It was a happy day for Pete Davidson when he and his girlfriend Eslie Hewitt announced that they're becoming parents. The SNL alum and his girlfriend have been dating since March, with the model calling her boyfriend “the best person I’ve ever met.” Now, as the couple and their fans take in the excitement of this new chapter, others are hyperfocusing on the VHS collection featured in the announcement.

Considering Pete Davidson’s timeline of past girlfriends, it’s nice to see him settling down with Elsie Hewitt and starting a new chapter as a parent. However, that's not what some fans are focused on. While the Bodies Bodies Bodies actor and his partner had a lot going on in their pregnancy announcement, like cute photos, a video, and even a SpongeBob meme, fans have been judging the VHS collection shown in the background:

Over on Reddit quite a discussion was sparked about, as folks analyzed the vintage movies in the background and shared their takes:

• Two VHS copy of Magnolia. I legit forgot that’s how long that movie is. -Historical-Crab-2905
• Not organized alphabetically, chronologically or by genre or director. Utter insanity. -Viet_Conga_Line
• He’s got the X-Men cartoon. That’s pretty sick -JuniorSwing
• lol he has the Terrifier VHS -aroberts16
• Cant escape the damn titanic vhs -para_la_calle

The fact that Pete Davidson still has a VHS collection is pretty impressive. Ah, those were the good old days. Although I gotta admit that I don’t miss rewinding.

When it comes to these posts from fans, I’m loving the Reddit user who’s judging the organization of Pete Davidson’s VHS tapes. Back when I had one, it was about filling up a shelf with just enough. I wouldn’t have had the patience to organize the tapes either. But hey, at least he has the Porky movies together.

Also, I didn’t even know that Terrifier had a VHS tape, considering it came out in 2016. I’m really learning a lot through Davidson’s collection.

One observation I made about Pete Davidson’s taste in movies was that he’s definitely not afraid of their long runtime. But, sometimes longer movies are better movies, like how Reddit users pointed out Magnolia and Titanic in there. As you can see on the VHS shelf, the James Cameron classic on VHS is so long that it had to be split into two tapes. Definitely for movies like that, it’s best to “be kind and rewind.”

Considering Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt are about to be parents, I'm loving that some of the best family-friendly movies of the ‘90s are in their collection. It looks like The King of Staten Island actor has Sister Act, which is a musical must-see, and The Sandlot, which will probably make any kid want to run bases. I can already tell this kid is going to get a real cinematic education from his cool parents.

Just when you think a baby announcement would grab the attention of fans, it looks like their eyes are more on Pete Davidson’s extensive VHS collection. Nostalgia may have stolen the spotlight for a second, but future baby photos will no doubt end up stealing the show.

While we wait for more news about the parents-to-be, make sure to catch Davidson’s 2025 movie release, The Home, which will be in theaters on July 25th.

After putting it off for more than a month and avoiding conversations with friends and colleagues, I finally watched V/H/S/Beyond. Though the 2024 movie is not my favorite entry in this great horror franchise, I have to admit there is one short film in the anthology collection that I think could spark an incredible spinoff franchise, and now I really want to see this happen.

Yeah, I am fully aware that despite giving us some of the best horror movies in recent memory, the franchise’s history with spinoffs is minimal and admitteldy not all that remarkable, with SIREN and Kids vs. Zombies as the current output. However, I think there could be a lot of potential with “Stork,” Jordan Downey’s sci-fi-oriented short about a hardened police unit investigating a string of baby disappearances. Let me explain…

The Stork Had Me On The Edge Of My Seat

As soon as I first saw the V/H/S/Beyond trailer, I was immediately intrigued by “Stork,” a found-footage short film about a group of cops taking on zombie-like creatures and a mysterious bird-like alien that initially gave me some serious Resident Evil (the game and not the film franchise) vibes. And I’m here to say I wasn’t let down, not in the slightest.

Let me tell you, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire short film (which isn’t even 20 minutes, in case you were wondering). The use of police bodycams to capture all the footage was an awesome choice by director Jordan Downey, as it added a level of fear, anxiety, and intensity that I think could have been easily lost.

As the highly-trained W.A.R.D.E.N. unit made its way through the house of horrors in hopes of finding missing babies, I kept finding myself both excited and terrified of what was waiting around each corner of the dilapidated building.

Why I Think The W.A.R.D.E.N. Team Would Perfect For A Horror Franchise

There are a lot of promising upcoming horror movies on the way, and I think a V/H/S spinoff centering on the W.A.R.D.E.N. team would fit perfectly on that list. There could be an expansion of the short film to go more into the case surrounding the missing babies and the aftermath of the siege of the alien house, or it could be something completely different; I’d honestly be happy either way.

I mean, there’s so much to explore with this elite team that pretty much feels like Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S) from the Resident Evil games. In the final moments of the short film, right before the stork is killed once and for all, it’s revealed that this isn’t the team’s first rodeo and that they have handled similar threats before. Give me a great zombie apocalypse movie with the team, give me an action-packed vampire flick, give me werewolves.

I’m not entirely sure if the V/H/S series, with all its great anthology horror movies, will ever get another shot at expansion with spinoffs in the future, but I honestly think that “Stork” and its W.A.R.D.E.N. team would be perfect to explore down the road.

The weather is turning, the leaves are falling, and spooky decorations are being placed around the neighborhood. This means one thing and one thing only: it’s finally Halloween season! After what seems like an eternity, the spooky season is finally here once again, and what better way to celebrate and prepare for all those trick-or-treaters than by an epic horror movie marathon. 

As part of CinemaBlend’s ongoing partnership with Plex, we have compiled a list of a dozen horror movies that are streaming for free, including the 2012 anthology film V/H/S. Each of these movies come as part of Plex’s Cheap Thrills and Sugar and Fright collections, which offer all kinds of titles ranging from thrillers to campy horror flicks worth checking out.

V/H/S (2012)

In 2012, movie producer Brad Miska came up with the idea of creating a found footage horror anthology film consisting of shorts written and directed by some of the day’s most promising up-and-coming filmmakers. The result was V/H/S, which follows a group of hooligans as they record themselves breaking into an abandoned house to steal an old VHS tape. Upon entering the home, the group stumbles across a series of mysterious videotapes and decide to give them a watch.

What follows is a series of shorts written and directed by Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard, the Hellraiser remake’s David Bruckner, X director Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and Scream (2022) directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

Watch V/H/S on Plex.

Children Of The Corn (1984)

There is a seemingly endless list of Stephen King adaptations that every horror fan should watch, and among them is Fritz Kiersch’s 1984 cult classic Children of the Corn. Sure, it’s not as well-received as other King movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, and The Shining, but it’s definitely worth a watch.

The movie follows a young doctor named Burt Stanton (Peter Horton) and his girlfriend Vicky Baxter (Linda Hamilton) as they become trapped in the small Midwestern town of Gatlin, Nebraska, on a cross-country trip, and find themselves facing off against a mysterious cult of children led by the sinister Isaac (John Franklin) and Malachai (Courtney Gains). Surrounded by corn and mysterious happenings, the couple is in the fight of their lives.

Watch Children of the Corn on Plex.

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

Next is George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. After she and her brother are attacked by a ghoul in a rural Pennsylvania cemetery, Barbara (Judith O’Dea) takes refuge in an old farmhouse with several other survivors, including Ben (Duane Jones) and Harry Cooper (Karl Hardman). But as the swarms of undead try to get inside the home, it’s those inside who may pose the biggest threat.

There’s never a bad time to watch how Romero changed the horror world with his influential black-and-white horror film, but it’s definitely worth giving another spin during Halloween.

Watch Night of the Living Dead on Plex.

The ABCs Of Death

The 2012 comedy horror anthology film The ABCs of Death, is similar to V/H/S in the sense that it includes various short films created by filmmakers who were on the rise at the time. But unlike V/H/S, which features a handful of shorts, this collection is made up of 26 (hence the name).

Each of the 26 films in the collection focus on a letter of the alphabet, and include titles like A is for Apocalypse from Nacho Vigaldo, M is for Miscarriage by Ti West, U is for Unearthed by Ben Wheatley, and so forth. Each chapter is short and varied in the respective director’s approach, creating a varied and enjoyable experience.

Watch The ABCs Of Death on Plex.

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

After making a name for himself as one of the most promising young horror directors with The House of the Devil, Ti West released Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, a sequel to the 2002 horror comedy Cabin Fever. The movie centers around a group of high school students who become infected by a flesh-eating virus that has come to crash the upcoming prom. Similar to its predecessor, Spring Fever is gory, violent, and extremely offbeat.

For those who discovered Ti West through his more modern work like X and Pearl, this oft-forgotten horror gem is a must-watch.

Watch Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever on Plex.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

With its over-the-top antagonists, cotton candy cocoons, and guns that spray popcorn, it's no surprise that Stephen Chiodo’s 1988 science fiction horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space has become a camp classic in the 34 years since its first release. The basic premise of the film is that a pair of teenagers investigate a comet that came crashing down only to find murderous aliens who have taken on the appearance of circus clowns.

What follows is one of the more ridiculous horror movies on Plex but also one of the most fun. It’s incredibly silly and nonsensical, but it’s something you just have to see. Where else are you going to see alien clowns hunting human victims with a dog made from balloons?

Watch Killer Klowns From Outer Space on Plex.

Phantasm (1979)

Don Coscarelli’s 1979 fantasy horror film Phantasm is a staple of the genre and one of the more unsettling and unnerving movies you’ll see on Plex. After his parents and other members of his small community die under bizarre circumstances, a young boy named Mike Pearson (Michael Baldwin) and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) team up to investigate the occurrences. This leads them to discovering that the local undertaker, known as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), could have something to do with it all.

There are few horror movie villains as terrifying as the Tall Man, with his cold demeanor, steadfast walk, and those iconic and nightmarish spheres that do his dirty work.

Watch Phantasm on Plex.

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)

Michael Rooker has a long history in the horror and thriller genre, having landed prominent roles in movies like The Bone Collector, Slither, and The Walking Dead, and it all started with John McNaughton’s 1986 crime film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Loosely based on the exploits of convicted killer Henry Lee Lucas, this psychological thriller follows Rooker’s Henry as he is released from prison only to hit the streets and start killing once again.

One of Rooker’s finest performances to date, his take on the character is both frightening and entertaining as the actor explores the mind, impulses, and crimes of a sadistic killer.

Watch Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer on Plex.

Train To Busan (2016)

Yeon Sang-ho’s 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan is an incredibly exciting, visceral, and surprisingly emotional story of survival and redemption in the face of death. When work-focused father Seok Woo (Gong Yoo) gets aboard a speed train from Seoul to Busan to take his daughter to her mother’s home, he has no idea they will soon have to go up against the army of the dead.

There is no denying that Train to Busan is one of the best additions to the zombie genre in some time as it finds the perfect balance between heart-stopping action and heartbreaking drama, especially as it tackles topics like parenthood, redemption, and survival.

Watch Train to Busan on Plex.

High Tension (2003)

Before making movies like Crawl, Piranha 3D, and even the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, Alexandre Aja rose to prominence with his frightening and traumatizing 2003 slasher High Tension. The movie follows two best friends — Marie (Cécile de France) and Alexia (Maïwenn) — as they spend a quiet weekend away in the countryside, but the getaway ends up being anything but peaceful for the pair.

When the young women and other inhabitants of the secluded farmhouse become victims of a psychotic stranger, they find themselves in a life-and-death battle of the wills where no one and nothing can really be trusted.

