The 27 best horror movies on Max right now (2025)

Black Swan (2010)

At what point does dedication to one's craft become too much? Director Darren Aronofsky explores this (among other themes) in Black Swan, in which Natalie Portman portrays Nina, a sheltered ballerina whose drive to play the lead in a production of Swan Lake causes her to have a psychological breakdown. Nina soon finds herself behaving erratically, experiencing hallucinations, and awakening the darkness within herself.

The Brood (1979)

David Cronenberg's spin on the rise of psychotherapy in the late-'70s is a body horror classic. Samantha Eggar plays Nola, a mentally disturbed woman who is undergoing a controversial form of therapy under Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed). Nola's ex-husband is concerned with the doctor's techniques, especially when their young daughter is harmed after a visit with her mother. What unfolds from there is a wild trip through Cronenberg's imagination, with the writer-director penning the film following his own divorce.

The Brood was released the same year as the Oscar-winning divorce drama Kramer vs. Kramer, and while the former film plays within the world of science fiction, it may be even more illuminating about the discourse at the time surrounding the dissolution of marriage. —K.J.

Where to watch The Brood: Max

Director: David Cronenberg

Cast: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle Nuala Fitzgerald, Henry Beckman, Susan Hogan, Cindy Hinds

Carnival of Souls (1962)

After surviving a near-fatal car accident, a young church organist (Candace Hilligoss) tries to move on with her life, but remains haunted by visions of the undead. She also navigates an awkward romance, a strange employer, and an inconsistent but intense feeling that she doesn't exist at all. In the years since its release, Carnival of Souls has become one of the most influential and beloved independent horror films ever made.

"Souls offers elegant black-and-white cinematography (by the director), a canny use of locations, a leading lady with an offbeat, saucer-eyed beauty, and a script that sustains its Twilight Zone-style mystery," EW's Steve Simels writes. "[It] ultimately benefits from its rough-hewn amateurism. The fact that it couldn't look less Hollywood serves to make the supernatural elements that much more resonant. The picture finally draws you in; it's like watching someone else's nightmare." —Wesley Stenzel

Where to watch Carnival of Souls: Max

Director: Herk Harvey

Cast: Candace Hilligoss, Sidney Berger

Carrie (1976)

Shy outcast Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is mercilessly mocked by her high-school peers in this horror classic, adapted from Stephen King's first novel. Little do they know that she possesses telekinetic powers, and when she finally uses them to seek revenge on the bullies who wronged her, she makes their prom a night to remember, indeed. Featuring a sensitive turn from Spacek and a haunting Piper Laurie as Carrie's dangerously religious mother, Carrie remains a classic not only for its fiery prom scene and horror imagery but for its allegory of a girl growing up in small-town America. After all, discovering you have telekinetic powers is nothing compared to the terrors of high school — and those that await you at home. —K.J.

Where to watch Carrie: Max

Director: Brian De Palma

Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, William Katt, John Travolta, P.J. Soles

Cronos (1993)

The debut feature from Guillermo del Toro, Cronos tells the story of an older man (Federico Luppi) who discovers a mystical amulet that gives him a more energized, youthful demeanor — at a cost. The film explores mortality, addiction, and family with a story that fuses vampirism with Cronenbergian body horror. Cronos marries crowd-pleasing horror elements with highbrow filmmaking sensibilities into "an art-house flick that would be equally at home in the grind house," as EW's critic writes. "Part Hellraiser, part The Name of the Rose… Cronos' shocks may be few, but its raw, bare-bones F/X and deliberate pacing make it a refreshing alternative to the typical Hollywood bloodsucker." —W.S.

Where to watch Cronos: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, Tamara Shanath

Eraserhead (1977)

In David Lynch's debut feature, a young man (Jack Nance) struggles to adapt to fatherhood as he cares for his unusual baby in a black-and-white, industrially dismaying world. The film is a harrowing, surreal dream of young adult anxiety, tensely contemplating marriage and parenting with off-kilter sets and swirling sound design that enhance the film's discomfort. As Lynch's career has evolved, his first film has gained a strong cult following, and many filmmakers cite it as a favorite, including Gretel & Hansel director Osgood Perkins. "Eraserhead is the most disturbing, beautiful, textural, silent nightmare that I think has ever been made," Perkins told EW in an interview. "I don't think that they will make another one like that any time soon." —W.S.

