Skip to main content

The best horror movies on Amazon Prime right now

Amazon Prime Video is one of the best streaming platforms for pretty much any cinema genre you can think of, and that includes a trove of horror films. Encompassing every niche and era, Prime Video’s collection of chilling flicks is in constant rotation, and with new movies coming to Amazon all the time, it’s always growing too. Don’t worry about keeping up with what’s arriving and leaving, though — that’s our job. 

As fans of horror cinema and Prime Video experts, we put together this roundup of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime Video right now.

If you don’t see anything of note on Amazon Prime, we’ve also rounded up the best horror movies on Netflix and the best horror movies on Hulu.

Recently added to Amazon Prime Video
Beast (2022) new
Beast
r 93m
Genre Thriller, Action, Adventure, Horror
Stars Idris Elba, Leah Sava Jeffries, Iyana Halley
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
In director Baltasar Kormákur’s 2022 film Beast, Idris Elba stars as Dr. Nate Samuels, a widowed father of two teenage daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries). On a vacation to the Mopani Reserve in South Africa, the trip that everyone needed quickly devolves into an all-out nightmare when a man-eating lion goes on a killing spree. It’s up to Nate and his children to think fast, act fast, and pray, as they do all they can to avoid becoming “prey” to the angry wildlife. Beast knows that it’s operating on an out-there premise that most of us are unlikely to experience, but watching Elba go into combat with an apex predator certainly makes for thrilling cinema.
Rogue (2007)
Rogue
r 99m
Genre Action, Horror, Thriller
Stars Radha Mitchell, Michael Vartan, Sam Worthington
Directed by Greg McLean
What do you get when you replace the blood-hungry lion in Beast with a man-eating crocodile? You get another fight-for-survival picture titled Rogue. Written and directed by Greg McLean, the story follows an American travel journalist named Pete (Michael Vartan) on an Australian trek through croc-infested waters. After investigating a distant signal flare, the reveal of a wreckage soon pits Pete and his fellow adventurers against the cause of the destruction: a 25-foot reptilian hellspawn. As the tourists and locals start dying off one by one, Pete and the other survivors must do everything in their power to evade the jaws of the semi-aquatic monster. A creature feature that leans on the strengths of its core cast and impressive monster, Rogue doesn’t pretend to be anything but good, gory fun.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
r 88m
Genre Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction
Stars Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson
Directed by Stephen Chiodo

A cult classic for the ages, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a masterful campfest that follows the townies and local law enforcement of a community besieged by extraterrestrials who look a whole lot like circus clowns. Even their “mothership” is a gigantic circus tent. As the community begins getting harvested by the otherworldly fiends, the citizens must band together to fight back against the invaders and their perilous hijinks. Written and directed by the Chiodo Brothers, who also designed the practical effects for the film, Killer Klowns isn’t a film to be taken seriously, but if you go into it expecting a cheesy amalgamation of gags and big-top slaughter, you won’t be disappointed.

The Black Phone (2022) new
The Black Phone
r 103m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Mason Thames, Ethan Hawke, Madeleine McGraw
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Adapted from the Joe Hill short story of the same name, The Black Phone stars Ethan Hawke as a notorious child murderer known as “The Grabber” in local headlines. When a timid teenager named Finney (Mason Thames) is snatched by the mask-wearing madman, he awakens on a mattress in the killer’s basement — a soundproofed subterranean lair with a single window and a disconnected, wall-hung rotary phone. But as local authorities and Finney’s psychic kid sister (Madeleine McGraw) search endlessly for the boy’s whereabouts, Finney somehow begins receiving cryptic phone calls from The Grabber’s beyond-the-grave victims, sparking ghostly conversations that provide Fin with pivotal survival and escape tips. While it’s a bit of a bumpy ride at times, The Black Phone features great performances, brooding production design, and plenty of ghoulish jump-scares.
1408 (2007)
1408
r 104m
Genre Horror, Mystery
Stars John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack
Directed by Mikael Håfström
In 1408 (an adaptation of the Stephen King short story of the same name) John Cusack stars as Mike Enslin, a jaded author specializing in paranormal debunking. Through the years, Mike has seen plenty of reportedly haunted places, emerging unscathed every time. But after booking a stay at the Dolphin Hotel, in the supposedly very haunted room 1408, Mike is soon treated to a never-ending series of time-looping specters and other grisly happenings, forcing the author into a frantic fight for survival. As The Eagles say: “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” Cusack is at the top of his game in 1408, delivering a full-bodied performance as a well-vetted naysayer turned helpless victim.
Pet Sematary (1989)
Pet Sematary
r 103m
Genre Horror, Drama
Stars Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby
Directed by Mary Lambert

