The 10 Best Horror Shows To Binge Watch On Netflix

Netflix is packed with so much content that you could spend the rest of your life watching and never run out, and that includes loads of genre entertainment. For instance, if you love horror movies and especially horror TV series, you've got hours of entertainment at your disposal.

But which horror shows will give you the best experience? Which shows give you the kind of chills and thrills that'll keep you up all night watching episode after episode, hanging on every cliffhanger and jump scare? If you love horror, and you want a scary show to binge watch, we've got you covered. From sci-fi/horror hybrids to action-horror monster fests to all out relentless assaults of terror, these are the 10 horror shows on Netflix to binge watch the next time you want your scary story fix.

To pick the shows, we looked at a number of factors, including popularity on Netflix over time, Rotten Tomatoes score, and good old-fashioned horror expertise. They're all listed below, in chronological order by release date. 

• Creator/Developer: Frank Darabont
• Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan
• Number of Seasons: 11
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79% 

"The Walking Dead" is not just arguably the most popular horror series of the 21st century, but one of the most popular TV shows in any genre during that same time frame. It's spawned an entire universe of spinoffs, and while those are ongoing, you can stream the entirety of the original series right now.

Based on the Image Comics series of the same name, "The Walking Dead" begins as the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), a local sheriff who wakes up in a hospital bed and discovers the zombie apocalypse has happened around him. Desperate to reunite with his family, Rick sets out on a quest to survive and protect those he loves at all costs, meeting more survivors and enemies along the way.

Zombie shows need convincing undead players to work, and "The Walking Dead" never lets up on that front thanks to visual effects master and director Greg Nicotero. The show never runs out of ways to gross us out, but as is usually the case with great zombie stories, the humans are more frightening than the undead: as the show progresses, Rick and company face villain after villain in a battle to rebuild their world. It's an essential series for any horror fan, and there's a lot of it to watch, so you'll be entertained for weeks.

• Creator/Developer: Aaron Martin
• Cast: Katie McGrath, Brandon Jay McLaren, Steve Byers, Wendy Crewson
• Number of Seasons: 3 on Netflix, 5 total
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Most of the shows on this list follow the same storyline across a miniseries or a full-length, multi-season TV arc, but that's not the only game in town. The horror anthology is a time-honored staple of the genre, and "Slasher" is one of the best modern anthology series.

Rather than devoting each episode to a single scary story, though, "Slasher" takes on a different story each season, and as the title suggests, they're all part of the slasher subgenre of horror. That means each new crop of episodes brings a different setting, a different cast of characters, and of course, a different costumed killer picking off victims one by one.

If you love slasher stories, the premise alone is certainly a selling point for you, but "Slasher" is not merely a rote recitation of the subgenre's tropes. Those tropes are there, to be sure, but each season sucks you in with a juicy new premise, a whodunit mystery, and a group of characters you'll root for even as their would-be killer gets more creative with each victim's gruesome demise. If you watch horror shows for the kills, this is the series for you.

• Creator/Developer: The Duffer Brothers
• Cast: David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard
• Number of Seasons: 5
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Yes, "Stranger Things" is already one of the most-watched shows in Netflix history, so there's a good chance you've already seen it. If you haven't, though, and you're looking for an entry point into horror stories to stream on the platform, it's a wonderful place to start. 

Set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the series begins as the story of a group of nerdy friends who try to save one of their own from the clutches of a monster, and eventually grows to encompass much, much more. It's part horror story, part sci-fi adventure, part nostalgia trip, but even when it's pouring on the comedy and pop culture references, the scares still land. 

If you want something scary, but not scary through every scene, it's a great piece of gateway horror — and now it's available in its entirety, with spinoffs on the way. It's an essential if you're looking for horror on Netflix, but it won't freak you out too much.

• Creator/Developer: Warren Ellis
• Cast: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Graham McTavish, Alejandra Reynoso
• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

If you like your horror with a dose of action, and you're a fan of animation, "Castlevania" is the Netflix series for you. Inspired by the classic video game series of the same name, the series remains one of the most popular pieces of adult animation to ever land on the streamer, and while it's definitely scary, it also won't overwhelm you with fright.

Like the video games that inspired it, "Castlevania" follows the exploits of the Belmont family of vampire slayers as they match wits with Count Dracula himself, who's gathered various undead powers to his side to wage a war on humanity in vengeance for his own losses. Dracula's presence as a principal character means that you get a front-row seat to everything in his heart and mind, adding an extra dimension to the monster that even the games don't often deliver.

And while the show is animated, "Castlevania" never fails to pour on the horror elements, whether it's gore or undead monsters slaughtering innocents across the countryside. It's got a great voice cast and a great look, plus each season shifts its tone and flavor to a certain degree, giving you a nice bit of variety. And when it's over, you can head right into the follow-up series, "Castlevania: Nocturne."

• Creator/Developer: Mike Flanagan
• Cast: Michiel Huisman, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser
• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% 

The first of several Netflix horror series spearheaded by writer-director Mike Flanagan, 2018's "The Haunting of Hill House" is arguably the greatest work of horror ever commissioned as a Netflix original. It's a modern horror classic, and whether you've experienced it before or you're coming to it for the first time, it's a touchstone of the genre.

Based on Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name, "Hill House" branches out from the book's original narrative to tell the story of the Crain family, who move into the house with the goal of restoring it, only to be driven away by supernatural forces which claim the life of their mother. Decades later, the now-adult Crain children feel the house calling them back, setting off a chain of events that'll make them dig into the past for answers.

