The best horror movies on HBO Max | Digital Trends (2023)

FAQs

What is the #1 scariest movie on HBO Max? ›

The best scary movies on the streaming service range from certified classics like The Exorcist to more recent entries like The Menu and Barbarian. Here are the tales you should make time for on HBO Max. All these films received generally favorable reviews or better, according to Metacritic.

About half of the 35 movies asked about — 18 — have been seen by at least 50% of Americans. The three horror films polled with the largest share of Americans who have viewed them are Jaws (77% have seen it), The Exorcist (73%), and Dracula (69%).

Stephen King's status as the master of horror is well-earned. The famous author has over 80 books to his name, but his unique ability to tap into the human psyche and uncover what scares us the most remains truly unmatched.

We've scoured the service for some hidden gems – movies that were ahead of their time, have gone too-long under-appreciated, and those old-school favorites we were surprised to find buried under the rubble of HBO Max's exhaustive collection. Check them out below, grouped by genre.

What scary movies should we watch? ›

Just a few years after the first filmmakers emerged in the mid-1890s, Mellies created “Le Manoir du Diable,” sometimes known in English as “The Haunted Castle” or “ The House of the Devil,” in 1898, and it is widely believed to be the first horror movie.

Nearly 45 years after its release, John Carpenter's "Halloween" still remains the gold standard for all horror movies.

(KRON) – If you're watching a horror movie set in the United States, there's a pretty good chance the story takes place in California.

Is there anything worth watching on HBO Max? ›

Watch dramas like Succession, fantasy epics like House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, comedies like Veep and Hacks, gripping documentaries and stand-up specials.

Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre.

Edgar Allan Poe was not the first writer of horror stories, but his literary techniques form the foundation of the immensely popular literary genre as we know it today.

The original ten "masters" attending were John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, Don Coscarelli, Joe Dante, Guillermo del Toro, Stuart Gordon, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, Bill Malone, and Garris himself.

What movies did HBO Max take off? ›

If you subscribe to HBO through Amazon Appstore, Apple, Google Play, Roku Channel Store, Samsung TV, WarnerMedia, Consolidated Communications, Liberty, North State, Optimum, Service Electric Cablevision, Verizon Fios, or Ziply Fiber, then you have access to HBO Max Ad-Free right now, at no extra cost!

Well, as it just so happens, there's one horror movie available to watch on Netflix that viewers have struggled to finish for years now. This film is none other than Raw – a 2016 coming of age horror film that's been upsetting viewers since its initial release.

Haunted houses and scary movies may actually help reduce stress, lower anxiety. Here's how to have the best experience this Halloween. The fear you overcome from walking through haunted houses and watching classic Michael Myers movies this Halloween could help to lower your stress levels overall.

At various points in the last year, for instance, Netflix could boast The Shining, Scream, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs or Young Frankenstein, along with recent indie greats like The Witch, The Descent or The Babadook.

In the past, the list included The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Last House on the Left, and several others; however, these films have since been accepted and the bans lifted.

Advanced Brain Activity

The results of multiple studies approve that scary scenes advance the level of adrenaline, releasing neurotransmitters in the brain. Faster reaction, better alertness, improved concentration, and a plethora of other advantages can be witnessed as a result of a single movie session.

What is the least scariest movie of all time? ›

Coming out on top as the least scary movie was The Silence of the Lambs with no jumpscares..but we think that might be dependent on who you ask. Also included in the top twenty were Cannibal Holocaust (1980), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Bone Tomahawk (2015).

The genre was invented by Horace Walpole, whose Castle of Otranto (1765) may be said to have founded the horror story as a legitimate literary form.

Though the film industry began in the early 1800s, the horror genre officially got its start with Georges Méliès in the 1890s.

Examples of early horror icons began with the Werewolf or Lycanthrope introduced in the 1500s, the Frankenstein monster as introduced by Mary Shelley in 1818, and Dracula introduced into literature in 1897 by Bram Stoker.

Watch Scary Movie (HBO) | Movies | HBO Max.

"Scary Movie" was the working title of "Scream", the main movie parodied. The cameraman played by Dan Joffre is called Kenny. Not only is this a reference to "Scream", where the cameraman (W. Earl Brown) in the movie had the same name, but is also the last name of Francis Kenny, Scary Movie's cinematographer.

What new horror movies are coming to HBO Max in January 2023? ›

Led by Anya-Taylor Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult, The Menu was arguably a bit overlooked in 2022 but is more than worthy enough for a watch, especially for horror fans. Speaking of horror, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Nun, and The Cabin in the Woods are all back on HBO Max in January 2023.

To see what's new, open the Browse menu in HBO Max and then choose Just Added. For more info, see our Shows and Movies Q&A. To see which series, movies, documentaries, comedies, and cartoons are leaving soon, open the Browse menu, and choose Last Chance.

Scary Movie is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer.

At various points in the last year, for instance, Netflix could boast The Shining, Scream, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs or Young Frankenstein, along with recent indie greats like The Witch, The Descent or The Babadook.