected exorcist, but as they start looking deeper into hell on Earth they find that the lines between good and evil aren’t always so obvious.

Midnight Mass (2021)

Technically I’m cheating by including Midnight Mass on this list of best religious horror movies because it’s actually a limited series and not a movie, but it fits the religious horror theme so, whatever.

Created by Mike Flanagan (Hush, The Haunting anthology), Midnight Mass is a seven-episode series about an isolated island community that starts experiencing supernatural events after the arrival of a mysterious, yet charismatic, priest (Hamish Linklater).

The series also features several recognizable faces from some of Flanagan’s previous projects, such as his wife and frequent collaborator Kate Siegel and Rahul Kohli. Michael Trucco, Zach Gilford, Annabeth Gish, Samantha Sloya, Kristin Lehman, Igby Rigney, Annarah Cymone, Alex Essoe and more also star.

The Devil All the Time (2020)

The Devil All the Time is not actually a “horror” movie but it is a crime drama that deals with disturbing content and has religious themes. The story revolves around a young man trying to protect his loves ones in a backwoods town overrun with religious zealots and corruption. This Netflix film also has a star-studded cast that includes Sebastian Stan, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Eliza Scanlen, Haley Bennett and Mia Wasikowska.

The Day of the Lord (2020)

The Day of the Lord is a dark and gruesome Mexican horror movie about a retired priest haunted by his sins. He’s unwillingly pulled back into the darkness when a friend asks him to assist with his possessed daughter.

Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019)

Svaha: The Sixth Finger is a 2019 South Korean mystery thriller film about a pastor who starts investigating a mysterious new cult called Deer Mount. A suspect of a recent murder might belong to the cult, so Pastor Park agrees to investigate with the assistance of his friend, a Buddhist monk.

Which of these religious horror movies do you plan to watch next?