When saying “International movies” people typically mean non-English movies. British and Canadian movies aren’t usually listed under International on streaming services or found in the video store’s Foreign section. (If you happen to zip back in time in your Delorean.)
But if you’re in the mood for good horror movies, the International section is a great place to look. Some of the best horror movies in the past 25 years require English speakers to read subtitles — REC, Let The Right One In, Ringu, Martyrs, Audition, The Orphanage, Ju-On, and on and on.
Fortunately, there are plenty of International (non-English) movies on Netflix — and many of them fall under the horror banner. Our list of the best international horror movies on Netflix is current as of April 2024.
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9 international horror movies on Netflix worth watching
Homonculus (2021)
Homonculus is a genre-blending horror-fantasy-mystery-thriller based on the manga of the same name.
34-year-old amnesiac Susumu is a failed finance wiz living in his car in Shinjuku. With that keen financial sense, he agrees to let medical student Manabu drill a hole into his skull for a few grand.
The procedure enables Susumu to see inside the minds of others and witness their deepest traumas. Buried in the voyeurism, there’s a message about trauma’s lasting effects.
People either love this movie or hate it, there’s almost no in-between. But if you like weird movies with convoluted “plots”, it might be worth 2 hours of your time.
Country: 🇯🇵 Japan
Original title: ホムンクルス
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020)
Straight from the Boomers vs Millennials War, this supernatural slasher follows a group of teens shipped off to rehab camp — for kids addicted to technology.
With no bars to save them, the iPhone Generation is forced to go offline to battle an evil force lurking in the forest. And they’ll have a bloody time doing it in this throwback to the 80s creature feature.
⚠ Trigger warning about mutilated animals is in order.
Country: 🇵🇱 Poland
Original title: W lesie dziś nie zaśnie nikt
Veronica (2017)
The Spanish movie Veronica from 2017 is not to be confused with the Mexican movie Veronica from 2017, although the latter is a nice little psychological thriller. Spain’s Veronica is a supernatural horror film based on the true-life story of Estefanía Lázaro.
Madrid 1991. High school student Veronica has her hands full always looking after her younger siblings because Mom’s always working at the family’s restaurant.
Because Dad’s not around anymore.
After using a Ouija board to contact her dead father’s spirit, Veronica starts to experience paranormal events. The story unfolds over the next few days as she is haunted by an evil.
It’s your basic tale of possession, but it’s got great atmosphere and stellar performances by the young cast.
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain
Original title: Verónica
The Conference (2023)
It’s The Office meets Friday the 13th when a staff of small-town Swedish civil servants head to an isolated cabin getaway (of course) for a team-building exercise.
The trip is really just a way to celebrate on the taxpayer’s dime. For the development of a new — and controversial — shopping mall is going to put their municipality on the map.
They might even get an IKEA!
Not everyone’s happy with the plans, and this becomes more and more evident as the bodies start dropping — and getting mutilated in hot tubs.
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden
Original title: Konferensen
El Conde (2023)
El Conde (The Count) is one of the few non-English movies to not have its title translated upon release. Maybe it’s because El Conde is easy enough for Americans to pronounce — and it just sounds better than The Count.
The black & white black comedy horror flick follows the plight of (deceased) Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as he yearns for death.
Because Pinochet is actually a 250-year-old vampire.
Living in a dilapidated castle in Chile’s chilly southern tip, El Conde is shocked to learn that the history books remember Pinochet as a thief. Irrecoverably shamed, he decides to stop drinking blood and bring his immortality to an end.
Country: 🇨🇱 Chile
Original title: El Conde
The Trip (2021)
Married couple Lars and Lisa are, respectively, a soap opera director and a struggling actress. And their marriage is going about as well as their careers.
When they head off to their cabin for a weekend to work on their marriage, they both have plans to murder the other. But those plans go out the window when they’re forced to team up and fend off a gang of escape convicts.
The Norwegian action horror comedy stars Noomi Rapace as Lisa, who Western audiences may know from Ridley Scott’s Alien sequel Prometheus.
Country: 🇳🇴 Norway
Original title: I onde dager
The Wailing (2016)
A small Korean mountain village gets a visit from a stranger—a Japanese man and his dog. Shortly after the man’s arrival, an outbreak occurs.
But it’s a lot worse than Covid.
The mysterious illness causes people to go crazy and kill their families. To save his daughter, a local cop is forced to investigate and solve the medical mystery.
The Wailing was a hit with critics and audiences alike. It left Netflix for a while, but it’s back!
⚠ Trigger warnings for gore and lengthy runtime of over 2½ hours.
Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea
Original title: 곡성
#Alive (2020)
The wildly popular Train to Busan isn’t on Netflix, but if you’re hankering for some Korean zombies, check out #Alive. Although this isn’t about any race to escape.
Quite the opposite.
When the zombie apocalypse hits, video game live streamer Joon-woo hunkers down in his Seoul apartment and tries to wait it out. Released in June of 2020—at the height of the pandemic—its timing couldn’t have been more fitting.
Netflix snagged the international distribution rights, so it’s currently the only place you can catch #Alive.
Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea
Original title: #살아있다
Blood Red Sky (2021)
Widowed mom Nadja and (terminally?) ill son Elias are off to America for treatment he can’t get in Germany. So when terrorists hijack their international red eye bound for NYC, Nadja will do anything to protect her son. And with no signs of Passenger 57, she’s forced to take matters into her hands — or fangs.
[MILD Spoiler Alert]
Because Mom’s a vampire.
And everything would (probably?) be fine if she just ripped the hijackers to shreds with her hands. Because we all know what happens when a vampire bites someone.
Being on a fight to New York City — and a German-British co-production — there’s a fair bit of English spoken in the movie. So it’s the best option on the list for those who aren’t fans of subtitles.
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany / 🇬🇧 UK
Original title: Blood Red Sky
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Other international horror movies on Netflix?
There are plenty more international horror movies on Netflix to choose from, but these are our top choices.
If you’ve got a favorite subtitled horror movie on Netflix that we’ve egregiously overlooked, please let us know in the comments below. We’d love to check it out!
And if you’re looking for something a little more extreme, there are 4 international horror movies in our list of The 15 Most Disturbing Horror Movies You Can Watch For Free.
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