If you’re in the mood for an extra-painful kind of horror (you’ll never look at your Achille’s heel the same way again), Pet Sematary is a powerful adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. The 1989 version of the film stars Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed, a doctor who has been transferred to a rural town in Maine. Moving into a new home with his wife (Denise Crosby) and two children (Blaze Berdahl and Miko Hughes), Louis is warned by his neighbor Jud (Fred Gwynne) to be mindful of the speeding 18-wheelers that barrel down the road. When an unexpected tragedy strikes the Creeds, Jud tells Louis of a place where the dead can be brought back to life, which sets into a motion a horrific chain of events that should remind us all to stay away from ancient burial grounds.

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
r 93m
Genre Thriller, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Stars Debbie Harry, Matthew Lawrence, David Forrester
Directed by John Harrison

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is the cinematic offspring of the 1980s TV show of the same name, a program created by George Romero in the wake of his Creepshow success. Bookended by a prologue and epilogue that involves a young boy getting kidnapped by a witch, the child distracts her by reading three stories from a tome called Tales from the DarksideSubsequently, we see each of these tales played out through three separate short films, and they’re all pretty gripping and gruesome. If you’re a fan of modern flicks like the V/H/S series, Southbound, and The ABCs of Death, these current genre hits owe some of their success to the days of Darkside.

The Oak Room (2020)
The Oak Room
89m
Genre Thriller, Horror, Mystery
Stars RJ Mitte, Peter Outerbridge, Ari Millen
Directed by Cody Calahan

Based on the Peter Genoway play of the same name, director Cody Calahan’s The Oak Room stars Breaking Bad alum RJ Mitte and Peter Outerbridge as Steve and Paul. Hoping to settle a long-ago score, a homecoming Steve (Mitte) returns to a bar he once frequented, where he decides to trade harrowing stories with the miserly barkeep. It’s these chilling words that possess a greater part of the film, with the various vignettes delivering countless twists and turns throughout the runtime.

The Relic (1997)
The Relic
110m
Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt
Directed by Peter Hyams

If monster movies are your bag, The Relic is a solid bit of genre filmmaking that doesn’t pretend to be serious for one second, but it’s the jovial B-movie approach that cements the flick as one with at least some replay value. Starring Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller as a detective and biologist trying to hunt down a giant beast that’s wreaking havoc at a museum in Chicago, it may not be the most intellectual film you’ve watched (or revisited) all year, but The Relic is pure popcorn fun from start to finish.

