Since streaming sites became a thing, audiences know the best shows are always available somewhere. As one of the most famous streaming services, Netflix has a catalog that’s deep and wide. Horror fans with Netflix will be happy to know that this streaming service has a lot of excellent options for them to binge-watch or take in at their leisure.
From truly gory, explicit, surreal shows, like Black Mirror and Brand New Cherry Flavor, to tamer options that will still scare viewers without traumatizing them forever, like Santa Clarita Diet and Goosebumps, Netflix offers its viewers a lot of must-watch series.
Updated on February 7, 2025, by Robert Vaux: Netflix continues to flesh out its horror TV catalog. The popular streaming service has plenty of shows to watch ranging in subgenres, whether it’s the intense works of Mike Flanagan or zombie thrillers like The Walking Dead. More horror shows have been added and formatting has been updated to conform to CBR’s current publishing guidelines.
Mayfair Witches Expands the World of Anne Rice
The Horror Author’s Spellcasting Coven Gets its Own Series
Anne Rice’s 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire became a phenomenon — easily the most important vampire story since Bram Stoker’s Dracula — and eventually gave rise to an entire horror universe. From vampires, she expanded into mummies, otherworldly spirits, and most notably witches, who kept a hand in their world’s supernatural goings-on and always seemed ready to tip the balance one way or the other. With the success of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire series, Mayfair Witches was the first logical spin-off.
The story follows Dr. Rowan Fielding, a brain surgeon who discovers she belongs to the powerful coven as well as the attentions of a vengeful spirit. It pulls heavily from Rice’s The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy, but like Interview with the Vampire, it adds elements of its own to the original story. A second season premiered in early 2025, making now an ideal time for new viewers to get caught up.
Ares Brings Dutch Horror to Netflix
The Spooky Series Covers a Sinister Secret Society
Netflix remains a strong platform for horror series from overseas, particularly Asian and European shows. Ares is a Dutch-language thriller about a young medical student inducted into a secret society with sinister motives. Naturally, things are far more than they appear on the surface and each new episode reveals the extent of the conspiracy.
Ares benefits from a fine Gothic atmosphere and just enough supernatural elements to keep audiences guessing. The reveal is strong, and the plucky heroine becomes an easy audience surrogate to root for. Sadly, it only lasted one season — a reflection of Netflix’s fire-and-forget policy towards too many of its original shows — but it contains plenty of thrills for horror fans in need of a good weekend binge.
Kingdom Brings The Zombie Apocalypse To A Different Period
Korea’s Rich History Makes for Potent Horror Fiction
Most zombie apocalypse shows are set in the modern days with cars, guns, and tall skyscrapers. Kingdom flips that on its head. The South Korean horror series sets the zombie-like apocalypse in the 17th century after the Imjin War, which saw two invasions of Korea by Japan.
Kingdom is not just a different spin on The Walking Dead, it also draws from shows like Game of Thrones as well as the Kingdom of Joseon trying to stay afloat in the face of competing political powers attempting to seize the throne. Kingdom was incredibly well-received by critics and is a must-watch for anyone bored of the current slate of zombie media.
Love, Death, & Robots Is an Anthology Series That Dabbles Into Horror
Animation Serves an Array of Genres, Including Scary Ones
Love, Death, & Robots is an adult animated anthology series from the mind of Tim Miller – the director of Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate as well as the executive producer of the Sonic the Hedgehog films. Love, Death, & Robots is a series of short stories that span numerous different genres whether it’s comedy, science fiction, fantasy, and yes, horror. Every episode is worth watching, and fans looking for something scary can readily find something in the episode guide.
Love, Death, & Robots has no shortage of horror stories. They include the likes of “Sonnie’s Edge,” “Beyond the Aquila Rift,” and “The Witness” being among the creepiest and most terrifying episodes across the three-season series. Between its stunning visuals and engaging stories, Love, Death, & Robots is a must-watch for anyone and everyone.
