The Best Horror Movies on (HBO) Max That’ll Have You Sleeping with the Lights On

A slow burn of crawl-out-of-your-skin dread, Ari Aster’s Hereditary has quickly gained recognition as one of the best scary movies of all time. Toni Collette stars as Annie, a woman dealing with the loss of her mentally ill mother. But when tragedy strikes again, the family—and Annie’s mental state—begins to deteriorate. No matter how much you want to look away, Collette makes it impossible to take your eyes off her.

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The Lighthouse trades gore and jump scares for seagull calls, farts, and mermaid sex as two isolated lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) slowly descend into madness. But no matter how uncomfortable you feel, don’t hide your eyes—Robert Eggers’ follow-up to The Witch earned an Oscar nod for its cinematography.

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Famous for its squirm-in-your-seat deadly traps, this slasher launched a franchise of 10 films (and counting). The flick begins with two strangers waking to find themselves chained inside a dingy bathroom—with no memory of how they got there and a corpse lying between them. Saw was the feature directorial debut of James Wan, who’s gone on to create modern-day horror classics like Insidious, The Conjuring, and M3GAN.

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Elizabeth (Brooke Adams) knows something is amiss in San Francisco. There are mysterious flowers she has never seen before that seem to be sprouting everywhere, and the people—including her husband—are acting strange. This sci-fi-horror classic also stars Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum, who team up with Elizabeth to figure out what’s happening.

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There are no supernatural ghouls or masked serial killers in Carrie. Instead, the film deals with horrors that hit closer to home: bullying, religious zealotry, and abuse. Sissy Spacek stars as the titular Carrie White in this adaptation of Stephen King’s career-launching novel.

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After their mother dies by suicide, kids Aiden and Mia are less than thrilled about spending Christmas in a remote lodge with their dad’s new fiancee, Grace (Riley Keough). Things only get worse when a blizzard hits, the power goes out, and Grace’s traumatic past begins scratching its way to the present day.

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When what appears to be a falling star turns out to be a gelatinous and malicious blob that absorbs human bodies, a group of teenagers must warn their small town. But there’s a problem: Nobody believes them. This classic monster movie features Steve McQueen in his first leading role.

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Christmas isn’t always cheery, especially if you’re not exactly chummy with your extended relatives. But when a mysterious blizzard leaves one family homebound and strange holiday creatures begin picking them off one by one, can they come together to fend off Santa’s dark doppelgänger? Krampus is a spooky-but-silly horror movie starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman.

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Five twentysomethings go to an isolated cabin for a getaway. The premise might sound familiar, but it isn’t long before the plot takes a turn. And then another. And another. The Cabin in the Woods isn’t the slasher film you go in expecting—instead, it’s a sci-fi-infused puzzle to be pieced together. And it’s just as funny as it is frightening.

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Writer-director Ari Aster’s debut Hereditary is well-known as one of the best horror movies in recent years, and his followup is just as unsettling. In Midsommar, college student Dani (Florence Pugh) must survive a violent cult, malevolent Swedish folklore, and a bad boyfriend during a rural getaway gone wrong.

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Friday the 13th is the summer camp slasher that helped launch a decade-plus of stories about sliced-and-diced teen counselors (as seen in Sleepaway Camp, The Burning, and Friday’s many, many sequels and reboots). Starring Adrienne King and featuring a young Kevin Bacon, the horror movie was made to capitalize on the success of another classic: John Carpenter’s Halloween.

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The classic Washington Irving story gets Tim Burton-ified in Sleepy Hollow. Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane, a squeamish constable sent to the small village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a string of murders. Also starring Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken, it’s a spooky season must-watch not only for the scares, but for the delightfully creepy, Oscar-winning set design.

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Without this masterpiece by George A. Romero, there would be no The Last of Us. No The Walking Dead. No World War Z. This 1968 classic provided the foundation for modern-day zombies as undead flesh-eaters—despite the word “zombie” never being uttered in the 96-minute runtime.

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Director James Cameron follows up Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror movie Alien—and adds a healthy dose of action. The result? An action-adventure-horror-sci-fi blend led by an incredible Sigourney Weaver in one of her most famous roles.

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This ’80s slasher introduced the world to one of the most iconic franchise villains (and Halloween costumes): Freddy Krueger. It all starts when a group of teenagers begin having nightmares. When one girl ends up killed by the monster stalking her dreams, it’s up to the others to figure out what’s going on without getting flayed themselves.

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Shortly after moving into a new home, Karie and Micah begin experiencing strange… paranormal activities. This found-footage film follows in the footsteps of The Blair Witch Project and launched a seven-movie franchise.

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For James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler), a rejected marriage proposal is only the beginning of the terrible night to come when three masked strangers attack them in their rural home. Writer-director Bryan Bertino used real-life crimes for inspiration, including the famous 1969 Manson murders.

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For fans of slashers, Scream definitely brings the scares—but it’s also very, very fun. Neve Campbell stars as Sidney Prescott, a teen stalked by a ghostfaced serial killer. Can she find out who’s under the mask before more of her loved ones are murdered?

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Beauty is only skin deep in this atmospheric slow burn. Under the Skin stars Scarlett Johansson as a mysterious unnamed woman—who might not be a woman at all—as she drives around Scotland, luring men to their doom.

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When a new neighbor (Christopher Sarandon) moves in next door, teen Charley (William Ragsdale) suspects he’s a creature of the night. This vampire horror-comedy is a cult classic in the same vein (get it?) as The Lost Boys. It’s a bloody good time.

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