In the mood for a good ol’ fashioned scare? There’s a treasure trove of excellent horror movies to stream on Prime Video. Critic Katie Parker has found the best.
See also
* All new movies & series on Prime Video
* All new streaming movies & series
American Mary (2012)
Watch on Prime VideoThe rise of streaming services has seen some of cinema’s gnarlier horrors find their way out of obscurity—and 2012’s provocative body horror film American Mary is among the best of Amazon’s more extreme offerings. Following a slightly unhinged surgical student who takes a detour into the world of body modification, this gory, striking and super screwed-up film is one for genre enthusiasts.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOCamping hasn’t been the same since 1999, when this found footage classic convinced an enitre generation that three young people really had gone missing in a witch-infested wood in Maryland. While the media savvy among us today may balk at such a thought, there remains something truly, malevolently chilling about this film that reminds us why it had the world trembling in fear.
Bug (2007)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEODirector William Friedkin may be best known for The Exorcist, but that’s far from his only contribution to the horror zeitgeist. Following a paranoid woman (Ashley Judd) on the run from her abusive ex-husband, who holes up in a motel room, this strange and eerie film is utterly disquieting.
The Cabinet of Doctor Calgari (1920)
Watch on Prime VideoA horror classic in the truest sense of the word and, according to iconic critic Roger Ebert, the first true instance ever of the genre, Robert Wiene’s 1920 silent film remains terrifying over 100 years after it was made. Clever, creepy and visually stunning, Wiene’s tale of a man’s trip to visit the mysterious titular doctor’s sideshow attraction—only to find that something sinister lies within.
Come True (2020)
Watch on Prime VideoHypnotic, haunting and visually stunning, Come True’s story of a teenage runaway taking part in an experimental sleep study for extra cash is the stuff of nightmares. A subtle, eerie slowburn taking cues from Davids Cronenberg and Lynch, director Anthony Scott Burns uses wonderfully weird dream imagery to create an atmospheric piece of Sci Fi cinema that is entirely original.
Coming Home In the Dark (2021)
Watch on Prime VideoBased on Owen Marshall’s 1995 short story, this brutal little chiller is not for the faint of heart—but for those willing to brave it, Coming Home in the Dark is one of the most confronting pieces of New Zealand cinema in years. An exciting debut for first time director James Ashcroft and featuring an extraordinary performance from underrated local legend Daniel Gillies, this sad, scary story will stay with you long after the end credits roll.
The Green Knight (2021)
Watch on Prime VideoDavid Lowery’s acclaimed 2021 medieval epic may seem like a hard sell to traditional horror fans, but give this dark fantasy a chance and you will be richly rewarded. Following King Arthur’s wayward nephew, as he embarks on a quest to face the mysterious Green Knight, this creepy, atmospheric, visionary tale is a piece of folk horror like no other.
Head Count (2019)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOThis is a surprisingly atmospheric and suspenseful wee chiller—and a promising debut from director Elle Callahan. Following college lad Evan (Isaac Jay) as he ditches his older brother on vacation, to party with a bunch of fellow kids at their Airbnb, a weekend of fun and debauchery is derailed when they realise that someone—or something—has joined them.
Hellraiser (1987)
Watch on Prime VideoRecently revived in the form of a sadly plodding reboot, nothing will ever beat Clive Barker’s campy, synth-heavy 1987 original. The story of a family who find themselves in the midst of an unfortunate series of events involving an ancient puzzle box and a group of demonic extra-dimensional, sadomasochistic beings who cannot differentiate between pain and pleasure, the film is as wacky, wonderful and endlessly rewatchable as it sounds.
Honeymoon (2014)
Watch on Prime VideoA strange, atmospheric, supernatural horror following a couple on, you guessed it, their honeymoon, Fear Street director Leigh Janiak’s directorial debut is a slow burn—but one with an admirable command of nail-biting suspense. Featuring a standout performance from Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie and some top notch body horror, this under-the-radar chiller is enough to put anyone off taking a trip to a rustic cabin with their loved one.
It Comes At Night (2017)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOSet in the wake of some ungodly plague, this thoughtful post-apocalyptic horror follows a family holed up in an isolated rural home, visited by a young couple and their baby who are seeking refuge. There’s a heavy atmosphere of mistrust, with simmering tensions gradually bubbling to the surface—building to a devastating finale.
Pearl (2022)
Watch on Prime VideoA prequel to 2022’s X, Ti West’s Pearl explains the backstory of the elderly woman who wrought havoc on that ill-fated group of adult-movie makers. Once again starring the excellent Mia Goth, it is thanks to her eerie, endlessly entertaining performance that this tale of wartime woe became an instant cult hit—and with third instalment MaXXXine forthcoming, there’s never been a better time to enjoy this gleefully deranged little chiller.
The Rental (2020)
Watch on Prime VideoThe directorial debut of everyone’s unproblematic younger brother fave Dave Franco (who also produced and directed), The Rental is a sleek, slick, masterfully tense horror. Following two couples on a weekend getaway, their already slightly fraught fun is ruined when they start to suspect they are being watched. As adept at drama as he is a deep sense of sinister foreboding, Franco’s film is a stylish, subtle chiller.
Resident Evil (2002)
Watch on Prime VideoBased on the video game franchise, 2002’s film adaptation spawned one of its own—and with all six films in the series available to stream on Neon, the best place to start is the beginning. Starring Milla Jovovich as amnesiac heroine Alice who, along with a team of commandos, must attempt to contain the outbreak of the genetically engineered T-virus at a secret underground facility. Packed with violence and zombies, Resident Evil is full of big, dumb blockbuster fun.
Suspiria (2018)
Watch on Prime VideoHowever loyal you may be to Dario Argento’s 1977 original, so-hot-right-now director Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 Suspiria remains an unmissable film in its own right. Like Argento’s film, it tells the story of a young woman joining a Berlin dance school, only to suspect that it is run by a coven of witches. But Guadagnino has his own ideas and own vision, and uses his subject matter to end that is all his own.
Thanksgiving (2023)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOEli Roth perfectly revives the tropes of the slasher genre while adding plenty of fresh twists for a new generation. Set in the aftermath of a Black Friday sale gone horribly wrong, a mysterious masked killer picks off those responsible one-by-one—in ways so nastily inventive they must be seen to be believed.
Totally Killer (2023)
WATCH ON PRIME VIDEOCombining horror, comedy and sci-fi is ambitious, to be sure. But Nahnatchka Khan’s time-travel slasher is a gleefully gory and funny success. Starring Kiernan Shipka as a teen who travels back to the 80s to stop the serial killer who murdered her mother, the film nails its numerous genres, infusing a Back to The Future-esque narrative with nail-biting beats.
Zombieland (2009)
Watch on Prime VideoWoody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin lead Ruben Fleischer’s 2009 horror comedy, about a rag-tag team of zombie apocalypse survivors on a road-trip to refuge. Nearly 15 years since it’s release is still one of the most entertaining and enjoyable end-of-the-world films around. Silly rather than scary, Zombieland is nonetheless gruesome enough to satisfy genre fans out for brains.