My Best Friend's Exorcism (2022)
My Best Friend's Exorcism
58 %
5.3/10
r 96m
Genre Horror, Comedy
Stars Elsie Fisher, Amiah Miller, Rachel Ogechi Kanu
Directed by Damon Thomas
In My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller star as best friends Abby and Gretchen, high-school pals who come into contact with a demonic entity that decides to take up residence in Gretchen’s body. As the evil within uses its new vessel for wrongdoing aplenty, it’s up to the teens to figure out a way to eradicate the monster before it’s too late. It’s silly in many ways, and not all of its narrative choices are worthwhile ones. But as an off-kilter horror comedy, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is an effective rumination on ’80s genre cinema that sticks its landing more than it doesn’t.
Goodnight Mommy (2022)
Goodnight Mommy
45 %
5.6/10
r 91m
Genre Horror, Drama, Thriller
Stars Naomi Watts, Cameron Crovetti, Nicholas Crovetti
Directed by Matt Sobel
A 2022 remake of the 2014 Austrian film of the same name, Goodnight Mommy stars Cameron and Nicholas Crovett as twin brothers Elias and Lukas. When the siblings are forced to stay with their mother (Naomi Watts), an actress covered in facial bandaging from a “cosmetic” surgery, the boys start to get a strange feeling that this woman is not their mother at all, but some kind of otherworldly imposter that means them harm. While not as captivating as the original film, Goodnight Mommy is still a decent Amazon horror flick that’s perfect to watch on a cold and gloomy night.
The Collector (2009)
The Collector
29 %
6.3/10
r 88m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Josh Stewart, Juan Fernández, Michael Reilly Burke
Directed by Marcus Dunstan
The Collector takes all the mayhem and inventive murders of a film like Saw, removes any and all traces of relatable drama, and adds kerosene to the formula. The resulting conflagration is an exploitive mess that can be seen for miles, but we’ll be damned if we can’t turn away. Josh Stewart stars as ex-con Arkin, a man desperate to get some much-needed cash in the hands of his ex-wife, so he decides to rob a house. Not the best plan to begin with, but it just so happens that the targeted domicile has already been selected by a notorious madman who has rigged the residence with a series of inescapable death traps. During early development, The Collector was actually supposed to be a prequel to the Sawseries, which makes sense when you consider the narrative. It’s not groundbreaking genre cinema by any means, but if you need a good sister flick to the Saw canon, The Collector is bound to satiate.
A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
A Quiet Place Part II
71 %
7.2/10
pg-13 97m
Genre Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror
Stars Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds
Directed by John Krasinski
A tremendous follow up to 2018’s A Quiet Place, writer-director John Krasinski brings us A Quiet Place Part II. Following the remaining Abbot family members in the wake of the first film’s semi-tragic conclusion, mother (Emily Blunt), daughter (Millicent Simmonds), son (Noah Jupe), and an infant continue their fight for survival against the Death Angels, blinded extraterrestrial monsters with powerful hearing capabilities and a bloodlust for humanity. When the Abbots happen upon an old friend, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), the nuclear unit joins up with this companion in the hope of finding a new bastion somewhere beyond the sea. Sophomore efforts tend to miss the mark, especially when it comes to the horror genre, but A Quiet Place Part II manages to rehash all the elements that made the first film so great while expanding the scope of Krasinski’s post-apocalyptic universe.
Candyman (2021)
Candyman
72 %
5.9/10
r 91m
Genre Horror
Stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo
Directed by Nia DaCosta
Dare to speak his name? In the ghoulish tradition of urban legends like Bloody Mary, director Nia DaCosta’s 2021 film Candyman presents a decades-later sequel to the original 1992 Bernard Rose film of the same name. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony McCoy, a Chicago-based painter seeking inspiration for his next set of works, the talented and curious craftsman dives deep into the lore of the infamous Candyman legend after a conversation with a Cabrini-Green resident (Colman Domingo) piques his interest in the man with a hooked hand. But as the bodies start piling up, the world of the paintbrush starts bleeding out into reality as the titular slasher returns once more. Candyman rocks a bold visual style with a kinetic story that comes to life through the film’s ensemble of players, particularly Mateen II as the manic artist who rapidly descends down a rabbit hole of disillusionment and decay.
