If you’re looking for some of the best horror movies on Paramount+ to watch, I’ve got quite a list for you. One of my favorite genres has always been horror. Whether it’s because of great special effects, unforgettable scenes, or all those great scream queens, the best horror movies have always got me going. There are plenty of fun upcoming horror movies releasing in the next couple of years, but today I’m taking a look back at some of those all-time greats and new favorites available on Paramount+.
If you’re a horror fan and don’t have a Paramount+ subscription, now might be a good time, as these are some of the best horror movies that the platform has to offer. From classics like Rosemary’s Baby to modern gems like A Quiet Place Day One, there are plenty of reasons why Paramount+ is one of the best streaming services, especially for horror fans.
Smile 2 (2024)
The Director: Parker Finn
The Cast: Naomi Scott, Kyle Gallner, Ray Nicholson
What It’s About: Pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) becomes the next victim of the Smile Entity and attempts to make sense of the phenomenon while also fighting for her life.
What To Expect: Fans of Parker Finn’s Smile will feel right at home, as this sequel to the 2022 surprise hit has the same signature charm, intensity, and tremendously creepy smiles we’ve come to know and love.
Smile (2022)
The Director: Parker Finn
The Cast: Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey
What It’s About: A psychiatrist witnesses a patient commit suicide and begins to experience terrifying happenings after a curse is passed on to her.
What To Expect: Thanks in part to the movie’s story, the incredible Smile cast, and some terrifying guerilla marketing, the horror flick ended up becoming a massive hit at the box office before finding its streaming home on Paramount+ a little more than a month after its initial release.
The Exorcist (1973)
The Director: William Friedkin
The Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
What It’s About: Two Catholic priests attempt to save the life and soul of a young girl who has been possessed by a destructive demonic force
What To Expect: William Friedkin’s The Exorcist remains one of the most unsettling and terrifying horror movies of all time more than 50 years after its release. The tone, the performances, and iconic scenes make this the stuff of horror legend.
Pet Sematary (1989)
The Director: Mary Lambrert
The Cast: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Mike Hughes
What It’s About: Upon moving to a small town in Maine, a doctor learns of a cemetery that brings the dead back to life. When tragedy falls upon his family, the grieving father attempts to bring back a lost child.
What To Expect: One of the best Stephen King adaptations, Pet Sematary has a lot going for it. A great premise, some delightfully off-putting practical effects, and one of the most iconic performances by a child actor in a horror movie all make this a legendary flick.
The Friday The 13th Movies (1980 - 1989)
The Director: Sean S. Cunningham, Steve Miner, Joseph Zito, Danny Steinman, Tom McLoughlin, Joel Carl Buechler, Rob Hedden
The Cast: Betsy Palmer, Kane Hodder, Ari Lehman
What They’re About: Years after a young boy drowns at a summer camp, his mother gets revenge on a crop of counselors. But that’s just the beginning.
What To Expect: Whether it’s Jason Voorhees or his deranged mom doing the killing, the Friday the 13th films have always been a deadly good time – yes, even the “bad “ entries in one of the best horror franchises.
- Stream Friday the 13th on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part 2 on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part 3 on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood on Paramount+.
- Stream Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan on Paramount+.
The Monster Squad (1987)
The Director: Fred Dekker
The Cast: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Duncan Regehr
What It’s About: A group of young horror hounds find themselves battling their favorite movie monsters when Universal icons like Count Dracula break through the silver screen and attempt to take over the world.
What To Expect: Though not necessarily a scary movie, The Monster Squad is an iconic horror comedy that’ll have you laughing from start to finish. With legendary monsters, some great scenarios, and a foul-mouthed group of young actors, there’s a lot to love.
Fear (1996)
The Director: James Foley
The Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen
What It’s About: After his teenage daughter starts dating a young man several years her senior, a father becomes suspicious of the boyfriend, who he suspects to be a violent sociopath.
What To Expect: Fear is an intense psychological thriller featuring one of the most innocent performances of Reese Witherspoon’s career as well as one of the most menacing and unhinged of Mark Wahlberg’s.
