Another streaming platform, another horror catalog that users must sift through for hidden gems. You’d think that an oversaturated streamer market would thin selections between too many providers, but that’s not the case. HBO Max has everything from classics to remakes and whatever’s in between. All the titles that were pulled from Netflix and Amazon collections once contracts expired are now back home where they belong.
Since HBO Max is the destination for Warner Brothers content, James Wan’s The Conjuring Universe alone provides a strong horror draw. That’s the game of musical chairs currently at play. Where Netflix once had one, or even both The Conjuring films available to stream, the emergence of HBO Max has stolen away titles not already locked into contracts elsewhere. Diving deeper, let’s look at the growing horror film catalog HBO Max has to offer.
You can also take a look at everything new to HBO Max in September for a full list of updated movies.
Please note: This list pertains to U.S. HBO Max subscribers. This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on HBO Max and to include more horror movies that are now available on the service.
Friday The 13th (2009)
Here’s the paragraph where I say Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th remake is one of the franchise’s best entries. How it melds the first three Friday the 13th movies into a leaner, more vicious 2000s vision is so slick, speeding through the milestones of Jason Voorhees becoming the iteration we all know with pep in its step. Derek Mears plays a menacing Jason with mean weapon swings, while the likes of Jared Padalecki, Amanda Righetti, Ryan Hansen, and others flee from the iconic Crystal Lake killer. Also, fun fact, Travis Van Winkle’s Trent ties the universes of Transformers and Friday the 13th together since he’s in both — no joke. Who knows what could have happened if rights issues didn’t kill Platinum Dunes’ momentum and allowed Michael Bay the crossover we all deserve.
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
George Mihalka’s 1981 slasher My Bloody Valentine is one of the best 80s slashers around. It’s got everything you need! An investment in holiday traditions and decorations, excessively gory kills, a memorable villain, an end-credits song that’s an original about the film’s killer — My Bloody Valentine encapsulates everything we love about throwback slashers. Canada may be known for its good manners, but they’ve churned out some of the gnarliest slashers that’ve influenced the genre since. My Bloody Valentine utilizes its miner town setting of cavern labyrinths as an added dash of unique production value, wrapping everything together with a bloody bow on this full-package horror champion.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Lovers of found footage will always regard The Blair Witch Project as a high standard for the subgenre. We’re no longer fooled by films that pretend to be evidence videos, but that doesn’t sink The Blair Witch Project. There’s so much cryptic imagery and unsettling first-person horror to behold, as the camera’s lens becomes a tunnel into nightmares. If you’ve seen The Blair Witch Project, you already know why horror fans still speak of its accomplishments — if not, why don’t you take a stroll through the woods and find out why?
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Whatever your thoughts on Rob Zombie’s filmography are, they’re valid. He’s probably horror’s most divisive voice at the moment, which all started with House of 1000 Corpses. Either you’re into his sadistic rockabilly horror vibe that’s like a freakshow carnival meets slaughterhouse production value or sickened by his grotesque presentations. I don’t think he’s ever been better than House of 1000 Corpses, so it’s always the first I recommend to newbies. If you’re not into his best, I promise there’s nothing that comes after that’ll win you over.
The Blob (1988)
It’s nice to know where your favorite horror remakes come from, like Chuck Russell’s 1988 The Blob. Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.’s ‘50s The Blob is the story of an American town battling an unstoppable evil from outer space and depending on one another — neighbors are allies, and the town is their safety bubble. The blobby effects still hold up, and Pleasantville aesthetics are like opening a Hollywood time capsule, which is so much fun. If you’ve never given the oldies their time, why not give The Blob a stream and see how old-school filmmakers could still make magic without today’s technological advancements?
Cronos (1993)
Guillermo del Toro’s feature debut is a vampire film barely interested in Dracula prototype vampires. No bitten necks or missing reflections in mirrors. Cronos is an alternative take on vampires that questions the imprisonment that is eternity and introduces common vampire mythology using a golden insect-shaped device. GDT directs the vampire movie of his dreams, challenging the way audiences comprehend familiar tropes in unfamiliar ways. Worth it for GDT’s ever-interesting perspective on humanity and his beginning collaboration with a babyfaced Ron Perlman playing some international goomba crime goon.
Take a look at all Guillermo Del Toro movies explained by the director himself.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Joe Dante’s Gremlins typically gets all the attention in the original + sequel combination, maybe only because Gremlins 2: The New Batch was ahead of its time in 1990. Wes Craven hadn’t yet popularized meta storytelling in horror with Scream, and audiences might have received Dante’s absurd creature follow-up with confusion. Gizmo and Billy Peltzer are back, taking the Big Apple by storm in a more outrageous, more insanity-fueled adventure that breaks fourth walls like it’s already in style. Hardly the continuation fans of Gremlins expected, but that doesn’t negate its value — who doesn’t want a Looney Tunes cartoon come to life with gremlins made of vegetables, electricity, and spider DNA? It’s crazy, it’s kooky, and ends with a massive Broadway dance number because everything else wasn’t bonkers enough. Dante and Warner Brothers took a massive swing with Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a film I’ll forever turn on when I’m in the mood for a pick-me-up puppet party that redefines the rigidity of how sequels must honor their beginnings.
