The 18 Best Horror Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now (2023)

For Halloween, or any time of the year, it's important to know where to conveniently access quality horror movies. If you have Amazon Prime, you've got a virtual library of scary horror movies at your fingertips. We've rounded up the best of them!

For this list, everything that's scary is fair game. We've included horror classics and newer genre favorites. This list is updated regularly.

Related: The 150+ Best Horror Movies Ever, Ranked

Here are the best horror movies on Amazon Prime Video right now.

Best Horror Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

1.Jennifer's Body(2009)

Megan FoxandAmanda Seyfriedstar inJunoOscar winnerDiablo CodyandThe InvitationhelmerKaryn Kusama‘s teen horror comedy about a high school hottie possessed by a demon, and the girl who vows to stop her reign of carnage. Critical and commercial disappointment upon release, now a widely admired cult classic.

Related: The Best Movies Set Each of the 50 States

2. Night of the Living Dead(1968) -

Directed, photographed, edited and co-written byGeorge A. Romero, then a kid in his mid-20s, this minimalist frightfest about a siege of zombies in Western Pennsylvania pushed the limits of explicit gore. What's more, it played around the U.S. as a kiddie matinee when it first came out because the modern rating system hadn't yet been put into place.

Renowned today for its social commentary as well as its ability to scare the living daylights out of people, this was the top-grossing film in Europe in 1969, and it earned nearly 300 times its budget during its initial release.

In 1999, the Library of Congress selected Night of the Living Deadfor preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant," and in 2001 the American Film Institute named it one of the most heart-pounding movies ever made.

The graphic violence and the utterly depressing, nihilistic ending are still shocking after 50 years. To be fair, Romero one-upped himself a decade later: 1978'sDawn of the Deadremains, to this day, the best zombie film ever made.

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3. Carrie (1976)

The first big-screen Stephen King adaptation remains a landmark of American horror, a simple story with a heartbeat that's impossible not to get invested in, even moved by. Brian De Palma's film is practically a 98-minute film school. Changes are made to the source material, bold stylistic choices are made right and left—and it all serves a purpose. Everything works.

For its first hour, Carrie is a deliriously entertaining, rising-star-studded tragicomedy. Then the prom scene hits—it will still make your blood run cold. Star Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, who plays Carrie’s violently fanatical mother, were both nominated for Oscars, an unprecedented feat for a horror movie. Every remake— and there have been several—is pretty darn bad.

4. Oculus (2013)

A sign of good things to come, Mike Flanagan's stylish and character-driven haunted mirror movie was a modest hit, also notable for a breakout big-screen turn from Avengers and Jumanji star Karen Gillan post-Doctor Who.

5. Let The Right One In (1972)

All at once tender and scary, delicate and badass, this now-iconic Swedish coming-of-age fable with a lot of gore is an adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s 2004 novel about a horrifically bullied 12-year-old who befriends a vampire. No one asked for the American remake Let Me In…and then it turned out to be shockingly great.

6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Before the parodies, and long before the found footage genre was run into the ground, Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick‘s micro-budgeted The Blair Witch Project, an innovative work of wondrous and horrid imagination, was one of the most frightening motion pictures of all time. No visual effect in a movie will ever be as scary as what we can create in our heads with our imaginations. The Blair Witch Project knows that. It preys on that. Turn off the lights. Turn off your phone. Immerse yourself in this movie. By the end of it, you’ll just want to cover yourself with a blanket, perhaps paralyzed with fear. It’s the kind of scary that stays with you for days, maybe forever.

7.Suspiria (2018)

Luca Guadagnino‘s wildly divisive remake starringDakota JohnsonandTilda Swintonis far more dance-heavy than its predecessor (it certainly has time to be, with a full hour added to the runtime), with some seriously icky, even sexualized body horror. Some critics said the reimagining was bold and brilliant; others called it a pretentious slog. You be the judge.

8. House on Haunted Hill(1959)

If you're not a hardcore horror fan, and you'd like to be festive but you don't want to have trouble sleeping for weeks, William Castle'scharming, campy and only slightly creepy classic is the way to go.Vincent Pricestars as an eccentric millionaire who invites five guests to spend the night in a spooky house for a $100,000 prize.

House on Haunted Hillwas remade in 1999 as a dumbed-down, charm-free and Vincent Price-less hard R. The less said about that one the better!

9. The Descent(2005)

Five female friends go on a spelunking trip to their gruesome doom inNeil Marshall‘s first-class nerve-fryer. The antagonists here are cannibalistic cave dwellers. Expect betrayal, mistrust and resentment in this wildly effective, economically produced film.

It’s also far more effective in its original, downbeat director’s cut (widely available on video)–not the jump-scare crap that concluded the film in theaters.

Related: 5 Must-Watch Horror Films Directed By Women

10. The Neon Demon(2016)

InNicolas Winding Refn‘s followup to the phenomenalDriveand the stylish-but-emptyOnly God Forgives,Elle Fanningstars as a fresh-faced small-town teen who braves Los Angeles in her search of supermodel stardom.The Neon Demonis pulpy, stylized within an inch of itslife. It’s gobsmacking on the surface, with very little if anything going on underneath that. Perhaps that’s the point?The Neon DemoncostarsChristina Hendricks,Keanu Reeves,Jena Malone,Bella Heathcoteand the underrated, super-charismaticAbbey Lee Kershaw.

