There is a specific kind of dread that only a well-crafted ghost story can evoke. It isn’t about buckets of gore or relentless monsters chasing teenagers through the woods. The terror of a haunting lies in the unseen, the creak of the floorboards, the cold spot in the room, and the chilling realization that you are not alone in your own home. If you are a connoisseur of the supernatural and are searching for the best horror movies on Netflix that focus heavily on specters, spirits, and haunted pasts, you have come to the right place.
Netflix’s original horror library has grown significantly, and while they offer everything from slashers to creature features, their investment in slow-burn, atmospheric supernatural horror has produced some truly terrifying results. These films understand that a ghost is rarely just a monster; it is often a manifestation of grief, guilt, or unresolved trauma. By blending psychological depth with terrifying apparitions, these movies manage to get under your skin and stay there long after the credits roll.
Turn off all the lights, lock the doors, and prepare yourself. We have scoured the depths of the streaming platform to bring you the top ten Netflix Original movies where ghosts take center stage, ready to deliver genuine nightmares.
The Art of the Haunted Narrative
What elevates a standard spooky story into one of the best horror movies on Netflix? It’s all about the atmosphere. The most effective ghost films rely on dread rather than jump scares. They build an environment so oppressive and unsettling that the viewer feels as trapped as the protagonist.
Furthermore, modern supernatural cinema often uses hauntings as metaphors. The ghosts aren’t just there to say “boo”; they represent the inescapable shadows of the characters’ pasts. Whether it’s the trauma of fleeing a war-torn country or the suffocating guilt of a terrible crime, the spirits in these films are deeply personal. This psychological approach to horror makes the scares much more effective because we aren’t just afraid of the ghost; we are afraid for the character’s sanity.
Top 10 Ghostly Netflix Originals
If you are ready to be haunted, here are the finest supernatural experiences crafted exclusively for the platform.
1. His House (2020)
Remi Weekes’ directorial debut is an absolute triumph, seamlessly blending the real-world horrors of the refugee experience with terrifying supernatural elements. It is widely regarded not just as a great spooky tale, but as one of the most profound and best horror movies on Netflix ever released.
The film follows a young couple who escape from war-torn South Sudan to seek asylum in England. They are placed in a dilapidated council house, but they soon realize the home is infected by a sinister force—an ‘apeth’ or night witch—that has followed them across the ocean. The scares are incredibly inventive and genuinely terrifying, often occurring in plain sight or manipulating the physical space of the house. His House is a heartbreaking, deeply scary film about survivor’s guilt and the ghosts we carry with us.
2. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)
Directed by Osgood Perkins (son of horror icon Anthony Perkins), this film is the definition of a slow-burn nightmare. If you prefer high-octane action and constant jump scares, this might not be for you. But if you appreciate a deeply unsettling, poetic atmosphere of dread, it is a masterpiece.
Ruth, a timid live-in nurse, is hired to care for an elderly, reclusive author of ghost stories in her isolated country manor. From the very first voiceover, the film tells you how it will end, trapping the viewer in a sense of inevitable doom. The house itself feels like a rotting entity, and the ghostly presence of a murdered woman from the author’s past manifests in subtle, chilling ways. It is a movie that crawls under your skin and relies on an overwhelming sense of unease.
3. Malevolent (2018)
This British horror film takes a classic trope—fake ghost hunters encountering real ghosts—and executes it with gripping intensity and a surprisingly dark emotional core. Florence Pugh delivers a stellar performance that grounds the terrifying events.
A brother and sister run a scam operation, conducting fake paranormal investigations for grieving clients. Their lucrative con comes crashing down when they are hired to investigate an old, remote orphanage with a gruesome history. For the first time, the “sensory” sister begins to see actual spirits—the terrifying apparitions of murdered children with their mouths sewn shut. The film shifts from a cynical drama into a full-blown supernatural nightmare, offering some deeply unsettling imagery.
4. Things Heard & Seen (2021)
Based on the novel All Things Cease to Appear, this film starring Amanda Seyfried is a mix of a classic haunted house story and a tense marital thriller. It explores how the toxicity of a relationship can poison an environment just as much as a restless spirit.
An artist and her husband move from Manhattan to a historic farmhouse in the Hudson Valley. As she discovers the dark history of the house’s previous owners, she also begins to uncover the sinister secrets her husband is hiding. The supernatural elements—ghosts of women who suffered at the hands of their husbands—act as a mirror to the protagonist’s unraveling marriage. It’s an eerie, atmospheric film that leans heavily into Gothic horror tropes.