Freaky (2020)
You know those studio-made original slashers some people complain don’t exist anymore? That’s Christopher Landon’s Freaky! It’s right there! Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton swap bodies as lumbering slasher villain and hottie high schooler before a familiar slasher structure plays out. Vaughn and Newton are having a blast playing one another, but this isn’t some Jaime Lee Curtis Disney special. Landon and co-writer Michael Kennedy write plenty of slasher mutilation into their switcheroo horror-comedy, enough to keep subgenre fans pleased. Freaky finds a way to flip the age-old “survivor girl” trope on its head and let proverbial freak flags fly, all in the name of a new-age slasher that carves its own identity from past 80s classics.
28 Days Later (2002)
Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later has sparked debates through horror groups about fast-moving zombies and what constitutes a zombie movie, but there’s one thing fans agree on — how good it is. Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, and more must navigate the dystopian UK where a horrible virus has infected most citizens. I insist that 28 Days Later is a zombie movie, so yes, the UK is overrun by zombies who can sprint like track athletes and are ferocious beyond human capabilities. It’s dreadful, there’s a griminess about Boyle’s filmmaking that adds an extra layer of horror, and intensity stays spiked as characters try to survive chaotic undead chases. 28 Days Later and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake changed how horror fans saw zombies in the 2000s — for better or worse, depending on whose opinion.
Check out our list of the best horror movies of all time for more classics like this.
The Conjuring + The Conjuring 2
Allow a slight cheat here because I can’t mention James Wan’s The Conjuring without mentioning his equally accomplished sequel, The Conjuring 2. Wan’s self-assertion as one of modern horror’s most prolific filmmakers started before The Conjuring, but it’s where Wan cements his legacy. Why are we surprised that the man behind Insidious, Saw, and The Conjuring would deliver one of the best contemporary horror sequels? They’re chilling, neither recycle each other’s scares, and both “Conjurings” represent the template that many horror filmmakers have tried to copy since their releases. No notes, Mr. Wan.
Read our guide on how to watch the Conjuring movies in order before diving in.
The Lure (2015)
Agnieszka Smoczynska’s The Lure is one of the more remarkable horror debuts in recent memory. This bloodthirsty Polish mermaid musical balances levels of Eurotrash venue performances, aquatic folklore, and stylish creativity. Smoczynska shows her leads Silver and Golden as scaly mermaids, unlike beautified fantasies, and strikes gold as glitzy nightclub lust threatens mermaid ways of life. The Lure is one of those films that you need to see to believe — just a starburst of imagination that washes over audiences in the mood for lounge fishes pursuing careers, passion, and yummy humans.
Malignant (2021)
If I didn’t put Malignant on this list, I feel like there’d be a riot. Jame Wan’s throwback to late 90s, early 00s horror where anything goes takes huge scripted swings on a studio budget. There’s bone-snapping action, gothic dread, Giallo lighting, and plenty of blood — a bit undefinable, but that’s why people love Malignant. In a time where horror’s so reliant on trends like haunted house crazes after The Conjuring or trauma-based storytelling after Hereditary, Malignant defies all expectations. Wan embraces camp, randomness, and unpredictability, which is so much fun to behold. Wan earned Malignant, and we deserve Malignant.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
If it weren’t for the Child’s Play movies, A Nightmare On Elm Street would be my favorite of the evergreen horror franchise. Everything starts with Wes Craven’s original, where Robert Englund asserts himself as the snide dreamland killer. The gloves, the perfect shot when he outreaches his arms to create a Stretch Armstrong shadow effect, his laugh — Englund is so good from the jump as Freddy Krueger. A Nightmare On Elm Street has what it takes to spawn something bigger than even a horror legacy. Freddy Kruger’s looming presence over pop culture at large is a testament to the terror Craven instigates in this spectacularly original slasher.
Take a look at our guide to the best horror movies of all time for more like this.
The Shining (1980)
To this day, Stephen King talks about his distaste for Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. He wrote the literal book, his opinion is inarguably valid, but apologies Stephen — The Shining gets the job done. When viewed as a standalone feature, there’s so much madness to appreciate in Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack Torrance. Shelley Duvall plays a pitch-perfect counterpart. The Overlook atmospheres, that booming score, all the psychological torture that goes into breaking both Jack and the audience — The Shining somehow feels claustrophobic even though the hotel is massive. Kubrick might not have impressed Stephen King or those who choose the novel over adaptation, but I’m pretty alright with both. Also see: our best Stephen King movies of all time list.
Looking for more good horror films to stream? You can also check out our lists of the best horror movies on Netflix , top horror movies on Amazon Prime, and the best thriller movies ever.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/best-horror-movies-hbo-max