8 Must-Watch Fantasy Movies on Netflix (March 2026): ‘The Green Knight’ and More

On Christmas Day, King Arthur’s (Sean Harris) Knights of the Round Table are greeted by an uninvited guest: a mysterious creature calling himself the Green Knight, who beckons any man to land a blow on him, winning his green axe if they do so. When King Arthur’s nephew, Gawain (Dev Patel) decapitates the Green Knight with Excalibur, he enters a bargain in which he must visit the Green Knight one year later to receive an equal blow in return. After one year has passed, Gawain is forced to hold up his end of the deal, encountering many strange characters on his journey to face the Green Knight once more.

Sumptuous, aesthetically brilliant and surprisingly erotic, The Green Knight is an R-rated fantasy film of epic proportions. Director David Lowery takes a classic medieval tale and fashions it into a thought-provoking yarn that revels in its own mysteries and ambiguities. The supporting cast includes Barry Keoghan, Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander.

When the Nazis build an interdimensional pathway to summon a demon out of Hell and win World War II, their plans are thwarted at the last minute when a baby demon emerges from the remains of the portal. Adopted by scientist Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm (John Hurt) as his son, nicknamed “Hellboy” (Ron Perlman) for his red skin and horns, he grows up to become an investigator with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, working to thwart paranormal threats. But an evil figure from Hellboy’s past returns with the intent to use him to trigger the apocalypse.

While a couple of other Hellboy adaptations have tried and failed to bring the classic Dark Horse Comics character into the modern era, the version directed by Guillermo del Toro (and its sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army) remains undefeated. Blending rich fantasy elements with a strong emotional narrative, deep romance, witty humor and exciting action set pieces, Hellboy remains one of the best superhero adaptations of all time.

Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Teenager Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly) finds that out the hard way when she wishes her perpetually noisy infant brother Toby (Toby Froud) to disappear, which he does thanks to some greedy goblins. To get him back, Sarah must find a way out of a magical labyrinth constructed by the malevolent Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie), who entices her to join him and his goblin army. Sarah must now choose between a hum-drum reality she’s always escaping from or a fantasy filled with friendly trolls, farting swamps and glamorous masquerade balls.

A children’s classic, Labyrinth, stems from the mind of Jim Henson, who cowrote the story and directed it. Henson’s wizardry with puppets and practical effects is all over the film, creating an incredibly detailed fantasy fable that feels oddly real and tangible. (There’s no wonky CG shots in sight.) Connelly is an ideal fantasy heroine, both winsome and fearless, while Bowie waltzes away with the film as the dandy Goblin King, who has a seemingly endless supply of hairspray and eyeliner. 

Many know of Disney’s animated and live-action versions of The Jungle Book, but Netflix and Warner Bros. produced their own imagining of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale in 2018 with Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. The story remains largely the same: orphan infant Mowgli (Rohan Chand) is adopted by a coterie of animals, including wolf king Akela (voiced by Peter Mullan) and big bear Baloo (voiced by Andy Serkis, who also directed the film). But fierce tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) doesn’t like the boy, and when he senses the aging Akela relies too much on him, he seizes on the opportunity to take the wolf’s place as leader of the jungle.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is one of the better live-action remakes of animated classics, and that’s thanks to Serkis. With his great motion-capture performances in the Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes trilogies, he knows how to use the latest technology to bring a sense of realism and danger to even tall tales like The Jungle Book. This isn’t a comforting all-ages tale — instead, you really feel like poor little Mowgli will be eaten at any moment by the creatures that lurk in the dark jungle that he calls home.

This Norwegian epic adventure film takes the trolls of Scandinavian mythology and brings them to life on an enormous scale, following a team of unlikely heroes attempting to stop a giant mythical monster that’s rampaging toward Oslo. The story begins when an explosion in the Dovre Mountain awakens a gigantic troll who has been trapped for a thousand years. Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann), a paleontologist, is the first to realize that the seismic activity in the mountains has supernatural origins, thanks to the traditional folklore her father shared with her as a child.

Troll brings its massive monster to life with mind-blowing special effects, putting the magic of the old world directly in the path of the new. Drawing from rich cultural tales, the movie creates a sense of wonder while keeping the danger grounded and emotional.

A high-tech fantasy story that fuses knights and swords with lasers and holograms, Nimona follows a shapeshifter of the same name (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz) who lives as an outcast in a society that champions monster-hunting knights. When former knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is framed for killing the queen, Nimona declares herself his villainous sidekick — but all Ballister wants to do is clear his name.

The imaginative world-building, creative animation and fantastic voice acting make Nimona an emotionally intelligent fantasy film for all ages. It’s a film that not only entertains but also encourages viewers to reflect on issues of conformity and the courage it takes to embrace your true self.

One of the biggest streaming hits of the year, KPop Demon Hunters combines traditional Korean folklore with modern pop music to create a totally new fantasy story. The musical action comedy follows Rumi (Arden Cho) Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), the three butt-kicking girls who perform as KPop music group HUNTR/X and slay soul-sucking demons to protect the world.

Stunning animation and ridiculously catchy songs have made KPop Demon Hunters a “Golden” ticket for Netflix. But it’s the magical and fantasy elements that earn it a place on this list!

A gorgeous stop-motion animated movie based on Japanese folklore, Kubo and the Two Strings follows a young boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson) — the son of a banished moon goddess who channels his magical power through an enchanted shamisen — when he goes on a quest to locate his father’s legendary armor. With the help of a talking monkey (Charlize Theron) and a comical stag beetle warrior (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo must evade his nefarious grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes).

Kubo and the Two Strings masterfully intertwines its fantastical elements — such as the magical shamisen and mystical creatures — with profound themes of family, courage and self-discovery. The visuals are as enchanting as the story itself, beautifully merging folklore with modern sensibilities.