Here are the best-reviewed horror films on Netflix UK
Horror films might be overlooked as potential award season candidates, but that doesn’t mean the genre is a stranger to rapturous critical appraisal. Between word-of-mouth hits (Terrifier 2) to blockbuster epics (The Quiet Place), the genre is arguably more varied than ever thanks to streaming services which place experimental shlock next to big-budget scares.
So what are the highest-reviewed options for spooky sessions on Netflix? Check out the best horror films on Netflix UK now…
1. Creep 2
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
If you’re after an oddball spin on the found-footage subgenre, the sequel to 2014’s cult classic Creep is a rare follow-up which mostly lives up to the original.
2. Under The Shadow
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
A psychological horror set in 1980s war-torn Iran which blends thought-provoking subtext with chilling supernatural scares. If there’s such a thing as “elevated” horror, this is it.
3. The Old Ways
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
A folk horror about a Mexican-American reporter who returns to her hometown in search of a story on witchcraft, only to be kidnapped by Veracruz locals who believe she’s possessed.
4. Cam
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Partially based on writer Isa Mazzei’s own experience working as a camgirl, this psychological horror follows a young webcam performer whose channel is suddenly hijacked by an imposter.
5. Hush
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting Of Hill House), this slasher romp takes the home invasion concept and wraps it around a deaf-mute central character. Crossbow fanatics, rejoice.
6. Coming Home In The Dark
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
A New Zealand psychological-thriller from first-time director James Ashcroft, about a family whose idyllic trip to the coastline goes south when they encounter two murderous drifters.
7. Little Evil
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Starring Adam Scott (Severance) and Evangeline Lilly (Ant-Man), this comedy horror follows a newly married man who starts to believe his stepson is the spawn of Satan.
8. 1922
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Based on Stephen King’s novella of the same name and starring Thomas Jane (Boogie Nights), a Nebraska farmer conspires to murder his wife with help from their 14-year-old son.
9. Gerald’s Game
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Another Stephen King adaptation, this time from director Mike Flanagan. A married couple venture on a romantic getaway, where husband Gerald suffers a heart attack while his wife, Jessie, is left handcuffed to the bed.
10. Vampires vs. the Bronx
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
A group of teenagers are forced to protect their neighbourhood in the Bronx as a horde of vampires start to invade. A comedy horror with something to say about gentrification.
11. Creep
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Before you dive into the acclaimed sequel, the original is worth seeking out. This found-footage treat follows a videographer who is assigned to record an eccentric client, played by the film’s producer and writer Mark Duplass.
12. Fear Street trilogy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Based on the books by R.L. Stine, this slasher trilogy pulls from past classics (Scream, Friday The 13th) and subverts tropes and expectations. The standout second instalment also stars Stranger Things breakout, Sadie Sink.
13. Annihilation
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Men), this surreal sci-fi horror sees Natalie Portman lead a group of explorers into a quarantined zone of mutated plants and animals infected by an alien presence.
14. Tremors
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star in the original ’90s monster horror comedy about two handymen who have to fight for survival against prehistoric worm-like creatures lurking beneath the ground. Incredibly, there’s been six additional films in the franchise since.
15. You Are Not My Mother
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
An Irish psychological horror about a young woman whose mother briefly goes missing, only to return with a drastically different personality. Cue some unsettling family tension.
16. #Alive
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A South Korean zombie thriller about a gamer who is struggling to deal with isolation, only to find hope when a mysterious woman helps him survive. The most refreshing part? These characters actually make smart moves in the zombie apocalypse.
17. Veronica
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A Spanish horror which follows a teenage girl who finds herself besieged by an evil supernatural force after playing Ouija with two classmates. This generated a lot of frightful buzz back in 2017.
18. Cargo
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
This alternative take on the zombie genre is led by Martin Freeman, who plays an infected father desperately trying to find a new home for his infant child in rural Australia.
19. Werewolves Within
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
Based on a game of the same name, this comedy horror mystery stars Sam Richardson as forest ranger Finn Wheeler, who attempts to maintain peace after a blizzard traps local residents inside an inn, while a mystery creature threatens to cause chaos.
20. Girl On The Third Floor
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
A haunted house flick with modern sensibilities, the story follows a man who renovates an old home for his family, only for supernatural events to occur as they move in. For wrestling fans, it also stars Phil Brooks.
21. Midsommar
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Directed by Ari Aster (Hereditary), this folk horror follows a dysfunctional couple who travel to Sweden with friends for a seasonal festival, only to find themselves trapped in a pagan cult. It was a key breakthrough for Florence Pugh.
22. Blood Red Sky
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
Snakes on a plane? Try vampires instead. This British-German horror thriller flips the script on a group of terrorists who hijack a flight, unaware of a mother’s supernatural secret.
23. Apostle
Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%
Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen star in this period folk horror, where a remote Welsh island is home to a mysterious cult. A departure for director Gareth Evans, who is known for The Raid.
24. Doctor Sleep
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
Another entry from director Mike Flanagan, based on another Stephen King novel. This sequel to The Shining stars Ewan McGregor as Danny Torrance, the son of Jack, who has psychic abilities and a whole lot of childhood trauma.
25. Goosebumps
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
Based on the classic book series by R.L. Stine, this family-friendly horror comedy stars Jack Black as the author himself, who has to join forces with his daughter and a neighbour to save their hometown from rampaging terrors that have escaped his books.
26. Cult Of Chucky
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
The seventh instalment in the Child’s Play franchise shifts setting to an asylum for the criminally insane, with some refreshing spins on the typical blend of bloody slasher and goofy comedy.
27. The Babysitter
Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
Samara Weaving takes the lead in this black comedy horror about a 12-year-old boy who falls in love with his babysitter, only to find out she’s part of a satanic cult that wants to kill him. There’s also an inferior, less charming sequel titled The Babysitter: Killer Queen.
28. The Perfection
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%
This horror thriller blend led by Allison Williams might initially be about a young cellist chasing her dream, but it soon escalates into a string of body horror shocks and psychological torment.
29. Sleepy Hollow
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%
Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci star in this renowned gothic horror classic from director Tim Burton, about a string of murders at the hands of a mysterious Headless Horseman.
30. Paranormal Activity 3
Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
After the disappointing first sequel, the third entry in the found footage franchise is largely a return to form, pitched as a prequel set 18 years before the first outing.
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Adam Starkey
NME