21 of the best supernatural horror movies to watch on Netflix in 2020.

1. The Conjuring
2. Annabelle: Creation 
3. Under the Shadow
4. A Ghost Story
5. The Evil Dead
6. Poltergeist (1982)
7. Grave Encounters
8. The Shinning
9. Beetle Juice
10. Insidious
11. Sinister
12. Ju-on: The Grudge
13. The Ring
14. Pulse
15. One Missed Call
16. Paranormal activity
17. Autopsy of Jane Doe
18. The Vatican Tapes
19. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
20. Christine
21. Pizza (2014)

1. The Conjuring

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
7.5	87	Netflix – Japanese version with NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

I remember when this movie first came out, there was a lot of hype as it being the scariest movie ever made. It is also based around and supposedly true story of the family that moved into a house which had been the sight of a brutal murders many years before. The House is haunted by a number of spirits and paranormal investigators are called in to help investigate. The movie lives up to its hype as its not just terrifying but is also very good all round and has since had many prequels and sequels being connected to the Annabelle movies (Annabelle is in this movie).

2. Annabelle: Creation

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How to Watch
6.5	75	UK Netflix  – access with a NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

A prequel to Annabelle which was a prequel to The Conjuring making it a prequel prequel? That aside Anabelle: Creation was a lot better than Annabelle, and origin movies always are fairly well done in my opinion. The plot follows a couple (the male of which is a toy/doll maker) who lose their daughter but have a secret in the fact that there daughter is still around, but one day asks to inhabit the doll. They quickly learn it was never their daughter but an evil entity tricking them, they lock the doll away. As atonement they open their house up to orphaned girls, this is where the doll starts to haunt, possess and terrorise. As you can tell the plot has a lot more to it than the original and is also a lot scarier. Pretty much everything is better about this movie from acting, lighting, suspense and plot, much closer to the quality of The Conjuring.

3. Under the Shadow

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.9	53	Netflix  – Worldwide

This movie is worth watching as it is just a good movie. The plot is unique as a woman and her daughter cope with the terrors of war-torn Tehran of the 1980s. As the war is raging outside something evil is terrorising them inside their apartment. This is one of the highest rated ghost movies and it does not rely on cheap scares or constant jumpy scenes, instead it builds slowly and only a few times will really make you jump, but in the best possible way. The movie is very deep in meaning with much of the horror as a metaphor for the terror felt by families during times of war, when a bomb could fall onto your home at any point. This movie will leave its mark on you as a really good spooky ghost story.

4. A Ghost Story

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.9	79	Netflix  – Worldwide

A Ghost Story is a movie with a lot of deep meaning, firstly it is not a horror movie, but it is about a ghost. An independent movie about a deceased composer who returns as a white sheeted ghost to reconnect with his bereft wife.  If you are looking for creepy, spooky or scary then this is not the ghost movie for you. However, it is a very good film of romance, drama and fantasy. The artistic way the film is done is unmatched in the ghost genre and what would be expected from an Independent movie promoted by Sundance.

5. The Evil Dead

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
7.5	86	Access US Netflix with NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

Evil Dead is an over the top cult gore horror. Over the top with gore and ridiculous acting that it will make a modern audience laugh, if this was made today it would be classed as a comedy. The plot is quite simple, 5 friends go to stay at a remote cabin only to accidentally release a bunch of demons from a book. The whole movie is basically them getting possessed by demons and having to kill them by whatever means necessary. The movie has had sequels and remakes as well as a Netflix series with the original main actor which I am currently enjoying. This is a classic horror and a must watch for all horror fans.

6. Poltergeist (1982)

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
7.3	83	Netflix– US version

The original Poltergeist movie from Steven Spielberg is still a much watch today and much better than the 2015 remake. With a classic like this the plot does not have to be complicated, a family’s home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts. What I love about this film is that it’s the perfect balance of creepy and spooky without the uncomfortable jump scares. Although it is a little dated and it now takes a lot more to scare an audience it is hard to re-create the magic that movie makers could in the 1980s. The movie is highly regarded as one of the greatest horror movies of all time and certainly one of the best haunted house stories.

7. Grave Encounters

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.1	70	Netflix– Japanese version or Amazon Prime 30 Day Trial

Grave encounters is a found-footage ghost story that made me jump plenty. A paranormal investigation team decide to setup in an old psychiatric hospital overnight but quickly find themselves trapped as the hospital somehow becomes a labyrinth. The movies they are basically haunted and hunted by evil ghosts throughout the night. If you are looking for a very scary and jumpy ghost movie then this is to watch. Perfect for a student house on a Saturday night.  

8. The Shinning

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
8.4	93	Netflix – Japanese version NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

Arguably the most famous horror of all time from the Steven Spielberg novel. If you don’t know the plot then its simple a family are alone in an isolated hotel to take care of it in the winter months when there are no guests. The hotel is haunted with a number of entities as the father (Jack Nicholson) is driven mad. Not just a great horror movie but one of the greatest movies of all time that has stood the test of time still being jump scary, spooky scary and disturbing 30 years later.

9. Beetle Juice

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
7.5	85	Netflix

If you are getting scared by this point, then perhaps this classic 80s comedy will remove the tension from the room. Beetle Juice is a fantastic comedy horror movie about a couple that die in an unfortunate car accident and when someone tries to move into their home they do all they can to haunt and scare the new owners away, but it doesn’t all go to plan. I have always loved this movie and is just one of the many movies from the 80s that is impossible to re-create today. Its not scary although small children may find it disturbing as there is lots of frightening make-up. If you have never seen this movie please do!

