It’s never a bad time for a scary movie. And Amazon Prime Video has some of the very best scary movies to watch. Whether it’s a serial killer thriller like “The Silence of the Lambs,” a zombie epic like “World War Z” or an oddball cult favorite like “C.H.U.D.” or “Jennifer’s Body,” Prime Video has a surprisingly robust selection of all your favorites on streaming.
Below, we run down some of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime Video right now.
The Silence of the Lambs
Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-sweeping masterpiece is just as potent and terrifying today as it was in 1991. In this adaptation of Thomas Harris’ best-selling novel, Jodie Foster plays Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee who is recruited to interface with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a serial killer who holds vital clues to a new case involving the abduction of a senator’s daughter. Everything about “The Silence of the Lambs” is flawless, from Ted Tally’s note-perfect screenplay (which won him an Oscar) to every performance (Foster and Hopkins won Oscars) to the final reveal, which is still endlessly copied and imitated to this day. If you haven’t seen it in a while or maybe haven’t it at all, it’s hard to articulate just what a seismic event the movie was – and how you can still feel its reverberations today, in every procedural cop show and every movie about an eccentric serial killer on the loose. Ridley Scott’s controversial (and, quite frankly, underrated) follow-up, “Hannibal,” is also available on Prime Video.
Let the Right One In
John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel “Let the Right One In” is currently being adapted as a Showtime original series and has been the subject of an American remake from “The Batman” director Matt Reeves. But it’s hard to top the original adaptation from Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson. A love story of sorts between a young boy and an immortal little vampire girl is equal parts mesmerizing and moving, a coming-of-age story that also features several brutal murders. (The Cold War Stockholm setting is also hugely evocative, with its brutalist architecture and bitter cold.) If you’ve seen one of the adaptations but never the original, do yourself a favor – this movie is unforgettable.
C.H.U.D.
What is a CHUD you ask? Why it’s a cannibalistic humanoid underground dweller, of course! This utterly wonderful cult classic follows a cop (Christopher Curry), a photographer (John Heard) and a homeless shelter manager (Daniel Stern) who start to suspect the titular race of crazy mutants is responsible for a rash of disappearances around the city. Could its portrayal of unhoused people stand to be more nuanced? Absolutely. Although it is commendable that they were treated with this amount of sensitivity. And while that might be unfortunate, the rest of the movie is an absolute blast – from the grungy early 1980s New York photography to the killer electronic score (by two of the guys in Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) to the charmingly off-kilter performances (particularly from Stern), “C.H.U.D.” is an underground favorite (pun intended) that probably deserves even more attention. Bonus trivia: it was one of the inspirations for Jordan Peele’s “Us” and a VHS copy of the movie can be seen in that movie’s opening shot.
Don’t Look Now
Maybe the single greatest horror movie ever made, “Don’t Look Now” is essential viewing. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie play a young married couple who recently lost their daughter (which is dramatized in the movie’s opening). In an attempt to save their marriage – and their sanity – Sutherland accepts a job in Venice (he’s an art restorer). But while there, Christie falls in with a pair of kooky psychics and the city becomes engulfed in fear thanks to a series of ritualistic killings. How is any of this connected? And will the handsome young couple make it out alive? Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier and directed spectacularly by Nicolas Roeg, “Don’t Look Now” is a one of a kind thriller – it features one of the most shocking ends in horror cinema and also contains one of the most beautiful, passionate sex scenes of all time (one that Steven Soderbergh borrowed heavily from in “Out of Sight”). With the exemplary Criterion Collection disc long out of print, this is probably the best way to watch the movie too – in gorgeous HD. Watch “Don’t Look Now” and fall under its spell.