5. 1922 (2017)
Stephen King adaptations are hit or miss, but this bleak, methodical thriller is undeniably a hit. While arguably more of a psychological horror, the supernatural elements—the haunting of a guilty conscience—are terrifyingly literal and deeply effective.
Thomas Jane gives an incredible, transformative performance as Wilfred James, a proud, stubborn farmer in 1922 who conspires with his teenage son to murder his wife for financial gain. The murder is gruesome, but it’s the aftermath that truly horrifies. Wilfred is plagued by rats and the rotting, vengeful ghost of his wife. The film is a slow descent into madness and ruin, proving that sometimes the most terrifying ghosts are the ones we create through our own horrific actions.
6. The Ritual (2017)
While the climax leans heavily into creature-feature territory and ancient cults, the first two-thirds of The Ritual function as an incredibly tense psychological ghost story set in the imposing, inescapable Swedish wilderness.
Four friends embark on a hiking trip in Sweden to honor a recently deceased friend who died in a violent robbery. When they take a shortcut through an ancient forest, they find an abandoned cabin featuring pagan artifacts. Soon, they are plagued by horrific nightmares that force them to relive their deepest traumas, orchestrated by an unseen, ancient presence. The way the film blends the supernatural manipulation of their minds with the physical dread of being hunted makes it a standout.
7. In the Tall Grass (2019)
Another Stephen King adaptation (co-written with his son Joe Hill), this film takes a simple, mundane setting and turns it into a supernatural labyrinth of terror. The “ghosts” here are trapped souls caught in a time-bending purgatory.
A pregnant woman and her brother stop by a vast field of tall grass after hearing a young boy calling for help. Once they enter, they realize the field has a malevolent life of its own. Space and time distort, making escape impossible, and they encounter terrifying, ghostly echoes of other people trapped inside. It’s a claustrophobic, disorienting film that creates a sense of profound, inescapable panic.
8. No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
Based on a novel by Adam Nevill (who also wrote The Ritual), this film starts as a grim social thriller about the plight of an undocumented immigrant before descending into absolute supernatural madness.
Ambar, an undocumented woman from Mexico, rents a cheap, rundown room in an eerie boarding house in Cleveland. She soon experiences terrifying visions of ghostly women screaming in the night, accompanied by a strange, glowing presence in the basement. The film uses the ghosts to highlight the vulnerability and exploitation of marginalized people, leading to a bloody, monster-revealing climax that ties the supernatural hauntings to a horrifying ancient ritual.
9. The Old Ways (2020)
This film offers a fresh, culturally rich take on the possession and haunting subgenres, steeping its horror in Mexican witchcraft and folklore. It is claustrophobic and intense, relying on visceral imagery rather than traditional jump scares.
Cristina, an American journalist of Mexican descent, travels to Veracruz to report on local tribal culture. She is kidnapped by a local bruja (witch) who believes Cristina is possessed by a demon—a spiritual entity attached to her traumatic past. Trapped in a small room, Cristina is subjected to terrifying, grueling exorcism rituals. The film blurs the line between mental illness, addiction, and actual demonic haunting, making for a gritty, unsettling watch.
10. Eli (2019)
Eli is a film that delights in pulling the rug out from under its audience. What begins as a sterile, medical horror story evolves into a terrifying haunted house narrative, before pivoting entirely in its final act.
A young boy named Eli, who suffers from a severe autoimmune disease, is taken to an isolated, clean-house medical facility run by a mysterious doctor. Shortly after the agonizing treatments begin, Eli starts seeing terrifying ghosts—shadowy figures that the adults dismiss as hallucinations caused by the medication. The film builds excellent tension as Eli tries to uncover the horrifying truth about the clinic, the ghosts, and his own identity. It’s a wild ride that rewards those who stick with it to the shocking end.
Conclusion: Sleeping with the Lights On
The beauty of a truly great ghost story is its ability to linger. Unlike a slasher movie where the threat ends when the killer is defeated, supernatural terror often implies that the unseen world is always there, watching from the dark corners of our rooms. The titles we’ve explored represent the absolute best horror movies on Netflix for those who crave this specific brand of psychological dread and spectral terror.
From the tragic, folklore-infused nightmares of His House to the grim, inescapable guilt portrayed in 1922, Netflix has provided a rich tapestry of hauntings for horror fans to enjoy. These films prove that sometimes, the most terrifying monsters aren’t hiding under the bed; they are the unresolved echoes of the past, refusing to fade away. So, queue up one of these chilling originals, but don’t blame us if you find yourself double-checking the locks tonight.
