One of my favorite genres of movies has always been horror. Whether it’s the really good effects some of these movies have, or the screams they inspire from me, I always love a good horror movie. While there are plenty of fun upcoming horror movies releasing in the next couple of years, today I’m taking a look at some of the best horror movies 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 The Shining to modern gems like Pearl, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on this list.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
One of the most well-known found footage horror movies, The Blair Witch Project is undoubtedly one of the most talked about (and cheapest) horror movies of all time. However, there still might be some people out there who haven’t seen Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez’s 1999 micro-budget movie that took the box office (and pop culture) by storm in the final year of the 20th century.
Presenting itself as a documentary about the mythical Blair Witch in rural Maryland, the movie follows film school students Heather (Heather Donahue), Mike (Michael Williams), and Josh (Joshua Leonard) as they go searching in the woods for the urban legend, only to become part of the story themselves. The Blair Witch Project leaves a lot to the imagination, which only adds to its mystique and popularity.
Stream The Blair Witch Project on Paramount+.
World War Z (2013)
Despite being vastly different from Max Brooks’ novel of the same name, Marc Forster’s 2013 zombie flick, World War Z is a fun and terrifying thrill ride that gave audiences several iconic horror moments a decade ago. Unlike the book, which is an oral history recounting various events in the zombie war, the Brad Pitt-led adaptation follows a United Nations investigator around the world as he finds himself facing off with all kinds of zombies in increasingly dangerous situations.
Seriously, the final act of this movie is legitimately frightening. The rest of the movie has some harrowing moments, but the section inside the World Health Organization headquarters is nightmare fuel.
Stream World War Z on Paramount+.
Phantasm (1979)
In terms of ‘70s horror movies that will leave you with an uneasy feeling, there are few that come close to Don Coscarelli’s 1979 fantasy thriller, Phantasm. Angus Scrimm’s Tall Man, those silver spheres, and the movie’s all-around tone make this a horror movie that fans of the genre shouldn’t pass up on watching again, or for the first time entirely.
Having the movie primarily set from the point of view of the young protagonist, Mike Pearson (A. Michael Baldwin) as he investigates the Tall Man and why the town’s mortician is turning the residents into his zombie minions adds a nice touch to this unsettling, and unforgiving, horror flick.
Stream Phantasm on Paramount+.
The Host (2006)
More than a decade before Bong Joon-ho pulled off the impossible at the 2019 Oscars, the acclaimed filmmaker gave the world one of the great Korean horror movies with 2006’s The Host. This incredible thrill ride of a monster movie shows the unforeseen consequences of civilization’s actions after dangerous chemicals poured into a river create a massive monster with a taste for human flesh.
Song Kang-ho, who has appeared in several other of Bong’s movies, shows up as a hapless vendor whose daughter is taken by the monster, kicking off an epic and dangerous mission to save his child (and prove himself to his family). Fans of Bong’s work, and Korean cinema as a whole, will find something to like here.
Stream The Host on Paramount+.
Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento is considered one of the masters of horror, and his 1977 supernatural thriller, Suspiria, is a great place to start for those wanting to dive into his outstanding body of work. Set at a mysterious German dance academy, the movie follows Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper), an American ballet dancer who becomes entangled in a conspiracy where nothing is really as it seems.
Aregento’s signature style, the complex narrative, and iconic score by Goblin, who would perform the Dawn of the Dead soundtrack the following year, all work together to create a great Italian film with a certain mood that is both intriguing and blood-chilling.
Stream Suspiria on Paramount+.
The Faculty (1998)
There have been a lot of examples of horror movies that aren’t that scary over the years, and one of those is Robert Rodriguez’s The Faculty. Released in 1998, this star-studded movie sees some of the biggest young stars of the late ‘90s (Josh Harnett, Usher Raymond, Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Jordana Brewster, etc.) play a group of students who are forced to fight off the teachers and staff of their high school who have fallen under the control of alien invaders.
It’s not a film that comes up early in the conversation of Rodriguez’s best movies, but it’s one hell of a good time.
Stream The Faculty on Paramount+.
Crawl (2019)
If you’re looking for a fun yet terrifying monster movie, then 2019’s Crawl is going to be the way to go. What starts out as a race against time to save her father (Barry Pepper) from drowning or being swept away by a massive hurricane quickly turns into a fight for survival when Haley Keller (Kaya Scodelario) comes face-to-face with a swarm of alligators.
Directed by Alexandre Aja, this short and sweet creature feature takes a lot of what worked for movies like Jaws and Lake Placid and turns up the tension. It has quite the bite and some fun set pieces before the storm passes.
Firestarter (1984)
Years after he was subjected to a series of medical tests, Andy McGee (David Keith) learns that his young daughter, Charlie (Drew Barrymore), has the ability to set deadly fires with nothing more than a thought. However, as wild as it may seem, this is the least of the family’s worries in Mark L. Lester’s Firestarter.
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, this sci-fi horror flick gets a lot of things right when it comes to bring the legendary horror author’s work to the big screen, and should be enjoyed by those who live and die by his creations, as well as those who are looking for a point of entry.