Watch High Tension on Plex.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

Ana Lily Amirpour’s 2014 black-and-white horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night tells the story of a lonely man named Arash (Arash Marandi) who befriends a mysterious woman (Sheila Vand) who just so happens to be bloodthirsty vampire who feeds on random pedestrians in their Iranian city in the dark of night. 

Following a series of unfortunate events and mysterious deaths, the pair form a close bond which causes the vampire, known as The Girl, to become conflicted and torn between love and survival.

Watch A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Plex.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)

When all of his patients come in with the same complaint — a family member has been replaced with an identical yet emotionless imposter — Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) attempts to get to the bottom of the mysterious circumstances in Santa Mira, California. Little does he know, but the doctor is about to make an incredibly dangerous discovery in the quiet town he calls home.

Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which was based on Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers, has gone down as one the most memorable and influential horror movies of all time, and has been adapted several times over the years, including the 1978 film of the same name starring Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum.

Watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers on Plex.

These are just a dozen of the selection of horror movies on Plex that are streaming for free throughout the Halloween season, and there are dozens upon dozens of other films in the Cheap Thrills and Sugar and Fright collections worth checking out.

If you are looking for a good scare without breaking the bank, watching the best horror movies on Peacock will cost you absolutely nothing. From recent releases to creepy classics, a very impressive amount of the best movies on Peacock boast all the suspense, supernatural intrigue, and bloody brutality you might be looking for, albeit with a few ad breaks. If that is something you think you can endure, look no further than our picks for some of the best horror movies you can check out with a Peacock subscription at the moment. 

Bliss (2019)

Amid a rough creative block, a talented painter (played by Dora Madison) suddenly begins to endure a mysteriously bizarre and deeply concerning transformative experience.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: With his visually erratic third feature, Bliss, writer and director Joe Begos introduces a wildly unique take on an otherwise familiar concept in horror lore that I will let you discover on your own.

Stream Bliss on Peacock.

Coherence (2013)

A comet passing over Earth seems to create a very perplexing situation for a group of friends reuniting for a dinner party.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Without giving too much away, writer and director James Ward Byrkit’s Coherence is one of the most fascinating and stunningly original multiverse movies ever made, let alone the fact that it is largely improvised.

Stream Coherence on Peacock.

V/H/S (2012)

Thieves hired to find a particular videotape sift through increasingly strange footage involving the likes of a night of debauchery gone wrong, a woman video-chatting her boyfriend about a possible haunting situation, and more.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Featuring shorts by filmmakers like Adam Wingard, Ti West, and Radio Silence, V/H/S is a raw, inventive, and absolutely frightening fusion of the found footage style with the anthology movie structure that kicked off one of the most enduring horror movie franchises in recent memory.

Stream V/H/S on Peacock.

Abigail (2024)

What a group of professional criminals assume will be a simple ransom job proves to be anything but when they kidnap a little girl (played by Alisha Weir) who is not quite what she seems.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Radio Silence follows Ready or Not and their contributions to the Scream franchise with a new vampire movie classic called Abigail, which proved to be an unprecedentedly bloody experience for cast members like Melissa Barerra and Dan Stevens. 

Stream Abigail on Peacock.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Amateur documentarians Heather (Heather Donahue), Mike (Michael C. Williams), and Josh (Joshua Leonard) set out to make a film about a local legend, only to find themselves lost in the woods and afraid they may not be alone.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: While not the first found footage movie, many fans and critics alike consider Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez’s The Blair Witch Project to be the genre’s finest for its startling suspense and brilliant reliance on fear of the unknown.

Stream The Blair Witch Project on Peacock.

The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

Five vacationing college students are terrorized by a supernatural threat, but soon discover there is more to their situation than meets the eye.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: As our own The Cabin in the Woods review agrees, director Drew Goddard’s instant classic is one of the most clever and hilarious deconstructions of horror conventions ever made.

Stream The Cabin in the Woods on Peacock.

The Purge (2013)

Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey star as a couple trying to keep their family safe on an annual night in the near future when all crime is legal. 

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Peacock subscribers can also watch the acclaimed series spin-off from the Purge movies after watching creator James DeMonaco’s intense and thought-provoking original installment.

Stream The Purge on Peacock.

The Terrifier Movies (2017, 2022)

A horrifying harlequin (played by David Howard Thornton) stalks and brutally murders victims of his choosing, preferably on Halloween night.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Few creepy clown movies are as gleefully grotesque and bewilderingly brutal as writer and director Damien Leone’s Terrifier and its 2022 sequel, Terrifier 2, – each of which follows the shockingly cruel exploits of one of the greatest modern horror movie villains, Art the Clown.

Stream the Terrifier movies on Peacock.

Def By Temptation (1990)

A minister-in-training (played by James Bond III), his actor friend (played by Kadeem Hardison), and a cop who specializes in the supernatural (played by Bill Nunn) take on an alluring succubus (played by Cynthia Bond).

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Not only does James Bond III star in Def by Temptation, he also writes and directs this underrated, Troma-produced Black horror movie that also stars Samuel L. Jackson.

Stream Def by Temptation on Peacock.

The Host (2006)

A man stops at nothing to rescue his daughter after she is abducted by an unusual creature that emerges from the Han River in Seoul, South Korea.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Before Parasite earned him an Oscar, co-writer and director Bong Joon-ho earned major Kudos with the creature feature-loving community when he released the inventive and thoroughly intense, The Host.

Stream The Host on Peacock.

Freaky (2020)

After surviving an attack by a killer known as The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), teenage Millie (Kathryn Newton) finds herself trapped in the body of the notorious killer, whose own consciousness is inhabiting her body.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: By, essentially, reimagining the plot of the classic body swap movie, Freaky Friday, as a quirky slasher flick, director Christopher Landon lands yet another horror-comedy movie favorite with Freaky.

Stream Freaky on Peacock.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Young campers and adult counselors alike are eliminated one by one by an elusive, unseen assailant at a summer camp.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: If not for the existence of the Friday the 13th franchise, Sleepaway Camp would be the ultimate summer horror movie, especially for its iconically shocking twist ending.

Stream Sleepaway Camp on Peacock.

The Void (2016)

An understaffed hospital becomes the site of strange, otherworldly circumstances that seem to be related to a group of hooded bystanders gathering outside the building.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: From writers and directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski, and bearing grade-A practical effects, The Void is a passionately executed callback to Lovecraftian creature features of the 1980s.

Stream The Void on Peacock.

The Exorcist III (1990)

George C. Scott plays a veteran detective who finds disturbing evidence linking a series of recent murders to a long-dead serial killer.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: A sequel to William Friedkin’s 1973 classic mostly in name, writer and director William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist III is a terrifying, unjustly overlooked masterpiece that fuses crime drama with supernatural thrills.

Stream The Exorcist III on Peacock.

Let The Right One In (2008)

A lonely boy (played by Kåre Hedebrant) forms a friendship with a girl (played by Lina Leandersson) hiding a deadly secret in 1980s Stockholm.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Director Tomas Alfredson’s gorgeous, brutal adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, Let the Right One In, is one of the most hauntingly unique vampire movies ever made.

Stream Let the Right One In on Peacock.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

A group of young road-trippers fall prey to a family of cannibals – one of which hunts with a power tool.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Writer and director Tobe Hooper masterfully captures the feeling of a seemingly endless nightmare with one of the best horror movies of the ‘70s, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – which is not exactly a horror movie based on a true story like it was advertised, but does take inspiration from the murders of Ed Gein.

Stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Peacock.

Phantasm (1979)

A recently orphaned teenage boy (played by A. Michael Baldwin) and his older brother (Bill Thornbury) discover that a mysterious tall man (played by Angus Scrimm) is stealing bodies from their graves and set out to understand why.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: With a plot so unapologetically strange, a villain so memorably imposing, and other enduringly iconic elements, writer and director Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm is a definitive, must-see cult horror film.

Stream Phantasm on Peacock.

Starry Eyes (2014)

Future Midnight Mass cast member Alex Essoe gives a bold performance as an aspiring actor who goes to unimaginably dangerous lengths to earn what she believes will be the role of a lifetime.

Why it’s one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Not just one of the best horror movies on Peacock, but one of the most criminally underrated horror movies in recent memory is Starry Eyes – a harrowing tale of ambition gone south with a dash of treacherous body horror from Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer of 2019’s Pet Sematary remake fame.

Stream Starry Eyes on Peacock.

The Wailing (2016)

A police officer and family man from South Korea (played by Kwak Do-won) struggles to prevent the spread of a strange illness which has some villagers convinced it is the work of a demon.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Director Na Hong-jin’s horrifying, thoroughly compelling, and sometimes darkly funny bedtime story, The Wailing, is a masterpiece of slow-burn horror and one of the greatest Asian horror films of its time.

Stream The Wailing on Peacock.

Black Christmas (1974)

Jess Bradford (Olivia Hussey) and her fellow sorority sisters find themselves taunted by a stranger who is most definitely not Santa Claus while spending winter break together at their school’s currently desolate campus.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Years before director Bob Clark finished his iconic and hilarious dream project, A Christmas Story, his first holiday classic was Black Christmas – one of the greatest horror films set around Christmas and is often argued to be the true first modern slasher movie.

Stream Black Christmas on Peacock.

The House Of The Devil (2009)

A cash-strapped college student (played by Jocelin Donahue) accepts a babysitting job that she quickly comes to regret when nothing appears to be as it seems on the night of a lunar eclipse in 1983.

Why it’s one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Writer and director Ti West, instantly became one of the leading heroes in modern indie horror with his underrated ode to the Satanic Panic era, The House of the Devil – another masterpiece of slow-burn horror that earns its place with a shocking final act and an early appearance by future Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig.

Stream The House Of The Devil on Peacock.

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

A group of strangers taking refuge in a small house in the country struggle to survive the hungry, shuffling corpses outside… and each other.

Why it’s one of the best horror movies on Peacock: Co-writer and director George A. Romero first introduced the world to the modern, definitive incarnation of the zombie with Night of the Living Dead, which is also one of the best movies on Peacock, period, for its cleverly veiled social commentary that would become a staple of the filmmaker’s long-running Dead movies series.

Stream Night Of The Living Dead on Peacock.

Day Of The Dead (1985)

A dwindling number of scientists and military personnel take refuge together in an underground bunker, where they struggle to survive the hungry, shuffling corpses above – and each other – while warring over what is most important in a world overrun with the dead.

Why it’s one of the best horror movies on Peacock: After following up his first horrid night with a distressing dawn, George A. Romero would then give us Day of the Dead – one of the more thoughtful, thematically unique, technically impressive, and realistic zombie movies in his influential franchise, and of all time.

Stream Day Of The Dead on Peacock.

Train To Busan (2016)

An overworked businessman (played by Gong Yoo) takes his daughter (played by Su-an Kim) on a trip to visit her mother by train, which ends up becoming a ride into relentless terror when the train cars become overrun with hungry, fast-moving corpses.

Why it’s one of the best horror movies on Peacock: One of the most exciting and intelligent zombie movies in recent memory is one of the best Korean horror movies ever, Train to Busan.

Stream Train To Busan on Peacock.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

As she approaches womanhood, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) undergoes a more startling transformation than she anticipated following a mysterious animal attack with only her close younger sister, Brigitte (Emily Perkins), to confide in, even as the strange circumstances threaten to tear them apart.

