Must-See Horror Titles Coming to Netflix in September

'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning' - Arriving 9/1

Between sequels, prequels, and remakes, it can be confusing trying to keep track of the franchise that kicked off with 1974's Texas Chain Saw Massacre. That film got an official prequel with Leatherface last year, while The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning serves as a prequel to the 2003 reboot of the original film.

While the franchise regularly explores the carnage caused by a chainsaw-wielding killer, many audiences forget that the character's family not only drove him to these deadly lengths, but are oftentimes more horrifying than the brute they send in to carry out their nefarious deeds. This prequel might not be as effective as the original film, but it does offer loving homages to its predecessor while also leaning into the terrifying aspect of Leatherface's family.

'The Most Assassinated Woman in the World' - Arriving 9/7

The Most Assassinated Woman in the World played the festival circuit before being acquired by Netflix, allowing audiences to witness a compelling blend of horror, drama, and historical fiction.

The film focuses on actress Paula Maxa, a famous performer in the 1920s and '30s, who regularly played theatrical roles where she would meet a gruesome demise on stage. Some historians think she may have been "killed" more than ten thousand times. A series of bizarre murders begin to take place around the theatre, with one investigator thinking that there's a connection between the violence on stage and in the streets.

As the bodies pile up, Maxa being victimized over and over again to the delight of audiences sends her down a dark and deadly path.

'The Witch' - Arriving 9/17

The horror genre often moves in ebbs and flows, with the success of one film inspiring imitators. One trend in which we currently find ourselves in the middle of is horror films that are driven by auteurs who aim to give audiences more than the expected body count and bloodshed, with The Witch being a prime example of what can be accomplished within the constraints of the genre.

The film focuses on a Puritan family living in New England on the edge of woods which are rumored to be inhabited by a witch. When their baby goes missing, the family descends into passionate paranoia as they wonder if there are real-world explanations for the absence or if something really is lurking in the woods.

'American Horror Story: Cult' - Arriving 9/18

The eighth season of American Horror Story is debuting on September 12th, with the storyline featuring a crossover between the "Murder House" and "Coven" storylines. One of the joys of the series is that it unfolds with an anthological format, which doesn't require viewers to have seen all previous seasons to understand other seasons.

While audiences won't need to catch up on the "Cult" storyline to enjoy the new season, the arrival of last year's horrifying storyline will coincide with the debut of a new season, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in the blend of humor and horror that the series has given us year after year.

'The Walking Dead' Season 8 - Arriving 9/23

While fans don't have to have seen previous seasons of American Horror Story, The Walking Dead is an example of the joys of long-form storytelling in the horror genre.

The upcoming Season Nine of the series will see the exit of star Andrew Lincoln, who audiences have been following since the very first episode. Other integral characters have come and go, but Lincoln's Rick Grimes has been the main character since the beginning, whose exit will dramatically impact the series.

The new season will debut on October 7th, giving audiences a few weeks to get caught up on what they missed in Season Eight.

'Hold the Dark' - Arriving 9/28

While many Netflix subscribers are looking to check out mainstream movies when they arrive on the service, the streaming giant churns out a number of original films, such as Hold the Dark, which might fly under some viewers' radars.

After a group of wolves has killed three children in a small Alaskan village, a researcher is sent to investigate, only to begin to uncover a complex mystery.

Director Jeremy Saulnier previously gave audiences films like Green Room and Blue Ruin, which are both some of the most intense thrillers of their respective years of release, with this film allowing him to collaborate with the talents of Alexander Skarsgard, Riley Keough, and Jeffrey Wright.

'The Descent' and 'The Descent: Part 2' - Leaving 9/1

In 2005, director Neil Marshall gave audiences The Descent, which would go on to be one of the best survival-thrillers of the decade. In hopes of creating a bonding adventure, a group of women explore a series of underground caves in a remote part of the Appalachian Trail, only for multiple cave-ins to occur, hinder their expedition. Making matters worse is the caves also happen to be home to bloodthirsty mutants, making the journey even more horrifying.

The Descent: Part 2 picks up where the first film leaves off with a survivor of the ordeal seeking help for her friends, only to lead more unsuspecting victims into a cavern of carnage.