It’s October, which means it’s peak “Spooky Time” season. What better than a scary movie on a dark and stormy night to keep the mood holiday-appropriate? Netflix certainly has a vast library of horror titles to choose from, but in keeping with the Halloween spirit, we’ve narrowed it down to the five best scary movies available on the streaming service right now. Some horror films are more dramatic, some more comedic, some more atmospheric. But if you’re in the mood for something that's just downright scary, we’ve got you covered with our list of the scariest movies to watch on Netflix.

For even more recommendations, check out our list of the best horror movies on Netflix right now.

The Witch

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Image via A24

Director/Writer: Robert Eggers

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, and Harvey Scrimshaw

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? So bellows The Witch, one of the scariest (and prettiest) horror movies in recent memory. This wholly original story was billed as “A New England Folktale,” and indeed it takes place in 1630s New England and follows a family who has been banished from a Puritan plantation for being too religious. Now secluded near the woods, strange happenings begin to occur—like the kidnapping of their baby—and the parents fall further and further into madness, all the while young Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy, who you know from Split) tries to hold everything together. It’s gorgeous, terrifying, and builds to an operatic finale that you won’t soon forget. This isn’t your typical jump-scare or masked menace horror flick. It’s something far more sinister. – Adam Chitwood

Apostle

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Image via Netflix

Director/Writer: Gareth Evans

Gareth Evans

Cast: Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Paul Higgins, and Michael Sheen

You are not ready for Apostle. You may think you’re ready for Apostle, but this brutal piece of British folk horror boasts the kind of crazy butchery that will have you watching through squinted eyes and squirming in your seat. Director Gareth Evans, best known for his action masterpieces The Raid and The Raid 2, trades combat for carnage in his new Netflix film, building a sense of sickening tension for the first half before flaying flesh and mangling bodies with abandon when the cult craziness boils over.

Apostle tackles the subjects of faith and fringe society with a lot of heart and some batshit crazy zeal. This film loves its outsiders, even as it inflicts all manner of torment upon them, and Evans clearly has a blast creating a rich mythology to drop them in. It’s a surprising, sometimes shocking cult horror movie that mixes the legacy of The Wicker Man with carnal, fleshy frights and a hint of freaky folklore. It’ll make you groan and grimace through the torment, but it will get your heart racing in all the right ways, even when it occasionally stumbles over its own ambition. – Haleigh Foutch

The Ritual

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Image via Netflix

Director: David Bruckner

Writers: Joe Barton, Adam Nevill (Novel)

Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton, Paul Reid, Maria Erwolter

The Ritual features, hands down, one of the creepiest movie monster creations in recent years. That’s worth a watch by itself. Barton/Nevill’s story may have a familiar setup at the outset, but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing; a truly traumatic moment that happens early on in the telling will get you to sit up and pay attention because it signals that The Ritual is not your average horror movie.

The story centers on a group of former college friends who plan a getaway, one that soon takes a turn for the horrific–there’s your familiar setup. To tell you more would be to give away too much, but it should suffice to say that the original monster creation is half the fun, and the other half is the introspective psychological journey that one of the main characters goes on. It’s a rare treat in “Movies for Guys” these days, rarer still in the horror genre. – Dave Trumbore

The Invitation

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Image via Drafthouse Films

Director: Karyn Kusama

Writers: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi

Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, and John Carroll Lynch

The Invitation is the kind of horror movie that lacks any crazy creatures, insane serial killers, or over-the-top gore and yet is still a tremendously scary viewing experience. The story begins simple enough: a man (Logan Marshall-Green) brings his girlfriend to a dinner party arranged by his ex-wife, which reunites a group of old friends. But soon things turn a bit… strange when the host (Tammy Blanchard) begins espousing about a group (i.e. cult) she and her new beau (Haunting of Hill House’s Michiel Huisman) have joined. All of the action takes place in this one house, and the contained setting only adds to the growing atmosphere of tension. Director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body) shows a masterful handle on tone, and the story will keep your heart racing right up until the jaw-dropping final shot. – Adam Chitwood

The Conjuring

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Image via New Line

Director: James Wan

Writer: Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Mackenzie Foy, Joey King, Hayley McFarland

James Wan had already made a name for himself in the horror genre with mega-franchise starters SAW in 2004 and Insidious in 2010, and he pulled off the impossible once again with the 2013 pic, The Conjuring. This is a film that was “so scary and intense” at the time that Warner Bros. slapped it with an R rating despite the fact that there was no blood, gore, excessive violence, or profanity. I can remember a convention hall full of people muttering to themselves and shifting nervously as the “clapping game” scene played out, to gasps and thunderous applause. You can relive the same terrifying experience in the comfort of your own home.

The Conjuring introduces Ed and Lorraine Warren (Wilson and Farmiga), based on the real-life paranormal investigators. They attempt to help the traumatized Perron family whose farmhouse harbors a dark and deadly presence. The Warrens themselves soon discover that this is no mere hoax, but something much more sinister. – Dave Trumbore