Why it’s one of the best horror movies on Peacock: One of the most stylish and refreshingly character-driven werewolf movies is the Canadian import Ginger Snaps, which is co-written and directed by Orphan Black creator John Fawcett and boasts makeup effects that are extremely impressive for an early-2000s, low-budget creature feature.

Stream Ginger Snaps on Peacock.

This, of course, is only a handful of recommendations for the best horror movies on Peacock. But, as you can see, they are enough to prove that the streaming service really knows what constitutes a good scare. Keep an eye out for any upcoming horror movies that will be making their way to the platform next.

One thing that always makes a horror fan happier than one great horror movie is a bunch of great horror movies, but the only thing more satisfying than that is a bunch of horror movies in one. Since the early days of the genre, anthology horror flicks like Trick ‘r Treat have indulged in the chance to tell multiple stories of a suspenseful, frightening, or comically creepy variety presented as one feature-length collection.

However, while anthology horror movies do have a history of being hit-or-miss, the hits are certainly not to be missed. To help you better identify the beautiful, bloody diamonds in the revolting rough, I present a collection of films below that, in my opinion, make up the ultimate anthology of truly satisfying horror anthologies.

Trick ‘R Treat (2007)

A school principal with a disturbing secret, teens discovering the truth behind a local tall tale, a young woman looking for a costume party date in all the wrong places, and more shocking tricks and treats affect the citizens of a small town who take Halloween very seriously... or not seriously enough.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Halloween has never been taken more seriously than by writer and director Michael Dougherty with Trick 'r Treat – an underrated cult classic that otherwise rarely takes itself too seriously and abandons traditional anthology structure by flashing back and forth between its increasingly creepy tales, all tied together by the mischievous Sam.

Stream Trick ‘r Treat on Max.
Rent or buy Trick ‘r Treat on Amazon.

The V/H/S Movies (2012-2023)

A group of friends accidentally crash the wrong Halloween party, an eye transplant recipient sees things he shouldn’t, a college sorority hopeful struggles to survive a dangerous initiation ceremony, and more terrifying tales “caught on video cassette tape” are presented in this enduring series.

Why They Are Great Horror Anthology Movies: The hit found footage horror favorite V/H/S has inspired a franchise lasting longer than most anthology horror movies can say and most recently expanded with the release of Shudder’s upcoming horror movie, V/H/S/85.

Stream V/H/S on Amazon Prime.
Stream V/H/S/2 on Tubi.
Stream V/H/S Viral on Tubi.
Rent or buy V/H/S/94 on Amazon.
Buy V/H/S/99 on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Stream V/H/S/85 on Amazon with a Shudder Premium add-on.

Black Sabbath (1963)

This trilogy of terrifying tales follows a woman plagued by unsettling phone calls, a man crossing paths with a family battling the threat of vampirism, and a nurse preparing the remains of a recently deceased medium.

Why They Are Great Horror Anthology Movies: According to BBC, yes: the Ozzy Osbourne-led rock band behind “Iron Man” did get their name from Black Sabbath – director Mario Bava’s seminal anthology hosted by horror movie icon, Boris Karloff.

Stream Black Sabbath on Tubi.
Stream Black Sabbath on Plex.

Tales From The Darkside: The Movie (1990)

As a witch (Debbie Harry) prepares to eat him, a young boy (Matthew Lawrence) tries to stall the feast by entertaining her with tales of a revived mummy, a hitman tasked with killing a cat, and a struggling artist's fateful deal with a gargoyle.  

Why They Are Great Horror Anthology Movies: Based on the hit anthology TV show of the same name, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a fun, creepy collection inspired by stories from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Michael McDowell, Stephen King, and George A. Romero.

Rent or buy Tales From The Darkside: The Movie on Amazon.

Cat’s Eye (1985) 

A triple feature of tales – one about a man trying an unusual method to quit smoking, another about a billionaire forcing his wife’s lover to complete a daring task, and one more about a young girl in need of protection from an uninvited guest – all linked by the presence of a stray cat.

Why They Are Great Horror Anthology Movies: Director Lewis Teague’s Cat’s Eye is based on a trio of stories from none other than Stephen King and also stars a young Drew Barrymore.

Stream Cat’s Eye on Max.
Rent or buy Cat’s Eye on Amazon.

Body Bags (1993)

A ghoulish coroner (John Carpenter) reveals the origins behind his latest clientele – including a serial killer stalking a gas station attendant, a man desperate for a hair regrowth solution, and a baseball pitcher who learns the shocking truth behind his eye transplant donor.

Why They Are Great Horror Anthology Movies: Not only is Body Bags one of John Carpenter’s best movies because he is the host – he also directs two segments and leaves the last in the hands of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre creator, Tobe Hooper.

Stream Body Bags on Peacock.
Stream Body Bags on Tubi.
Stream Body Bags on Freevee through Amazon.

Tales Of Halloween (2015)

A babysitter and her boyfriend learn the dangers of eating too much candy, a boy is mentored in neighborhood mischief by a devilish stranger, a man struggles to keep his wife's obsession with Grimm fairy tales from getting out of hand, and more ghoulish and grave circumstances are faced one particularly eventful All Hallow's Eve.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Admittedly, Tales of Halloween owes a lot to Trick 'r Treat in terms of tone and concept, but the otherwise traditionally structured horror anthology earns its place as one of the best for its 10 fun and freaky loosely interwoven stories (including one by The Descent director Neil Marshall) that are each better than the last.

Stream Tales of Halloween on Amazon Prime.
Stream Tales of Halloween on Tubi.

Ghost Stories (2017)

A skeptical professor (Andy Nyman) who has made a living off of disproving supernatural phenomena is challenged by a famous paranormal researcher he idolizes to debunk the three cases that left him stumped.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Based on a play co-written by Jeremy Dyson and star Nyman (who also share directorial credit for the adaptation) and featuring a dazzling performance by Sherlock's Martin Freeman, Ghost Stories sets itself apart from other collections of increasingly disturbing stories, not just by framing itself as a series of investigations, but from its thought-provoking and truly haunting twist ending.

Stream Ghost Stories on Tubi.
Stream Ghost Stories on Plex.
Rent or buy Ghost Stories on Amazon.

Creepshow (1982)

A lonely farmer experiences a most unusual growth, a plot for revenge comes with unexpected results, and a curmudgeonly shut-in's commitment to living free of infestation fails in the most terrifying way are just a few of the bizarre tales in this tribute 1950s horror comics.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero collaborated on Creepshow, which would be remembered for years to come as the most essential in comedic horror anthologies and later inspired Greg Nicotero to develop a TV series of the same name that is exclusively available on Shudder.

Rent Creepshow on Amazon.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Two late night travelers discuss their favorite memories of a classic science fiction TV show, which introduces a series of new, modernized takes on its most famous episodes and one original tale.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller, and John Landis each directed their own segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie, which honorably pays tribute to the most essential in TV horror anthology series from creator Rod Serling, despite mostly being remembered for years to come by an infamous tragedy that occurred on set.

Stream Twilight Zone: The Movie on Tubi.
Rent or buy Twilight Zone: The Movie on Amazon.

ABCs Of Death 2 (2014)

Dismemberment, drug abuse, the dead rising up from their graves, and 23 other frequently lethal circumstances serve as the basis of this collection of boldly grim, individually helmed shorts presented in alphabetical order.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Most horror anthology movie sequels are widely considered a step down, but ABCs of Death 2 achieved the opposite reputation by exploring the many ways a person can meet their end in a much more consistent, unique, scarier, and even funnier fashion than its 2012 predecessor.

Stream ABCs of Death 2 on Amazon Prime.
Stream ABCs of Death 2 on Tubi.
Stream ABCs of Death 2 on Plex.

The Mortuary Collection (2020)

An eccentric funeral home director (Clancy Brown, in one of his best movies) is visited by a young woman (Caitlin Custer, neé Fisher) looking for a job, whom he then entertains by recounting the stories of his most notorious clients.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: In yet another anthology of deadly cautionary tales, writer and director Ryan Spindell's The Mortuary Collection is one of the most acclaimed Shudder original movies released in 2020 for its funny, shocking, and often thought-provoking eye for morbid curiosity.

Rent or buy The Mortuary Collection on Amazon.

Tales From The Hood (1995)

An eccentric funeral home director (Clarence Williams III) is visited by three young men looking for a drug shipment, whom he then entertains by recounting the stories of his most notorious clients.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: You know, I genuinely did not realize how similar The Mortuary Collection is in its narrative framework to Tales from the Hood until now, but one thing it could not steal from co-writer and director Rusty Cundieff's classic Black horror movie is its honest and timeless commentary on racial injustice cleverly presented through a supernatural twist.

Stream Tales from the Hood on Peacock.
Rent or buy Tales from the Hood on Amazon.

Southbound (2015)

A man hoping to find his long-lost sister, an all-female band driving to their next big concert, a pair of crooks looking for an escape, and others each come across an abrupt and harrowing stop while traveling down the same barren desert highway.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: The narrative framing of 2015's Southbound is actually quite inventive with each story (including a wraparound segment starring and helmed by Radio Silence) seamlessly transitioning to the next, as if it is one endless loop of memories from the most disastrous road trip ever.

Stream Southbound on Tubi.
Rent or buy Southbound on Amazon.

Three... Extremes (2004)

This disturbing trilogy tells the stories of a housewife who learns the revolting truth behind a natural aging cure, a filmmaker thrust into a game of life or death by an actor desperate for attention, and an author haunted by her memories of growing up in the circus.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: Three of the most accomplished auteurs in Asian horror cinema (including Audition director Takashi Miike) each contribute their own individual exercise in unflinchingly painful dread in Three... Extremes – an anthology that goes above and beyond to live up to its name.

Stream Three… Extremes on Freevee through Amazon.
Stream Three… Extremes on Plex.

Holidays (2016)

A lovesick high school student trying to find the perfect Valentine for her crush, an abusive pimp falling for a brutal Halloween trick, a little girl who learns she was right to fear what she may find in her Easter basket, and others endure an experience that makes planning a seasonal celebration seem not so stressful.

Why It's A Good Option for Horror Fans: You may never be able to enjoy St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, or any more of your favorite holidays the same way after seeing them through the twisted perspectives of 2019’s Pet Sematary helmers Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, Tusk director Kevin Smith, and the six other filmmakers behind this anthology that is so bizarrely intense, it is borderline offensive.

Rent or buy Holidays on Amazon.

All Hallow’s Eve (2013)

When the boy she looks after finds a mysterious videotape in his trick-or-treat bag, a babysitter (Katie McGuires) curiously pops it in to find three unusual short films all somehow related to a demented clown.

Why It Is A Great Horror Anthology Movie: I would honestly put writer and director Damien Leone's All Hallow's Eve in the "hit-or-miss" category of horror anthologies, but still recommend it as the chilling debut of the horrifying harlequin, Art, who would return for his own pair of creepy clown movies: Terrifier and Terrifier 2.

Stream All Hallow’s Eve on Tubi.
Rent or buy All Hallow’s Eve on Amazon.

With a few notable exceptions that found their way onto my list above, I believe and have accepted that most horror anthologies are destined to have one or two segments that may not measure up to the rest in one's eyes. Yet, that should not be any reason to discourage you from experiencing every last one because every person's fear is triggered by something different. Besides, you have a better chance to find what scares you not from one horror movie, but from multiple horror movies in one.

Looking for a streaming platform to have the ultimate spooky movie binge this Halloween? When you take a look at the best horror movies on Amazon Prime, you will see that it is one of the best streaming services to subscribe to for indulging in some great horror movies during this special season or any time of the year.

