Fall is such a beloved and celebrated season for good reason. There’s something incredibly magical about the unique, rusty blend of autumn foliage, the shorter days, and crisp weather. As the temperatures drop, there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with a soft blanket and getting cozy with something good to watch — the spookier, the better.
With death and decay all around, darker days, and the reflective mood of the season, autumn is the ideal time for indulging in horror viewing, both before and after Halloween. While there are many scary movies to pick from, there’s nothing quite like binging an engrossing series full of frights.
Luckily, Netflix subscribers have a whole catalog of genre shows at their disposal. Whether you’re looking for supernatural scares, gothic vibes, or something lighter on the horror, this list has you covered with horror series that offer the chilly, dreary autumn feel you’re looking for.
Here are 15 great horror shows to carry you through this spooky season.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (2018)
Mike Flanagan has created some of the greatest horror shows of our time. His first series, The Haunting of Hill House, is a great fall watch — or rewatch, in the case of many. Taking inspiration from Shirley Jackson’s eponymous novel, Flanagan deconstructs its narrative, characters, and themes and reassembles them into a chilling, family-centric tale. The series focuses on the Crains, who reunite after a loss, forcing them to confront the time they spent as children in Hill House, the terrifying night that forced them to flee from there in the middle of the night, and how the experience forever shaped their lives.
A Haunted House Story Full of Emotion and Terrors
The story beautifully blends supernatural horror with emotional depth, exploring grief, trauma, and family bonds. Its eerie, gothic setting encompasses the spooky vibes of autumn, with the haunted house itself acting as a sentient presence. The show builds its atmosphere with deliberate, sophisticated cinematography and constant, lurking dread. If you’re looking for a haunting experience this fall, this is it.
‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ (2018 – 2020)
With fall being the season of the witch, there’s no better time for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Based on the Archie comic series of the same name, the show is set in the same universe as Riverdale —but that’s as far as both shows have in common. The series is nothing alike to the ’90s sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart, either. Starring Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina might be campy, but oozes with darkness, disturbing imagery, Satanism, terror, and gore.
A Sumptuous, Atmospheric Series Light on the Horror
Blending small-town charm with the supernatural, the horror teen drama is an excellent option when you’re looking for something spooky but not too scary to watch in autumn. It’s especially fitting during October, or at a time when you’re looking to get into the Halloween mood. Expect a gothic aesthetic, supernatural and witchy storylines, and a creepy atmosphere reminiscent of the vibes of fall.
‘Marianne’ (2019)
Although Marianne is one of the most acclaimed supernatural series on Netflix, boasting a perfect critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, it gets nowhere near the attention it deserves. The French horror show centers around Emma Larmison (Victoire du Bois), a renowned horror novelist who returns to her sleepy hometown of Elden after a childhood friend takes her own life at one of her book signings. Seeking answers for her death, Emma finds that the demonic witch from her book series — and who has plagued her dreams for years — is terrifyingly real and threatening those she loves.
An Underrated Horror Gem
At only eight episodes, the series is your answer to a weekend binge on a night when you want to get comfy and cozy with a seriously frightening story. The setting of a small, gloomy seaside town aligns magnificently with the season. Marianne is like a nightmare come to life, offering highly disturbing visuals, an oppressive atmosphere, and a heavy sense of unease. Dabbling in themes of black magic and the occult, it makes for a truly unsettling autumn watch.
‘Evil’ (2019 – 2024)
Evil ran on CBS, then was picked up by Paramount+, and is now available for streaming on Netflix in its entirety. It follows an unlikely trio who come together when the Catholic Church hires them to investigate a backlog of unexplained phenomena. Their job is to determine whether there are supernatural or miraculous forces at play, or if cases can be explained away by science or medicine. Katja Herbers plays the skeptical forensic psychologist Kristen Brouchard, Mike Colters plays Father David Acosta, and Aasif Mandvi plays Ben Shakir, an atheist tech wiz.
A Probing Show About Faith, Humanity, and Evil
Although each episode features a different case, the story contains an overarching plot, weaving the characters’ lives with their work. The show’s paranormal mysteries and chilling atmosphere evoke the spirit of the cozy, scary season of autumn. Evil plays out like both a psychological horror and slow-burning thriller, while maintaining a terrifyingly fun tone.
‘Ares’ (2020)
Netflix’s original series Ares is the streaming platform’s first ever Dutch production. Set in the Netherlands’ capital of Amsterdam, it follows Rosa Steenwijk (Jade Olieberg), a medical student who receives an invitation to join a secret society at her university. As she dives deeper into that world, she begins having paranormal experiences, with her life taking a dark turn as she learns the club that she has become enmeshed with is more of a cult.
