The best thing about horror is just how much there is of it. No matter what you’re into, whether it’s psychological, supernatural, or even comedy, there’s going to be a horror movie that will fit your niche. And now that summer is winding down, there’s a decent chance you suddenly feel a desire to turn on a scary movie. But with so many options, it’s hard to know where to start.
We’ve already directed you to horror on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Now for something different. Below you’ll find the 20 best horror movies currently available on HBO Max, from modern classics like the Conjuring movies and Sinners to cult favorites masters of the genre like David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi. If you want to catch up on some of 2025’s biggest horrors, twin directors Danny and Michael Philippou’s Bring Her Back is slated to hit the platform Oct. 3. Your choices range from mildly unsettling to truly terrifying. Horror truly does have something for everyone.
Sinners (2025)
Sinners is a genre-defying horror film directed by Ryan Coogler, blending elements of Southern Gothic, period supernatural horror, and music. Set in 1932 Mississippi, it stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as the twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore, who return to their hometown seeking redemption, only to confront a malevolent force that threatens their plans. It’s one of the best movies of 2025, and for good reason. Sinners blends black storytelling with a mastery of genre flips, reminiscent of From Dusk Till Dawn, resulting in a classic that will be talked about for years to come. —Isaac Rouse
Midsommar (2019)
Ari Aster’s Midsommar is the most sun-lit scary movie I’ve ever watched, which only serves to further highlight the gut-churning horror that plays out in front of your very eyes. Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor star as a dysfunctional couple who travel to rural Sweden with a group of friends for a traditional midsummer festival. They soon discover they’ve in fact walked into something far more dangerous. I adore how Aster explores the concept of the ‘good victim’ and plays on our sympathies, only to have it all turn on its head as the story unravels. One of my all-time favorite films. — Aimee Hart
House (1977)
A Japanese schoolgirl named Gorgeous takes six of her friends to visit her widowed aunt’s countryside home for summer vacation. At first, the house seems charming, but soon the girls encounter bizarre supernatural forces. One by one, they fall victim to the haunted house, which devours them through surreal, nightmarish, and often absurdly comedic scenarios. House is a fun time, and almost 50 years later, it still looks visually haunting, despite all the goofiness. —IR
IT (2017)
The iconic killer clown smile of Pennywise the Clown has haunted my dreams for years now. From book to the silver screen to the big screen, the tale of The Losers Club and their fight against a shapeshifting entity is one of the most iconic horror stories of all time. The 2017 film of IT takes all that history —the book and its many adaptations — and provides you with a love letter that’ll engross and terrify you throughout its 135-minute runtime. Better yet, if you end up loving the first film, the sequel is also available on HBO Max. Now adults, The Losers Club returns to Derry for a showdown that you’ll remember even years later. –AH
Twin Peaks: Fire Walks With Me (1992)
Twin Peaks — especially its first season — remains some of the finest network television shows ever made. When condensed into a sharper narrative with a more manageable runtime, it becomes Fire Walk With Me, a prequel-sequel that also stands tall as a superb standalone film. Anchored by Sheryl Lee’s riveting performance, it traces the final days of the troubled and mysterious teen Laura Palmer, whose murder forms the haunting core of the series. Director David Lynch’s signature writing and direction style shines here, and is one of our personal favorites from the mastermind of surrealism. —IR
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs is both a standalone, a prequel, and a sequel all at once. Starring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, Clarice is put in charge of a murder case that requires her to team up with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, also known as Hannibal the Cannibal. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal is both enigmatic and horrifying, and the twisted games he uses to both hinder and help Clarice are electrifying to witness. — AH
I Saw The TV Glow (2024)
From director Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow follows two teenagers as they bond over a mysterious late-night TV show, only to find its eerie influence seeping into their real lives. As they grow older, the line between reality and the show blurs, unraveling their identities in a haunting reflection on isolation and obsession. It’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of retreating too far inward, illustrating how isolation can erode the very qualities that make you unique. —IR
Trick r Treat (2007)
Trick ‘r Treat is a collection of four different stories from director Michael Dougherty that follow a trick-or-treating demon called Sam, known for the burlap sack he wears over his head and blanket sleeper pajamas. What I find most engaging about this film is its nonlinear narrative, with several characters intersecting throughout the 82-minute runtime, even as they navigate four distinct plotlines and stories. It may not be an incredibly popular horror film, financially, anyhow, but it’s beloved enough to have spawned a cult following, as well as its own graphic novel. —AH
MaxXxine (2024)
MaXXXine is the third film in Ti West’s X trilogy, following X (2022) and Pearl (2022). Set in 1980s Los Angeles, it focuses on Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), the lone survivor of X, as she pursues her dream of becoming a Hollywood star. But as she navigates the cutthroat world of fame, she becomes entangled in a series of murders tied to the real-life Night Stalker killings, blurring the line between slasher horror and Hollywood satire. Arguably the weakest of the trilogy, this installment has merit in Goth’s performance and her ability to command the screen. So much so, it makes you want to see where Maxine goes from here. —IR
Misery (1990)
