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The Best Horror Movies to Stream on Max [CNET]
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Meara covers streaming service news for CNET. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. When she’s not writing, she likes to dote over her cat, sip black coffee and try out new horror movies.
Max hosts a lot of content, but how’s its horror selection? Titles rotate throughout the year, and right now you can catch newer horror films like Midsommar and classics like Jaws. You may find a flick that lets you skip a scary-long search.
If you’re ready to make a spooky selection, here are nine standout horror movies on Max. All these films received generally favorable reviews or better, according to Metacritic. If you’re wondering what Max is all about, here’s more on the streaming service, which unites the HBO Max and Discovery Plus libraries.
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Jaws (1975)
Though you could argue that Jaws is better described as a thriller or action-adventure flick than a horror movie, you can’t dispute its status as a classic. Regarded as the first summer blockbuster, the 1975 film pits three men against a menacing great white shark.
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Evil Dead Rise (2023)
A family accidentally unearths some unimaginable evils in this gory supernatural horror story. It’s the fifth entry in the film franchise after The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (’87), Army of Darkness (’92) and Evil Dead (2013).
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George A. Romero’s classic horror film “Night of the Living Dead” is more than a monster movie about zombies, it put society under a masterful magnifying glass.
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Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George Romero’s first horror film is an easy recommendation. A group of survivors take refuge in a house while members of the undead swarm outside. The influential flick is often regarded as the first modern zombie movie, and while it may not offer Freddy Krueger-level frights, you’ll be drawn in by the characters at the center of its story. You’re going to want to leave the door open for this one (but in the case of an actual apocalypse, keep it very, very shut).
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Sissy Spacek stars as the eponymous Carrie.
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Sissy Spacek stars as the eponymous Carrie.
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Carrie (1976)
It’s more Stephen King, and you have to watch Sissy Spacek’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of the prom queen at least once in your life. Why not now?
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‘Midsommar’ (2019).
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‘Midsommar’ (2019).
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Midsommar (2019)
Horrors take place in broad daylight in this haunting film from Ari Aster. Set at a midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village, Midsommar has plenty of disturbing surprises in store for its guests. Prepare for some shocking scenes and a gripping performance from Florence Pugh.
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Eraserhead (1977)
David Lynch’s first feature-length film will make you feel like you’re in a bizarre nightmare. The 90-minute black-and-white horror flick is packed with odd sounds and imagery, and the result is incredibly eerie. Don’t even get me started on the main character’s freakish, otherworldly looking “baby” (that’s oddly still kind of cute?). There are messages about men and parenthood here, but even setting aside the bigger picture, Eraserhead’s surreal world is absolutely worth a visit.
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It Comes at Night (2017)
This grim horror film is about a family living in a secluded home in the aftermath of an unnamed cataclysm and what happens when a desperate couple with a young child enters the picture. The terrors aren’t supernatural, but this harrowing flick will haunt you.
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The Witch (2015)
This historical horror movie pretty much guarantees nightmares. The disturbing flick centers on a family in 1630s New England and marks Anya Taylor-Joy’s film debut. Over the 90-minute flick, strange and shocking things happen to a farmer and family who’ve relocated to a remote area on the edge of a forest.
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Black Swan (2010)
Black Swan is a surreal psychological horror movie about a talented ballerina’s unraveling. Natalie Portman’s character Nina feels pressure to embody not only the innocent and elegant White Swan but the dark and sensual Black Swan for the leading part in a production of Swan Lake. But she doesn’t fit the latter swan’s mold as much as newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) does. The film follows her obsessive hunt for perfection.
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