Where to watch Eraserhead: Max

Director: David Lynch

Cast: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates, Judith Roberts

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

This fifth entry in the Evil Dead film series tested so well that Warner Bros. opted to release it in theaters rather than its intended streaming-only release. The jump-scare-laden film follows Beth (Lily Sullivan) as she visits her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and Ellie's kids, one of whom has inadvertently summoned the demonic Deadites. Ellie is soon possessed and attacks her family, leading to terrifying consequences. Like some of the best horror films, Evil Dead Rise deals in themes of motherhood, drawing genuine scares from Ellie threatening the lives of her own children. It's horrifying and gory in the grand tradition of the Evil Dead franchise, and you won't get that "Mommy's with the maggots now" line out of your head. —K.J.

Where to watch Evil Dead Rise: Max

Director: Lee Cronin

Cast: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher

The Exorcist (1973)

Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, William Friedkin's The Exorcist follows an actress (Ellen Burstyn) as she goes to extreme lengths to cure her young daughter (Linda Blair) of apparent demonic possession. The film also stars Max von Sydow and Jason Miller as Catholic priests who attempt to exorcise the evil within.

The Exorcist marked a turning point for explicitly grotesque material in mainstream American cinema. With infamously nasty flashes of gore, bodily fluids, and profanity, the film provided unprecedented disgust for morbidly curious audiences. "What The Exorcist really gave rise to was a demon of entertainment, an impulse of titillating blatancy that has bedeviled and outraged audiences ever since," EW's critic wrote in a 2000 retrospective. —W.S.

Where to watch The Exorcist: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: William Friedkin

Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

As most fans of the genre know, critical reception for horror films doesn't always get it right initially. Such is the case with Eyes Without a Face, which met a chilly response in its initial release in 1960 but has since earned a reputation as one of the best French horror films ever made. Pierre Brasseur plays Dr. Génessier, a physician racked with guilt over causing his daughter's disfigurement in a car accident. His guilt manifests in kidnapping young women, removing their faces through surgery, and attempting to transplant them onto his daughter. The haunting film may not have traditional jump scares but its disturbing plot is straight out of a Gothic fairy tale. No wonder Guillermo del Toro rates it as his favorite horror movie. —K.J.

Where to watch Eyes Without a Face: Max

Director: Georges Franju

Cast: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel, Alexandre Rignault, Béatrice Altariba, François Guérin, Édith Scob

Friday the 13th (1980)

Who could've known as they were making this indie slasher that it would kick off one of the most iconic franchises in horror movie history? The original Friday the 13th follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are terrorized by an unknown assailant, who picks them off one by one. While this first film has a slower rhythm than what would come after it, the killer reveal remains one of the better twists in the franchise.

As an EW writer states, "What stands out all these years later is the fact that the movie carries so much tension, even though none of the characters know anything is even wrong until there are about 10 minutes left." Released shortly after John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), a whole new era of horror films would soon be popularized, with teen slashers becoming all the rage into the '80s and '90s. —K.J.

Where to watch Friday the 13th: Max

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon

Häxan (1922)

This Swedish silent film examines the history of witchcraft through a combination of documentary-style explanation and dramatized segments. It's partially inspired by director Benjamin Christensen's research on the German text Malleus Maleficarum, a guide to witchcraft for inquisitors looking to persecute its perpetrators.

Häxan is so informative that it plays out like a brilliant college lecture, yet there's also immense artistry in all of its narrative moments. Thanks largely to gorgeous costumes and set designs, the beautifully grotesque renderings of witches and demons during the film's surreal moments are absolutely jaw-dropping, even if you think you're averse to silent movies (or the occult). The whole project ties together as a powerful critique of modern mental health stigmas and sexism, as history's witch hunts were byproducts of multiple layers of prejudice and misunderstanding. —W.S.

Where to watch Häxan: Max

Director: Benjamin Christensen

Cast: Benjamin Christensen, Clara Pontoppidan, Oscar Stribolt, Astrid Holm, Maren Pedersen

House (Hausu) (1977)

A group of schoolgirls try to escape a demonic haunted house in this cult classic from Japan. The film from Nobuhiko Obayashi is as much a comedy as it is a horror movie, as the supernatural scares are so ridiculous and unpredictable that you can't help but laugh at the film's over-the-top style. House experiments with tons of surreal techniques that make the film feel like a bizarre dream — there are wacky transitions, stylized backdrops, bursts of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation, wild color filters, jarring soundtrack choices, and dizzying camera movements.

Obayashi conceived of the film through conversations with his young daughter, who brought an unusual childlike perspective to his conception of a horror film. As a result, House is unlike any movie you've ever seen, and you're not likely to forget some of its most daring imagery. —W.S.

