The 7 Best Horror Movies on Netflix in October 2026

Nope

“Nope” is a science-fiction horror film from Jordan Peele that follows a man trying to keep his livelihood of providing horses for Hollywood movie and TV shoots afloat in a shrinking market. He learns that some sort of otherworldly entity seems to be stalking his farm, and rather than fight or run, he opts to try to catch the thing on film and cash in on the royalties. The film feels like classic Stephen King as a group of ordinary folks faces off against the extraordinary. “Get Out” might have earned Peele the majority of his acclaim, but “Nope” has my heart.

Smile 2

“Smile 2” – and the new franchise as a whole – has been a pleasant and creepy surprise to the genre. The sequel far exceeds the original as it explores fame and addiction as a rising global pop star is the latest to be infected by the terrifying and demonic Smile curse. Naomi Scott is astounding in the lead as she fights for her life as the curse continues to feed on her trauma. If you want an elevated take on your classic slasher film, “Smile 2” will leave you… well… smiling, for better or worse.

Alien

“Alien” has been scaring horror fans and horror naysayers alike for decades. It has become a tentpole horror film and as the years add up it continues to hold up. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley fights for survival against a brutal new organism aboard her spaceship as the rest of her crew is picked off one by one.

Few horror movies nail their sense of place and aesthetic like “Alien” did. It’s once futuristic look has become a now retro-futurist vibe that is currently being replicated gorgeously in FX’s franchise spinoff “Alien: Earth.” The film clearly has a lasting legacy and is always deserving of a watch or rewatch.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Ten months into 2026 and “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” might still hold the crown as best movie of the year. A zombie film that is much more about the horrors and love capable of humanity, the film stands as a sequel to 2025’s “28 Years Later.” Ralph Fiennes drops a stirring and wholly unique performance that – in a perfect world – would keep him in award contention talks through nominations. Go in knowing as little as possible and revel in the madness of this world.

Psycho

The birth of the original scream queen and one of the first horror films to really spook the world. “Psycho” is the Alfred Hitchcock classic that introduced the world the quietly horrific Norman Bates and The Bates Motel. The seeds for every great psychological thriller to come were sown in this ’60s classic. If that’s your particular brand of horror – rather than the slasher or the creature feature – and you still haven’t seen “Psycho,” do yourself a favor and have yourself a night.

1922

There are an ocean of Stephen King adaptations out there in the world now – some good, many rough – but the real upsetting thing about those adaptations is that they often only focus on a few of the author’s greatest hits and they just get made over and over.

“1922” adapts one of the prolific writer’s novellas and tells the story of a Nebraska farmer who kills his wife and then is slowly driven to paranoid madness by the whispers he hears from the farm’s well. Thomas Jane – no stranger to King adaptations, he also starred in “The Mist” – is a standout as the monstrous man who collapses in on himself. If you want to watch a bad man get got, “1922” is your pick.

Host

A movie that blew up during the COVID pandemic – and was made independently during it – “Host” captured the real fears and isolation of the time. The story follows a group of friends on a video chat who invite a medium in and soon after supernatural things start popping off for everyone individually. “Host” is a slow burn found footage film that captures the pandemic era better than many other movies that attempted it.