That being said, it can be a real nightmare sifting through all the best movies on Amazon Prime in search of the scariest cinematic favorites it has to offer. Well, allow me to help make your horror movie marathon less horrifying by picking out the genre’s finest that come available with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Terrifier And Terrifier 2 (2017, 2022)

Director: Damien Leone

Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera

What it’s about: A sadistic clown stalks unsuspecting innocents with torturous and murderous intent.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Immediately earning their place among the most iconic creepy clown movies for their shocking gore and the brilliantly acted villain, Art the Clown, are Terrifier and Terrifier 2, which would spawn the successful third installment, Terrifier 3.

• Stream Terrifier on Amazon Prime
• Stream Terrifier 2 on Amazon Prime

The Thing (1982)

Director: John Carpenter

Starring: Kurt Russell, Keith David

What it’s about: A crew of researchers stationed in the Antarctic question who among them is still human when they discover a shape-shifting creature from another planet.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: With a faithful adaptation of John W. Campbell’s novella, Who Goes There?, John Carpenter introduces, arguably, the scariest movie alien ever with The Thing – a brilliantly crafted story of paranoia elevated by timeless practical effects.

• Stream The Thing on Amazon Prime

Dracula (1931)

Director: Tod Browning, Karl Freund

Starring: Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye

What it’s about: A real estate agent is lured into servitude by a Transylvanian count who then moves to London searching for fresh blood.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Playing the vampiric title role of Universal’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula made Bela Lugosi one of the greatest horror movie icons of all time.

• Stream Dracula on Amazon Prime

The Invitation (2016)

Director: Karyn Kusama

Starring: Logan Marshall Green, Emayatzy Corinealdi

What it’s about: While attending a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife and her new lover, a man begins to suspect there is a sinister agenda to the occasion.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: One of the best horror movies from a female director, The Invitation, is a masterpiece of slow-burn horror that accurately captures the feeling of being the odd one out at a friendly get-together.

• Stream The Invitation on Amazon Prime

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper

Starring: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen

What it’s about: A group of traveling twenty-somethings falls prey to a power tool-wielding killer and his family of cannibals.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: By authentically capturing the feelings of a nightmare on film, Tobe Hooper made one of the best horror movies of the 1970s out of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which is not actually inspired by a real incident as it claims.

• Stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Amazon Prime

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Director: John Landis

Starring: David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter

What it’s about: After a tragic incident, a Stateside college student touring the U.K. receives warnings from his dead friend’s spirit that will transform into a vicious creature under a full moon.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: With Academy Award-winning makeup effects by Rick Baker and a slyly comical approach to lycanthropic lore, An American Werewolf in London is one of the finest werewolf movies ever made.

• Stream An American Werewolf in London on Amazon Prime

Possum (2018)

Director: Matthew Holness

Starring: Sean Harris, Alun Armstrong

What it’s about: A disgraced puppeteer is forced to confront his disturbing past when he returns to his hometown.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: If the nuanced commentary on childhood trauma of the slow-paced Possum – an overlooked recent horror movie – does not get under your skin, the grotesque titular puppet undoubtedly will.

• Stream Possum on Amazon Prime

The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)

Director: Dan O’Bannon

Starring: Thom Matthews, James Karen

What it’s about: A strange accident at a medical supply warehouse causes the dead to rise from their graves.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: One of the all-time funniest and most acclaimed zombie movies is The Return of the Living Dead, which introduced the concept of the undead craving brains.

• Stream The Return of the Living Dead on Amazon Prime

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Director: Mike Flanagan

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran

What it’s about: Adult Dan Torrance is forced to confront his traumatic past in order to protect a younger telepath from a group of vicious immortal psychics.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Mike Flanagan’s moving and terrifying adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep helped the author come to terms with his feelings over its predecessor, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

• Stream Doctor Sleep on Amazon Prime

Nosferatu (1922)

Director: F.W. Murnau

Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach

What it’s about: German real estate agent Knock meets a client named Count Orlok, who turns out to be a malevolent creature of the night.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: In 2024, Robert Eggers is releasing a remake of Nosferatu, which may not be the most famous (unofficial) adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula but is still widely considered to be one of the finest and scariest vampire movies of the silent era, if not all time.

• Stream Nosferatu on Amazon Prime

Barbarian (2022)

Director: Zach Cregger

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long

What it’s about: A documentarian meets a strange man after accidentally reserving the same Detroit Airbnb, which turns out to be the least concerning thing about the house.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: The Whitest Kids U’Know star Zach Cregger surprised the world with Barbarian, which was touted as one of the best horror movies of 2022 for its subversive narrative and unsettling twists.

• Stream Barbarian on Amazon Prime

Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil (2010)

Director: Eli Craig

Starring: Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine

What it’s about: Well-meaning hillbillies Tucker and Dale are mistaken for murderers by a group of young vacationers, which creates “a real doozy” of trouble for all of them.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: By cleverly turning one of the most overused slasher movie tropes (the creepy countryman) on its head, Eli Craig makes Tucker and Dale vs. Evil one of the best horror-comedy movies of its time.

• Stream Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Amazon Prime

The Menu (2022)

Director: Mark Mylod

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy

What it’s about: a woman unwittingly becomes involved in a dangerous situation while attending an exclusive dining experience curated by the renowned Chef Slowik.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Once again proving that Anya Taylor-Joy is the Scream Queen of her generation, The Menu is a dazzling and deliciously demented satire of elitist dining culture.

• Stream The Menu on Amazon Prime

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Starring: Stacy Chbosky, Ben Messmer

What it’s about: An elusive, sadistic serial kidnapper leaves behind visual evidence of his hellacious crimes on a large collection of VHS tapes recovered in a small town in New York.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: The Poughkeepsie Tapes is one of the most unsettling documentary-style horror films for the brutally realistic way it depicts the experiences of captivity and its damaging psychological effects.

• Stream The Poughkeepsie Tapes on Amazon Prime

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Director: Zelda Williams

Starring: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse

What it’s about: Lonely teen Lisa Swallows finds an unexpected romance with the reanimated corpse of a young man in the late 1980s.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody, Lisa Frankenstein, is a charmingly macabre and deliriously funny reimagining of Mary Shelley’s seminal novel warmly wrapped in ‘80s nostalgia.

• Stream Lisa Frankenstein on Amazon Prime

Tales Of Halloween (2015)

Director: Various

Starring: Various

What it’s about: A babysitter learns why you should never eat too much candy, a stranger teaches a young trick-or-treater his own sinister tricks, a killer’s chase is interrupted by a strange encounter, and other ghoulish tales set on one fateful All Hallows’ Eve.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: With creepy, loosely connected shorts ranging from hilarious to truly horrifying, Tales from Halloween is one of the most underrated horror anthology movies of its time.

• Stream Tales of Halloween on Amazon Prime

Totally Killer (2023)

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt

What it’s about: A modern-day 17-year-old girl is accidentally transported to the late 1980s, where she is given the chance to stop an infamous murderer’s streak.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Picture the time travel movie classic, Back to the Future, reimagined as an ‘80s-style slasher flick and you would essentially have Totally Killer.

• Stream Totally Killer on Amazon Prime

House On Haunted Hill (1959)

Director: William Castle

Starring: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart

What it’s about: A wealthy eccentric challenges a group of strangers to spend a single night in a spooky old house for a large monetary prize.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Not to be confused with The Haunting of Hill House, director William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill is one of Vincent Price’s most essential and fun thrillers.

• Stream House on Haunted Hill on Amazon Prime

Bones And All (2022)

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell

What it’s about: A pair of young road trippers bond over their shared, unusual appetites in the early 1980s.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Timothée Chalamet reunites with Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino for another gripping period drama about forbidden love, but of a more viscerally shocking and grotesque sort, with Bones and All.

• Stream Bones and All on Amazon Prime

The Collector (2009)

Director: Marcus Dunstan

Starring: Josh Stewart, Andrea Roth

What it’s about: Desperate for money, thief-turned-repairman Arkin plans a seemingly simple burglary job at his wealthy new employers’ house, only to fall prey to the increasingly elaborate traps of a sadistic killer who has confined the resident family inside.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: One of the best movies that fans of the Saw movies should check out is The Collector – a brutal, subversive take on the home invasion thriller.

• Stream The Collector on Amazon Prime

Absentia (2011)

Director: Mike Flanagan

Starring: Katie Parker, Courtney Bell

What it’s about: Several years after her brother-in-law went missing, a recovering addict begins to discover the shocking truth behind the disappearance.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Fans of Mike Flanagan’s movies and TV shows who have not seen the sadly underappreciated Absentia are missing out on one of the filmmaker’s most heartbreaking and horrifying titles.

• Stream Absentia on Amazon Prime

Hell House LLC (2015)

Director: Stephen Cognetti

Starring: Gore Adams, Alice Bahlke

What it’s about: Interviews with surviving witnesses and raw footage captured by the victims expose the mysteries surrounding a small-town haunted house attraction and chronicle the events leading to its ill-fated opening night.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: There are many great found footage thrillers on Amazon Prime, but my personal favorite of the bunch (and of all time) is easily Hell House LLC for its dread-inducing pace, indelibly creepy imagery, and remarkably convincing writing and performances.

• Stream Hell House LLC on Amazon Prime

Hellraiser (1987)

Director: Clive Barker

Starring: Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Doug Bradley

What it’s about: A young woman discovers her stepmother and uncle are lovers, and part of a conspiracy involving murder, a strange puzzle box, and sadomasochistic mutants from another dimension.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Horror maestro Clive Barker made his directorial debut with the disturbing cautionary romance, Hellraiser – an adaptation of his own novella that introduced one of the most iconic horror movie villains, who came to be known as Pinhead.

• Stream Hellraiser on Amazon Prime

Saint Maud (2021)

Director: Rose Glass

Starring: Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle

What it’s about: Desperately seeking redemption, a young Welsh nurse believes she has found her chance when she is assigned to care for a terminally ill dancer and decides to pass her newfound religious beliefs onto her.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Not everything is quite as it seems in the A24 horror movie, Saint Maud, which boasts masterful pacing, thought-provoking commentary on faith, Morfydd Clark’s stellar performance, and a startling ending.

• Stream Saint Maud on Amazon Prime

Suspiria (2018)

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton

What it’s about: A young American woman is accepted into an elite dance company in Berlin operated by a coven of witches.

Why it is one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime: Most missed out on Luca Guadagnino's remake of Dario Argento’s classic, Suspiria, in theaters and that’s a shame because it is a twisty, mysterious, and chilling thriller that features an absolutely remarkable and jaw-dropping conclusion.

• Stream Suspiria on Amazon Prime

The titles above might be enough to convince you to make Amazon Prime Video your prime location for a good scare.

There are some horror subgenres that are considered more niche than others, such as the found footage horror movie. Some may call these mockumentary-style thrillers nothing more than a nausea-inducing gimmick that has well overstayed its welcome, while I believe the method has bred some of the most uniquely immersive and authentically frightening films in recent memory.

In fact, I imagine that, if you are not a fan of the subgenre, I could change your mind about it by recommending some of its greatest hits on streaming. The following are my picks for the absolute best horror movies of the found footage variety.

