Stream the Best Horror Movies on Max
A good horror movie can make you feel like you’ve fought off paranormal demons without ever leaving your couch. Yet horror is a difficult genre to get right – slasher plotlines can feel predictable, gore may seem unrealistic, and found footage is sometimes too campy.
To save you from a less-than-thrilling experience, we’ve created a list of the 10 best horror movies on Max right now. From psychological thrillers to ghostly tales, the platform has high-quality scary movies for everyone. We’ll also share how PIA VPN can solve common streaming problems so you can watch freely.
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Table of Contents
The 10 Best Horror Movies on MaxHow a VPN Helps You Stream HBO Max
Why You Should Choose PIA as Your Streaming VPN
FAQ
The 10 Best Horror Movies on Max
10. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes: 63% | IMDB: 7.3/10
The prequel to the cult TV series Twin Peaks is one of the best psychological horror movies on HBO Max. It has the surreal darkness you expect from a David Lynch film but a far edgier feel than the original series. It follows Laura Palmer, a high school senior who’s headed down a dangerous path, one year after the grisly murder of Teresa Banks. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Dale Cooper is trying to catch the killer while dealing with dark visions.
Fun Fact: Most of the original Twin Peaks cast agreed to appear in the movie, though many have short cameos and some cast members’ scenes were cut entirely. Lara Flynn Boyle, who played Donna Hayward in the TV series, was notably replaced by Moira Kelly because she had other film commitments. It was originally rumored that she refused to return because of nude scenes in the movie.
9. The Visit (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% | IMDB: 6.3/10
In this M. Night Shyamalan found footage film, siblings Becca and Tyler visit their grandparents while their mother is away on a trip. It’s the first time they’ve met, but their grandparents seem sweet and charming. Things take a bizarre turn when the grandparents start acting increasingly strange. The Visit is one of the top PG-13 horror movies on HBO Max because it’s uniquely funny at times, yet also deeply disturbing.
Fun Fact: M. Night Shyamalan used his earnings from another movie (After Earth) to produce this film himself. It’s his lowest-budget studio feature film. He says he took this approach because he wanted to regain artistic control after feeling like he’d lost it with some of his other films.
8. Malignant (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDB: 6.2/10
After a violent argument with her husband, Madison begins experiencing terrifying visions of murder. Events take an even darker turn when she realizes her visions are real and becoming worse. Desperate to figure out where they’re coming from, Madison decides to explore her hazy past and the mystery of her childhood imaginary friend, Gabriel. Filled with untrustworthy narrators, twists, and gore, this film is a must-watch horror movie on HBO Max.
Fun Fact: Malignant has noteworthy celebrity fans. Stephen King tweeted about it, calling the movie “brilliant.” Nicolas Cage said it was his favorite movie of the year, and that it helped inspire his portrayal of Dracula in Renfield.
7. Paranormal Activity (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDB: 6.3/10
After moving into a new-to-them home in the suburbs, Katie and Micah start noticing odd, seemingly paranormal events happening at night. They set up cameras to capture evidence – with shocking results. This found footage film feels incredibly real and perfectly balances stressful build-ups with shocking twists. If you’re looking for a paranormal story that will keep you up at night, stream this horror movie.
Fun Fact: The movie uses retroscripting – a technique in which the actors improvise around a story outline instead of using a set script. This, along with the fact that the director filmed the entire movie on a home digital camera, makes the events in the movie feel scarily real.
💡 Max has different streaming libraries for each country it serves. If you travel internationally, you could lose access to shows and movies you’d planned to watch. When you connect to a PIA VPN server in your home country, you can access your usual content library as normal.
6. Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDB: 6.5/10
In the latest installment of the Evil Dead franchise, two sisters are reunited when Beth visits Ellie in her LA apartment. After one of Ellie’s kids finds a mysterious book in the apartment building, nightmarish demons begin to possess the family, and Beth must fight for their lives. It’s one of the best new horror movies on Max, especially if you’re a fan of supernatural, gory zombie horror.
Fun Fact: The movie includes several callbacks to previous Evil Dead films, including a ticking clock that’s the exact same one Cheryl draws in the original movie. In Evil Dead Rise, the characters get a pizza from a restaurant called Henrietta’s, a reference to Henrietta Knowby from Evil Dead 2. It also starts with the sound of a fly buzzing, which you hear in every Evil Dead film.
5. Scream (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDB: 7.4/10
In this classic slasher film, a masked killer begins stalking a teenage girl and her friends just one year after her mother’s murder. He forces them to answer trivia questions about horror films in exchange for their lives. Whether they answer right or not, there’s no guarantee that he’ll spare them. Scream is a lovingly-created satire of the slasher genre, which continues to delight old and new horror fans alike. The tension and gore make it one of the scariest horror movies on HBO Max.
Fun Fact: Scream has several references to the 1978 film Halloween. In one scene, when Casey’s parents return home and learn that something bad has happened, Casey’s dad tells her mom to “Go to the McKenzies” which is the same thing Laurie tells Lindsey and Tommy in Halloween.
4. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDB: 5.4/10
If you grew up online, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair will hit close to home. Drawing on creepypasta themes, the movie is about Casey, a teenager who spends most of her time alone on the internet. When she joins a role-playing horror video game, frightening things start happening to her. She documents her experience as she loses herself to the game.
Fun Fact: Director Jane Schoenbrun filmed the iconic New Year’s Eve scene in the movie using a camcorder. They spent the earlier part of the day planning out a route in order to start filming at 11:57 and hit the town center just as the countdown began.