What makes it so great? Well, Flanagan's storytelling style seamlessly weaves together the past and the present, with each informing the other in remarkable ways that feel both inevitable and surprising. Then there's the ensemble cast, who shape the characters in both past and present in wonderful, deeply human ways. It's a show that'll creep you out and imbue you with hope and warmth at the same time.

• Creator/Developer: Sam Shaw, Dustin Thomason
• Cast: Andre Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Tim Robbins, Sissy Spacek
• Number of Seasons: 2
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

There's never been another Stephen King-inspired TV series quite like 2018's "Castle Rock," and if you've never delved into this corner of the horror master's adaptations, you'll be rewarded with a densely layered, Easter egg-packed feast.

Set in the title town, home to King stories like "Cujo" and "Needful Things," "Castle Rock" follows a group of characters — some King creations, some original to the show — as they reckon with supernatural happenings in their seemingly quiet corner of Maine. Season 1 deals with a mysterious prisoner discovered in the bowels of Shawshank Penitentiary, and one lawyer's attempt to get to the bottom of it all. 

Season 2 takes things in a different direction, and connects a new narrative to both "Salem's Lot" and "Misery," bringing in fresh characters and different challenges along the way. Sadly, we never got a third season, but the two we did get are available in their entirety on Netflix, and they'll open up an entirely new dimension of Stephen King storytelling that'll surprise and delight even seasoned fans.

• Creator/Developer: Samuel Bodin
• Cast: Victoire Du Bois, Lucie Boujenah, Tiphaine Daviot, Ralph Amoussou
• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

A lot of horror series on this list are suitable for newcomers to the genre. They're scary, but they won't overwhelm you with fear, offering instead either a blending of genres or a gentler ride. That's not the case with 2019's "Marianne," the French horror series that remains one of the most frightening things Netflix has ever picked up.

The series follows Emma (Victoire Du Bois), a horror novelist who, after years of writing about the same supernatural investigator and her battles with a witch named Marianne, is finally ready to move on to something new. The problem is that Emma's creations, inspired by her own childhood nightmares, don't seem to want to go away. Figures from her past emerge in Emma's life just as she's trying to move on, sending her on a journey into her own inner darkness, no matter how hard she fights it.

Even before the story proper is set up, "Marianne" takes you into truly frightening territory, and it's just relentless from there on out. The sense of dread is constant, the gore is convincing, and the scares are both fast and punctuated with welcome moments of wild humor. One of Netflix's scariest shows, it became an obsession on the internet, but proceed with caution — this one doesn't mess around.

• Creator/Developer: Mike Flanagan
• Cast: Zach Gilford, Hamish Linklater, Kate Siegel, Annabeth Gish
• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Mike Flanagan spent years writing "Midnight Mass" in different formats, and the limited series is perhaps the writer-director's most personal project. Inspired by the work of writers like Stephen King, "Midnight Mass" is set on a small island where the quiet daily life of the village is interrupted by the arrival of a new priest to head the local parish.

But this isn't just an inspired new local pastor hoping to put more people in his pews. This priest is different, and soon strange things start happening all over the island, some of them miraculous and some of them horrifying.

"Midnight Mass" represents perhaps the purest distillation of Flanagan's thematic interests and storytelling style in his television work to date. It's an ensemble piece about faith, fear, and death, jam-packed with emotive monologues from its stars and patient in its slow unraveling of the central mystery. It's perhaps not as overtly horrifying as "The Haunting of HIll House," at least at first, but it's packed with moments of beautiful dread, and it seamlessly blends very human horrors with supernatural ones.

• Creator/Developer: Nick Antosca, Lenore Zion
• Cast: Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Manny Jacinto
• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

One of the lesser known Netflix horror originals, 2021's "Brand New Cherry Flavor" has always deserved a bigger audience, for its scares, sense of humor, and gorgeous production design, among other elements.

Set in Hollywood in the 1990s, the show follows Lisa (Rosa Salazar), a filmmaker who, on the strength of a disturbing short film she made, has landed a meeting with a high-powered producer. What she wants is creative freedom, but she refuses to cave to his misogynist demands. Fearing that her career will go up in smoke before it's even started, she seeks the help of a local witch.

The 1990s setting is about more than nostalgia. It adds a grit and whimsy to the whole show that's simultaneously creepy and visually fascinating, from seedy apartments to shadowy mansions and everywhere in between. It's frightening, but it's also just plain strange, making it a show for people who love a good disturbing story but don't want too many jump scares along the way.

• Creator/Developer: Guillermo del Toro
• Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, David Hewlett, F. Murray Abraham, Rupert Grint
• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Oscar-winning writer-director Guillermo del Toro has spent much of his time at Netflix making films, but in 2022, he put his skills as a horror curator to good use with this acclaimed anthology series.

"Cabinet of Curiosities" offers a series of eight self-contained horror stories, nearly all of them based on classic works in the genre, each handpicked by Del Toro and the group of eight directors who worked with him on the project. Along the way you'll get everything from period pieces to contemporary horror to sci-fi/horror nightmares, all brought to you by some of the best directors in the game. Panos Cosmatos ("Mandy"), Jennifer Kent ("The Babadook"), Ana Lily Amirpour ("A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night"), and more all lent their talents to the series, and each episode features an unforgettable cast of character actors and stars.

If you're looking for a quick dose of fright before bed, you can throw on an episode of "Cabinet of Curiosities" and get a complete horror story in less than an hour. Then you can do it the next night, and the next, for more than a week of scares. Or you could just watch them all at once. They'll satisfy either way.