33 best horror movies currently streaming on Netflix (updated September 2023)

Storm Reid in Screen Gems MISSING

We’re only a month away from Halloween, and that means now is as good a time as ever to binge-watch some horror movies. Are you looking for a scary movie to watch tonight? Netflix has a lot of great options. Below you can check out our list of the best horror movies on Netflix. Some of these movies are slashers, some are psychological thrillers, and some are something else entirely!

The nice thing about horror is there are tons of different subgenres and niches, meaning you’re likely to find something to your taste on the streaming service. Netflix has some great original horror movies, but there are also some that Netflix just licensed for now, including a few classics!

Best horror movies on Netflix (updated September 2023)

Since movies are always coming and going on Netflix, we’ll keep this list updated over time as older films leave the service and new great horror movies begin streaming. Luckily, Netflix Originals should be permanent fixtures as those typically never leave Netflix. Keep reading to see the best horror movies on Netflix right now.

Best horror movies on Netflix: The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)

• Directed by: Julius Avery
• Starring: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, and Franco Nero

Australian director Julius Avery’s supernatural horror film The Pope’s Exorcist follows Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe), an exorcist working for the Vatican, specifically the Pope.

Amorth is assigned to a particularly challenging case of diabolical possession in Spain, where a young boy named Henry has started acting bizarrely despite testing showing there’s nothing wrong with him. In the process of trying to find the name of Henry’s demon, Amorth stumbles upon an ancient conspiracy involving the Spanish Inquisition and a secret cover-up orchestrated by the Vatican.

The Pope’s Exorcist is your typical, bog-standard possession movie, but a strong performance from Crowe elevates the material into something more entertaining than your average exorcism tale.

I appreciated how the film folded in some interesting lore and the politics that go on behind the scenes of these religious institutions, especially when you’ve got demons involved. It’s not groundbreaking, but it added a refreshing perspective and cultivated unique tension throughout the film.

Regarding the actual horror, there are some surprisingly effective jump scares and a few nasty possession scenes that recall moments from The Exorcist and other R-rated exorcism movies. The young actor playing Henry, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, does an excellent job. I’ve also never seen a movie tease 199 potential sequels before.