Where to watch House: Max

Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi

Cast: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Ai Matubara, Kumiko Oba, Mieko Sato, Eriko Tanaka, Masayo Miyako, Yōko Minamida

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

This off-kilter psychological thriller from auteur Yorgos Lanthimos gradually gets under your skin with a dark giddiness. Heart surgeon Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) finds his life disrupted by Martin (Barry Keoghan), an enigmatic young man he befriends but soon discovers has ulterior motives. While its odd rhythms and disturbing twists won't be for everyone, EW's critic calls The Killing of a Sacred Deer "haunting and singular and strange." It's also worth it just to see Keoghan in his breakout performance, fully committing to the strangeness of his character. —K.J.

Where to watch The Killing of a Sacred Deer: Max

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp

Kwaidan (1964)

Masaki Kobayashi, director of Harakiri and The Human Condition trilogy, crafted this three-hour anthology film, which tells four unrelated ghost stories based on the collections of writer Lafcadio Hearn. They're mysterious folktales that meditate on love, loyalty, and storytelling, where clear moral lessons are extracted from puzzling worlds. Kwaidan has a lot to offer besides its nightmarish atmosphere, delving into romantic tragedy, war narratives, and fantasy. It boasts incredible, hyper-stylized production design, with surreal backdrops and painterly attention to detail in every frame, and is scored by fantastic, disorienting music from composer Tōru Takemitsu, which, at its best moments, makes you feel as though you're being hypnotized. —W.S.

Where to watch Kwaidan: Max

Director: Masaki Kobayashi

Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentarō Mikuni, Tetsurō Tamba, Keiko Kishi, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Yoichi Hayashi, Katsuo Nakamura, Osamu Takizawa, Haruko Sugimura, Nakamura Kan'emon, Nakamura Ganjirō II

Malignant (2021)

Saw and The Conjuring filmmaker James Wan returns to his horror roots with this underseen gem, in which a woman (Annabelle Wallis) investigates a mysterious string of killings around Seattle. The film teases elements from numerous horror subgenres, including haunted house stories, psychological thrillers, and slashers, before eventually delivering a gonzo third-act twist that transforms the movie into a bloody action spectacle. Wan created Malignant to cleanse his palette after making two billion-dollar blockbusters in a row — Furious 7 and Aquaman. "There's only so many PG-13 movies I can make before I get bored of that," Wan told EW. "I wanted to go back to the kind of movies I used to make." —W.S.

Where to watch Malignant: Max

Director: James Wan

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White

Midsommar (2019)

Ari Aster followed up the pitch-black darkness of Hereditary with the bright, wide-open spaces of Midsommar. Following an unspeakable family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) goes with her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in Sweden. Still in the grips of her trauma, she is horrified to discover the practices of a pagan cult at the festival while she also grapples with her strained relationship with Christian.

EW grade:A– (read the review)

Director:Ari Aster

Cast:Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, Will Poulter

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George Romero's landmark independent horror classic established a new language for how moviegoers understood zombies as the slow-moving, flesh-eating undead creatures we know them to be. Night of the Living Dead centers all the action at a farmhouse, where seven people attempt to ward off the ghouls — without any prior knowledge of how to do so. Romero's film can be enjoyed on multiple levels: as a potent allegory for the Vietnam War, which was raging at the time of its initial release, or as simply a gnarly zombie B-movie. —K.J.

Where to watch Night of the Living Dead: Max

Director: George Romero

Cast: Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne

Paranormal Activity (2009)

Grossing nearly $200 million worldwide on a budget of only $15,000, Paranormal Activity is reported to be the most profitable film of all time. But its impact extends beyond box office receipts, as its simple found-footage concept spawned numerous imitators trying to cash in on the trend. Few could replicate its authentic scares, though, telling the story of Katie (Katie Featherston), a young woman haunted by a demonic presence since childhood. She gets her boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) to set up a camera in their bedroom to record any strange occurrences that happen while they're sleeping, after which point Katie's claims are confirmed.

From startling noises to full-on possession, Paranormal Activity lives up to its reputation as one of the scarier horror films released this century. "With its this-is-really-happening vibe,Paranormal Activityscrapes away 30 years of encrusted nightmare clichés," writes EW's critic. "The fear is real, all right, because the fear is really inyou." —K.J.

Where to watch Paranormal Activity: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Oren Peli

Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong, Ashley Palmer

Scanners (1981)

This sci-fi horror cult classic from David Cronenberg contains one of the most famous demonstrations of practical effects in film history. That, er, explosive moment may be Scanners' most memorable scene, but the rest of the film is a fun ride about a select group of people with psychic powers, some of whom use them for bad. The film centers on Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack), who learns that the voices in his head are actually telepathic abilities and finds himself embroiled in a war between his fellow scanners. —K.J.