An American Werewolf in London
First, an acknowledgement: writer/director John Landis is, by all accounts, a pretty despicable guy whose ego and recklessness would, a year after “An American Werewolf in London” opened, result in the deaths of three people (two of them children). And yet, “An American Werewolf in London” is one of the classics of the 1980s, a movie that mixed humor and horror more liberally (and, you could argue, more successfully) than “Ghostbusters.” The tale of an American backpacker (David Naughton) who is attacked by a werewolf and subsequently turns into a creature, going on a murderous spree in the heart of London, the movie is sleek and engrossing. If you’re able to distance yourself from Landis’ behavior, “An American Werewolf in London” becomes even more effective. Beware the moors.
Saint Maud
Rose Glass’ stunning directorial debut should have made more of a splash (especially since it was released by meme-generating-machine A24) but “Saint Maud,” which saw its release date constantly shifting in the wake of the pandemic, opened quietly. One day it will gain the cult status it deserves. Maybe starting now? Morfydd Clark, in a stunning performance, plays Maud, a private care nurse who has become a devout Catholic after losing one of her patients. But after her relationship with a new patient (played by the great Jennifer Ehle) turns sour, could something else be fighting for the soul of young Maud? A sense of creeping dread permeates every frame of this movie until the unforgettable ending. Just watch “Saint Maud” and become enraptured.
Jennifer’s Body
One of the great joys of the past few years has been watching more and more people wake up to the brilliance of “Jennifer’s Body,” the 2009 horror movie written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama that was summarily ignored by critics and audiences when it was first released. In “Jennifer’s Body” Megan Fox plays the title character, a hot girl in a small town who finds herself possessed by a demon after a human sacrifice goes wrong. Amanda Seyfried is her mousy best friend Needy, who has to come to terms with her BFF’s new phase. Insightful, hilarious, terrifying and very queer, “Jennifer’s Body” mystified those who saw it in 2009 but it has steadily grown in stature, becoming a really-for-real cult artifact in the years since. If for some reason the bloody charms of “Jennifer’s Body” have passed you by, it’s never too late to join the movement.
Candyman (2021)
Candyman … Candyman … Candyman … The infamous, hook-handed spirit, created by Clive Barker in the story “The Forbidden” and adapted by Bernard Rose for the 1992 original film, is back. This new version, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced and co-written by Jordan Peele, sees the story take place in a gentrified version of the original film’s Chicago ghetto. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a bougie painter whose work becomes consumed with the idea and imagery of the Candyman – is he being visited by the vengeful spirit? Or is he being possessed by it? This new film is a totally unique work, taking barbed jabs at the modern art scene, urban sprawl and the legacy of folktales, that still has some surprisingly strong connections to the original film. (It’s a “legacy sequel” as much as it is a remake/reboot.) It’s also very, very scary. One of the very best horror movies of the past few years.
Fright Night (2011)
Speaking of exemplary remakes, “Fright Night” is also available and excellent. A remake of the 1985 low key classic, this new “Fright Night” takes place in a desolate Las Vegas planned community instead of the original’s leafy suburbia and instead of a late night horror host, the undercover vampire hunter is now a theatrical magician (David Tennant). The late, great Anton Yelchin plays a high school kid whose mom comes under the spell (both literal and figurative) of the handsome vampire next door (Colin Farrell, chewing scenery and everything else). Smartly told and full of wonderful set pieces (which took on more oomph when you watched it theatrically, as it was shot in native 3D), “Fright Night” is one of the most underrated horror movies of the past decade or so. Very much deserving of a re-watch or even a first timer. “Fright Night” definitely has fangs.
Dead & Buried
This movie absolutely rules. Set in a mysterious seaside community that has a disproportioned amount of horrible murders, “Dead & Buried” follows the local sheriff (played by journeyman actor James Farentino) as he tries to get to the bottom of it. Quite frankly, that’s all you need to know about the movie’s plot. Part of this is because it’s such a kick watching the story unexpected unfold and part it is because the movie has an all-timer twist ending that probably makes M. Night Shyamalan turn green with envy. Co-written by “Alien” writers Ron Shusett and Dan O’Bannon and directed by cult favortie Gary Sherman (“Poltergeist III,” “Vice Squad”), “Dead & Buried” is your new favorite horror film. You just don’t know it yet.