11. Candyman (2021)

Arguably the second-best cinematic Clive Barker adaptation (Hellraiser being top banana), Bernard Rose's supernatural thriller starredVirginia Madsen as a scholar who discovers a folk legend, about an undead evil with a hook for a hand (Tony Todd), is all too real. A box-office and critical hit, Nia DaCosta's remake is now on Prime.

12. Hellraiser(1987)

How is this movie over 35 years old?! Perhaps the most notorious horror movie to come out of Britain since Michael Powell’sPeeping Tom,Clive Barker’s body horror tale of resurrection initially received the X rating from the MPAA before getting a few cuts–or, shall we say, slices.

Hellraiserreceived wildly mixed reviews upon release, but everyone agreed the film’s unyieldingly serious tone was unlike anything in popular horror at the time, as theNightmare on Elm StreetandFriday the 13thseries were getting increasingly goofier.

The practical effects still dazzle and the phantasmagorically gory violence still shocks today. That relentlessly serious tone has rendered the film a bit campy at times, though if anything that adds to the charm and just makes it an even more enjoyable enterprise overall.Hellraiserhas earned its place in the pantheon of horror, and it will definitely freak you out.

13. Open Water (2003)

A superior shark movie, Open Water is loosely based on the real-life disappearance of a married couple, who went missing after their scuba-diving expedition crew failed to take an accurate headcount. Ebert gave Open Water a highly positive review, saying the film had a “physical effect” on him, and that after watching it, he felt the need to go walk around in sunshine for a while to feel better and recalibrate. You’ve been warned.

14. Goodnight Mommy (2022)

A blood chiller from Austria, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz's 2014 close-quarters thriller of the same name centered on a mother and her twin boys is not what it seems. The filmmakers returned in fine form with 2020's underrated The Lodge starring Riley Keough (now streaming on Hulu). Starring Naomi Watts, the American remake is now streaming exclusively in Prime.

15. Train to Busan (2016)

A slam-dunk mashup of genres from South Korea, Sang-ho Yeon's Train to Busan is the freshest zombie film in at least a decade. Yoo Gong stars as a selfish workaholic who becomes trapped aboard a speeding train along with his estranged daughter and several strangers during an outbreak. No need to be wary of the subtitles, once Train to Busan gets warmed up, it never relents. Though the film is scary, gross, funny and sad--everything you want a zombie flick to be--it perhaps works best as an action film. Yeon stages set piece after thrilling set piece with kinetic energy and inventiveness that put several American summer blockbusters to shame. The biggest reason the movie clicks is the attention to character; this is a touching and well-acted father-daughter story, only with a lot of blood and guts as an added bonus.

16. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jonathan Demme‘s classic psychological horror film based on the popular book by Thomas Harris stars Jodie Foster as FBI trainee Clarice Starling. As a serial killer sweeps the midwest, Starling seeks the help of incarcerated Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), resulting in a “quid pro quo” tête-à-tête that’s become Hollywood legend.The Silence of the Lambs is one of three movies in history to win the “Big Five” Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best [Adapted] Screenplay, Best Director). The American Film Institute named it the fifth most suspenseful movie in history in their “100 Years, 100 Thrills” list of cinema’s most heart-pounding movies. In their 2003 special, “100 Heroes and Villains,” Clarice Starling was named the sixth all-time greatest screen hero ever; Lecter was named cinema’s all-time most unforgettable villain.

17. The Wailing (2016)

A gem from South Korea,Hong-jin Na‘s sprawling and operatic mind-bender about a demon who terrorizes a small mountain village is many kinds of horror film rolled into one. This is a zombie movie, a ghost story and an exorcism film–and it excels as all of those, but these aren’t just empty thrills. Na is a virtuoso filmmaker;The Chaser(2008) was an instant classic psychological thriller, andThe Yellow Sea(2010) is a crime drama thatMartin Scorsesewould be proud of. WithThe Wailing, Na has crafted a horror film on a scale that Hollywood rarely even attempts, a lush spectacle that takes its time, develops strong characters and isn’t afraid to be uncompromisingly weird.

The centerpiece of the film is an exorcism sequence–and if you think you’ve seen every exorcism scene movies have to offer, prepare to be surprised. This is an electrifying cross-cutting of two rituals, a vision of roaring fire, bright colors, music and dancing. It’s a widescreen showstopper that’s unlike anything else in the history of the genre.The Wailingruns just shy of three hours long, but its slow-burn sting is worth your patience. The story is wildly unpredictable, and by the end you’ll feel as if you’re in the clutches of evil, like a cold claw is gripping the back of your neck. A signature of Na’s are his unhappy endings; be warned, this is pitch black. Na has a mastery over his craft, and it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood starts remaking these films and/or brings him overseas to direct American movies.

18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Still going strong in limited theaters after nearly five decades, 20th Century Fox's sweetly bizarre and affably raunchy spectacular thrives on a larger-than-life Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, and catchy pop songs. Richard O’Brien‘s iconic musical tribute to ’50s schlock is both a toe-tapping musical and an immortal, generations-spanning ode to sexual discovery. This is the longest-running film in history, the ultimate cult classic.

Next, check out our ranking of the 100 best movies of all time.

What are you watching this Halloween season? What's the scariest movie you've ever seen? Sound off in the comments!