Ghostwatch (1992)

Director: Lesley Manning

Starring: Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene

What it’s about: A live broadcast from a supposedly haunted home in London spirals horribly out of control.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Because it starred real-life U.K. TV presenters playing themselves, many viewers tuning in too late to the BBC special, Ghostwatch, believed it was a real news broadcast when it premiered (as Collider recalls), and it remains just as frightening to this day.

How to watch Ghostwatch

• Stream Ghostwatch on AMC+
• Rent or buy Ghostwatch on Amazon
• Buy Ghostwatch on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Houses October Built (2014)

Director: Bobby Roe

Starring: Bobby Roe, Brandy Schaefer

What it’s about: A group of amateur documentarians chronicling their search for the scariest Halloween attraction possible find more than they bargained for.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: A highly fictionalized adaptation of a documentary of the same name and by the same filmmakers, The Houses October Built takes a fascinating and frightening look at the haunted house industry that may have you consider a tamer spooky season activity.

How to watch The Houses October Built

• Rent or buy The Houses October Built on Amazon
• Buy The Houses October Built on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Visit (2015)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould

What it’s about: Teenager Becca’s documentary about her and her younger brother meeting with their grandparents for the first time evolves into a chronicle of their fight for survival when it becomes clear something is wrong with “Nana” and “Pop Pop.”

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: One of M. Night Shyamalan’s best movies in years at that point was The Visit for its chilling slow-burn suspense and killer plot twist.

How to watch The Visit

• Stream The Visit on Max
• Rent or buy The Visit on Amazon
• Buy The Visit on Blu-ray on Amazon

Deadstream (2022)

Director: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter

Starring: Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone

What it’s about: A disgraced internet personality tries to make a comeback by hosting a livestream event from inside a creepy abandoned house with an infamous history.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: If Sam Raimi made an Evil Dead movie in the found footage style, it might have turned out a lot like the widely overlooked recent horror film, Deadstream, which is equal parts hilarious and horrifying with lovely special effects.

How to watch Deadstream

• Stream Deadstream on AMC+
• Rent or buy Deadstream on Amazon
• Buy Deadstream on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez

Starring: Heather Donahue, Micahel C. Williams, Joshua Leonard

What it’s about: While investigating an urban legend, three aspiring documentarians find themselves lost in a wood near Burkittsville, Maryland, and soon begin to suspect that they are not alone.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: The Blair Witch Project was astonishingly unique for the horror genre at the time and remains a remarkable achievement for the cast's improvised dialogue and camera use, as well as its ability to make you fear the villain without ever showing it to you.

How to watch The Blair Witch Project

• Stream The Blair Witch Project on Peacock
• Rent or buy The Blair Witch Project on Amazon
• Buy The Blair Witch Project on Blu-ray on Amazon

The McPherson Tape (1989)

Director: Dean Alioto

Starring: Dean Alioto, Tommy Giavocchini

What it’s about: While celebrating a young girl's birthday, a family stumbles upon evidence that otherworldly visitors are among them.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Another underseen found footage entry that predates the genre’s mainstream breakthrough (by a decade) is The McPherson Tape – an alien invasion movie with the charming schlockiness of a low-budget production but the acting, suspense, and authenticity of a classic.

How to watch The McPherson Tape

• Stream The McPherson Tape on Tubi
• Stream The McPherson Tape on Pluto TV
• Rent or buy The McPherson Tape on Amazon
• Buy The McPherson Tape on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Last Broadcast (1998)

Director: Stefan Avalos, Lance Weiler

Starring: Stefan Avalos, Lance Weiler

What it’s about: A pair of local access cable TV stars search for evidence of the Jersey Devil, only to encounter something more dangerous.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: The Last Broadcast is one of the more overlooked found footage thrillers, despite its effectively chilling story and the fact that it predates The Blair Witch Project by a year.

How to watch The Last Broadcast

• Stream The Last Broadcast on Amazon Prime
• Stream The Last Broadcast on Tubi
• Buy The Last Broadcast on Blu-ray on Amazon

Hell House LLC (2015)

Director: Stephen Cognetti

Starring: Gore Adams, Alice Bahlke

What it’s about: A group of friends and business partners prepare their latest spooky attraction at an abandoned hotel which they begin to suspect is actually haunted.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Not just an overlooked found footage movie but an overlooked haunted house thriller as well, Hell House LLC – the first chapter of an ongoing mockumentary franchise – is a relentlessly chilling exercise in masterfully crafted, slow-building dread.

How to watch Hell House LLC

• Stream Hell House LLC on Amazon Prime
• Stream Hell House LLC on Tubi
• Buy Hell House LLC on DVD on Amazon

Afflicted (2013)

Director: Derek Lee, Cliff Prowse

Starring: Derek Lee, Cliff Prowse

What it’s about: A pair of lifelong friends and aspiring filmmakers set out to make a travel documentary that soon evolves into a chronicle of one’s horrifying transformation after suffering a stranger’s bite.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Afflicted is one of the more unique vampire movies in recent memory, and not just because of its found footage style.

How to watch Afflicted

• Buy Afflicted on Blu-ray on Amazon

Lake Mungo (2008)

Director: Joel Anderson

Starring: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger

What it’s about: A documentary crew interviews a family about the strange circumstances that led them to suspect their teenage daughter’s spirit is haunting them.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Easily one of the more sophisticated After Dark Horror Fest entries, the Australian documentary-style ghost story, Lake Mungo, is a horror movie that was more beloved by critics than audiences, despite a cast strong enough to convince you that its heartbreaking story is real.

How to watch Lake Mungo

• Stream Lake Mungo on Amazon Prime
• Buy Lake Mungo on Blu-ray on Amazon

[REC] (2007)

Director: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza

Starring: Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso

What it’s about: A young TV reporter and her cameraman become one of several innocents trapped in a quarantined apartment building following a viral outbreak that turns people into ravenous, animalistic killers.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Many have called the Spanish-language thriller, [REC], the found footage subgenre's peak of brilliance for how it effectively takes advantage of its singular setting to authentically create a claustrophobic environment where unstoppable evil lurks at every turn.

How to watch [REC]

• Stream [REC] on Tubi
• Rent or buy [REC] on Amazon
• Buy [REC] on Blu-ray on Amazon

Cloverfield (2008)

Director: Matt Reeves

Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Odette Annable

What it’s about: A group of twenty-somethings struggle to survive the night when a gargantuan creature wreaks havoc on New York.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: A unique take on monster movies from producer J.J. Abrams, the first of the Cloverfield movies essentially kicked off the found footage trend after its modest commercial and critical success with an absorbing, character-driven narrative that adds an especially devastating aura to the chaos.

How to watch Cloverfield

• Stream Cloverfield on Paramount+
• Rent or buy Cloverfield on Amazon
• Buy Cloverfield on Blu-ray on Amazon

Paranormal Activity Movies (2009-2021)

Director: Oren Peli, Tod Williams, Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, Christopher Landon, Gregory Plotkin, William Eubank

Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, and others

What it’s about: A series of strange occurrences connected to the horrifying experience of a young L.A. couple are captured on camera.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Shortly after Cloverfield reintroduced documentary-style horror to the mainstream, the Paranormal Activity movies – which took a page from Blair Witch by not putting words in the actors’ mouths – ensured the found footage subgenre would not go away too soon.

How to watch the Paranormal Activity movies

• Stream Paranormal Activity 1-5 on Max
• Stream Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension on Amazon Prime
• Buy Paranormal Activity 1-6 on Blu-ray on Amazon
• Stream Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin on Paramount+

Trollhunter (2010)

Director: André Øvredal

Starring: Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg

What it’s about: A group of Norwegian students join a mysterious hunter to investigate a series of deaths assumed to be bear attacks, until they discover the threat is much, much bigger.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Trollhunter is a fun, inventive mockumentary that will never let you think of the titular fairy tale creature the same way again.

How to watch Trollhunter

• Stream Trollhunter on Max
• Rent or buy Trollhunter on Amazon
• Buy Trollhunter on Blu-ray on Amazon

Grave Encounters (2011)

Director: The Vicious Brothers

Starring: Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko

What it’s about: A skeptical paranormal reality show host and his crew realize they are ill-prepared for a night locked inside an abandoned insane asylum.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: Grave Encounters feels like what would happen if shows like Ghost Adventures actually captured something sinister: the helpless hosts would shit their pants in desperation from the indelible frights and psychological torture our protagonists can just barely endure.

How to watch Grave Encounters

• Stream Grave Encounters on Freevee through Amazon
• Stream Grave Encounters on Tubi
• Buy Grave Encounters on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Bay (2012)

Director: Barry Levinson

Starring: Kether Donohue, Kristen Connolly

What it’s about: A young reporter recounts the events of a horrifying 4th of July, during which a strange parasitic outbreak claims the lives of several people infected with grotesquely bizarre symptoms in a small town by the Chesapeake Bay.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: The Bay is a found footage gem told from multiple angles via handheld cameras, security footage, and news coverage that makes the already frightening concept of a deadly disease all the more believable.

How to watch The Bay

• Stream The Bay on Plex
• Rent or buy The Bay on Amazon
• Buy The Bay on Blu-ray on Amazon

Chronicle (2012)

Director: Josh Trank

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan

What it’s about: The lives of a lonely teen, his cousin, and their popular friend change for the better (or, maybe, worse) when a mysterious object gives them superhuman abilities.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: In addition to being a surprisingly relatable, and cautionary, supernatural coming-of-age story, Chronicle is one of the best “superhero” movies not based on a comic that brilliantly takes advantage of its characters' telekinetic powers to achieve camera angles unique to traditional found footage thrillers.

How to watch Chronicle

• Rent or buy Chronicle on Amazon
• Buy Chronicle on Blu-ray on Amazon

V/H/S Movies (2012-Present)

Director: Various

Starring: Various

What it’s about: A night of debauchery ends with a volatile encounter, a documentary crew’s interview with a cult has grave circumstances, a TV news reporter investigates a local urban legend, and more stories framed as lost video cassette recordings make up this engrossing series.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: One of the most acclaimed anthology horror movies is 2012’s V/H/S, which spawned a franchise of even more strange, bizarre, and just plain traumatizing shorts that is continued most recently in October 2024 with Shudder’s new horror movie, V/H/S/Beyond.

How to watch the V/H/S movies

• Stream V/H/S on Peacock
• Stream V/H/S/2 on Peacock
• Stream V/H/S/Viral on Peacock
• Stream V/H/S/94 on AMC+
• Stream V/H/S/99 on AMC+
• Stream V/H/S/85 on AMC+
• Stream V/H/S/Beyond on AMC+

The Creep Movies (2014, 2017)

Director: Aaron Brice

Starring: Mark Duplass, Aaron Brice

What it’s about: These tales involve a deeply manipulative and deadly man and his intimate encounters with two different amateur videographers.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: One of the most impressive things about the Creep movies – two of the best horror movies on Netflix – is that both of them are almost entirely improvised from beginning to end, as Duplass revealed to EW, with deeply disturbing results that stick with you long after.

How to watch the Creep movies

• Stream Creep movies on Netflix
• Rent or buy Creep on Amazon
• Rent or buy Creep 2 on Amazon

Unfriended And Unfriended: Dark Web (2015, 2018)

Director: Levan Grabiadze, Stephen Susco

Starring: Shelley Hennig, Colin Woodell

What it’s about: These tales both involve a group of friends whose online chat is breached by an uninvited guest that forces them to play a game with deadly consequences.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: I firmly believe that the supernatural Unfriended and its more grounded sequel, Unfriended: Dark Web, are some of the best Blumhouse horror movies yet for the way they each tell an intense, character-driven story in real time and entirely from the point of view of the central characters’ laptop screens.