If you think stan culture is bad now, wait until you sit down and watch Rob Reiner’s adaptation of the 1987 Stephen King novel, Misery. It features well-known actors such as James Caan and Kathy Bates, with Caan playing the famous Victorian romance novelist Paul Sheldon. Bates portrays Annie Wilkes, an obsessive fan whose love for Paul’s novels drives her to take extreme – and ankle-hobbling – action. If this psychological horror thriller doesn’t make you consider fan culture in a new light afterwards, I don’t know what will. — AH
The Brood (1979)
Body-horror maestro David Cronenberg’s The Brood follows Frank Carveth, a man investigating the strange therapy methods of Dr. Hal Raglan, whose “psychoplasmics” therapy causes patients to manifest their repressed anger and trauma physically. Frank soon discovers that his estranged wife, Nola, is producing small, violent children who act out her rage in horrifying ways. The film blends body horror with a chilling exploration of psychological trauma and family dysfunction. —IR
The Lighthouse (2019)
One of my favorite parts about Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse is that, no matter who you talk to, they’ll almost always come away with a different opinion about it. From its genre definition to the metaphorical and literal meanings behind its grim-yet-enrapturing story, The Lighthouse is hard to define. Some call it a comedy, while others describe it as supernatural horror. It’s a film that should be watched with you hardly knowing anything about it. Even telling you that it features two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) on a remote island in the 1890s might seem like saying too much. — AH
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, is the seminal zombie horror film that defined the genre. The film focuses on a group of people trapped in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse as the dead rise and attack the living. Tension, paranoia, and societal commentary build as the survivors struggle to fend off the relentless horde, culminating in a shocking and bleak ending that cements its status as a horror classic. It remains a timeless story to this day, with implications that are still prevalent in contemporary society. —IR
It Follows (2014)
Director David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows is heart-stopping, tragic, and deeply unnerving from beginning to end. The film stars Maika Monroe as Jay, who, after sleeping with her boyfriend for the first time, learns that she has been cursed by a supernatural entity via sex. The only way to get rid of the entity that will track down and kill her? Pass it on. It’s a deeply fascinating film that tackles arguments about sexually transmitted diseases and our treatment of people who have them. That’s not to mention the killer soundtrack from Disasterpeace, which captures the oncoming terror that follows the film’s characters just as much as the entity looking to claim their lives. — AH
Get Out (2017)
Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Get Out is a groundbreaking social thriller that blends horror with poignant satire, marking the beginning of a new wave of black surrealism. The film follows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a young Black man visiting his white girlfriend’s family estate, where he uncovers disturbing secrets behind their seemingly polite behavior. Despite being Peele’s directorial debut, it’s still heavily regarded as the writer-director’s magnum opus, featuring equally funny moments alongside its horror elements thanks to Peele’s sketch comedy background. —IR
Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Cabin in the Woods has everything I enjoy about horror: a cast of characters that you both like and yet still want to see die in brutal ways, a creepy yet familiar setting, and the whimsical joy of taking horror movie tropes and stereotypes and either leaning way into them or turning them on their head. Seriously, how often does a film give you a well-worn premise of ‘a group of horny teens go into the woods and start to get picked off one by one,’ and still manage to surprise you? Not many! — AH
Trap (2024)
Trap is a psychological thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan, starring Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, and Saleka Night Shyamalan. It centers on Cooper Abbott (Hartnett), a firefighter and secret serial killer known as “The Butcher,” who attends a pop concert with his daughter, Riley (Donoghue), only to find himself at the center of a massive FBI sting operation. The concert, featuring pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), becomes the backdrop for a tense cat-and-mouse game as Cooper attempts to evade capture while his true identity is slowly uncovered. Trap has a sick premise that is utilized to its fullest, with a twist from Shyamalan that felt satisfying, a rare feat for the director these days. —IR
The Conjuring (2013)
If you adore supernatural horror, you owe it to yourself to watch James Wan’s The Conjuring. Starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the real-life demonologist couple Lorraine and Ed Warren, the two are called in to investigate and help a family after the Perron family moves into a farmhouse they believe is haunted by a malevolent spirit. Despite having many installments and spin-offs of middling quality, with the latest already released this year, the original film still remains unnerving to watch and, in my opinion, can be easily watched as a standalone without needing to worry about the rest. It’s just that good. — AH
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Evil Dead Rise is the latest installment in the Evil Dead franchise, directed by Lee Cronin. The film shifts the terror from a remote cabin to a cramped Los Angeles apartment, where two estranged sisters, Ellie and Beth, are forced to confront the demonic forces unleashed from the Necronomicon. The terror hits full throttle right from the onset, featuring grotesque body horror and twisted human contortions that call to mind Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit in the most horrifying way possible. —IR
Annabelle (2014)
There have been so many horror movies about creepy dolls, but few outside of Chucky have managed to stand on its own two feet. That is, until Annabelle came along. Originally featured in The Conjuring (2013), Annabelle’s creeptastic look managed to scare people so much that she went on to get her own spin-off film, which then got a sequel. If you enjoy demonic possession, cults, lots of blood and/or are just generally interested in exploring more about The Conjuring universe and Annabelle’s place in it, you need to give this one a watch — AH
