If you don't have a problem with subtitles, then there's no reason you can't give some of the brilliant foreign films currently streaming on Netflix a chance. There are only so many horror movies available on the streamer at any given moment, but if you're confining yourself to one country's releases, you have no idea how many fantastic horror stories you're missing out on.
For those interested in expanding their horizons, the following list highlights six of our favorite international horror films on Netflix, ranked by least to most scary.
6. Dead Talents Society (2024)
Even though horror comedies are usually less scary than other entries in the canon, they're still lots of fun and certainly worth watching. This Taiwanese film might not terrify you, but it presents a unique and entertaining concept: an underworld where ghosts compete to haunt humans, granting them access to the mortal realm. Dead Talents Society centers on a rookie ghost who becomes a pupil to one of the underworld's most notable ghostly divas and an ambitious agent.
5. El Conde (2023)
Like Dead Talents Society, El Conde is also a horror comedy, although the comedy in this movie is much darker than the Taiwanese film. El Conde is a Chilean movie directed and co-written by Pablo Larraín. You might recall that this Netflix Original received a Best Cinematography nomination at the Academy Awards.
The story revolves around the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, a 250-year-old vampire who is finally ready to die after all of the trouble he has caused. Surprisingly gruesome and smartly written, El Conde is a compelling film bolstered by its rich political and social commentary.
4. Under the Shadow (2016)
British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari made his feature directorial debut with this Persian-language psychological horror film. Anvari is best known for directing the thriller I Came By and Wounds. He will also direct an untitled Cloverfield movie in the future.
Whether you've seen his previous works or not, I highly recommend checking out Under the Shadows, which is easily one of the best and most underrated horror movies on Netflix. Set in the 1980s in war-torn Tehran, Under the Shadows is an effectively chilling film following a mother and daughter haunted by malevolent entities believed to originate from a missile.
3. Verónica (2017)
When Verónica was first released, many heralded the Spanish film as one of the scariest films ever made, and that label remains pertinent. Verónica excels at its core concepts beautifully, making for a thrilling and frightening watch.
It follows a teenage girl who dabbles in the occult when she and her friends use an Ouija board during a solar eclipse, summoning a dark energy that soon takes possession of the titular character. What follows is a very disturbing saga inspired by true events. I recommend watching Paco Plaza's follow-up prequel, Sister Death, also on Netflix.
2. His House (2020)
His House would make for a dark, tragic, but riveting double feature with some of the films on this list, notably Under the Shadow. It's about a refugee couple fleeing war-torn South Sudan seeking refuge in London. But life in their new home isn't easy as they face racism and struggle with poverty.
Their problems are further amplified when they begin to suspect something evil lurks within their new home. His House is genuinely scary, with body horror and plenty of other disturbing content. Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku plays one of the lead characters.
1. Incantation (2022)
Incantation is easily the most horrifying movie on this list. It's not one for the faint-hearted. It is another Taiwanese film, a found-footage folk horror film that would become the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror film ever.
There's an immersive quality to Incantation that heightens the fear factor, as viewers are encouraged to "pray" with the film's characters. The story is told non-linearly, as we're shown what happens to a mother and her daughter through different video footage. Incantation was reportedly inspired by real events, adding another level to its nightmare material.