Apartment 7A (2024)
The Director: Natalie Erika James
The Cast: Julia Garner, Kevin McNally, Diane Wiest
What It’s About: A young dancer rents an apartment from a devilish couple and becomes the center of a demonic conspiracy that sets up one of the most unforgettable horror films of all time.
What To Expect: Regardless if you are a fan of the horror classic or are planning to watch the new movie before finally checking out Rosemary’s Baby, you’ll find something to enjoy here.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Director: Roman Polanski
The Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
What It’s About: An expectant mother falls down a rabbit hole of nightmarish paranoia and pure, unrelenting dread as she begins to suspect that her neighbors want to use her child as part of a satanic cult
What To Expect: This slow-burn horror film has an unnerving and terrifying pace that adds even more tension to the story and Rosemary’s descent into madness.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
The Director: Tim Burton
The Cast: Johnny Depp, Christina Richardson, Miranda Richardson
What It’s About: Soon after moving to the upstate New York town of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) leads an investigation into a series of gruesome murders and uncovers a dark secret within the isolated community.
What To Expect: This spooky adaptation of Washington Irving’s cherished horror novel, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, has everything you’d want in one of Burton’s movies with its eerie and off-kilter tone, dynamic performances, and visuals that find the perfect balance between terrifying and mesmerizing.
The Quiet Place Movies (2018 - 2024)
The Director: John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski
The Cast: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Lupita Nyong’o
What They’re About: After an alien invasion, the last remnants of humanity are forced to take shelter and live a life of near-silence to avoid being preyed upon by vicious (and blind) monsters.
What To Expect: From the first two films following the Abbott Family in the years after the initial invasion to the prequel showing the early hours of the event, the franchise doesn’t hold back when it comes to absolutely horrifying scenes or emotional moments.
- Stream A Quiet Place on Paramount+
- Stream A Quiet Place Part II on Paramount+
- Stream A Quiet Place: Day One on Paramount+
The Gift (2015)
The Director: Joel Edgerton
The Cast: Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall
What It’s About: A mysterious stranger shows up at a couple’s front door and claims to be an old friend from high school, but as the night carries on they begin to learn more about his past and plans for revenge.
What To Expect: Seriously, this is one of the best psychological thrillers of the past decade and will leave you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll.
Talk To Me (2023)
The Director: Danny and Michael Phillipou
The Cast: Sophie Wilde, Zoe Terakes, Miranda Otto
What It’s About: A group of teens use an embalmed hand as a party game only to discover the consequences of their actions in the worst way possible.
What To Expect: One of the best horror movies of 2023, this fresh, inventive, and terrifying as-all-hell cinematic experience is just as fun as it is scary, which is a lot.
World War Z (2013)
The Director: Marc Forster
The Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz
What It’s About: A former United Nations investigator travels around the world in hopes of finding a solution for a zombie apocalypse that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction.
What To Expect: Though World War Z is vastly different from Max Brooks’ novel of the same name, this 2013 horror-action spectacle is a wild, exhilarating, and harrowing ride. Its balance of massive set pieces and slowed-down horror is a winning combination.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
The Director: Halina Reijn
The Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Pete Davidson
What It’s About: A group of friends host a hurricane party where they play a murder mystery game that quickly turns from fiction to reality.
What To Expect: Caught in a race against time to find the anonymous killer before they can strike again, the group of friends find themselves losing faith in one another as the devastating storm quickly approaches.
Pearl (2022)
The Director: Ti West
The Cast: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Alistair Sewell
What It’s About: Obsessed with the dream of becoming a Hollywood star, an aspiring actress finds herself committing heinous acts of violence on her family’s ranch in Texas.
What To Expect: A prequel to Ti West’s X, which was released earlier in the same year, Pearl fills in the gaps and expands the story of the filmmaker’s blood-soaked slasher franchise.
The Scream Movies (2022 - 2023)
The Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
The Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox
What They’re About: Two sisters with ties to the original Ghost Face murders are hunted by a masked killer, first in California, and then later on after moving to New York City.
What To Expect: With new protagonists, as well as some familiar legacy characters, the two most recent Scream movies breathed new life into the legendary slasher franchise while also paying homage to what came before.
If you’re looking for even more to watch on the streaming service, check out our list of the best movies on Paramount+, especially if you need a break after all these thrills and chills.