💡 If you’re getting your spooky fix while streaming on public Wi-Fi, you might encounter some unexpected villains. Unsecured networks can be easy targets for lurking cybercriminals. Protect yourself and your personal data with PIA VPN’s powerful encryption.
3. It Comes At Night (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDB: 6.2/10
In this post-apocalyptic horror film, a mysterious disease has decimated the world’s population. Protagonist Paul has finally reclaimed order in the remote home he shares with his wife and son when a young family approaches seeking help. Will the families survive together or cause each other’s demise? It Comes At Night is one of the top 10 horror movies on HBO Max because the acting is excellent, the danger feels real, and the storyline makes you question the trade-off between humanity and survival.
Fun Fact: There’s an interesting mix of artwork shown throughout Paul’s home. One painting, created by Pieter Brueghel in 1562, is titled “The Triumph of Death” and is currently in Madrid’s Museo del Prado. There’s also a picture of Bill Withers who sang Lean on Me and a tribute to Lil’ Wayne’s album, Tha Carter IV.
2. The Exorcist (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% | IMDB: 8.1/10
The Exorcist is the story of Regan, a young girl who exhibits weird behavior, like speaking in tongues and levitating. Her mother, a local priest, and a church expert all believe that the devil has possessed Regan and they must perform an exorcism. Although some of the scenes look a bit dated without today’s special effects, the movie is still one of the best horror movies to watch on Max, especially since it’s based on a chilling true story.
Fun Fact: In the film, Regan projectile vomits on Father Karras. The vomit was supposed to hit him in the chest, but a tubing error caused it to hit him in the face. His disgusted and shocked reaction is genuine.
1. Midsommar (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% | IMDB: 7.1/10
When a troubled American couple takes a trip to Sweden to attend a fabled midsummer festival, they’re excited to enjoy an idyllic retreat where they can reconnect and have fun. As increasingly bizarre and violent events occur, it becomes clear that the festival is a front for a cult’s ritual sacrifices. The movie juxtaposes nightmarish scenes with gorgeous countryside shots, making it especially surreal and unforgettable.
Fun Fact: The film’s creators deliberately left subtitles out for most of the Swedish dialogue. This helps the audience feel the same sense of isolation that the Americans felt in the movie.
How a VPN Helps You Stream HBO Max
Max is only available in select counties and has separate content libraries in each one, meaning you may miss out on some of the highest-rated horror movies on HBO Max when you travel abroad. The good news is, you can connect to a VPN server in your home country to regain access to the content you know and love.
If the Wi-Fi at your workplace or school restricts access to streaming sites like Max, a VPN can help. VPN encryption conceals your online activity, allowing you to sidestep network restrictions, unblock Max, and stream whatever you like.
Why You Should Choose PIA as Your Streaming VPN
Consider PIA VPN your personal amulet to protect you against common streaming issues that can get in the way of your movie night. With servers in 91 countries worldwide, it works smoothly with Max in key locations, meaning you’ll always be able to securely watch the titles you want.
High resolution streaming requires a fast connection, and PIA’s 10-Gbps server network is more than up to the task. With no bandwidth caps, you can stream horror movies in HD or UHD all weekend.
PIA has dedicated apps to help you stream on the most popular devices, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, Android, and iOS. Setup is easy, but if you have any technical questions, PIA’s 24/7 support team is always available to help. Try PIA VPN risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
Midsommar is the most terrifying movie currently on the platform. The setting may be utopian, but the action has everything from psychological shocks to gruesome gore. The movie explores dark topics like ritual sacrifice, suicide, and the effects of mental illness, and it will leave you feeling unsettled long after the credits roll.
There are tons of great horror movies streaming on HBO Max. If you like psychological thrillers, try Malignant or Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. If you prefer blood and gore, Evil Dead Rise and Midsommar are great choices. Max also has some of the best classic scary movies, including Scream and The Exorcist.
The Exorcist is regarded by many as the scariest movie of all time. It is so upsetting that at the time of its release, it caused viewers to faint and feel nauseous. Some religious groups protested the film because they said it glorified Satan. It might not have the special effects of today’s scary movies, but The Exorcist still inspires feelings of horror and dread.
The Shining is one of the highest-ranked and most critically acclaimed scary movies. It won six awards and had nine nominations. Mixing mind-bending psychological thrills with supernatural themes as the main character descends into madness, it makes for a truly chilling experience.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is one of the most banned horror movies. It’s been restricted in Australia, Brazil, and Germany for various periods, and it’s still banned in Iceland today. Cannibal Holocaust has also been banned at times in Australia, Chile, Germany, and Iceland. If you travel to a region that bans your favorite movies, you can connect to a VPN server in your home country to keep watching.
Yes, a good VPN for streaming can help you deal with common streaming issues and get the most from your subscriptions. If you travel abroad to a country where your usual streaming service isn’t available, you can use a VPN to digitally relocate back to your home country and keep watching as usual. It can also help you bypass streaming blocks at work or school.
PIA VPN has streaming-optimized servers that help you access Max securely regardless of your location. It has a lightning-fast 10-Gbps server network for smooth and clear streaming, and unlimited bandwidth, so you can stream for as long as you want. Plus there’s a 30-day, money-back guarantee so there’s no risk to trying it out.
Can I use a VPN to watch a streaming service in another country?
Some VPN users may use a server in another country, where a certain streaming service is available, to connect to that service. While we cannot see what you are doing online due to our no-logs policy, this goes against our terms of service and is not acceptable.
PIA VPN puts your privacy first and we don’t track our users’ activity. That said, you should always comply with relevant laws, including copyright.