How to watch the Unfriended movies

• Stream Unfriended on Netflix
• Rent or buy Unfriended on Amazon
• Buy Unfriended on Blu-ray on Amazon
• Rent or buy Unfriended: Dark Web on Amazon
• Buy Unfriended: Dark Web on Blu-ray on Amazon

Host (2020)

Director: Rob Savage

Starring: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore

What it’s about: As part of their weekly remote activities during quarantine, a group of friends hold a seance over video chat, which soon proves to have dire consequences.

Why it is one of the best found footage movies: A thriller I would recommend watching on your computer is Host – a Covid-era hit that was originally released exclusively with a Shudder subscription and might be my most preferred entry of the video call horror trend so far.

How to watch Host

• Stream Host on AMC+
• Rent or buy Host on Amazon
• Buy Host on Blu-ray on Amazon

What do you think? Do these classics and hidden gems give you a newfound appreciation for found footage horror, or would you prefer that I get lost in the woods for recommending them?

Good horror movies, like Barbarian, Smile, and the experimental film, Skinamarink are actually not all that uncommon these days. But good horror franchises? Well, that’s a different matter entirely.  

That's because many horror franchises are driven right into the ground. But, there are some horror franchises that actually do tend to shine, and this is a list of them. Because, hey, it’s not easy to scare people more than once. Just ask Shyamalan.

Oh, by the way, some honorable mentions include: Hellraiser, Final Destination, The Living Dead, Poltergeist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Grudge, and Child’s Play. They just missed the list. 

14. Candyman 

• Number of Movies: 4
• Best Movie in the series: 1

Talk about reinventing yourself. Candyman is a series that seemed to peter out after the first movie, as the two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, and Candyman: Day of the Dead, just couldn’t match the authentic chills of the original. In fact, while leading up to the remake/sequel, I did an article about six things to remember about the Candyman character, and it made me realize just how far off the beaten path the series had gotten since the classic original movie.   

But then, we got the spectacular 2021 Candyman, which not only adds to the original, but also creates an entirely new mythos of its own. The film does what a lot of modern horror pictures do these days, which is ignore the sequels, and it’s all the better for it. With this latest movie, we get a modern day retelling that focuses on generational trauma, making it feel very relevant and here-and-now. Say my name.  

13. The Exorcist 

• Number of Movies: 5
• Best Movie in the series: 1

It’s crazy to think that The Exorcist, which is often considered the greatest horror movie of all time, would be toward the bottom of this list. But, out of the five movies in the series, only 1 and 3 are truly excellent. The Exorcist II: The Heretic, features James Earl Jones in a locust suit, and even the first film's director, William Friedkin, calls it the worst movie he’s ever seen. I mean, it’s bad, but I wouldn’t call it that bad. 

I wouldn’t even call it as bad as its two more modern sequels, Exorcist: The Beginning, and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Those two films don’t even come close to the imagination seen in the second movie. And, everybody knows how good the first one is. Every moment of Regan, played by Linda Blair, is etched inside the minds of horror fans. The puking, the stabbing of her lady parts with the crucifix. It’s all there.

But, The Exorcist III, which pretends The Exorcist 2 never happened, and mostly takes place in a psych ward, is both very different from the original, and also just as creepy. We’ll just have to wait and see if David Gordon Green’s new films in the franchise can elevate the series to new heights.   

12. The Purge 

• Number of Movies: 5
• Best Movie in the Series: 4

Here’s what I love about The Purge franchise. Everybody has a different favorite in the series. Do you like the home invasion horror of the first movie? Do you like the city-wide horror of The Purge: Anarchy? Are you a fan of the dystopian fifth movie? Or, do you prefer the ultra-political third movie, Election Year?

Personally, my favorite is the racially-charged fourth Purge. But some people call that the worst! Either way, the premise will always be golden. Once a year, there's a night where pretty much anything goes and crime (including murder) is not only legal, it's encouraged. It doesn't get more horrifying than that. The fact that it seems even remotely possible is what makes it so scary, and even relevant. Horror series that have something to say are always welcome. 

11. V/H/S 

• Number of Movies: 5
• Best Movie in the Series: 2

As an anthology series, it’s probably easier to judge the five films in this franchise by their individual segments. And, if we’re going that route, then I have to say that V/H/S 2 wins out as the best in the series, as it has quite possibly the greatest segments in the franchise with “Safe Haven,” and “Slumber Party Alien Abduction.”

That said, what makes V/H/S such a wonderfully spooky series is that you really don’t know what you’re going to get with each entry in the franchise. Since each segment is created by a different director, you could get a creepy ghost house one moment, and a terrifying storm drain monster the next. All hail Raatma! 

10. Paranormal Activity

• Number of Movies: 7
• Best Movie in the Series: 3

In a lot of ways, the Paranormal Activity series is a lot like V/H/S in that it’s a found footage horror, similar to The Blair Witch Project. But, whereas V/H/S sometimes seems to stretch the concept to unbelievable heights, the Paranormal Activity series has found footage ingrained in its very DNA, so the chills are a bit more effective, because it truly does feel like total spookiness caught on tape. 

And, whereas a lot of fans like to debate which is the best movie in the franchise, I pick the third film, which takes place in the ‘80s and follows the story of Katie from the first two movies as a child. A lot of people love The Marked Ones, while others find that one to be the worst. But again, it all depends on if you enjoy found footage horror movies. The Paranormal Activity series managed to stay creative throughout its seven-film run, offering prequels and even a sequel in which you could see the ghosts. For horror buffs, sometimes a nice change of pace is enough.   

9. Scream 

• Number of Movies: 5
• Best Movie in the series: 1

Our very own Alexandra Ramos thinks Scream is the greatest horror franchise ever, and she makes a lot of great points, namely that this is a series that has always been interested in trying something new. From its cheeky beginnings, to its more serious approach in the “requel” fifth entry, the franchise has always been part-funny, part-gruesome, but always interesting.   

There’s a reason why Ghostface is probably the last true horror icon that you’ll see roaming the streets on Halloween nights, and it’s mainly because the mystery of who’s behind the mask is always a big deal. Some entries have been less intriguing than others (I’m looking at you, Scream 3), but fans will always come around for more meta-humor and stabbings. Lots and lots of stabbings. We're pleased to report, that the newest instalment, Scream VI did not disappoint.

8. Halloween 

• Number of Movies: 13
• Best Movie in the series: 1

Halloween is a really interesting series since it’s had a few revisions. You have the Rob Zombie ones in 2007 and 2009. You had the recent trilogy that came out in 2018 and pretty much erased the entire series (!) save for the first movie, and then you have Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, which doesn’t even have Michael Myers in it at all. 

But the original, John Carpenter Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis is obviously the best in the franchise. It’s slow-paced, it’s unsettling, and it has one of the greatest horror themes in history. The 2018 one was a great return to form, and with at least five legit great movies out of 13, it’s a pretty worthy series to be put on this list. 

7. The Conjuring 

• Number of Movies: 3 (Technically. But really, there are 8)
• Best Movie in the Series: Annabelle: Creation

Okay, so The Conjuring series is kind of cheating, since it’s actually a cinematic universe. Yes, even horror is taking cues from the MCU. There is the original series, with The Conjuring 1,2, and 3, all starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Lorraine and Ed Warren, respectively. These three are period pieces that are deliberately paced and have genuinely good scares. I’m sure nobody will ever forget the infamous Hide-and-Seek scene from the first movie.

But, tucked away inside The Conjuring Universe are also The Nun, The Curse of La Llorona, and the Annabelle trilogy. Out of those side films, Annabelle: Comes Home, and especially Annabelle: Creation are REALLY good. So good that the full series needed a spot on this list. Sure, we know we’re getting The Conjuring 4, and The Nun 2, but can we also get Annabelle 4, please?  

6. Insidious 

• Number of Movies: 4
• Best Movie in the Series: 1

I often mentally link Insidious to The Conjuring series, and for good reason. Both original films were directed by James Wan, both first movies star Patrick Wilson, and both first movies have a similar disturbing vibe. But, out of the two series, I feel the Insidious franchise is tighter and scarier. Fun fact, the scariest moment out of any horror movie I’ve ever seen was in the first Insidious. It was the scene with the photographs. If you’ve seen the movie, you know which scene I'm talking about. 

The series as a whole is fascinating, though. It goes frontwards and backwards, with Insidious: The Last Key probably being the second best movie in the series, as it stars Linda Shaye, the parapsychologist from the first movie, in the leading role. It’s psychological horror at its finest, and with meaningful, spine-tingling jump scares that don’t feel cheap. And would you believe they’re all rated PG-13? That’s no small feat! Bring on the sequel, Insidious: Fear the Dark!  

5. Saw 

• Number of Movies: 9
• Best Movie in the Series: 2

Another series started by James freaking Wan (honestly, if we’re talking horror directors, it would probably go Craven, Carpenter, then Wan), Saw wore out its welcome with near yearly iterations, but if you watch them again, you can tell why the series was so mainstream for so long. Pretty much popularizing the “torture porn” genre, its ambition was always to up the ante with how to kill hapless victims, and like Jason Voorhees before him, Jigsaw created elaborate kills that got more and more gruesome as the series progressed.

But, the beauty of Saw was always in its creativity. Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw dies in the third movie, but each subsequent film finds a way to toy with the mythology. The series may have worn out its welcome by around Saw V, but Saw VI is one of the best in the series, so it always found new ways to reinvent itself. The upcoming Saw X can’t get here soon enough.  

4. Alien 

• Number of Movies: 6 (8 if you count the Alien vs. Predator series)
• Best Movie in the Series: 1

Alien is the kind of series where you could debate which is the best movie in the franchise all day. Is it the haunted house in outer space original, or, is it the James Cameron war film, Aliens? Well, for the sake of this article, I’ll go with the original because it truly is the more terrifying of the two.

This is a series that likes to jump backward in order to expand its future. Ridley Scott wasn’t content with where Alien: Resurrection went (nor should he have been), so he added onto the mythos with Prometheus, which explains where the Xenomorphs came from, and then Alien: Covenant, which expounds upon the lore. All of the films are as thought-provoking as they are terrifying in their otherness, which lands it so high on this list of the greatest horror franchises of all time.  

3. Friday the 13th 

• Number of Movies: 12
• Best Movie in the Series: 6

I view the Friday the 13th series like the Halloween series, but way better and with way fewer dips in quality. (Shut up. Jason X is awesome.) If we’re talking horror villains, the hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees is right up there with Frankenstein’s monster, Count Dracula, and The Wolfman when it comes to recognizable monsters. But, how are the actual films? Well, there are 12 movies in the franchise, and at least six of them are amazing (and one of them co-stars Freddy Krueger! That’s a pretty high body count.)

What makes the series work so well is the formula. After Jason got his trademark hockey mask in Part III, the hulking monstrosity has been stalking victims for decades, but it never gets boring. It might get ridiculous, but it’s always engaging, if not entirely frightening. Friday the 13th always made it fun to root for the bad guy. Parts 1 and 2 are also really dynamic and interesting horror films, as well. Even if you don’t like the horror genre, you’re bound to know this series. It’s that iconic. 