A Deep Psychological Horror With a Slow-Burn Mystery
With its eerie, dark academia setting and foray into the occult, Ares is prime for watching during the autumnal season. If you’re a fan of cults and enjoy unraveling conspiracies, this is the horror show for you. The show brings to life a foreboding atmosphere and utilizes a moody color palette perfect for the darker evenings of fall. Ares is more than a psychological horror drama, however, as it explores themes of race, class, and abuse.
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ (2020)
Mike Flanagan’s sophomore limited series reimagines Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, bringing to life a completely original and unique tale. Victoria Pedretti stars as Danny Clayton, a young American woman, who, after experiencing a traumatic loss, moves to England to work as an au pair on a remote, sprawling estate. As her young charges, Miles and Flora Wingrave (Amelia Bea Smith and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), display increasingly odd behavior, Dani comes across ghostly presences at Bly Manor and digs into the house’s dark history.
A Captivating Story of Love, Loss, and Grief
The Haunting of Bly Manor impressively balances its terrifying elements with emotional, heartfelt storytelling, making it a dazzling binge to curl up with on a crisp evening. It’s a great choice for fall viewing thanks to its gothic tone and setting, focus on ghosts, and pervasive sense of dread. If you’re looking for a scary watch with a rich atmosphere, but also craving romance, look no further.
‘Ju-On: Origins’ (2020)
Most genre fans are familiar with the Japanese horror film series Ju-On and its most popular entry, The Grudge, which inspired the 2004 American remake of the same name. Although Netflix’s original series Ju-On: Origins is a prequel of sorts, it serves as a standalone entry and doesn’t require extensive knowledge of the long-running franchise. The show tells the story of the “true” case that inspired the Ju-On mythology, focusing on a creepy house that affects anyone who enters it and depicting its origins.
A Horrifying, Unsettling Narrative
The series is both a return to the franchise’s roots and a complete reinvention of Ju-On, transforming it into something grislier. With its fusion of haunting, atmospheric horror, eerie visuals, and supernatural elements, Ju-On: Origins is a genuinely chilling and disturbing experience best suited for the spooky season of fall. Play this on a night when you’re craving something more visceral and dark to watch.
‘Midnight Mass’ (2021)
Fans of Mike Flanagan waited for years for Midnight Mass, having seen the story teased in his previous works of Hush (2016) and Gerald’s Game (2017). If you have yet to watch this series, do yourself a favor and remedy the situation as soon as possible. Set on the remote Crockett Island, the story follows its small community as they reel from an oil spill that killed its fishing industry. When a young, charismatic priest (Hamish Linklater) arrives in town, residents are drawn to his church after seeing the miracles he has performed. The town’s new religious fervor soon reveals a sinister, supernatural truth.
Profound Existential and Philosophical Horror
The weather-beaten, cold village is an optimal setting for fall viewing. The show’s gloomy, misty aesthetic and somber tone also make the perfect companions during the darker, shorter days of the season. Midnight Mass has the kind of creeping sense of unease that is both unsettling and contemplative, fitting with the quiet and introspective nature of autumn. Its thought-provoking themes of religion, death, and existence are also apt for these reflective months.
‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’ (2021)
Created by Nick Antosca (Channel Zero) and Lenore Zion, Brand New Cherry Flavor is a limited series based on Todd Grimson’s novel of the same name. Spanning a total of eight episodes, the horror show transports audiences back to 1990s Hollywood. Rosa Salazar stars as Lisa Nova, a young filmmaker whose horror movie is stolen by a slimy producer after she rejects his sexual advances. Turning to dark magic, Lisa embarks on a quest for vengeance.
A Bizarre Series With a Distinct Visual Style
The mind-bending fever dream that is Brand New Cherry Flavor is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Just when you think you know where the show is going, it completely subverts your expectations, taking you to unexpected places that are both Lynchian and Cronenbergian, combining the surreal with the grotesque. The miniseries’ blend of dark themes, uncanny horror, and a retro aesthetic make it a compelling watch during fall.
‘Archive 81’ (2022)
Based on a podcast, Archive 81 unravels its mystery through two alternating timelines. When media archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) is offered a large sum of money to restore a collection of damaged videotapes that were burned in the 1994 fire of The Visser, he accepts, but the job requires him to move to an isolated, vacant facility. The tapes turn out to be the doctoral project of Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), who moved into the apartment building to do her research, uncovering a dark history and cult-like society in the process.
A 10/10 Horror Gem
Archive 81 is a highly immersive, occult-fueled mystery that is an ideal choice for fall viewing. The show provides a cozy yet creepy experience that’s a perfect match for the darker and shorter days of the season. Taking a slow and deliberate approach, the story emphasizes an unsettling and dread-filled atmosphere, allowing its terror to creep in slowly.
