5 Innovative Horror Movies to Watch Now - Netflix Tudum

  • What To Watch

    Innovative Horror Films to Stream (and Scream Over) Now

    Check out these spooky features.

    By Kerensa Cadenas
    Aug. 15, 2025

Talk of Zach Cregger’s sophomore feature Weapons spread like a parasite across social media — infiltrating our virtual watercoolers and infecting us with straight-up nightmares. If you’re looking for more horror films that will inspire you to cover your eyes in new and interesting ways, check out these innovative and buzzy horror movies streaming on Netflix now.

Smile

The 2022 psychological horror film Smile, from director Parker Finn, follows Laura (Sosie Bacon), a Ph.D. student haunted by the recent suicide of a patient who claimed she was being tormented by an invisible being. After the woman’s death, Laura’s now hunted by the same force — and it’s eager to take her life. Based on his short film Laura Hasn't Slept, Finn’s directorial debut spawned the 2024 sequel Smile 2 starring Naomi Scott.

Smile
1h 55m   R

Talk to Me

Aussie brothers Danny and Michael Philippou (2025’s Bring Her Back) film debut Talk to Me, starring Sophie Wilde, follows troubled teen Mia as she deals with the anniversary of her mother’s death. When Mia joins in on a game at a house party involving an embalmed hand, it breaks the fourth wall of her reality. As the teens continue to play, the more dangerous the game becomes. 

Creep

The 2014 found-footage horror film Creep, starring Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice, follows videographer Aaron (Brice), who’s tasked with filming Josef (Duplass). Josef’s been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and wants the footage so that his unborn son can get to know him after he dies. But Josef, of course, is not what he seems. The film, directed by Brice, spawned a 2017 sequel, Creep 2, and a 2024 television series, The Creep Tapes

Creep
1h 17m   R   2014
Watch

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Director Osgood “Oz” Perkins has become a household name in the horror genre, with films like Longlegs and The Monkey. One of his earlier films, 2016’s I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, is a fresh take on Gothic supernatural horror. Ruth Wilson (Luther) stars as Lily, a nurse who moves into a secluded home to care for Iris (Paula Prentiss), a retired horror writer. As strange occurrences happen around her, Lily begins to suspect that this house might have ghastly secrets. 

El Conde

Acclaimed director Pablo Larraín is best known for his trilogy of films chronicling the inner lives of famous women: Jackie, Spencer, and Maria. Larraín also lent his hand to the 2023 horror comedy El Conde. The satire film portrays the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire named El Conde (Jaime Vadell) with a death wish — because he’s fed up with everyone thinking he’s a bad guy. The film, shot in black and white, earned an Oscar nomination in 2024 for Best Cinematography. 

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