Santa Clarita Diet Is a Comedic Zombie Tale
Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant Try Not to Eat the Neighbors
Santa Clarita Diet is a hilarious take on the zombie genre with a star-studded cast. Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore star as Joel and Shiela Hammond, who are both realtors in Santa Clarita, California. Their life seems perfect at first glance, but things for the Hammonds and their daughter are about to get really scary.
One day, mysteriously, Sheila begins showing symptoms of zombification. Notably, she hungers for human flesh. So Joel, Shiela, and their daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) must navigate this bizarre circumstance and try to find a cure before Shiela’s zombie urges fully consume her. Santa Clarita Diet’s three-season run is full of lovable characters, funny moments, and a lot of gore that should satisfy the hunger of any zombie fan.
Castlevania Is a Gruesome Video Game Adaptation
The Animated Castlevania Show Top Several Anime Series on Netflix
While shows like The Last of Us and Fallout deservedly get swarmed with praise for bucking the trend of terrible video game adaptations, Castlevania deserves its flowers as well. Especially since it predates both. There’s a reason why Netflix’s animated game adaptations have been immensely popular, and why video game fans hope their favorites get a similar treatment.
The Gothic horror animated series, based on the Konami horror franchise that’s one of the namesakes of the Metroidvania genre, is easily one of the most accurate video game adaptations. Castlevania is intense, brutal, and grotesque. It’s one of the rare shows to maintain high review scores throughout its entire run. Its follow-up series, Castlevania: Nocturne, has already begun to continue that with its own critically acclaimed two seasons.
Glitch Tries to Solve the Mystery of Why The Dead Have Returned
The Australian Import Glitch Benefits from a Strong Presence
Many supernatural fans know of Les Revenants, the French series that was adapted in the United States as The Returned, which lasted only one season on A&E. Glitch is an Australian show with a similar premise: the dead have returned, but in full health, but with their memories lost.
Throughout Glitch, Yoorana, Victora police sergeant James Hayes (Patrick Brammall) must investigate who these people are and why they’ve returned from the dead. All the while, keep this paranormal event and investigation a secret. While the final season of Glitch, particularly its finale, wasn’t well-received, the first two seasons are still fantastic and worth watching.
Slasher Is a Unique Horror Anthology Series
Each Season of Slasher Is Centered Around a Killer
Fans of True Detective may want to give Slasher a chance. It’s a similar premise, but much more terrifying, gory, and twisted. Each season of Slasher covers a single story arc where investigators try to discern the motive of a malicious serial killer and try to bring them to justice.
Each season brings with it a new cast of intriguing characters, with only a few carrying over through multiple seasons. Currently, Netflix only has the first three seasons, “Executioner,” “Guilty Party,” and “Solstice,” with the fourth and fifth seasons, “Flesh & Blood” and “Ripper,” only available on Shudder at this time. With Slasher being an anthology series, that’s perfectly fine as there are three bloody great story arcs to watch.
Black Mirror Has Earned an Incredible Reputation
The Anthology Series Has Become a Modern Classic
A dark speculative fiction anthology, Black Mirror explores current social problems by looking at dystopic worlds set in the near future. Written by Charlie Brooker, this series has 27 episodes, one special, and one interactive film on Netflix, as well as two webisodes. Six seasons have been produced so far, with a seventh currently in development.
After six seasons, Black Mirror has established itself as one of Netflix’s must-watch horror series. It doesn’t explore paranormal themes nor feature explicit violence, but Black Mirror delves into disturbing topics. With its dark humor and genuine insights, its fans love studying the series as it explores different avenues for social collapse.
Goosebumps Is a Horror Classic for the Whole Family
R.L. Stines’ Goosebumps Books Provide Gentle Scares for Tweeners
R.L. Stine’s horror novels have spawned many projects and the 1995 series Goosebumps is unarguably one of the most successful entries of the franchise. Developed by Deborah Forte, this show mixed horror, comedy, sci-fi, and fantasy to bring some of the book’s most famous storylines like “Be Careful What You Wish For” or “How I Got My Shrunken Head.”
