HBO Max: 23 Horror Movies You Really Should Stream This Halloween Season

If you want to stream a horror movie, you have a ton of platforms to choose from. So why should you spend time sifting through HBO Max?

HBO Max is an excellent choice for frightening films. Highlights among the 23 outstanding options you’ll find below include this year’s breakout horror hit Backrooms and Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-winning vampire flick Sinners, along with classics like It, Poltergeist and The Shining. But I’m just scratching the surface; I’ve compiled a list of must-see movies to get you in the mood for spooky season. The streaming service starts at $11 per month, or $110 per year, and you can also bundle HBO Max, Disney Plus and Hulu.

Backrooms (2026)

Kane Parsons took his Backrooms YouTube series to the big screen with huge success. This liminal horror film is minimal in its special effects, but masterful in the terrors it invokes. It may feel confusing at times, but just go with it. Sometimes horror is just here to make you feel something; it’s not always supposed to make sense.

Trick ‘r Treat (2009)

For some reason, there aren’t a bunch of modern-day horror anthologies worth watching on Halloween. Director Michael Dougherty came through with a good one nearly 20 years ago. Trick ‘r Treat still hits all the fun spooky notes two decades later, leaving me once again asking why we never got a sequel.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

An awkward shop clerk named Seymore meets a bloodthirsty alien plant and, in exchange for fresh human flesh, the Venus flytrap promises success, fame, and the love of his crush, Audrey. Sound weird? Well, it’s also a musical. Just go with it.

Beetlejuice (1988)

Michael Keaton delivers a hilarious one-two punch as the sinister demon Beetlejuice in Tim Burton’s classic horror comedy. Nearly four decades later, it’s still a fun movie to click play on and will definitely bring the spooky vibes you’re looking for.

The Shining (1980)

Stephen King has gone on the record, more than once, that he disapproves of Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his book, The Shining. The director took a lot of creative liberties and changed much of thefice bomb) is chock full of iconic visuals, shocking performances and quotable one-liners. It has built a solid reputation as one of the best horror movies of the last century

The Exorcist (1973)

In 1973, The Exorcist ushered in a new era of scaled-down, gritty and upsetting genre entertainment on the big screen. It’s terrifying and still emotionally resonant over 50 years later. There have been plenty of demon possession movies since then, but none hold a candle to The Exorcist.

Poltergeist (1982)

Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chain Saw Massacre fame) helmed this classic ghost-possession movie, which was co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg. Thanks to its focus on the family story, the supernatural lore and the movie’s use of practical effects, Poltergeist is still a scary fun ride.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Robert Englund owned the ’80s; he practically starred in a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie each year of that decade. As the series progressed, his burnt boogeyman, Freddy Krueger, evolved into a fun personality you could find on kids’ lunchboxes. That said, the first installment of the franchise gives a look at the sinister terror lurking under that dirty fedora. It’s still the best one.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Cabin in the Woods is a fun movie, especially for die-hard horror fans. On one level, it functions as another entry in the cabin-in-the-woods horror subgenre. But under the surface, there is a creative world that blends all genre tropes together into a smart, wild, original adventure fueled by an age-old curse.

Carrie (1976)

Before Mike Flanagan got his hands on Stephen King’s Carrie, remaking it as a series for Prime Video (and way before the sequels and stage musical), Brian De Palma directed this horror classic. It’s stylized and brutal. The movie made King a bestselling author and turned a high school prom into a bloody, fiery nightmare.

It (2017)

When this adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel hit theaters in 2017, it had moviegoers like me looking twice at storm drains and dreading red balloons. With a cast of intrepid kids and a lot of heart, it makes a compelling case for more supernatural coming-of-age stories. And a strong case against clowns. 

Hereditary (2018)

Ari Aster exploded onto the horror scene as a formidable filmmaker with this instant classic. This dysfunctional family drama is a genre powder keg with a standout performance by Toni Collette. There’s a lot more going on here aside from familial trauma. Let’s just say things get grizzly, upsetting and surprisingly supernatural. The ending still haunts me to this day.

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out is 2019’s Us, a unique horror tale about a woman whose family becomes terrorized by a group of doppelgängers who want to switch places with them. These people are better known as The Tethered and come from a shadow realm that mimics our own. But that tidbit merely scratches the surface of what’s going on here.

Companion (2025)

Companion is a scary movie you should boot up and watch without much Googling beforehand. It’s clever, unsettling and thrilling, with great performances from Sophie Thatcher of Yellowjackets and Jack Quaid of The Boys. Produced by the filmmakers behind 2022’s Barbarian, Companion sets the bar high for 2025 horror films. 

The Brood (1979)

David Cronenberg’s disturbing exploration of generational trauma through the experience of Nola, a woman undergoing controversial psychotherapy treatments, her husband and child. Considering that this is a Cronenberg joint, you should expect a fair amount of body horror in this early genre classic.

Weapons (2025)

Amy Madigan won an Oscar for her performance in Weapons. In the mystery-horror movie, 17 kids go missing on the same night at the same time, and no one knows where they went or why. Video footage appears to show children leaving their homes on their own. Weapons follows shaken members of the community, including the students’ teacher (Julia Garner) and a parent (Josh Brolin).

The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016)

HBO Max has added The Conjuring: Last Rites, which marks the last appearance of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren. But there’s nothing to stop you from revisiting the demonologists’ earlier exploits in The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 – arguably the best films in the franchise.

Sinners (2025)

Michael B. Jordan takes on two leading roles in this genre-bending film from Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther). Sinners is a box office hit, but if you have yet to spend time with Smoke and Stack (or missed the post-credit scenes in theaters), now’s your chance to stream it. The film won four Oscars out of a record-breaking 16 nominations.

Evil Dead II (1987)

Evil Dead II is part-sequel and part-remake of Sam Raimi’s horror classic, Evil Dead. This is the installment that changed the game, introducing hefty amounts of blood and comedy that cemented Bruce Campbell’s deadite-fighting hero, Ash, as a pop culture icon. Filled with slapstick stunts and sinister imagery, this is the title where the Evil Dead franchise found its footing.

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)

Final Destination Bloodlines is the first film in the franchise in 14 years, and it won’t be the last – another entry with the co-writer of Bloodlines is officially in the works. Bloodlines manages to feel fresh while carrying on the series’s well-known elaborate killings, premonitions, and efforts to outwit death.

Happy Death Day (2017)

Happy Death Day takes the story sensibilities of Groundhog Day and mixes them with the slasher horror of Scream and Halloween. The result is a unique horror comedy that features strong writing and performances, especially from lead Jessica Rothe, and entertains from start to finish.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George Romero’s first horror film is an easy recommendation. A group of survivors takes refuge in a house while members of the undead swarm outside. The influential flick is often regarded as the first modern zombie movie, and while it may not offer Freddy Krueger-level frights, you’ll be drawn in by the characters at its center. You’re going to want to leave the door open for this one (but in the case of an actual apocalypse, keep it very, very shut).

More movie recommendations

• The Best Movies on Netflix
• The Best Horror Movies on Prime Video
• The Best Movies on HBO Max