10 best horror films to watch on Netflix right now

5. The Conjuring

New house, innocent family, “this is going to be good for us, honey,” evil presence, jump scare, etc. You’ve seen this story before, but perhaps never done quite so well. After the Perron family come to believe their house is haunted, they call in paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren to break out the holy water and elbow grease to scrub the bad spirits out.

Jam-packed with awesome horror tropes, The Conjuring has it all. Ghosts. Witches. Demons. Unfinished murder basements. Paranormal investigators. And of course, no horror movie could be complete without at least one creepy children’s toy. All of the formulas are in place, but carried out with a finesse and attention to detail that reminds modern viewers why they became classic in the first place: because they work. Though this movie has a lot going on, at the end of the day it comes down to one thing: it’s scary.

This movie kicked off a flurry of sequels and spinoffs, and for good reason. It’s a solid A-game horror film with a bounty of creepy goodness to sink your teeth into. Clever buildups, rich creepy atmosphere, and elegantly used jump-scares made this movie a modern classic. You’ll never want to sleep with your feet out from under the covers (or move into a new house) again.

The Takeaway

The Conjuring carries out a slew of the best horror tropes with a style and finesse that makes them feel new — and terrifying.