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. Max has everything from classics to remakes and whatever’s in between. All the titles that were pulled from Netflix horror movie and Amazon horror movie collections once contracts expired are now back home where they belong.
Since 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 Max has stolen away titles not already locked into contracts elsewhere. Diving deeper, let’s look at the growing horror film catalog Max has to offer.
Please note: This list pertains to U.S. Max subscribers. This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Max and to include more horror movies that are now available on the service.
Krampus (2015)
Michael Dougherty is the king of holiday horror. First it was Halloween and Trick ‘r Treat, then Christmas with Krampus. Dougherty’s take on “Evil Santa” roasts the holiday’s trademarks over an open fire, from Black Friday to uncomfortable relative dinners. An all-star cast – including Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner – fight against everything from gingerbread assassins to demonic toys, which all look spectacular thanks to Wētā Workshop. Krampus bites into the heart of bastardized holiday culture with plenty of twisted entertainment to spare, bringing the “Ho-Ho-Horror” to December tidings.
Sinister (2012)
It’s the movie that brought together screenwriter C. Robert Cargill and filmmaker Scott Derrickson. Sinister wasn’t beloved when it came out in 2012, but has since become regarded as one of the scariest movies of the 2010s and beyond. The film’s usage of Super 8 murder footage and Bughuul’s scare tactics is top-of-the-line horror imagery, wrapped around a true crime author’s investigation of pure evil. Cargill and Derrickson understand the horror genre on such a granular level, which is why the film has endured over the years as horror fans sang rightful praises. There was even a scientific study done in 2020 that dubbed Sinister the scariest film ever made, so watch if you dare. Maybe keep the light on for this one.
Leviathan (1989)
Full disclosure: Leviathan is nowhere near a perfect movie. It’s an underwater Alien and The Thing ripoff without apology. The reason it gets a recommendation is because of the outstanding creature effects of the Leviathan monstrosity that evolves bigger and fishier with each crew member’s death. A cast including Peter Weller, Ernie Hudson, Daniel Stern, and Meg Foster scamper around a submerged facility as this slimy-slick beast hunts them like prey. It’s got a thick B-movie attitude and sells special effects like the best of ’em, but try not to scratch your head too long as the ending does its thing. Leviathan is a weird, flawed film, but it’s still worth the watch if you’re an 80s creature-feature lover.
The Strangers (2008)
“Because you were home.” Is there a more chilling line in horror? Bryan Bertino’s home invasion double-broiler doesn’t need supernatural occurrences or fantasy concepts. Strangers pick a house and terrorize the inhabitants because they want to, and that’s what makes this one so unforgivably despicable. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are splendid targets, with the bonus of Glenn Howerton as another body for the pile. It’s nasty, it’s bleak, and it’s that gut-punch type of horror that shines a mirror on society’s ugliest warts.
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.
Hereditary (2018)
You know Hereditary is fantastic. I know Hereditary is fantastic. What’s the point of adding it to this list? Everybody needs a reminder now and again. If this were a just world, the Oscars wouldn’t have snubbed Toni Collette’s performance from consideration (the Academy has a well-known horror problem). Ari Aster bursts onto the scene with a debut that is so confident, well-shot, and exquisitely terrifying, no matter the scenario. How Aster manipulates darkness in the bedroom, where our eyes adjust to find Collette sticking to the wall like a sinister reptile or insect, is an all-time great scare. Any night is a good night to rewatch Hereditary.
The Visit (2015)
M. Night Shyamalan has many great films in his filmography, and I’d argue The Visit is right up there towards the top. Shyamalan dips his toe into the found footage subgenre with a trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s house that goes horribly awry. Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie are scene stealers as “Nana” and “Pop Pop,” senior citizens who start terrorizing their grandkids. Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould star as children who try to catch their supposed grandparents in acts of obscurity, which leads to diaper discoveries and eerie midnight surveillance footage. Shyamalan cues some prime found footage scares and brings his signature twisted storytelling to play, but most importantly, The Visit feels like Shyamalan is having a blast behind the camera.
The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Amityville Horror (2005) is so much more than Ryan Reynolds’ washboard abs. Platinum Dunes made a name in the 2000s remaking classic horror films by modern horror standards, and The Amityville Horror is one of their successes. You know the Long Island story about a house that drives the Lutz family crazy, especially Reynolds’ George, and the remake introduces a new set of scares into the concept. It feels like a fresh coat of paint atop a familiar tale led by the towering talents of Reynolds and Melissa George. Solid acting, solid atmosphere, solid thrills — it’s a solid remake from top to bottom.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Is Jason Takes Manhattan the best Friday the 13th film? Or even the best Friday the 13th sequel? Nope, both of those belong to Part VI: Jason Lives. But is Jason Takes Manhattan an underappreciated Friday the 13th sequel? Absolutely. It spends way more time on a boat than advertised, so it’s more like Jason Takes A Cruise To Manhattan, but that’s not a mood killer. Jason gets his licks in between killing a rocker via guitar bashing or the amateur boxer who gets his block knocked off. The depiction of New York City is also hilarious, like this dystopian metropolis with toxic sludge in cans down random alleyways. It’s not winning any awards, but it is loaded with memorable Jason moments, from his escalator shove to the sauna stone death. What more can you ask for from a later-stage Friday the 13th entry?
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
Xbox Kinect almost killed the Paranormal Activity franchise (Paranormal Activity 4), but The Marked Ones refused to let the whole series die. The terrifying sorta-sequel, written and directed by Christopher Landon, is a film he described as a “cousin” entry that steps away from whitewashed suburbia to embrace a Latinx perspective. The simple act of encouraging fresh cultural takes injects new excitement into the franchise. Landon shows his proficiency as a director, which Blumhouse would rightfully nurture as an in-studio talent. The Paranormal Activity franchise is non-negotiably one of the most influential and essential horror franchises of the 2000s, and The Marked Ones is a significant reason why. When the franchise began to taste stale, Landon’s reinterpretation of found footage staples through the “Taking of Jesse Arista” struck newfound success. Oh, and it’s cover-your-eyes scary.
The Monster (2016)
The Monster is an A24 horror film from The Strangers writer and director Bryan Bertino that never got what it deserved. There’s such power in the otherwise simple story about a mother played by Zoe Kazan protecting her daughter from an unidentified monster after a car accident. Bertino isn’t hiding messages as Kazan’s alcoholic parent shows her daughter the protector she can still become. The Monster is about a mama, her child, and a predatory woodland creature — it never has to be anything else.
Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Writer and director Lee Cronin does justice to the Evil Dead name with Evil Dead Rise. Somewhere between the knockout ferocity of 2013’s Evil Dead and the stooge-like comedy of Sam Raimi’s sequels is the scary yet snickery Evil Dead Rise. Alyssa Sutherland gives a Deadite performance that deserves mention alongside Jane Levy, warping a mother’s love into something demonic. It’s all blood splatters and sinister book passages, living up to the legendary horror franchise’s bloodcurdling legacy.
Cast A Deadly Spell (1991)
Cast a Deadly Spell feels like Gremlins meets H.P. Lovecraft meets a gumshoe detective noir. It’s a batty 90s monster movie starring Fred Ward as Harry Philip Lovecraft (wink wink), a man who refuses to use magic in a world filled with zombies and creatures. There’s commentary as the undead are used for hard labor and monster dynamics become social satire, but also tons of zaniness as gargoyles take nut shots as a cheap joke. From death by a thousand paper cuts to downpours of blood rain, Cast a Deadly Spell is a unique mystical caper that’s having a blast living its goofiest gangster lifestyle.
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.
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.
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.