10. Insidious

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.8	79	Netflix – US version

If you are looking for something a bit different then this movie may just be worth a watch. For most of the film it seems like any typical horror / demonic haunting movies, which it is. However, the movie takes a fairly odd turn in how it chooses to try and conclude the film, I cannot say any-more without giving it away so just give it a watch. Perhaps it goes a little to far in craziness for some or maybe the witters were so fed-up of trying to write a good ending to a horror (which is rare) they decided to give something else a go.

11. Sinister

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.8	78	Netflix– US version

Sinister is a truly terrifying movie about a demon entity that uses images as its gateway, once you see him in an image there is no getting rid of him. A writer and a family move into a house where a whole family died in a horrific crime just 9 months before. The father discovers some film in the attic with the terrifying truth and unleashes the demonic entity upon the family. The movie overall has very high ratings and is definitely a jump scare movie, so watch with the lights on and the cushions at the ready. A well done horror movie with everything to make a modern thrill seeking audience jump.

12. Ju-on: The Grudge

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.7	72	Access Japanese Netflix with NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

Ju-on is the original Grudge movie and a thousand times better than the American re-make, so don’t bother with the American re-make and just get over the fact it is subtitled!. This for me was one of the creepiest movies I have watched, at least top 10 in terms of lasting physiological effect. Never again can I look under my own bedsheets again, it is as creepy as hell. The plot follows a social worker who is chased by 2 vengeful spirits brutally murdered in the house. This movie has gone on to be a franchise with a number of sequels, remakes and now a Netflix series. Parts 1 and 2 are much the same and also available on the Japanese Netflix if you wish for more.

13. The Ring (Ringu)

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
7.2	80	Access Japanese Netflix with NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

Ringu (Not the US remake The Ring) is the original and classic movie of Sadako the vengeful spirit who calls, visits and kills anyone who watches the cursed video tape 7 days after watching it. Even the US remake is good as the concept is so good they just couldn’t ruin it. For me this is where I discovered just how terrifying Japanese cinema is and how they do it I am still unsure. If you are just looking for one of the most terrifying movies ever then this is it.

14. Pulse

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.5	70	Access Japanese Netflix with NORD VPN 30 Day Trial or

If you are a fan of Ringu and The Grudge and looking for more or that creepy, mind scarring Japanese horror then Pulse is what you are likely after, from many of the same creators and just as creepy and certainly more deadly. Two groups of people stumble across evidence that sad spirits are trying to access the living world through the Internet. The movie is creepy, depressing sad and all round eerie, the movie plot all makes sense yet dose not even matter as it does such a good job of creeping you out, and that may be all you are after. It is a unique movie in every way.

15. One Missed Call

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.2	61	Access Japanese Netflix with NORD VPN 30 Day Trial

People start to receive calls supposedly from their future selves reacting to their own violent deaths along with the exact date and time of their future death, listed on the message log. The plot thickens as the surviving characters pursue the answers to this mystery which could save their lives. The scares are very similar to The Grudge and if you are a fan of these creep ghost Japanese horrors then this is another one to add to the list. Obviously it is similar to Ringu as they get a call indicating their own death in some way, no surprise as many of these Japanese horrors are from the same creators and studios.

16. Paranormal activity

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.3	77	Netflix

If you have seen any of these movies than you will know that they are crafted specifically to make a modern audience jump, and they do it extremely well. Not much to say about this or any of the other movies in the series except they are simply a handful of cameras set-up in a haunted house as paranormal activity starts to occur, becoming more sinister and jumpy as the film progresses. Simple but very effective.

17. Autopsy of Jane Doe

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.8	81	Netflix

Father and son coroners receive a mysterious unidentified corpse with no apparent cause of death. As they attempt to examine the beautiful young “Jane Doe,” they discover increasingly bizarre clues that hold the key to her terrifying secrets. The movie is not clearly a horror movie at first but more a crime detective. It is built up slowly with more suspense and suggestive horror and just the occasional well place scare. If you want something a bit more original and not like other horror movies then this will do the job perfectly.

18. The Vatican Tapes

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
4.8	57	Netflix

A priest and two Vatican exorcists must do battle with an ancient satanic force to save the soul of a young woman this time the forces are a little more powerful with basically God Versus Satan which gives it a bit more than other exorcism movies. The story has been done dozens of time, its always a young women and a couple of priests. Its not a bad little movie and perhaps even a little under rated.

19. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.7	72	UK Netflix – Access UK Netflix with NORD VPN

When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trial begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true. The movie is a little different as it jumps from courtroom to exorcism making it a court room drama movie more than anything, this makes it a little misleading to me. The movie is more serious than other horrors with plenty of drama.

20. Christine

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.7	74	Netflix – UK

If you like The Car then quick spoiler, this is pretty much exactly the same. This is a John Carpenter movie so big things were expected. Although as good as The Car still entertaining in many ways, This time the car has not just a name but also more of a personality as it becomes obsessed with its Kid owner, as jealousy and obsession turns the car into a killer. Overall it is a very enjoyable watch and probably under-rated, my only real criticism is that it is not an original idea.

21. Pizza (2014)

IMDB	Rotten Tomatoes	How To Watch
6.2	48	Netflix or 30 day trial to Amazon Prime

Firstly there are 2 Indian horror movies called Pizza of the same story, I am not entirely sure the reason behind this but the version available on Netflix is the 2014 version, sadly its not as highly rated as the 2012 version but still a good watch. A Pizza delivery boy’s mundane life takes a horrifying turn when he is sent to make a delivery to the home of a family who have a dark secret. I cant help but love the originality of the film (despite being a remake). Although it is not suppose to be a comedy it does have a kind of comic charm at times, similar to The Evil Dead. I feel like it is under rated as it is being compared to the 2012 version which scored a massive 8/10 on IMDB.