Saint Maud (2020)
Saint Maud
83 %
6.7/10
r 85m
Genre Drama, Horror, Mystery
Stars Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer
Directed by Rose Glass
Religious fervor meets breathtaking indie filmmaking in writer-director Rose Glass’ feature debut Saint Maud. Starring Morfydd Clark as the titular character, a hospice nurse with a devout born-again mentality, Maud is assigned to care for Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), an ailing American dancer living in London. But when Maud’s calling to save the soul of her patient reaches disturbing new heights, no one is safe from the perceived evils and resultant “cleansing.” A daring blend of drama and horror, Saint Maud is powerful cinema from a powerful, new auteur.
Bit (2019)
Bit
4.5/10
r 90m
Genre Horror, Comedy
Stars Nicole Maines, Diana Hopper, Zolee Griggs
Directed by Brad Michael Elmore
When Laurel (Nicole Maines) relocates to LA, she has big dreams of a new life. But her aspirations are soon put to rest after meeting Duke (Diana Hopper), the leader of an all-female pact of vampires intent on making Laurel one of their own. As the vamps encroach, Duke reveals that she and her coven operate as vigilantes, luring abusive men to their deaths. Will Laurel join the ranks? Bit is powered by a number of integral and relevant themes, using the horror-comedy sub-genre as a springboard to communicate its many messages.
The Deeper You Dig (2019)
The Deeper You Dig
75 %
5.6/10
r 95m
Genre Horror, Drama
Stars John Adams, Toby Poser, Zelda Adams
Directed by Toby Poser, John Adams
In The Deeper You Dig, the lives of a mother, daughter, and stranger are horrifically intertwined in the wake of a devastating accident. The stranger (John Adams), known as Kurt, does what he can to cover his tracks. What he wasn’t expecting was the untimely power of the supernatural to descend over his unplanned crime. As the line between the living and the dead starts to fizzle, it’s only a matter of time before the blood on Kurt’s hands becomes his ultimate undoing. A well-shot, simply made horror flick, The Deeper You Dig explores how far we’ll go for our families through an eerie, wraith-like lens.
My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To (2021)
My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To
r 89m
Genre Drama, Horror
Stars Patrick Fugit, Ingrid Sophie Schram, Owen Campbell
Directed by Jonathan Cuartas
In writer-director Jonathan Cuartas’ My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To, Patrick Fugit stars as Dwight, one of three siblings of a privately vampiric family. Dwight and his sister Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) roam the desolate streets at night, seeking victims for their ailing younger brother, Thomas (Owen Campbell). But as the bodies continue piling, Dwight dreams of a new life — one unhindered by the bloodletting of innocents, perhaps. A bare-bones feature debut that matches moody atmospherics to a captivating plot revolving around the struggles of a family, My Heart Can’t Beat… is indie horror at its best.
Madres (2021)
Madres
43 %
4.8/10
r 83m
Genre Horror
Stars Ariana Guerra, Tenoch Huerta, Elpidia Carrillo
Directed by Ryan Zaragoza
In Madres, an expectant Mexican-American couple retires to a farming community in 1970s California to have their first baby. But as a series of horrific visions begin plaguing the mother, the soon-to-be parents wonder if the myriad of disturbing images they’ve been seeing are due to the stresses of the forthcoming child, or maybe it has something to do with a sinister curse that has been stomping around the ranch the couple has been working on? Another great entry in the Welcome to the Blumhouse film series, Madres explores a number of important social issues under the banner of top-shelf horror.
Black as Night (2021)
Black as Night
53 %
4.4/10
r 87m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Asjha Cooper, Fabrizio Guido, Craig Tate
Directed by Maritte Lee Go
In Black of Night, Asjha Cooper stars as 15-year-old Shawna as a renegade vampire hunter living in New Orleans. When her mother falls victim to a band of vamps that has plagued the city since the travesty of Hurricane Katrina, Shawna teams up with three ragtag vigilantes to track down the leader of the vampires and put an end to their nighttime scheming once and for all. A fun blend of action, horror, teen melodrama, and social commentary, Black as Night borrows plenty from like-minded vampire flicks but dishes out enough of its own flavor to keep viewers glued to the screen.
Nocturne (2020)
Nocturne
58 %
5.7/10
r 90m
Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Music
Stars Sydney Sweeney, Madison Iseman, Jacques Colimon
Directed by Zu Quirke

