Horror movies often don't need critical applause. But the true best horror movies always do seem to win the judges over. So, as October turns closer to Halloween, we thought it's a perfect time to collect some of the top horror movies you can watch with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video (among other services).
And, as we like to do, we're filtering our picks with help from the the folks at Rotten Tomatoes, who aggregate reviews from critics all over the world. While you might like some horror movies that critics hate, these all have exceptionally high review scores, of 95% and up. Essentially A's and A+'s all around.
Our picks include a true horror classic, thoughtful modern masterpieces and many a shocking twist. Horror is truly a genre that continues to surprise, as that's kinda the point.
Our list has some amazing movies that are on AMC Plus and Shudder, which can be accessed through Prime Video Channels (which makes it easier to cancel, and gives you new options for free trials, on occasion).
Creep 2 (Netflix)
Sometimes, the second cut is the best. Such is the case with director Patrick Bice's sequel to his 2014 film Creep. Mark Duplass returns as "Aaron," the name he gives himself to lure videographers. Creep works for the same reasons as the original — mixing Duplass' unnerving awkwardness and particular sense of humor with solid tension. Sara (Desiree Akhavan, of Girls), his latest target, proves a worthy adversary. All that said, Creep 2 offers a big surprise, not unlike 2022's Barbarian.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Stream it on Netflix
His House (Netflix)
Utterly unnerving and rooted in the horrors of our own world, His House is one of the best horror movies on Netflix period. Immigrants Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) and Bol (Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù) arrive in England, having escaped from the Sudan, and find themselves in a very shoddy housing estate. Or at least that's how it looks on the outside. As the two try (and fail) to adjust to life in England, they discover that their new home is far from safe. Filled with excellent jump-scares, fantastic tension between Rial and Bol and a dread that will keep your eyes glued to the screen, His House is truly amazing because of how it is tied to the process of immigration. Rial and Bol may have struck on a supernatural situation, but their inner turmoil is truly real. Oh, and if that's not creepy enough, Matt Smith is in His House.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Stream it on Netflix
Under The Shadow (Netflix)
Under The Shadow, much like His House, thrills while holding onto historical and real roots. Shideh (Narges Rashidi) is struggling to care for her daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi), on her own during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Tough times get creepy, though, after Dorsa's behavior worsens following a missile attack that kills a neighbor. Is the child dealing with PTSD, or is something more sinister happening? Shideh questions her own grasp on reality, and as the walls close in around her and the audience, the tension will have you ready to pop.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stream it on Netflix
Let the Right One In (Prime Video)
Vampires and younger kids don't really mix well together, but Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) really needs a friend. The 12-year-old is living a sad, bullied life in suburban Sweden, but things get better when he meets Eli (Lina Leandersson). While he quickly learns she's not like him, the two slowly form a unique and peculiar bond, while tension mounts over her truth and her secrets. Beautifully shot and humming along with a fantastic soundtrack, Let the Right One In is quite an emotionally strong piece of horror. A tale of what it's like to be different, it succeeds by showing audiences a different angle on traditional tropes. You may even find it hard to know who to root for.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stream it on Prime Video (but watch it soon, it's gone in November!)
Halloween (AMC Plus, Shudder)
When we talk about perfect horror movies, we often talk about the original Halloween. So much so that I'm honestly shocked that it's a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and not a 100%. Either way, the original Michael Myers movie is a magnificent film for many reasons. While John Carpenter's iconic score ties the whole thing together, Halloween is a treat for all the small things. From the early point-of-view shots that hide so much from the audience to an amazing performance from a young Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween is the horror movie. So much so that we think Michael Myers deserves the title of Mr. October just as much as baseball legend Reggie Jackson.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it on AMC Plus and Shudder
It Follows (Netflix)
It Follows is both relatively recent and already-influential. Recent horror hit Smile owes a lot to this film, where a supernatural killer haunts humans who made the key mistake of having sex in a scary movie (Not that they know they're in one). Expertly shot with gorgeous wide shots that contain the hidden surprise, It Follows is also eerie for its timelessness. The unique and odd tech and gadgets seen throughout the film place it outside of any real place on the timeline, and the kids don't exactly use any slang that makes the movie feel modern or old. Instead, It Follows focuses on the sexually-transmitted specter that's out for blood. We'd say more, but we don't want to ruin the scares.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stream it on Netflix
Babadook (AMC Plus, Shudder)
If there's anything worse than having sex in a horror movie, it's being a parent (or, admittedly, having aging parents). Australian thriller Babadook won nearly all the critics over with the anxiety and stress that's pushing Amelia (Essie Davis) over the edge. While it's clear that she and her son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) are still grieving the loss of her late husband Oskar, Sam's new friend, found in a pop-up book character dubbed The Babadook has Amelia truly concerned. Then, as the Babadook book itself becomes a sort of haunted trinket, Sam's mood sours for the worse, driving his mother wild. Haunting for the ways it shows parenthood as madness, and children as torturous, The Babadook is the kind of scary movie that you won't soon forget.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on AMC Plus and Shudder
Next: These are the best Disney Plus shows to watch in October.
