Summary

• Here are some of the worst horror movies on Netflix, based on their Rotten Tomatoes scores:
• The Open House (2018) - 7% (critics) and 8% (audience)
• Secret Obsession (2019) - 28% (critics) and 16% (audience)

Horror movies tend to get a bad rap and don't often reach critical acclaim and that's the case for the worst horror movies on Netflix. Fans of the genre typically know better than to judge a film based on its critical reception like when critics initially balked at horror movies that became classics like John Carpenter's The Thing. Yet, critics and viewers mostly agree that much of it falls short when it comes to Netflix's original horror content.

It's always fun seeing what new original horror movies Netflix is releasing, but some of the worst have plots that feel clichéd and characters that don't feel compelling. Some of these films venture into so-bad-it's-good territory, as purposely watching critically panned horror films is something of a pastime for some viewers. The worst horror movies on Netflix include a reboot of a popular slasher franchise and an adaptation of a short story by Stephen King, meaning any source material, no matter how renowned, can sometimes suffer under the weight of poor execution.

25 Eli (2019)

A Boy Who Can't Survive Outdoors Might Be Pure Evil

One of the reasons Eli ended up being one of the worst horror movies on Netflix is that it came out around the same time as Brightburn. The two movies are eerily similar — except Brightburn did it better.

Eli follows a young boy suffering from a rare condition that makes him allergic to the air he breathes. His parents take him to a medical facility that promises him life-changing treatment, but those who seek to help him have sinister intentions of their own.

While Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink does make an early appearance in the film, Eli suffers from pacing issues, making the final act of the movie rushed on top of the somewhat predictable plot. Critics mainly were apathetic to the movie, giving it a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences disliked it even more, giving it only a 37% rating. Eli seemed doomed because Netflix picked it up when Paramount couldn't figure out how to market it (via Deadline).

24 Vampires Vs. The Bronx (2020)

A Coming-Of-Age Vampire Hunting Movie

If it weren't for its anticlimactic finale, Vampires vs. The Bronx may not have ended up being one of the worst horror movies on Netflix. Providing a fresh twist on the vampire genre with social messages about the horrors of gentrification, Vampires vs. The Bronx sees kids Miguel, Bobby, and Luis getting ready for a block party.

However, the neighborhood rapidly changes as a real estate company run by vampires fills the neighborhood with gentrified businesses. When people in the neighborhood go missing, the kids must solve the mystery and fight the undead.

Vampires vs. The Bronx fizzled out during what should've been a climactic battle, severely cheapening a fantastic buildup. Critics loved the movie, certifying it fresh with a 90% rating. However, what holds it down is the audience score, which is a rotten 45% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.7 on IMDb.

23 No One Gets Out Alive (2021)

A Haunted House Story Tackling Immigration

Had No One Gets Out Alive not fallen so heavily on common haunted-house movie tropes, it wouldn't be so bad. However, not even its important message could save it. The film follows undocumented immigrant Ambar, who moves into a decrepit boarding house in Cleveland after the death of her mother.

...would've done better if it could've distanced itself from other haunted house horror movies.

Ambar remains optimistic despite her surroundings and under-the-table job. However, she soon starts experiencing supernatural visions that link to an ancient Aztec ritual. The film received relatively average reviews, with a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, and would've done better if it could've distanced itself from other haunted house horror movies.

The Netflix audience didn't seem impressed, dismissing the movie with a 40% rotten score. One critic pointed out that the film failed from the start because it tried to create an "arthouse-style movie" that showed the hardships of immigrants with horror but failed in that aspect (via Fangirlish).

22 In The Tall Grass (2019)

A Stephen King Horror Tale Of Getting Lost In The Grass

An adaptation of the 2012 novella of the same name, a collaboration between Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, In The Tall Grass sees a series of characters drawn into a weedy field only to discover that a dark presence is trapping them there — but it turned out to be one his lesser Netflix horror adaptations. Featuring a premise reminiscent of other King works like Children of the Corn and 1922, In The Tall Grass overstays its welcome and stretches its thin plot to the point of absurdity.

Stephen King co-wrote the story with his son, Joe Hill.

As critic Allan Allmacher of The MacGuffin puts it, "This was a great short film stretched out and padded to become a dull feature length flick." The movie does get credit for a good cast led by Patrick Wilson and a great director in Vincenzo Natali (Cube), but critics ravaged it, with a 36% rotten rating and fans were worse, at 33% rotten.

21 Nightbooks (2021)

A Boy Uses His Horror Stories To Battle A Witch

Nightbooks had all the makings of being a classic 90s-era kids horror flick, but unfortunately, it struggled to capture anyone's attention. Nightbooks sees horror fan Alex writing his own horrific tales in a notebook.