Nocturne stars Sydney Sweeney (EuphoriaWhite Lotus) and Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer) as twin sisters Juliet and Vivian. Accomplished pianists attending a prestigious music school, Vivian’s abilities are near-virtuoso and always a step above Juliet’s hands. That is until Juliet comes into the possession of a music theory book from a student that had jumped to her death. As the tome begins granting Juliet newfound confidence and dedication to the piano, her inflated ego meshes with a series of supernatural events that threaten her own life and the safety of those around her.

The Manor (2021)
The Manor
59 %
5.3/10
r 81m
Genre Horror
Stars Barbara Hershey, Nicholas Alexander, Bruce Davison
Directed by Axelle Carolyn
Judith Albright (Barbara Hershey) isn’t who she used to be, not since her stroke at any rate. After moving into a prestigious nursing home, the ailing Judith begins experiencing horrific visions that lead her to believe something sinister is afoot at the sprawling estate. But with dementia running rampant through the halls, Judith’s insistence that something is not what it seems is easily dismissed by staff and family as an elderly case of “cried wolf.” But the truth, it turns out, is all too real. The Manor doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the genre, but writer-director Axelle Carolyn’s vision is a fun one to embrace — supplying the viewer with familiar motifs, ominous score, and plenty of seedlings that lead into third-act reveals.
We Are Still Here (2015)
We Are Still Here
65 %
5.7/10
r 84m
Genre Horror
Stars Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig, Lisa Marie
Directed by Ted Geoghegan
Anne (Barbara Crampton) and Paul Sacchetti (Andrew Sensenig) are grieving parents that decide to relocate to a rural New England town, taking up residence in an 1800s rustic home. Upon moving in, the couple is warned by a concerned local that their home is an evil sanctum that they should vacate promptly. Undeterred by these provocations, Anne and Paul invite spiritualist pals May (Lisa Marie) and Jacob Lewis (Larry Fessenden) to their estate in hopes of contacting their deceased child — a supernatural leaning that quickly becomes the downfall of all involved, particularly when it turns out that their home may have a deviant mind of its own.
Bingo Hell (2021)
Bingo Hell
55 %
4.3/10
r 85m
Genre Thriller
Stars Adriana Barraza, L. Scott Caldwell, Clayton Landey
Directed by Gigi Saúl Guerrero
Lupita (Adriana Barraza) is a longtime resident of the Oak Springs retirement community. Living out her days in peace, a once-idyllic residence suddenly falls to darkness when the enigmatic Mr. Big (Richard Brake) becomes the new property manager. Sensing that evil is afoot, Lupita and her fellow retirees band together to take down the evildoer. But as the bodies start piling up, the senior citizens realize they may be entrenched in a hell they may not escape from. A splatterfest of camp, gore, and a cobbled narrative that ultimately satiates, Bingo Hell isn’t world-class cinema, but it’s perfect viewing for horror fanatics.
Hellraiser (1987)
Hellraiser
57 %
7.2/10
r 94m
Genre Horror
Stars Ashley Laurence, Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins
Directed by Clive Barker
Stay away from ancient, evil puzzle boxes: A hard rule that all should follow. These are words of wisdom that nomadic Frank (Sean Chapman) ignores. After purchasing a Pandora’s box of terrors and tinkering with the relic, a hoard of extra-dimensional demons known as Cenobites are unleashed upon him. Dragging Frank to their realm of pain and torture, his brother (Andrew Robinson) and his wife (Clare Higgins) move into Frank’s residence. When a drop of blood reawakens Frank, he tasks Julia, his brother’s spouse and Frank’s once-lover, with bringing him fresh victims to ultimately be reborn. Based on Clive Barker’s novel The Hellbound HeartHellraiser combines graphic visual effects and an unrelenting narrative, resulting in a macabre masterpiece for the ages.
Black Box (2020)
Black Box
62 %
6.2/10
r 100m
Genre Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashād, Amanda Christine
Directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Jr.
In the wake of a horrific car accident that killed his wife, Nolan (Mamoudou Athie) is left with crippling amnesia and a 10-year-old daughter to care for. After agreeing to undergo an experimental treatment to reclaim his lost faculties, the widowed father gets more than he bargained for when a series of disturbing hallucinations plague Nolan’s day-to-day. Hellbent on finding the cure for these manifestations, Nolan will soon discover that there’s a much darker side to his so-called recovery. A tactful and imaginative debut from director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Jr., Black Box will keep you curled tight at the edge of your seat. We guarantee it.