2. A Nightmare On Elm Street 

• Number of Movies: 9
• Best Movie in the Series: 3

Here’s the thing. The bad Nightmare on Elm Street movies are REALLY bad (please don’t make me watch that remake again), but the good ones are probably the best horror movies in the medium, so that’s why this is so high up on the list. Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger was literally nightmare fuel for a whole generation of kids. The idea of a serial killer creeping into your dreams and killing you from inside your head is still probably the most terrifying idea to ever come out of Wes Craven’s messed up head. R.I.P. horrormeister Wes Craven. 

It's debatable whether the original or Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is the better film, but the fact is, either could be considered one of the best horror movies ever made. New Nightmare was also wildly creative and unique, and I have a soft spot for the super weird Freddy’s Revenge, which many say is an allegory for coming out of the closet. Overall, a flawed series to be sure, but one of the best. 

1. The Evil Dead 

• Number of Movies: 4
• Best Movie in the Series: 2

Here it is. The very best horror franchise of all time as far as I'm concerned. Is there any surprise that it has such a low number of sequels? What makes Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead series stand out is cult icon, Bruce Campbell. With most horror movies, you root for the villain. Here, it’s the Ash Williams show. Not to be confused with the actual show, Ash vs. Evil Dead featuring Bruce Campbell, which was also quite awesome.    

What also makes this franchise stand out is that each movie is wildly different, and it really depends on which film you're in the mood for that day. Do you want straight up horror? If so, then the first and the remake are uniquely scary. Evil Dead 2 is both frightening and funny, and Army of Darkness is a flat-out horror comedy. Each has personality to spare, which makes it the greatest horror series of all time, because each film is perfect in its own special way. And that includes the latest instalment, Evil Dead Rise.

Horror is purely subjective, though. Which horror series do you think is the best? 

The V/H/S franchise has been a successful avenue for "video horror short" features since 2012. After two sequels and a spinoff film, the franchise is back in a truly unique and awesome way. Audiences should be prepared for a good scare on their smartphones because V/H/S has returned with new shorts courtesy of Snapchat.

Four fresh horror shorts are coming to the Snap Originals platform, which can be found on the "Discover" page by swiping right from the main camera. Beginning Sunday, October 28, users will get their first V/H/S video, with each successive episode set to release each day up to Halloween. The shorts are titled "The Nest," "Rearview Window," "Stray Dog," and "First Kiss."

Two of the features, "Rearview Window" and "Stray Dog," hail from director Gustavo Cooper and writer Ben Powell. "The Nest" is written and directed by the duo of Ben Franklin and Anthony Melton, and "First Kiss" hails from Emily Hagins. Each story's title sounds like an innocent enough premise, but V/H/S fans know the franchise has a great way of twisting even the most tame sounding moments into something truly sinister.

That's four unique opportunities for V/H/S to scare its Snapchat audience, which might be needed. The franchise's format allows for many different horror stories to be told, with different directors behind each segment. Sometimes this means one short can be horrifically scary and on par with the modern classics of the genre, and the next one not so much. That problem is somewhat remedied with Snapchat, as viewers will be able to skip less satisfying shorts much easier.

This new collaboration between Snapchat and V/H/S will be the latest Snap Original to premiere to the platform. Snapchat launched its Snap Originals program earlier this month and has launched quite a few other shows meant to keep its users engaged in something other than their friend's quick videos. Snapchat unveiled a look at those originals, as well as a quick clip of V/H/S when the feature was first announced.

Snapchat is not the first social media network to attempt to entice its users to stream on its platform. Other outlets, like Twitter, have shown various live events on its platform for years now and Facebook has paid for some high-profile original projects for Facebook Watch. Audiences watch streaming services like Hulu or Netflix on mobile devices, but whether or not they'll do so just as much on social media remains to be seen.

The first installment of the V/H/S shorts will launch on Snapchat Sunday, October 28. Those looking to watch the original V/H/S can find it currently streaming on Hulu. For a look at what's going on in the land of television and what shows will be arriving over the next couple of months, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.

October is upon us, and as such, it's time to break out the spooky, the scary, and the chillingly funny films that make Halloween one of the best damned holidays of the year! And what better way to entertain yourself, or even a party full of your dearest friends, than a good night's worth of Netflix streaming titles!

Of course, seeing as the selection on your Netflix queue can be both bottomless and extremely limited all at once, a handy guide is always useful for when a choice must be made. Which is why we're glad to be of service, and provide you with a list of 13 delightfully frightful picks that will either have you keeping the lights on, or pumped up with the Halloween spirit!

The Guest

Despite their top notch efforts with films like You're Next and the newest Blair Witch, writer/director duo Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard are still not household names. Yet if you talk to any horror junkie worth their salt, they'll tell you that this talented duo are two of the best personalities working in the business of scaring and thrilling audiences. A perfect example of their powers turned up to 11 is the sly thriller The Guest, which takes the story of a soldier returning home from Iraq and tells it through the lens of 1980's horror. The end result is Dan Stevens being impossibly charming, yet also a total badass, worthy of a place next to both Patrick Swayze and Michael Meyers in their respective canons.

The Babadook

What can you say about The Babadook that hasn't already been said? As if the concept of a children's story coming to life isn't scary enough, the film manages to work a fair amount of emotional and psychological pathos into its story, dealing with single parenting and grief as part of its overall story. While the film is definitely a stellar creature feature on the surface, the depths below the face of Jennifer Kent's directorial debut contain a subtle arc that is both impressive, and incredibly moving. But above all else, it's really damned scary.

Hellraiser

Much like the horror genre itself, Halloween just wouldn't be the same without the works of Clive Barker somehow playing a part in the festivities. This is an especially valid concern when you take into account that his directorial debut, Hellraiser, was the birth of one of the most memorable cinematic villains of all time: Doug Bradley's Pinhead. While there's plenty of sequels that vary in quality, there's nothing like the original foray into the series' particular brand of scares, which mixes BDSM and religious overtones in with a good heaping dose of body horror. A winning recipe if we've ever seen one.

Jaws

If Bruce, the mechanical shark at the heart of Jaws, worked the way he was supposed to, then Steven Spielberg's big ticket debut as a director would probably fit more comfortably in the genres of sci-fi and even just fun summer blockbusters. Thankfully, that damned shark gave the legendary filmmaker so many problems that the film was practically forced to develop an air of mystery and dread that scared people more than any mechanical creation ever could. And as a bonus, whenever Bruce actually DOES rear his toothy grin, it's super effective.

V/H/S

Anthologies are a fun way to gather a group of talented filmmakers, surround them with a common premise, and sit back to revel in the varied results that they put into the collective creative pot. V/H/S couldn't be a better example of such an experiment succeeding, as some of indie horror's finest were assembled to put together a found footage bonanza that ranges from Hitchcockian thrills to creature features, with sci-fi and ghost stories serving as spectacular stops in-between. With a spin-off on the way, and two sequels already available for enjoyment, V/H/S is a beautifully dirty exercise in a genre that needs its fresh perspective.

From Dusk 'Til Dawn

A serious question to all of you readers out there: has George Clooney ever been as cool as he was in From Dusk 'Til Dawn? We'd certainly like to think so, as Out of Sight and the Ocean's Eleven trilogy didn't appear out of nowhere, but even in the wake of those two films, Clooney's collaboration with Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and a steady stable of their favorite actors is a pretty hard act to beat. If you don't know why this film is on the list, do yourself a favor and skip the trailers. Go into this film as cold as possible, and make sure to have some tequila on hand to help lighten the evening.

Event Horizon

Paul W.S. Anderson has become a figure that's looked upon with the same respect and artistic merit as Michael Bay, meaning his money making franchise days have brought him much scorn, yet a fair amount of dollars to wash out the hate. Yet much like Bay, Anderson has some home runs in his catalog, and Event Horizon is one of those big, fat hits. Expertly blending sci-fi devices, horror-inducing imagery and concepts, and the fantastic castings of Lawrence Fishburne and Sam Neill, in a cast already loaded with genre favorites, Event Horizon is like Lovecraft in space... only with a lot more spectacle mixed in with the atmospheric dread.

Cape Fear

If there's anything scarier than a good horror movie, it's a bad remake. Yet Martin Scorsese beat the odds when he tempted the fates with his remake of Cape Fear, and it's mostly thanks to his friend and frequent collaborator Robert DeNiro. While the story of Max Cady and his torment of prosecutor Sam Bowden and anyone in his sphere of influence wasn't a new concept, it was given a more modern, and certainly more brutal spin in Scorsese's retelling. While his contemporary, Al Pacino, is more known for putting in a full tilt performance as a baddie, Robert DeNiro's Max Cady is truly the stuff of nightmares... and it's a nightmare well worth experiencing.

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil

Horror and comedy swim so closely together in the world of film that their constant collaboration is no surprise. What is surprising though is when a truly smart satire comes along that can mock the genre conventions and tropes we're all familiar with, while at the same time playing those concepts to their own advantage. That's exactly what Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil does, as it takes your normal "murderous redneck terrorize a bunch of attractive, stranded teens" film, and turns it into a laugh out loud comedy of errors. How we haven't seen a sequel with Tucker & Dale taking on another form of evil in the horror realm is beyond us.

Sleepy Hollow

Before it was no longer cool to see Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up on a film together, the two men made quite a few indelible films that are still well regarded to this day. Sleepy Hollow may rank closer to the middle of our Burton canon ranking, but the reinvention of Ichabod Crane as a police constable investigating some very witchy goings on in the titular location actually provides a fresh enough spin on the time tested classic to make it thrilling. Also, it really helps that Tim Burton's love of Hammer horror films is felt in every frame of the film's proceedings.

Scream 2

Wes Craven will always be one of the masters of horror, especially considering he not only helped write the rules of the genre with A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Hills Have Eyes, but he also helped subvert them with the Scream series. While the second film is the only one available on Netflix's streaming service at this time, it feels only appropriate to suggest a film that not only makes fun of horror movie rules, but also their penchant for endless sequels. Take the fact that two more entries and a TV show would follow as you may, Scream 2 is as relevant today as it was when it was released.

Re-Animator

As we had previously mentioned both HP Lovecraft and comedy factor into the world of horror, why not take the two together in the dosage that's known as Re-Animator. Seeing Jeffrey Combs' iconic performance as the nerdy yet dastardly Herbert West is something that really takes us back to the days where practical effects and some quick jokes were de rigueur in the world of Horror. Not to mention, some of those effects still have us looking for a modern successor to their lega

The Fly

If you like your mad scientist films without the comedy aspects mixed in, then the original version of the horror / sci-fi classic The Fly is your ticket to greatness. While most immediately think of the David Cronenberg remake from the 1980's, the 1959 original is less brutal with the body horror, opting for a more classical sense of tension and a sequel bait ending that has been spoofed several times over. Somehow, this is our only horror pick with Vincent Price in its cast, which is all the more reason to add The Fly to your Netflix queue.

Sometimes you feel like you should just post the headline and then call it a day. What else is there to say? In one of the most bizarre stories that we have ever covered, a man in North Carolina was recently arrested because of a VHS copy of the Tom Green (and we use this term loosely) comedy Freddy Got Fingered that he once rented. What’s even crazier is that the guy wasn’t arrested because he rented it, which we could understand, but rather because he never returned it.

In 2002 James Myers rented Freddy Got Fingered from his local J&J Video store. For whatever reason, Myers never returned the video tape. Cut to 14 years later and Myers is pulled over for a bad brake light by the local police. His name and license are run, which is standard practice, only to find an outstanding warrant for the crime of "failure to return rental property" which is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200. The good news is the officer didn’t arrest the man on the spot, as Myers was driving his daughter to school, but he agreed to return to the police station later to sort everything out. However, according to local station WSOC, when Myers arrived, he was handcuffed and booked for the crime.

