The Best Horror Movies Streaming Now on Paramount+
Last updated: January 8, 2025
Paramount+ has a very long list of genre content from many different eras of our lives this January. Want to go back to the early aughts? Then check out Dirty Pretty Things or Cursed. Want to go further back to the 1990s instead? Then they have The Addams Family and The Crow. The streamer is packing a lot of titles that feel like comfort watches this month, and I am not mad about it. After all, it is sweater weather and the perfect time to reflect on the genre phases we have experienced in our lifetimes. So, I took choosing five movies for this month too seriously. I figured if we were going to press the nostalgia button and go back in time, we should be sure to visit some of the greatest hits. See what I pulled from this January’s Paramount+ lineup below!
Check out my five picks for January.
Don’t Look Now (dir. Nicolas Roeg)
A grieving married couple takes a trip to Venice, where a pair of elderly sisters bring them a message from the beyond. I was super late to the Don’t Look Now party, but it is easily one of my favorite 1970s horror movies now. It makes me feel like a better horror nerd every time I watch it. Not only does it have the late Donald Sutherland giving another masterful performance, but it is a chilling film that keeps you guessing until the end. We get a lot of meditations on grief and parenthood in the genre, but this one knocks it out of the park. Do yourself a favor and check it out while it is streaming on Paramount+ this month. Even the behind-the-scenes stories are worth some internet sleuthing. Learning that Sutherland did a very dangerous stunt himself caused me so much anxiety.
Labyrinth (dir. Jim Henson)
A teen must go through a magical maze to save her baby brother. David Bowie had a legendary career and would have turned 78 this January. However, his turn as the Goblin King in this Jim Henson movie is possibly one of the most iconic things in his filmography. As a jaded 90s kid, I thought 80s children’s movies had nothing to offer me. That was before I walked in on my younger siblings during the Magic Dance number. That is when I realized that Henson’s work was darker than the other things being peddled as PG movies and that Bowie could sell me anything. This is why Labyrinth is my favorite movie streaming on Paramount+ this month. This is wild because I have a couple of other favorite films, more violent and aimed at adults, but this is the one I need ASAP.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (dir. Renny Harlin)
An amnesiac hires a private investigator to help her figure out who she is, as her mysterious past catches up with her. I will continue to say this is Renny Harlin’s best movie. Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson remain one of my favorite duos, and this Christmastime thriller had no business being this good. I recently revisited The Long Kiss Goodnight and think it is still the best character Geena Davis has ever played. Charly Baltimore is a dangerous and spiteful badass. She is also probably why I am the way I am, seeing as I watched it repeatedly because this was my favorite holiday film as a kid. This is one of my favorite thrillers from the 90s and is a beacon for angry girls who know that nothing feels quite as good as revenge. I will rewatch this as if I did not revisit it last month.
Paranormal Activity (dir. Oren Peli)
A couple moves into a new home and finds themselves haunted by a demonic presence. This simple premise ended up being a hellish experience that disturbed my peace, and I love it so much! If you have not revisited this first entry in a minute, I am here to tell you that it is still scary. I don’t care what anyone says, Paranormal Activity is one of the best found-footage franchises I have ever seen. This series proves you do not need tons of cash to chill your audience to the bone. Just hearing the demon’s footsteps and seeing a few items getting snatched by an invisible evil entity will do the trick. Even most of the “bad” Paranormal Activity entries are still nightmare fuel and just as fun after multiple rewatches. So, I am happy that Paramount+ is adding the first five movies so I can feel terrified again.
Red Eye (dir. Wes Craven)
A woman befriends a stranger on a flight only to learn that he is a terrorist who will have her father killed if she does not help with the assassination of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. There is a lot going on in this bonkers thriller. However, it is also a lot of fun. As a Wes Craven stan account, I enjoy this larger-than-life film. Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, and Brian Cox all do what they do best. However, eagle-eyed horror fans will get a kick out of seeing Kyle Gallner as Headphone Kid’s Brother. Red Eye is the brand of chaotic and campy fun that many films in this vein never quite reach. This movie never goes where you think it will, which is a huge part of its charm. I highly suggest you grab your favorite snacks and put your cell on airplane mode for this one
Everything coming to Paramount+ in January
The Addams Family (1991)
Arrival
Barbarella
Basic Instinct
Black Noise
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind
The Conversation
Crawlspace
The Crow
The Crow: City of Angels
The Crow: Wicked Prayer
Cursed
Dirty Pretty Things
Domestic Disturbance
Don’t Look Now
Face/Off
Fatal Attraction
Final Destination
Halloween VIII: Resurrection
Judgement Night
Kiss The Girls
Labyrinth
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Manchurian Candidate
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity 2
Paranormal Activity 3
Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
Pet Sematary II
The Pledge
Poltergeist
Red Eye
Rosemary’s Baby
The Ruins
The Running Man
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Shutter Island
Silence
Snake Eyes
Stardust
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie
There Will Be Blood
The Truman Show
The Two Jakes
V for Vengeance
The Virgin Suicides
Virtuosity
WifeLike
Did you also find some gold in this January’s Paramount+ lineup? Then we should swap notes at @misssharai.
Categorized:Streaming Guides