The Neon Demon (2016)
The Neon Demon
51 %
6.1/10
r 118m
Genre Thriller, Horror
Stars Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Desmond Harrington
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
16-year-old Jesse (Elle Fanning) is an aspiring model who has recently relocated to Los Angeles. When she secures work with a prolific agency, the sky appears to be the limit for the fresh face. But as Jesse faces scrutiny and a series of uncomfortable exchanges with her older peers, mixed with a cycle of visceral and disturbing dreams and hallucinations, the veil of high fashion begins to peel back, revealing a strange and sordid underbelly for the youthful talent. A hypnotic tale of horror with a mighty sucker punch of an ending, The Neon Demon is as much an homage to ’70s foreign-language horror flicks as it is a fitting entry in the canon of writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn.

The Reef (2010)
The Reef
5.8/10
r 88m
Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
Stars Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Adrienne Pickering
Directed by Andrew Traucki
When four friends hit the high seas to deliver a yacht to a client in Indonesia, their voyage is quickly uprooted when their vessel capsizes in a coral reef. As the disparate foursome decides to swim to a nearby island with whatever supplies they can hang on to, a great white shark emerges from the depths and begins stalking them. While we’ve all seen our fair share of cheap shark-genre chillers, writer-director Andrew Traucki delivers his story through horrific slow burns, buttressed by the magnificent talents of the main ensemble. This is one of the better 90-minute oceanic horror films out there and a testament to the power of a good script and a director with a strong vision. Australian waters have never felt so foreboding.

Suspiria (2018)
Suspiria
64 %
6.7/10
r 152m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Hot off the success of his 2017 film, Call Me by Your Name, director Luca Guadagnino dove headfirst into the production of Suspiria, a remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 Technicolor nightmare about a prestigious German dance academy with a mysterious and sordid past. In Guadagnino’s rendition, Dakota Johnson plays Susie Bannion, the American newcomer to the foreign school, and what a wicked first day of classes she has. An expelled student, Patricia Hingle (Chloë Grace Moretz), is murdered, and not long after the ex-matriculate confessed to her therapist that the dance academy is run by evil witches.
Vivarium (2019)
Vivarium
64 %
5.8/10
r 97m
Genre Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery
Stars Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Eanna Hardwicke
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan
Ah yes, the joys of buying your first home. As if closing costs, inspections, and the pains of moving day weren’t hell enough, imagine being trapped in a neighborhood where all the houses are exactly the same — and there’s no escape. That’s where director/co-writer Lorcan Finnegan’s Vivarium gets started. After Tom and Gemma (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) travel to the mysterious development of Yonder with their oddball realtor, Martin (Jonathan Aris), the agent seemingly disappears. A labyrinthine nightmare, Eisenberg and Poots flourish as Tom and Gemma, an innocent young couple that slowly begins losing their minds and overall grip on reality, especially once a newborn baby arrives — appearing out of the clear blue. Is this maze of suburbia all in their head, or are their sinister forces at play? You’ll just have to watch to find out.

Editors' Recommendations

Movie images and data from: