Whether you're planning a spooky season movie night or just an any-time-of-the-year fright fest, there's something special about sitting down to watch a good old-fashioned horror movie (or three). And, there's something even more special about avoiding the real-life horror of leaving your house for said movie marathon, thanks to the multitude of scary movies available to stream from the comfort of your couch.
To help you along—and save you from the ultra-frightening prospect of scrolling endlessly through the “horror” tab on multiple streaming services looking for a must-watch movie—we’ve rounded up 20 of the best scary movies currently available on Amazon Prime Video. Ranging from iconic feminist horror movies to gripping thrillers, these are jam-packed with jump scares, demonic possessions, and enough bloodthirsty knife chases to keep your nightmares booked and busy for a long time. Below, find the best horror movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video right now.
'An American Werewolf in London' (1981)
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine
Why it’s terrifying: This 1981 cult classic is scary and hilarious in equal measure, making for a true roller-coaster ride of a movie-watching experience. As the title—a spoof of An American in Paris and Werewolf of London—suggests, it’s about a young man (David Naughton) who is bitten by a werewolf while traveling in Europe after graduation and develops uncontrollable murderous impulses, much to his dismay. Let this be a cautionary tale to any new grads embarking on backpacking trips around the world!
'Barbarian' (2022)
Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long
Why it’s terrifying: Avid Airbnb users, look away. In this truly horrific tale, Campbell and Skarsgård play a pair of strangers who have been double-booked in a rental house owned by Long, all three of whom soon come face-to-face with the home’s incredibly dark past.
'Bones and All' (2022)
Starring: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, André Holland, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny
Why it’s terrifying: It’s not often that romance plays a major role in the horror genre, but it certainly does here. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, Bones and All follows a pair of young “eaters” grappling with their cannibalistic tendencies and growing love for one another. As sweet as the second part sounds, be warned: This movie is extremely gory and decidedly not for the faint of heart.
'Candyman' (2021)
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo
Why it’s terrifying: This Jordan Peele-cowritten film is the most recent entry into the long-running Candyman film series. It follows a young man (Abdul-Mateen II) as he becomes obsessed with the urban legend of the Candyman, who’s said to kill anyone summoning him. As you can probably guess, it's not just a legend in this film, and the story behind Candyman takes a particularly eerie shape.
'Child's Play' (2019)
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Brian Tyree Henry, Mark Hamill
Why it’s terrifying: Let’s call it the ultimate cautionary tale against the dangers of unchecked artificial intelligence. A remake of the 1988 film of the same name that fueled countless nightmares for millennials everywhere, this version revolves around an AI-equipped version of the freakishly murderous Chucky doll. If there are any dolls in your home, animated or not, you’ll definitely want to get rid of them before hitting play.
'The Exorcist: Believer' (2023)
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair
Why it’s terrifying: This marks the sixth film in the Exorcist franchise since the original was released in 1973, and, without fail, all six have been supremely freaky. This one, which serves as a direct sequel to the first film and even features Burstyn and Blair reprising their original roles, centers around two young girls who become possessed after attempting to conduct a seance. Hate when that happens!
'Five Nights at Freddy's' (2023)
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard
Why it’s terrifying: You’ll never be able to look at a mascot suit the same way again. Based on the video game series of the same name, Five Nights at Freddy’s stars Hutcherson as the night guard of a Chuck E. Cheese-like restaurant where, it turns out, the animatronic mascots aren’t exactly the kind, kid-friendly characters they appear to be.
'Horns' (2013)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple
Why it’s terrifying: Horns may cover practically every genre, from fantasy to mystery to comedy, but it’s still got plenty of horror elements. It stars Radcliffe as a man who wakes up after the brutal murder of his girlfriend (Temple) to find that he’s grown horns that force people to tell him their deep, dark secrets—which he then, of course, proceeds to use to seek out the identity of his girlfriend’s killer, who he finally uncovers in a horrific final scene.
'The Invisible Man' (2020)
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman
Why it’s terrifying: Frightening in so many ways, The Invisible Man stars Moss as a woman who thinks she’s finally escaped from her abusive boyfriend, only to begin to suspect that he’s found a way to turn himself invisible to continue tormenting her. Haunting doesn’t even begin to cover it.
'Last Night in Soho' (2021)
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith
Why it’s terrifying: This movie starts off as a stylish drama, as a London student (McKenzie) in the present day begins having vivid dreams of a fashionable young woman (Taylor-Joy) looking for work as a nightclub singer in the 1960s. But things quickly turn dark, as the dreams—and, eventually, waking apparitions—delve deeper into the woman’s violent history, until they finally collide with the student’s actual life.
'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)
Starring: Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman
Why it’s terrifying: All those brain-hungry zombies will certainly do it. The 1968 flick is often credited with ushering zombies into popular culture, and it also made waves for its then-unfamiliar explicit portrayal of violence and gore—making it an essential piece of horror history.
'Night Swim' (2024)
Starring: Wyatt Russell, Amélie Hoeferle, Kerry Condon
Why it’s terrifying: Suddenly that irrational fear of a shark lurking in a dark swimming pool doesn’t seem so irrational. In this 2024 film, Russell and Condon play a couple who move into a new home and soon discover that the pool in the backyard is haunted by a demonic entity. Pro tip: Make sure you wait until summer is over before you watch this one, or you’ll have to sit out of every pool party on your calendar.
'Nosferatu' (1922)
Starring: Max Schreck, Greta Schröder, Gustav von Wangenheim
Why it’s terrifying: This old-school vampire movie, essentially an unofficial adaptation of Dracula, will still haunt your nightmares more than 100 years after its release. It's a silent film, but trust us: it doesn’t need sound to leave viewers terrified of the bloodthirsty Count Orlok.
'Orphan: First Kill' (2022)
Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, Hiro Kanagawa, Matthew Finlan
Why it’s terrifying: More than a decade after 2009’s Orphan, the gang got back together to tell the origin story of "Esther" (Fuhrman), the titular orphan who leaves a trail of death and destruction in her wake wherever she goes.
'Psycho' (1960)
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, Virginia Gregg
Why it’s terrifying: Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film is widely hailed as one of the director’s best—and one of the greatest movies ever made. A quick, spoiler-free refresher if you only know the iconic music and shower stabbing scene: It centers on motel owner Norman Bates (Perkins), who has a habit of leaving everyone he meets feeling very unsettled and is a little too attached to his mother (Gregg).
'Rosemary's Baby' (1968)
Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy
Why it’s terrifying: The prospect of new parenthood is already scary enough. Throw in the fear that your culty neighbors are planning to use your baby in their rituals, and it’s no wonder that this 1968 hit remains among the most seminal psychological horror films of all time.
'Sleepy Hollow' (1999)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Christopher Walken
Why it’s terrifying: This 1999 cult fave from Tim Burton takes on the classic folk tale of the Headless Horseman. Depp plays police constable Ichabod Crane as he's sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow to figure out who’s responsible for a spate of brutal murders. Upon his arrival, he's very quickly forced to get over his skepticism toward all things supernatural.
'Suspiria' (2018)
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Chloë Grace Moretz
Why it’s terrifying: Luca Guadagnino’s remake of an Italian giallo film from the ‘70s stars Johnson as a woman who joins a dance academy in Berlin, only to discover that it’s run by a coven of witches who aren't afraid to use their dance-sorcery to punish anyone they disagree with. Classic!
'Totally Killer' (2023)
Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen
Why it’s terrifying: This slasher-comedy is the perfect mix of classic teen movie and a gory horror film. It stars Shipka as a present-day teenager, Jamie, who uses a time machine to travel back to the ‘80s and get revenge on the serial killer who terrorized her mom (Bowen) and her friends when they were in high school.
'The Wicker Man' (1973)
Starring: Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, Christopher Lee
Why it’s terrifying: This 1973 British film (later remade in 2006 with a cast led by Nicolas Cage) dives into the creepy May Day rituals of a pagan cult. Think Midsommar, but located on an isolated Scottish island rather than in rural Sweden.
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