The news has reached the star of Freddy Got Fingered, who agrees the whole thing is insane.

Tom Green, who is currently on a standup tour of Australia, apparently gave James Myers a call Wednesday evening and is also offering to pay the $200 fine if it is actually levied against him.

It’s difficult to figure out where to start with this. If the statute of limitations on failing to return rental property is more than 14 years, then there’s a significant problem with North Carolina law. We’re going to hope the DA dismisses this entire thing, as it seems hardly worth anybody’s time, especially considering the business which filed the charges is no longer in business. Because it's a video store. And this is 2016.

Those of us who are old enough to remember video stores, and forgetting to return the things we rented, probably remember getting annoying phone calls and letters informing us that we forgot to return some dumb movie that we likely never even watched. We may have even had to pay for the thing if we misplaced the tape and never returned it, but this is insane. Of course, quite possibly the worst thing to come out of all of this is that James Myers has now been outed as a guy who has incredibly terrible taste in movies.

Hopefully, we can use this as a learning experience. If you have old Blockbuster Video tapes in your closet somewhere that you never returned, you may want to verify with the local authorities that there are no warrants out for your arrest. Alternatively, you can’t get so much as a parking ticket ever again.

There is probably no more humbling reminder of how much time has passed by than when The Fine Brothers’ "Kids React" series takes "old" things that were integral to your youth, sits young children down and shows them baffled as they handle them with an extreme antiquarian culture shock. Certainly, the latest episode of the YouTube series may have proven itself the most humbling for anyone who came of age during the reign of the VHS VCR. If you want to kick off your day by feeling old, then check it out!

"Kids React" utilizes a tried and true formula allowing adults an objective way to bask in the wonderment of intergenerational logic that almost mirrors "Kids Say the Darndest Things" hosted by Bill Cos…err, He Who Must Not Be Named. While they’ve done episodes spotlighting old video games, television shows and bands, this latest episode’s tackling of the VCR may be their biggest cultural white whale, yet.

Remember, this generation's formative years have included an already-evolved Internet. They generally ingrained with the idea that content such as movies and TV shows are perpetually accessible in The Cloud. So the VCR is an especially vexing idea, since it comes from an era when content was fleeting. The show or movie you wanted to watch would air, and you either caught it or missed it. The spirit of the VCR was that it was more of a preservation device to capture those fleeting moments; an idea that isn’t even a factor now with modern accessibility.

Thus, the very concept of a recording device that doesn’t download, stream and digitally store anything clearly doesn’t even register with the way these kids’ brains have been formed. It effectively shows how the mediums through which we watch movies have dramatically changed in only just under a decade. (Which, for these kids, has been most of their lives.) It also drives home the point even further when the kids are baffled as it is explained that the wear and tear on the physical ribbons of tape, themselves start to lose their magnetic potency, evoking that signature static after several viewings, creating the all-too-familiar moment when the VCR struggles to "track" the picture back into place.

In fact, for a good solid stretch from the 1980’s to the early 2000’s, the VHS player (who won the industry war against the Betamax format) was your primary gateway towards enjoying movies at home. Likewise, the traditional local "Be Kind, Rewind" video store was your facilitator whose business model seemed to have customers by the spools. While those businesses tried to stay relevant during the DVD era, the Promethean moment when movies had become digitized as data would sink the business model, since the medium’s broad compatibility could not keep content shackled exclusively to any physical format; something that the once-monolithic Blockbuster would learn the hard way last year when they finally went out of business.

Yet, seeing many of the young children in the video cite that they still primarily use the practically obsolete DVD format around their houses, it may show that we’re still very much in the midst of a transitional period. So, maybe "the future" isn’t quite here, just yet. Although, it’s clearly on the horizon.

With so many titles to choose from, Netflix Instant's library can be overwhelming. And so we offer this bi-weekly column as a tool to cut through the clutter by highlighting some now streaming titles that pair nicely with the latest theatrical releases.

This week, in honor of Looper, Pitch Perfect and V/H/S we've selected a trio of time travel tales, competition-fueled comedies and found footage frighteners for your home-viewing pleasure.

Looper

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a hitman whose forte is mob targets sent to him from the future. But when his future self (Bruce Willis) shows up for execution, things get complicated. Emily Blunt co-stars; Rian Johnson writes and directs.

Inspired by Looper Katey and I recently discussed the allure of memorable time travel offerings as 12 Monkeys and The Terminator both of which were recent picks in this column. But if you can't get enough of this slippery subgenre, there's lots more in store, including a classic comedy, a mind-bending mystery, and the beloved Doctor.

Groundhog Day (1993) Bill Murray stars as a cantankerous weatherman who can't wait to get out Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania after its annual Groundhog Day celebration. But a mysterious wrinkle in time and space lands him in a loop that forces him to repeat the day over and over until he can learn to make it count. Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott co-star; Harold Ramis directs.

Timecrimes (2007) The less you know about this twisted thriller, the better for your enjoyment. Suffice to say this Spanish feature centers on one man's troubled traversing of time, and with its brisk pacing, dangerous atmosphere and rabbit hole of narrative, it drew plenty of critical praise including the Next Wave Award at Fantastic Fest. Karra Elejalde stars; Nacho Vigalondo directs.

Doctor Who (2005) You can't talk time travel without mentioning the good doctor, a humanoid alien who has traversed time and space in varying forms since the 1960s. After more than 30 years on British television, the original series took its final bow, only to be resurrected in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston becoming the ninth doctor, tasked with battling villainous extraterrestrial foes with the help of his dedicated companions. Netflix is now streaming seasons 1-6 of the reboot; David Tennant (pictured), then Matt Smith later star at the titular time traveler.

Pitch Perfect

Anna Kendrick shows off her comedy chops and singing swagger in this music-fueled romp that centers on the rivalry between two college a capella groups, vying to be the best balladeers on campus. Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and Anna Camp co-star; Jason Moore directs.

The blind ambition that drives competition can be a great source for hilarious hijinks. And while the ladies of Pitch Perfect get laughs with their broad and brassy humor, the three funny features below offer their own distinct takes on competition and comedy, be it warm and relatable, crude yet endearing, or willfully rude and unsentimental.

A League of Their Own (1992) Geena Davis fronts this beloved baseball-centered comedy as no-nonsense catcher Dottie Hinson, the heart and soul of the Rockford Peaches, an all-woman baseball team formed when the demand of able-bodied men in World War II led to a standstill in professional sports. Faced with a drunken brute as a coach (Tom Hanks), and a team that includes a shameless flirt (Madonna), a tearful mother with bratty boy in tow, and her little sister (Lori Petty) hell-bent on making a name of her own, Dottie has her work ahead of her as the ladies drive for the World Series. Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn and Rosie O'Donnell co-star; Penny Marshall directs.

Goon (2012) One of the best releases of 2012 stars Seann William Scott as Doug 'The Thug' Glatt, a sweet-hearted bouncer with a special talent for brawling. After a fateful fight in the stands of a hockey game, Doug gets his chance at hockey glory, hired to guard a scoring phenom whose grown skittish after being bombarded by legendary enforcer Ross 'The Boss' Rhea. From his first step in the rink, this lovable goon is destined to square off against his idol, where only one man will be left standing. The blood on the ice narrative is made more palatable by a crass yet heartfelt sense of humor forged by screenwriters Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg. Liev Schreiber and Alison Pill co-star; Michael Dowse directs.

The Bad News Bears (1976) Most movies that feature a kids' sports offer a scrappy team and disillusioned coach that are rough around the edges, but destined for an inspiring victory after learning some hard-won lessons about sportsmanship. The Bad News Bears is not one of these movies. Walter Matthau stars as a growling alcoholic hired to coach a little league team made up of misfit minors with bad attitudes, foul mouths, and little to no athletic prowess. In short, it makes for an irreverent comedy that's hilarious, but probably not suitable for the whole family. Tatum O'Neal and Jackie Earle Haley co-star; Michael Ritchie directs.

V/H/S

When a band of bungling thieves are contracted to steal a peculiar videotape, they find themselves entranced by a collection of VHS tapes that each contain a terrifying tale. This omnibus horror offering is helmed by a collection of directors including, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Adam Wingard, and Radio Silence.

Time and time again critics and audiences have decried the found footage genre as tired and in need of being put to rest. Cheaply produced, this subgenre is rife with poorly made messes. But when put in the hands of an able filmmaker, this devilish device can prove effectively terrifying. Be it evil spirits, a possessed girl, or towering trolls, sometimes the best way to capture the terror of being there is through this personal perspective.

Trollhunter (2010) This imaginative adventure out of Norway follows a trio of college students as their investigative reports on peculiar bear deaths lead them deep into the forests where they discover deadly beasts long thought to be legends. Following a secretive but beleaguered troll hunter, they rediscover their sense of wonder as he investigates some disturbances in standard troll behavior that’s leading to potentially society-shattering violence. You'll be stunned at the high quality effects and wry humor within this epic faux doc.

The Last Exorcism (2010) This indie chiller follows one Reverend Cotton Marcus, who after years of faking exorcism rituals decides to come clean and prove that there is nothing demonic—purely psychological—at play in these creepy cases. But his beliefs are challenged when he takes a film crew along to debunk the supposed possession of a shy country girl whose late night exploits defy reason. Notably, Ashley Bell earned a Spirit Award nod for her portrayal of the possibly possessed farm girl; Daniel Stamm directs.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)Strangely, the only of one the current trilogy that's streaming is its second entry. Taking place immediately before and after the disturbing events of Paranormal Activity, this sequel centers on the strange occurrences that plague a family of four once their latest addition—a baby boy named Hunter—is brought home. The household's security cameras capture strange sounds, slamming doors and more and more frightening phenomena. But when their teen daughter uncovers the cause of all this haunting, her father is urged to a drastic gambit to save his family. Sprague Grayden, Molly Ephraim, and Katue Featherston co-star; Tod Williams directs.

There is something kind of creepy about older film technologies. While Blu-rays and DVDs are so clean and digital, VHS, beta and film have this strange worn quality of antiquity where secrets can hide. We've seen recent horror movies take advantage of it already, from movies like The Ring to Paranormal Activity 3, and now another one is coming down the pipe and it looks rather terrifying.

Yahoo! has posted the first trailer for the upcoming horror film V/H/S and as an extra special bonus it happens to be a red band trailer. Be warned that this is definitely not safe for work!

Premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, V/H/S is a multi-storied horror film told through the lens of found footage. The movie is written and directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and the directing quartet known as Radio Silence and is about a group of teens who are hired to rob an abandoned house and steal a videotape. When they find the tape they decide to give it a watch, and it doesn't take long for them to see the consequences of doing so. Look for V/H/S in theaters on October 5th.

This year’s South By Southwest continues to fill out its slate. So far, we have Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s horror hybrid Cabin In the Woods opening the film component of the fest; Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s 21 Jump Street as the centerpiece; and Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express serving as the Closing Night film.

The next shoe to drop? Midnighters and Shorts, which were announced this afternoon by SXSW programmers. Last year, SXSW saw the debut of Attack the Block, Kill List and The Innkeepers. Standouts in the late-night category for 2012 look to include Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End, V/H/S, and a Super Secret Screening of a feature that will be heading to theaters … in time.

We have the full run down of Midnighters and Shorts below. What are you looking forward to? SXSW runs March 9-17, and we’ll be covering it from start to finish, so bookmark us for the best the fest has to offer: