It has been a longstanding tradition for families to gather together and watch American Hollywood classics such as “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “ A Christmas Story” to get in the holiday spirit. Now with the advent of Netflix, a whole new door of tradition has opened up to us. We are able to access hundreds of uncensored horror movies and TV shows to get us in the spirit of Halloween.

Just 10 years ago, it wasn’t so easy to turn on the complete “Saw” series unedited and at your fingertips. Today, a quick type-in of “n” for Netflix into your URL search or a click on your Apple TV remote brings you to a nearly unlimited amount of spooky features. Yet when it comes to the horror genre, movies and TV shows can certainly hit-or-miss. How does one file through the sea of misses to get the ultimate scare?

It comes down to how much a movie or show can toy with the viewer’s mind. The more a feature taps into our fears, the more it can get our hearts pounding, our hands sweating, and our eyes wanting to turn away. 

According to Psychology Today, the top things that make horror movies scary can include fears of death, the dark, disfigurement, and scary places. These top five movies and TV shows currently available for streaming on Netflix do just that, and more.