Stream Firestarter on Paramount+.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
There were few comedies that were as funny and few horror movies as bloody in 2022 as Halina Reijn’s slasher film, Bodies Bodies Bodies. The movie, which features a cast anchored by Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bkalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson, follows a group of friends who do what any responsible 20-something would do to await the arrival of a deadly hurricane: they throw a booze and drug-fueled party in a massive mansion.
Just as the approaching storm kills the power, the friends play “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a murder-mystery game that quickly turns into a real-life fight for survival when one of the revelers has their throat slashed. What follows is a race against time to find the killer before they claim their next victim in this under-the-radar 2022 movie.
Stream Bodies Bodies Bodies on Paramount+.
It Follows (2014)
One of the great one-off horror movies, David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows takes a relatively simple premise and turns it into one of the most intense and unsettling experiences in recent memory. It goes like this: Jaime “Jay” Height (Maika Monroe) has sex with her boyfriend only to discover that she is now being hunted by a shapeshifting supernatural entity that will stop at nothing until she is killed. No matter how far and how fast the college student runs away from evil force, it’s always on her trail, always following.
With an incredible concept, outstanding performances by its cast, and one of the best horror movie villains, it’s easy to see why It Follows has a high Rotten Tomatoes score and still remains a must-watch movie nearly 10 years after its release.
Stream It Follows on Paramount+.
X (2022)
Throughout the early part of the 21st century, Ti West has emerged as one of the best minds in the horror game thanks to instant classics like The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, and his X film series. This chapter of West’s career kicked off with the 2022 slasher film X, which follows the cast and crew of a pornographic film shoot who find themselves being targeted by a deranged couple hellbent on murder.
With some new additions to the list of all-time great scream queens, the movie’s cast boasts talented actresses like Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, and Mia Goth, who pulls double-duty in this intense and scary thriller. If old school slashers and ‘70s vibes are you thing, then look no further.
Pearl (2022)
Half a year after Ti West introduced audiences to Mia Goth’s Pearl in X, he gave the character her own origin story with the September 2022 release of Pearl. Set with the backdrop of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, the slasher, which carries the subtitle An X-Traordinary Origin Story, follows the aspiring movie star as she goes from being a Hollywood hopeful to a vicious murderer on her family’s ranch.
But this won’t be the last we see of the series, as West is currently working on the upcoming MaXXXine, which will follow Goth’s other X character, Maxine in the years following the events of the first film in the franchise.
Smile (2022)
You know you have a great horror movie on your hands when Stephen King decides to sing its praises on Twitter, and that’s exactly what happened with the release of Parker Finn’s feature directorial debut, Smile. Released in September 2022, the psychological horror film follows psychiatrist Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) after she witnesses a patient commit suicide and begins to experience terrifying happenings in her own life.
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. This could very well be a modern horror classic we talk about for years to come, even if a sequel never comes to fruition.
The Scream Movies (2022 - 2023)
Though you won’t be able to watch the first four entries in the Scream franchise on Paramount+, you can check out the 2022 legacy sequel and Scream VI, both of which are great additions to the property. Whether Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega) are battling Ghost Face in California or New York City, the two protagonists, and the assortment of new and returning characters, there’s a lot to enjoy.
Stream Scream (2022) on Paramount+.
Stream Scream VI on Paramount+.
The Ring (2002)
Undoubtedly one of the most well-known and successful horror movies from the turn of the 21st Century, The Ring tells the story of investigative journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) as she begins to look into a mysterious videotape that supposedly claims the lives of victims seven days after they watch its contents.
Based on the 1998 Japanese horror movie of the same name, which itself was an adaptation of the 1991 horror novel, The Ring was inescapable upon release and in the years following. Though it’s not talked about as much 20 years later, it remains a great example of supernatural horror that must be watched.
Stream The Ring on Paramount+.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Upon returning from Hell on Earth during the Vietnam War, Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a broken man suffering from traumatic and seemingly nonstop violent hallucinations that slowly cause him to lose touch, not just with those around him, but with reality in general. As he falls deeper down the dark and twisted path, Jacob is left to question everything he has ever known.
Adrian Lyne’s 1990 psychological horror film, Jacob’s Ladder, is incredibly unsettling through and through, and will leave you feeling as confused and detached as its main character. And, it also doesn’t hurt that it features one of the best Tim Robbins performances to date, one that really shows off his dynamic range.
Stream Jacob’s Ladder on Paramount+.
A Quiet Place Parts 1 & 2 (2018, 2021)
A Quiet Place is certainly one of the better modern horror movie franchises, and it deserves the praise it has gotten so much. A Quiet Place takes place in a world that is inhabited by alien-monsters that can’t see but have a keen sense of hearing. This family must stay quiet at all times, for if they make just a peep of sound, the aliens will stalk them and kill them.
Starring real-life married couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place is such a brilliant piece of cinema, in my opinion. I remember the first time I watched this movie, I felt as if I was in the film and if I made a sound, the monster would come to get me. The acting is brilliant, the story entertaining and scary, the sound design flawless – I could go on and on about how great this movie is. The sequel was just as good, if not more dramatic and full of badass scenes featuring some truly terrifying moments. If you haven’t seen the franchise yet, watch it now while we wait for the third Quiet Place movie.
Stream A Quiet Place: Part 1 on Paramount+.
Stream A Quiet Place: Part 2 on Paramount+.
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..