Goosebumps isn’t as scary as Netflix’s other horror shows, but this is only because its intended audience is on the younger side. However, even if this series isn’t as disturbing as other Netflix horror shows, it’s still full of great scare jumps and monsters that will make the viewers think twice before turning off the lights at night. Besides, its intro song is a bop even 30 years later.
Sweet Home Is as Emotional as It Is Scary
The South Korean Series Explores a Monstrous Apocalypse
After his family dies in a car accident, Cha Hyun-soo moves into an apartment of his own. While getting accustomed, he finds himself in the middle of an apocalypse, with monsters lurking in the streets. Sweet Home follows him as he tries to survive the crisis with the help of other residents of his building.
Based on a great webtoon by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, Sweet Home is perfect for horror lovers and more casual watchers, since it doesn’t go too hard with the violence. Additionally, it fleshes out its characters, making them relatable even amidst the chaos. This makes Sweet Home one of the best horror series on Netflix right now.
All Of Us Are Dead Was Another Webtoon Adaptation
The Series Contributes to Netflix’s Strong Korean Line-Up
Based on the horror webtoon “Now at Our School,” All of Us Are Dead is a coming-of-age/zombie series that follows a miniature zombie apocalypse contained in a Korean high school after a science experiment goes wrong. With the school in quarantine, the students must use their resources to survive without joining the undead army.
All of Us Are Dead is both a horror and teenage drama. Except for one sex scene, it’s a solid PG-13 series, designed for audiences who have no problem with blood and want some drama with their scares. Like any good horror, it’s a series that’s as much about character development as it is about being frightening. Its second season hasn’t been scheduled for release yet, but it’s expected sometime in 2024.
Marianne Pits Its Main Character Against Horrifying Demons
Marianne’s Self-Contained Single Season is a Worthy Horror-Themed Watch
When Emma Larsimon, a successful horror writer, returns to her childhood town, she realizes that her stories — inspired by her nightmares — are real. This revelation puts her in the path of Marianne, the demon who has haunted her small town for decades. Easily one of the scariest shows on television, Marianne is aimed squarely at horror fans’ hearts.
Sadly, Marianne was canceled after its first season in January 2020. However, it’s a self-contained story, even if it set the stage for its unrealized second season. The series uses jump scares, but it doesn’t abuse them. Instead, it uses religious horror to create a blood-curdling storyline that even Stephen King praised.
Everybody Loves The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead Franchise Has Defined Zombie Horror in the Modern Era
From 2010 to 2022, The Walking Dead followed a diverse group of survivors through the landscape of a terrifying zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately for them, this was the tip of the iceberg, as they eventually had to face other humans who were just as bloodthirsty as the undead. As The Walking Dead progressed, things got more and more complicated for the survivors, and fans fell more and more in love with the characters, even as they lost many of their favorites.
Now, the show is available to watch on Netflix, but there’s a catch: most of the series is currently locked behind a paywall. Available to subscribers with a commercial-free subscription, it’s a great choice for anyone who wants to lose themselves binge-watching an apocalyptic story for weeks or months at a time, full of dozens of different storylines, some more relatable than others. Especially now that the Daryl Dixon spin-off and The Ones Who Live are out, new fans will want to jump on The Walking Dead wagon and get caught up.
1899 Mixes Horror and Period Drama
A Steamship Turns into a Haunted House in 1899’s Horror Story
While traveling from the old continent on a steamship, a group of immigrants encounter a supernatural threat in the sea, months after another ship got lost on the same path — taken by the same ominous threat. 1899, created by Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, follows this suspenseful journey.
