The Best Horror Movies Now Streaming On Max
Last Updated: October 1, 2024
Max (formerly HBOMax) is getting into the Halloween spirit this October. The streamer is finally releasing the newest adaptation of Salem’s Lot, so they are adding more Stephen King titles to the site this month. The King additions include the popular film Doctor Sleep, which is sure to send the Mike Flanagan fans into orbit. The app is also celebrating the person who helmed this long-awaited version of the Salem’s Lot, Gary Dauberman. Max is expanding their collection of titles from The Conjuring Universe, the franchise Dauberman has been involved in since 2014. So, there is an overwhelming amount of cool stuff this month, but never fear. I am here to share my top 5 picks from the oncoming onslaught of horror titles about to hit this platform.
Here are the best bets on Max this month.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (dir. Wes Craven)
A teen must fend off a serial killer with a bladed glove who stalks her friends in their dreams. Is it even Halloween season if you do not see Wes Craven’s masterpiece at least once? I am a proud Petty Freddy stan account, so this will obviously be my first stop on the app this October. After all, the man of our nightmares is the reason for every season. This film kicked off a franchise that cemented Robert Englund’s horror legacy and went on to become many of our personalities. A Nightmare On Elm Street is my favorite thing on Max this month. The streamer is also adding the first five films of the franchise for all of our Halloween horror movie needs. Block off a weekend, put on your comfy pjs, and brew your strongest pot of coffee in honor of the occasion.
The Franchise, Season 1 (HBO Original)
A group of people are stuck making big franchise superhero movies and wondering if they are making art or are just on a neverending assembly line of crap. I was bummed that I missed this in a festival, so I am so grateful Max is dropping The Franchise this October. A satirical look at the ongoing debate about superhero movies seems right up my alley. However, I am mostly excited because it stars Aya Cash (Scare Me, You’re The Worst) and Lolly Adefope (Black Mirror, Shrill). I am a huge fan of both actors, and they have yet to steer me wrong. This is also extra funny because many of us last saw Cash on the popular superhero series The Boys. I expect some dark comedy and to feel attacked as the resident Blerd Queen of my apartment. If this also sounds like your kind of party, mark your calendars for October 6.
It (dir. Andrés Muschietti)
A group of outcasts band together in the summer of 1989 to defeat a shape-shifting monster that preys on children in their small town. It (2017) was better than it had any right to bet. It set a bar so high that even the second film could not get on its level. This movie is basically required viewing if you want to add some razzle dazzle to your Halloween watches. I am happy Max realized that now would be a good time to put this back on the streamer because we were all thinking it but were too polite to tweet it. Max is also adding It: Chapter Two for the diehard fans who actually rewatch both halves. The streamer is also giving subscribers the first chaotic adaptation, Stephen King’s It, starring Tim Curry if you really want to sit in the world of Pennywise this October.
Misery (dir. Rob Reiner)
A famous writer survives a car crash only to find himself the captive of his biggest fan. Speaking of Stephen King, Misery still holds up as one of the best adaptations of any of his novels. This chilling tale earned Kathy Bates a Best Actress Oscar and made us all just a little afraid of her. The thriller has stood the test of time and is still fairly unsettling after multiple rewatches. Maybe it is because James Caan and Bates really committed to letting the cocadoodie hit the fan. Or perhaps, it is the idea of being trapped with someone obsessed with us in all the wrong ways. Whatever the reason, this terrifying tale has been leaving us unsettled for decades. I cannot wait to rewatch it in what has been a big year for people who form parasocial relationships with celebrities.
Poltergeist (dir. Tobe Hooper)
A conservative family finds themselves embattled with evil spirits residing in their home after the malevolent force snatches their youngest child. Who among us can resist this Stephen Spielberg and Tobe Hooper collaboration? With a story from Spielberg and Hooper at the helm, it was bound to be a moment and is still an ideal watch during the spooky season. To sweeten the pot, Poltergeist stars JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke, and Zelda Rubinstein. Each time I revisit this movie, I find more things that went over my head as a kid. These discoveries make me feel better about this family being terrorized, but I still dig this movie. I cannot be the only person planning to catch it on Max this month. Although, I am one of the few hoping it scares some youngsters the way it was meant to.
Everything coming to Max in October
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
A Return to Salem’s Lot (1987)
Angel of Death (Szadź), Season 2-3 (Max Original)
Angel of Death (Szadź), Season 4 (Max Original)
Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Caddo Lake (2024) (Max Original)
The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
Dark Souls Among Us (aka Senales del Mas Alla), Season 1
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
The Death of Superman (2018)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Dune (1984)
The Franchise, Season 1 (HBO Original)
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1992)
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1998)
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Gremlins: The Wild Batch, Season 2 (Max Original)
I Was a Teenage Zombie (1987)
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
It (2017)
It: Chapter Two (2019)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
MaXXXine (2024)
Misery (1990)
The Naked Kiss (1964)
Open Your Eyes (1999)
Poltergeist (1982)
Practical Magic (1998)
The Return of Godzilla (1985)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Salem’s Lot (2024) (Max Original)
Scooby-Doo (2002)
Stephen King’s It (1990)
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005)
Traffik (2018)
Trap (2024)
Are you as excited as I am about the horrible titles coming to Max in time for Halloween? Then we should discuss it at @misssharai.
Categorized:Streaming Guides