Angel Heart
The movie that was so risqué it nearly got Lisa Bonet fired from “The Cosby Show” (seriously). Based on the novel “Fallen Angel” by William Hjortsberg and adapted by British filmmaker Alan Parker, “Angel Heart” follows a lost but not unethical private eye (Mickey Rourke) who takes a job from a mysterious, egg-eating stranger (Robert De Niro) to try and track down a man in New Orleans. As Rourke’s character soon finds out, there’s more to this case than meets the eye, including some very freaky occult stuff and a series of ghastly murders. Part of the fun of “Angel Heart” is Rourke subverting his tough guy image; as soon as the bodies start to pile up he wants out. And there’s also the haunting, dreamlike (or is it nightmarish?) atmosphere that Parker and his collaborators conjure up. But yes, the sex scenes between Bonet and Rourke were so intense they almost got her fired from her sitcom. (She was 18 at the time and playing a 17-year-old, which does leave some icky feelings.) Anyway, this movie is great! Who doesn’t love a supernatural detective story?
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
If you want to see how “Jennifer’s Body” has influenced a newer generation of filmmakers, look no further than “My Best Friend’s Exorcism.” Based on the novel of the same name by Grady Hendrix, Damon Thomas’ film follows two high school ride-or-dies (played by Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller) whose friendship is tested when one of them becomes possessed (it involves LSD and a creepy cabin in the woods, of course). Bonus points for “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” being set in the 1980s, which adds some much-needed visual texture, some fun era-specific nostalgia and a glittery, “Stranger Things”-adjacent soundtrack (by Ryland Blackinton). And it’s probably the closest thing we’ll get to a new “Fear Street” movie for a little while. Devilish fun!
World War Z
This adaptation of Max Brooks’ fictional oral history of the zombie apocalypse, produced by and starring Brad Pitt, had a notoriously bumpy road to release, but it remains an undead-filled roller coaster. “World War Z” stars Pitt as a former United Nations investigator working to reunite with his family after the zombie outbreak. What makes “World War Z” so fun to watch is the immense scale; there are few genuine horror epics and this is definitely one of them. Watch as the zombie hordes form giant masses, like carpenter ants, as they build ladders to try and attack helicopters and scale impenetrable walls. Marc Forster’s direction is occasionally pretty clunky, but watching the movie is an undeniable thrill. Pour one out for the David Fincher sequel that never made it out of development.
The Blair Witch Project
“The Blair Witch Project” is a movie so highly influential that it’s hard to remember a time before it. Starring a cast of unknowns, “The Blair Witch Project” pretended to be a documentary and it was so successful in its realism that some people thought that the performers were real people who had actually gone missing. (Surprise! Everybody’s okay!) In the years since there have been countless attempts to recapture the truly horrific surprise of “The Blair Witch Project,” but at a certain point the faux documentary aesthetic became just as artificial as any more outwardly “Hollywood” affectation. Still, “Blair Witch Project” is ruthlessly effective. Watching it again you can see why it took the world by storm.
Hostel
Unfairly lumped into the popular “torture porn” horror sub-genre of the time, “Hostel” is actually a remarkably smart, very satirical look at American male aggression and boorish xenophobia. And, yes, it’s also pretty disgusting. The tale of a group of Americans (led by a very likable Jay Hernandez), who check into a hostel in Slovakia that is actually part of an illegal network that kidnaps tourists and sells them into a situation where they are murdered for money. The murderers are rich business people (an idea expanded on in the underrated sequel) and the young Americans, like in any good slasher movie, are paying for their bad behavior. It owes a lot to Takashi Miike’s brilliant “Audition” and the input of producer Quentin Tarantino, who helped shepherd the project to fruition after falling for Roth’s earlier film “Cabin Fever.” It’s astounding that, as a franchise, “Hostel” fizzled out after one more theatrical feature (also written and directed by Roth) and a third film that went direct-to-video, when something like “Saw” is, improbably, still going strong despite being much, much worse. It’s never a bad time to check into “Hostel.”
The 55 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now