Since it all takes place on the Kerberos steamship, 1899 will make viewers feel claustrophobic. The series does a great job at managing the tensions between the group as they rise and, at the same time, showcases the horror that hunts the travelers as it becomes more and more palpable. With each episode, the boat only feels smaller and the viewers will find it impossible to stop watching.
Brand New Cherry Flavor Offers a Great Example of Surreal Horror
The Plot for Brand New Cherry Flavor Weirdness a Point of Pride
In Brand New Cherry Flavor, when Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) arrives in L.A. ready to start her career as a director, a powerful producer stabs her in the back. Things take a sinister turn when she tries to take magical revenge on the man. What follows is an acid trip full of bizarre moments and disturbing creatures. Brand New Cherry Flavor has garnered plenty of attention thanks to its stranger story elements.
Many of its surreal scenes make no sense or only follow a confusing internal logic, but the show embraces its weirdness, which makes it stand out from other shows. It’s great for fans of trippy horror films like Beyond The Black Rainbow and Mandy. This vibe is only made better thanks to Rosa Salazar’s performance. The actress was widely praised for her raw portrayal of Lisa Nova.
Squid Game Mixes Social Criticism With Gore
The Series Became a Phenomenon When It First Debuted
A phenomenon directly from South Korea, Squid Game centers on a group of people in financial trouble who enter a contest to win $35 million. As it turns out, they must play deadly versions of Korean children’s games, turning the innocent contest into a Battle Royale. Unsurprisingly, there’s a deeper conspiracy lurking behind the scenes.
On the one hand, Squid Game is full of shocking twists and morbid moments that keep viewers glued to the screen. Squid Game is also a well-thought critique of corrupt capitalist systems that seem to rule the world, all while blending terror with the thriller genre. Fans are looking forward to its next season, due out in the summer of 2025.
Midnight Mass Is the Darkest of Mike Flanagan’s Show
Flanagan’s Midnight Mass Draws Inspiration from Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot
Zach Gilford stars in Midnight Mass as Riley Flynn, a young man who returns to his hometown after a time in prison. Flynn wants to rebuild his life with his community, but a strange new priest called Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) arrives, effectively changing the status quo in this small island town. It heralds a dark and sinister plunge into supernatural corruption.
Like all of Flanagan’s series, Midnight Mass plays with viewers’ expectations. It leads them to the truth through incredible acting and a fantastic script, so it’s more than just a scary show. Only seven episodes long, it’s a dark meditation on religion, community, and the price of immortality.
Crazyhead Mixes Horror and Comedy
The Series Is Perfect for Horror Fans Who Like Their Scares with Laughs
Cara Theobold and Susan Wokoma star on Crazyhead as Amy and Raquel, two born-seers who join forces to hunt demons on Earth. Since they are very different — Amy is skeptical of everything and doesn’t really want the gift and Raquel is a quirky woman who takes her job a bit too seriously — their dynamic is hilarious.
Crazyhead is a horror comedy series, so it’s perfect for viewers who don’t want to see something too disturbing. The show has plenty of horrifying demons, but nothing that will keep subscribers up at night. Instead, it has plenty of great, absurd, millennial jokes that will have them in stitches. Crazyhead is a comedy show, it just happens to include demons.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Is Dark Enough for the Whole Family
Riverdale’s Resident Witch Is Always Up for a Spooky Good Time
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina centers on a reimagined version of Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), the popular sitcom hero with roots in Archie Comics. Here, Sabrina is a half-human, half-witch trying to balance her regular teenage life with her witchcraft education. The series follows her adventures, as she faces the supernatural villains terrorizing her town, Greendale.
When it was first announced, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was quite controversial, especially among Sabrina the Teenage Witch fans. Though some fans say it deteriorates over time, the first season comes highly recommended thanks to its overarching storyline, which follows as Sabrina decides between her witch life and her human life. Not only does the show land a particular camp aesthetic, but its lore — all coming from biblical stories — makes space for interesting iterations of some of the most popular Bible figures, like Lucifer.
