In the mood for a good ghost story? Netflix is filled with all kind of creepy movies and TV shows about horrifying hauntings. The ghost story is one of the most popular genres of horror, because there's always something so scary about the idea of finding one's home to be filled with demons and spirits, and having no control over the situation.
There's a little something in every ghost category for Netflix users — from haunted houses, to demonic possessions, and based-on-a-true-story thrillers that are extra creepy, because they're also real. These terrifying tales come in the form of either movies or series, depending on what sounds most interesting. (Maybe a two-hour horror will scratch the spooky itch, or perhaps a full season of sinister episodes sounds perfect.) Whatever the craving for creepy, the streaming site has something to hit the spot.
Check out one of these 20 scary offerings now, and be prepared to sleep with the lights on after watching. They're just that terrifying.
'Haunted'
This Netflix series tells people's real stories and experiences with the supernatural via spooky re-enactments. There are two seasons so far, filled with chilling episodes about people who've heard voices, dealt with terrifying spirits in their home, and saw things that shouldn't be there.
'A Ghost Story'
A different kind of horror story, this movie explores what happens after a man dies and comes back as a ghost to check in on his wife. He ends up trapped in the home, even after she moves out, doomed to watch people live their lives while he is stuck. The movie has a chilling, unexplained ending that will leave audiences thinking about it for a long time.
'Poltergeist'
One of the greatest ghost films of all time is the 1982 classic Poltergeist. The movie follows the demonic goings on in a family's home where everyone, including the couple's young daughter, is subject to the ghostly terror. Equally as scary as the demons is the little girl who can seemingly see and converse with them. We're not sure why little kids in horror movies are so creepy, but they are.
'Winchester'
Helen Mirren stars in this drama about an eccentric rifle company heiress who believes she's being haunted by the victims of the weapons her family created. The movie is based on the true story of the supposedly haunted Winchester mansion, making the movie's spooky happenings that much scarier.
'Truth or Dare'
This movie gives a whole new meaning to the childhood game of truth or dare. The story follows eight college kids who rent a haunted house for Halloween. Already not the best idea, and it's made worse when they tempt fate to play truth or dare … and awaken a demon inside the home.
'Sleepy Hollow'
Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane in this creepy Tim Burton movie. Ichabod is investigating a series of decapitations in the town of Sleepy Hollow, which are said to be caused by the Headless Horseman ghost. It's an old tale, but one that never gets less scary even as we get older.
'Unsolved Mysteries'
All of the Unsolved Mysteries episodes on Netflix are creepy, but there's a ghost one in season two that's definitely worth checking out for Halloween. Season two, episode four is called "Tsunami Spirits." It's about Ishinomaki in Japan where a devastating tsunami killed 20,000 people in 2011. The town is now said to be plagued with ghosts, and the eerie episode takes viewers inside the spooky stories that citizens have.
'Paranormal Investigation'
This French film reminds us all of the potential dangers of using a Ouija board. The story follows a man who gets possessed after playing the Ouija and whose only hope is a ghost hunter trying to understand the demon within him. Check it out with English subtitles for a little foray into the foreign horror genre.
'Mercy Black'
As a child, Marina stabs her classmate to conjure a spirit called Mercy Black to help save her mother, but her actions land Marina in a mental institution. Upon her exit 15 years later, she has to keep her nephew from making the same mistake she made in conjuring the ghost.
'House of the Witch'
In this movie, a Halloween prank goes wrong when a group of teens find themselves at an abandoned house that's not so abandoned after all. It's actually occupied by a demonic witch who's determined to kill all the kids. Maybe don't go to an abandoned house on Halloween, yeah?
'The Haunting of Hill House'
This Netflix series is plenty scary for the spooky season. It follows a couple and their children who move into an old mansion while it's being renovated. But as time goes on, they start to encounter ghostly activity that turns violent. The terrifying events that follow will change their lives forever.
'The Haunting of Bly Manor'
The second installment in Netflix's Haunting of anthology follows a new story line that's equally as creepy. This time, a governess is hired to help look after a man's niece and nephew at the stately Bly Manor — which turns out to be totally haunted. The story is based on real events, so it's extra spooky.
'1922'
Anything that's based on a Stephen King story is bound to be truly terrifying, and 1922 is no different. The Netflix Original movie tells the story of a farmer who gets his son to help him kill his wife, but her spirit won't go away that easily. Their actions will come back to haunt them — literally.
'I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House'
Ruth Wilson plays a live-in nurse who helps care for an elderly horror genre author. But as the nurse realizes the home is filled with demonic forces, both she and the author end up fighting for their lives. Guess the writer got a lot of inspiration from her own creepy house, huh?
'Shutter'
This Thai film was named one of the best horror movies on Netflix by Vulture. English-speaking viewers can turn on the subtitles to enjoy this dark story about a photographer and his girlfriend. They keep finding strange shadows in all of his photos, and the mysterious ghosts soon begin to terrorize them.
'American Horror Story: Murder House'
The first season of American Horror Story is all about ghostly activity. The Harmon family moves into an old mansion, but they soon discover that it's haunted by the victims of the previous residents. It's based on a true story, which makes watching all that much creepier.
'Our House'
A tech genius creates a wireless electricity device that goes horribly awry in a deadly way. Instead of generating electrical power, it seems to be calling spirits from the beyond and releasing them into his house — and things only get worse for him and his siblings from there.
'Sinister 2'
Technically, this 2015 movie is a sequel to the 2012 film Sinister, but viewers can easily jump into watching Sinister 2 without seeing the original. The follow-up film tells the scary tale of a single mom and her twin sons who end up in a house that's being haunted by deadly spirits.
'Mara'
Kate is a criminal psychologist called to work on a case about a dead man whose traumatized daughter heard something scary in their house on the night her father died. As Kate explores what happened, she learns about a demon that kills people in their sleep. If she's not careful, Kate will be next.
'Visions'
Starring Isla Fisher, this movie follows a pregnant woman who recently moved with her husband to a vineyard that they plan to reopen. But their honeymoon house becomes anything but idyllic when the wife starts having scary visions and begins to think the house may be haunted.
