Max has a broad range of programming options and features an eclectic selection of horror movies on Max. From recent blockbuster titles to drive-in classics and foreign favorites, there is something worth watching for every horror fan. Bundling together HBO, Warner Bros., TCM, and more, it expands the variety of genre films available. True to its cable reputation, subscribers can find the latest box office hits and modern classics to offer essential titles for on-demand viewing. Horror fans will also appreciate iconic film franchises for satisfying late-night binges.
While popular titles are given, horror movies on Max include an eclectic list of cult and foreign horror content. Favorite Roger Corman productions provide some cult cred along with early works from Brian DePalma and David Cronenberg. Home audiences can watch foreign classics with Japanese titles and movies usually saved for The Criterion Channel. For anyone who loves classic monster movies, those are included as well. From slasher movies and psychological thrillers to monster movies and supernatural terrors, horror movies on Max offer something for everyone.
25 The Nun (2018)
This entry in The Conjuring universe is so much better than it has any right to be. An offshoot of The Conjuring 2, this tale of a Roman Catholic priest and a nun investigating a “demon in nun’s clothing” is filled with spook house nonsense. The direction by Corin Hardy transcends the obvious horror trappings and creates some genuinely frightening moments in The Nun. Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga play the priest and nun, respectively, and have the chemistry and charm to make the creaky plot engaging enough. While nowhere near the greatness of the first two Conjuring films, The Nun remains one of the best horror movies on Max.
24 The Menu (2022)
Released in 2022, The Menu was a surprise hit and a movie that many fans never saw coming. In what looked like a movie about foodie culture, what resulted was a tense horror movie about bad people getting what they deserved. Anya Taylor-Joy continued her rise to the top as an escort hired to go to an exclusive dinner on a remote island, but what she found when she arrived was a horrifying social experiment that ended with almost no one getting off the island alive. One of the best horror movies on Max, it earned positive critical praise and even picked up two Golden Globes nominations for its success as a dark horror comedy.
23 Green Room (2015)
One of Anton Yelchin's final performances before his tragic death was also one of the few movies where Patrick Stewart played a purely evil bad guy. In Green Room, Yelchin starred as a young musician whose local band got a chance to open for a larger touring act. However, when they walk in on the main band sacrificing people in the dressing room, they end up running for their lives from a white supremacist group with dark designs. The movie delivered some gruesome action with great acting and a fantastic look, picking up several awards from genre festivals and ceremonies along the way.
22 The Faculty (1988)
While Robert Rodriguez made his name as one of the most successful independent filmmakers in history, making almost all his movies out of his home studio in Austin, Texas, he actually had one studio picture to his name. After success with El Mariachi and Desperado, Rodriguez signed on to make a studio horror movie with The Faculty. One of the few movies Rodriguez directed that he didn't write, Kevin Williamson penned the script for the alien invasion movie The Faculty. This saw aliens take over a high school and featured some huge young stars early in their careers, including Josh Hartnett, Clea Duvall, Jordana Brewster, and Elijah Wood.
21 The Witch (2015)
One of the most disturbing horror movies on Max, Robert Eggers' directorial debut The Witch is on the streaming service to freak out just about anyone who watches it. The movie stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the daughter of a farmer who lives outside a New England town, by the edge of the woods. Taking place in the 1630s, a witch from the woods kidnaps one of their babies and the townspeople begin to suspect the family might have something to do with the witchcraft. The movie is polarizing, as it does not rely on scares, but on the setting to provide unease and tension to the viewers. It was named to several best-of-movie lists in 2016 and made Eggers a star.
20 Barbarian (2022)
Barbarian was a movie that arrived in 2022 and ended up as a massive favorite for old-school horror fans. The movie has a basic horror premise. A woman goes to Detroit for a job interview and rents a house for her stay. However, she learns it was double booked and there is already someone there. After they are attacked by a naked, deformed woman and the man is killed, Barbarian starts a descent into terror for the woman. The movie was released on the streaming service the same day it was released digitally and has become one of the best horror movies on Max, with a smart story using old-school slasher horror techniques to shock viewers.
19 The Host (2006)
Thirteen years before he won an Oscar for the movie Parasite, Bong Joon-ho made the throwback monster movie The Host, which remains one of the best monster horror movies on Max. The movie never really explains where it came from or why it is here, but the movie is about a giant monster that rises from the Han River and starts killing anyone it finds. However, what makes the movie great is that it focuses on one family and their determination to stay alive and protect each other. While the monster is great and the scares are good, this movie has so much more heart than other monster movies thanks to its focus on the people.
18 Child's Play (1988)
There are a lot of classic horror movies on Max, and this includes the era of the slasher movies of the 1980s. One of the least likely slasher villains was the killer doll named Chucky. While the movie franchise ended up going straight to video, the original movie remains an integral piece of horror cinema history. Child's Play sees a serial killer gunned down by police but not before using black magic to send his essence into a doll. When a single mother buys the doll for her son, the terror starts. The movie remains a solid scare with some great laughs, and the TV series that spawned from this over 30 years later is even better.
17 Sisters (1972)
Years before she took on the role of Lois Lane in Superman, Margot Kidder starred in the Brian De Palma horror movie, Sisters. When it comes to horror movies in the 1970s, the era helped bring about the dirty violent horror of Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the slashers like Halloween. However, De Palma was more intent on making movies like Alfred Hitchcock did before him, and that is where Sisters lies. Kidder stars as a French Canadian model whose separated coned twin might be a murderer. With several homages to Hitchcock films, this has become a cult classic and remains one of the best horror movies on Max.
16 The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
There are a lot of movies that have subverted the horror genre in one way or another, but none have done it like The Cabin in the Woods. Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, the movie is set up like a basic slasher, with a group of young adults (including a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth) going to a cabin in the woods for a small vacation. However, when they end up attacked by the slasher killers everyone expects, the movie does a huge twist turn when it turns out there are scientists involved in releasing these creatures as a way to stop the end of the world. The movie has become a massive cult favorite thanks to its smart script and inventive approach to the genre.