Where to watch Scanners: Max

Director: David Cronenberg

Cast: Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane, Michael Ironside

Scream (1996)

"What's your favorite scary movie?" For many horror fans, it's this loving satire of the genre, which has since spawned various sequels in classic horror movie fashion. But it's hard not to be nostalgic for the 1996 original, which centers on the inhabitants of the small town of Woodsboro as they contend with a Ghostface mask-wearing serial killer.

Featuring one of the most iconic openings in horror movie history, as well as the debut of ultimate "final girl" Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), the original Scream has cemented its place in the pop culture pantheon, but its brilliance also lies in just how rewatchable it is. From the garage incident with Tatum (Rose McGowan) to its killer reveal, it still doesn't lose its punch, which is more than can be said for some horror movies that rely solely on jump scares without making you really care about the characters. —K.J.

Where to watch Scream: Max

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore

The Shining (1980)

Sinister (2012)

Sisters (1972)

When a Staten Island journalist (Jennifer Salt) witnesses a murder next door, she unfurls a dizzying mystery involving conjoined twins, a mental hospital, and a corpse stuffed in a couch.

Sisters is an excellent showcase for director Brian De Palma's unmistakable filmmaking style, as he employs dazzling split-screen compositions, impressive long takes, and complex camerawork to maximize the precision and clarity of the on-screen action. Like many of De Palma's other films, it feels heavily indebted to Alfred Hitchcock, drawing inspiration from Psycho, Rope, and Rear Window, while also featuring a score from Bernard Herrmann. Yet, its scariest scene — inspired by the unforgettable dream sequence in Rosemary's Baby — is a surreal flashback/hallucination that'll make your skin crawl. —W.S.

Where to watch Sisters: Max

Director: Brian De Palma

Cast: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, William Finley, Lisle Wilson

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

No one does dread quite like David Lynch, and this prequel film to Twin Peaks is a particularly haunting experience — even for him. The original series begins with the discovery of Laura Palmer's body, wrapped in plastic, while Fire Walk With Me recounts the seven days leading up to her death. In a tour de force performance, Sheryl Lee reprises her role as Laura, whose homecoming queen popularity shields a tormented personal life, made further tragic by the men who abuse her — one of whom is her own father. It is undoubtedly a difficult watch, and while the film has its fair share of Lynchian dream logic, it is also one that speaks to the senseless tragedies of our world. —K.J.

Where to watch Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me: Max

Director: David Lynch

Cast: Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, David Bowie, Chris Isaak, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Wise, Kyle MacLachlan

Vampyr (1932)

Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer followed up his acclaimed The Passion of Joan of Arc with this transfixing early vampire film. Vampyr focuses on a young man and occultist (Nicolas de Gunzburg) who attempts to free a French village from the curse of a bloodthirsty fiend.

Though the project was produced during the sound era, Dreyer still employed many silent film techniques to make it more accessible. The film features very little dialogue and still uses title cards. This also isn't a plot-heavy movie — instead, it elegantly builds a terrifying, dreamlike atmosphere through a series of hauntingly gorgeous images and surreal shots that'll stick with you long after the film ends. It's an exemplary mood piece that lulls you into a confounding trance as you try to make sense of its brooding imagery. —W.S.

Where to watch Vampyr: Max

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer

Cast: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Jan Hieronimko, Sybille Schmitz, Henriette Gerard

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2022)

While most of Max's horror offerings contain old-school terrors, We're All Going to the World's Fair is of a decidedly newer age. Anyone who's spent too much time browsing the dark corners of the internet will recognize in this low-budget film the unique feeling of dread from which you can't look away, telling the story of Casey (Anna Cobb), a teenage girl who takes the online World's Fair Challenge. The challenge requires her to record herself reciting "I want to go to the World's Fair" three times, smear blood on her computer screen, and wait to see the effect it will have on her in the days to come. As she starts to exhibit strange behavior, she posts videos online that get the attention of a concerned user.

Like the best online creepypasta, the line between fact and fiction is blurred, leaving it up to the viewer to decide what's really going on with Casey. —K.J.

Where to watch We're All Going to the World's Fair: Max

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Cast: Anna Cobb, Michael J. Rogers

The Witch (2015)

Robert Eggers' slow-burning debut feature The Witch tracks the misfortune and misery of a Puritan family in 17th-century New England, where they experience inexplicable terrors that may have supernatural origins (and may be picking them off one by one).

The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the family's eldest child along with Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie as her parents. Eggers strove for authenticity in his recreation of early colonial life, going to great lengths to study and adapt the foreignness of the characters' dialect and lifestyle, which makes it feel as though you're watching actual historical events. What's more, Taylor-Joy was so disturbed by the script that it impacted her sleep: "The words gripped my heart with an icy cold hand," she told EW. "I didn't sleep a wink." —W.S.

Where to watch The Witch: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Robert Eggers

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson