The horror genre is built on a foundation of artists capturing our collective fears and showcasing them in vivid displays of visual and thematic metaphor. But before the idea of film ever existed, this practice was done through stories passed throughout cultures as folklore meant to be cautionary tales, morality proverbs, and entertaining ways of making sense of the unfathomable world. Now, we can combine these two aspects of storytelling to create some of the best films of the horror genre that are not just frightening but also serve to preserve cultural beliefs over time.
With Netflix being one of the longest-running streaming services, it feels only appropriate that we spotlight its catalog of horror based on ancient lore. So, here are the best folk horror movies on Netflix.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best horror movies on Netflix, the best R-rated horror movies on Netflix, and the best shows and movies on the platform across all genres.
‘The Ritual’ (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% | IMDb: 6.3/10
The Ritual
Release Date October 13, 2017
Runtime 94minutes
Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, The Ritual uses the fear of the unknown in a dark forest as a great setting to dive into Scandinavian lore while creating an atmosphere of dread. The film follows four friends on a hike in Sweden prompted by the passing of their close friend. Unfortunately, they soon find themselves being pursued by nightmares and an unknown entity when they cut through a dense forest. The friend group, played by Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Troughton, has great chemistry, whether bantering or fighting for their lives while working through their collective trauma. I advise going into this film with as little information as possible so the surprises hit you with maximum impact.
‘Apostle’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% | IMDb: 6.3/10
Apostle
Release Date September 21, 2018
Runtime 130 Minutes
Director Gareth Evans
Writers Gareth Evans
Dan Stevens (Abigail) and Michael Sheen (Good Omens) lead this brutal work of occult horror written and directed by action visionary Gareth Evans. Apostle is a gruesome venture into a cult on a remote Welsh island that is being infiltrated by a former missionary whose sister has been kidnapped for ransom. Stevens takes on the role of this ex-man of god as he faces off against Sheen’s intensely dark and charismatic cult leader. But the story is much bigger than the two of them as the supernatural aspects of the film spread far and wide, affecting each and every denizen of this island. Evans uses his keen directorial eye to create a film with a high-budget grindhouse feel that doesn’t pull any punches as the dark side of this cult’s rituals unfolds.
‘The Old Ways’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% | IMDb: 5.4/10
The Old Ways
Release Date October 16, 2020
Runtime 90 minutes
Director Christopher Alender
Writers Marcos Gabriel
Producers Marcos Gabriel, T. Justin Ross, David A. Smith, Christa Boarini, David Grove Churchill Viste
Cast
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Brigitte Kali Canales
Cristina Lopez
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Steeped in the Mexican witchcraft of brujería, The Old Ways, directed by Christopher Alender, is a fantastical horror film that tackles addiction and the struggle to maintain one’s heritage. The story follows Brigitte Kali Canales as a Los Angeles reporter who travels down to her hometown in Mexico, only to get kidnapped and held in a basement because the locals suspect she has a demon in her. Alender does a great job with the culturally specific imagery throughout that feels reverential towards the brujería practices while using it to fight the main character’s inner demons — not to mention Canales’ performance, in which she expresses many layers of the character as she goes through a harrowing experience.
‘Incantation’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDb: 6.2/10
Incantation
Release Date July 8, 2022
Runtime 110 Minutes
Director Kevin Ko
Writers Che-Wei Chang, Kevin Ko
Cast
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Hsuan-yen Tsai
Li Ruo-nan
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Ying-Hsuan Kao
Hsieh Chi-ming
This award-winning Taiwanese found-footage horror film feels like an art piece that utilizes the format in one of the best exhibitions since The Blair Witch Project. Incantation takes the long-established imagery and practices of Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism to create a whole new dark deity that haunts a woman and her young daughter through a sinister curse. Director and co-writer Kevin Ko takes full advantage of the strengths of found footage by creating an off-kilter setting that feels so eerily real that you could forget that you’re watching a film. The home video aesthetic also enhances the unsettling moments when the horrors befall this small family. Do be warned that the sequence of events unfolds non-linearly, so there will be an adjustment period before you settle into the story.
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb: 7.3/10
Hereditary
Release Date June 8, 2018
Runtime 2h 7m
If you’re familiar with Ari Aster’s cult horror film Midsommar, you already know he is a master of stunning production design, captivating visuals, and heart-wrenching moments. Hereditary is Aster’s feature film directorial debut, and before he was leaping from the cliffs of Norse cults, he was diving into the depths of demonology and witchcraft. This mind-bending psychological horror film follows a family dealing with immense grief that soon becomes a menacingly demonic affair. As expected of Toni Collette, she gives an award-winning performance as the matriarch of the family, while rising star Alex Wolff serves as the anchoring perspective in this untethered display of terror.
‘The Binding’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 19% | IMDb: 4.8/10
The Binding
Run Time 1 hr 33 min
Director Domenico Emanuele de Feudis
Release Date October 2, 2020
Actors Riccardo Scamarcio, Michael C. Pizzuto, Federica Rosellini
This Italian-language horror film is a fascinating slow burn that is more about uneasy vibes and lore than it is about jump scares and music stings. The Binding is a rare example of possession-style dark magic that isn’t rooted in the Catholic Church’s pantheon of demonic figures but instead uses the ancient Italian concept of Mal’occhio, or the Evil Eye. The story follows an engaged couple who travel to Italy to meet the future groom’s family, but during their stay, a malevolent curse begins to pursue the woman’s young daughter. The film has some great sequences and manages to keep the audience on its toes as the mystery unfolds.
‘Blood Red Sky’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDb: 6.1/10
Blood Red Sky
Release Date July 23, 2021
Runtime 121 minutes
Director Peter Thorwarth
Writers Stefan Holtz, Peter Thorwarth
Co-written and directed by Peter Thorwarth, Blood Red Sky is like if Snakes on a Plane and Die Hard had a glorious baby with Nosferatu, combining a plane thriller with the horrors of a vampire slasher. This German-language bloodbath, guest starring Dominic Purcell, follows Peri Baumeister as a doting mother traveling with her son on an international flight that gets hijacked. Having no other option, she uses her vampiric affliction to take on the crew of violent gunmen in the confined spaces of the plane. Thorwarth expertly utilizes the familiar confines of air travel to tell an original story that feels both classically camp and fantastically fresh.
‘Hold the Dark’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 69% | IMDb: 5.7/10
Hold the Dark
Release Date September 22, 2018
Runtime 125 minutes
Director Jeremy Saulnier
Based on the book by William Giraldi, Hold the Dark is a twisted thriller that, like much of folklore, is actually about the darkness that mankind is capable of. Starring Riley Keough, Jeffrey Wright, and Alexander Skarsgård, the story takes place in rural Alaska, where a pack of wolves seems to be plaguing a small town and taking children. Wright plays a man brought in to track down the wolves and take them out, but his hunt unearths something more dangerous lurking within the community. Director Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge) excels at creating tense atmospheres that make the viewer care about the characters while fearing for their safety at every turn.
English (US) ·