However, he is soon lured and captured by a witch, making friends with fellow captive Yasmin. The kids team up to bring down the witch for good, with Alex's stories playing an important role. Unfortunately, Nightbooks starts strong and grows weaker throughout.

By the time it gets to the ending, audiences care little for the characters' plight, and the third act falls flat. This was another movie that critics seemed to appreciate, with an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 88%. However, it is also one that the audience snubbed their noses at, with only a slightly above average 58% Tomatoes score.

20 The Curse Of Bridge Hollow (2022)

A Girl Teams With Her Father To Capture A Released Spirit

Marlon Wayans stars in one of the worst horror movies on Netflix, the horror-comedy The Curse of Bridge Hollow. The film follows the father-daughter duo Howard (Marlon Wayans) and Sydney (Priah Ferguson), with the former being more scientifically driven and the latter wholeheartedly believing in ghosts. When Sydney inadvertently releases the spirit of Stingy Jack, she and Howard must acquire a spell book to stop his curse from taking over the town before it is too late.

...the story lacks depth, and many of its humorous moments fall flat.

While the movie is fun for the whole family and features Stranger Things actress Priah Ferguson, the story lacks depth, and many of its humorous moments fall flat. Even the talents of Wayans in the lead role didn't help as critics were not kind, awarding the film a 48% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes while the audience was only slightly more amused at 53%.

19 The Whole Truth (2021)

Two Kids Are Sent To Their Grandparents & Find Horror

The Whole Truth featured a promising premise, but far too many twists and subplots made it one of the lesser Netflix horror movies. The Whole Truth follows siblings Pim and Putt after their single mother falls into a coma due to a car crash.

The pair are sent to live with their grandparents, whom they've never met, and soon find themselves swamped by paranormal experiences and tales from the past. Unfortunately, the Thai horror movie becomes indigestible as the runtime labors on, and audiences begin to grow weary of the characters as less and less makes sense.

The movie wasn't successful enough on Netflix to earn enough reviews for a Rotten Tomatoes score, but the audience who watched it hated it, awarding it a 30% rotten score on the site, with most calling it a great idea trapped in a disappointing movie.

18 Things Heard & Seen (2021)

A Couple Finds Their New Farmhouse Might Be Haunted

When Catherine Claire (Amanda Seyfried) moves with her husband to the rural town of Chosen, New York, she discovers sinister forces lurking on the old farmland the two have purchased. One part ghost story and one part domestic drama, Things Heard & Seen can't seem to take its overused premise in any new direction.

According to critics, the film's greatest offense seems to be its banality. The mark of a great horror movie comes from its ability to scare, disturb, or otherwise provoke the viewer, and Things Heard & Seen ranks relatively low on fright factor.

Critics bashed the movie, awarding it a low 39% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience score was even lower at 23% rotten. The film tries to contrast domestic violence with hauntings but does so in a mostly mundane manner.

17 Ghost Lab (2021)

Two Hospital Employees Try To Prove The Paranormal Exists

2021's Ghost Lab is a Thai horror movie that has the feel of a ion project gone awry, making it a disappointing Netflix horror movie. It begins with an interesting enough premise: two hospital employees are determined to provide scientific evidence of the paranormal after encountering something during the night shift.

However, the narrative, tone, and presentation all feel too uneven and experimental. Ghost Lab switches from a jump-scare-laden fright fest to a weird comedy at the drop of a hat, and audiences will bend over backward to keep up.

However, most Netflix subscribers are likely not willing to become that invested in the film. Critics hated the movie, awarding it a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score at only 34%. Most critics complained about the over-complicated plot that left too many things wide open for interpretation.

16 The Silence (2019)

Apocalyptic Movie About Killer Aliens

Even the presence of the esteemed Stanley Tucci couldn't save this project from hitting on some of the worst horror movie tropes on Netflix. 2019's The Silence sees a group of survivors struggle to eke out an existence after extraterrestrial monsters with supremely adept hearing invade the Earth. If that premise sounds familiar, it's because The Silence features the same setup as A Quiet Place, which debuted the previous year.

The movie is based on the novel by Tim Lebbon

Unfortunately, The Silence lacks the tension and terror that were present in the film. The movie was actually based on an older horror novel, with Tim Lebbon's book of the same name, so it wasn't technically a copy of A Quiet Place, but it did have to live up to that movie's success, and that caused this one to fall short. The original production company had to sell it to Netflix while attempting to avoid bankruptcy.