15 Best Horror Movies on Max 2026
Find the best horror movies on max 2026, from classics like Kwaidan to new chills like Salem's Lot — ratings, cast notes and where to stream on Max.
Looking to queue something that actually scares and stays with you? This guide pulls together must-see fright on Max, from the spare, haunting tableaux of Kwaidan (1964) to the tense, contemporary dread of Salem's Lot (2024) and the gothic romance-tinged Red Riding Hood (2011). Expect a mix of styles — eerie folklore, blood-and-suspense thrillers and even fantasy-tinged mysteries — plus notes on performances, director vision and how each film rates with critics and fans. Read on if you want a balanced list that helps you choose by mood, era and scare level. I also flag titles where mystery or romance reshape the scares, so you can match tone to the night.
Table of Contents
- Red Riding Hood
- Kwaidan
- The Mummy
- Night of the Living Dead
- Salem's Lot
- The Nun II
- House
- Meg 2: The Trench
- It: Chapter Two
- The Brood
- Cronos
- Open Water
- Eraserhead
- Alien: Covenant
- Funny Games
1. Red Riding Hood
Year: 2011 | Rating: 5.4/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, thriller
Valerie is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry another man. Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter plan to run away together when Valerie's older sister is killed by a werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village. Panic grips the town as Valerie discovers that she has a unique connection to the beast--one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect ... and bait.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons
2. Kwaidan
Year: 1964 | Rating: 7.9/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, fantasy, horror
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi
Cast: Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Rentarô Mikuni, Kenjirô Ishiyama, Ranko Akagi
3. The Mummy
Year: 2017 | Rating: 5.4/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, adventure, fantasy, horror, thriller
Though safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
Available on: Hulu, Max
Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
Cast: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson
4. Night of the Living Dead
Year: 1968 | Rating: 7.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: horror, thriller
A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.
Available on: Starz, Peacock Premium, Freevee, Max
Directed by: George A. Romero
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne
5. Salem's Lot
Year: 2024 | Rating: 5.6/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: horror, thriller
Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Gary Dauberman
Cast: Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Jordan Preston Carter, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp
6. The Nun II
Year: 2023 | Rating: 5.6/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: horror, mystery, thriller
In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Michael Chaves
Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, Bonnie Aarons
7. House
Year: 1977 | Rating: 7.2/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: comedy, horror
Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip with her friends to visit her aunt's ancestral house in the countryside. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Cast: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ôba, Ai Matsubara, Mieko Satô
8. Meg 2: The Trench
Year: 2023 | Rating: 5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: action, adventure, horror, sci-fi, thriller
An exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean of a daring research team spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Jason Statham, Jing Wu, Shuya Sophia Cai, Cliff Curtis, Page Kennedy
9. It: Chapter Two
Year: 2019 | Rating: 6.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, fantasy, horror
27 years after overcoming the malevolent supernatural entity Pennywise, the former members of the Losers' Club, who have grown up and moved away from Derry, are brought back together by a devastating phone call.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan
10. The Brood
Year: 1979 | Rating: 6.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: horror, sci-fi
A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, while a series of brutal attacks committed by a brood of mutant children coincides with the husband's investigation.
Available on: Max
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Cast: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman, Nuala Fitzgerald
11. Cronos
Year: 1992 | Rating: 6.7/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: drama, fantasy, horror, thriller
Faced with his own mortality, an ingenious alchemist tried to perfect an invention that would provide him with the key to eternal life. It was called the Cronos device. When he died more than 400 years later, he took the secrets of this remarkable device to the grave with him. Now, an elderly antiques dealer has found the hellish machine hidden in a statue and learns about its incredible powers. The more he uses the device, the younger he becomes...but nothing comes without a price. Life after death is just the beginning as this nerve-shattering thriller unfolds and the fountain of youth turns bloody.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, Tamara Xanath
12. Open Water
Year: 2003 | Rating: 5.8/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: adventure, drama, horror, thriller
Two divers are left out at sea without a boat. There’s nothing but water for miles, unless they look at what’s underneath them...
Available on: Max
Directed by: Chris Kentis
Cast: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenato
13. Eraserhead
Year: 1977 | Rating: 7.2/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: fantasy, horror
First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Available on: Max
Directed by: David Lynch
Cast: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates, Judith Roberts
14. Alien: Covenant
Year: 2017 | Rating: 6.4/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: horror, sci-fi, thriller
The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise but is actually a dark, dangerous world.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir
15. Funny Games
Year: 1997 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie
Genres: crime, drama, horror, thriller
Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
Available on: Max
Directed by: Michael Haneke
Cast: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering, Stefan Clapczynski
Wrapping Up
These selections cover fantasy, mystery, romance and several shades of horror and thriller, so whether you crave slow-building unease or adrenaline-fueled scares there’s a strong option. The mix balances restored classics, international arthouse and recent studio fare, chosen for atmosphere, performances and audience response. Bookmark this roundup and drop back regularly — I update it whenever Max adds new acquisitions or when festival standouts land on the platform. I refresh recommendations often so the list reflects new releases and restorations. Want a shorter list? Tell me your preferred subgenre and I’ll tailor a compact watchlist with viewing order and runtime tips to make choosing quick and painless.
Last updated: July 26, 2026