The 10 best horror movies on HBO Max (2023)
The experience of being scared is priceless, especially when we know that 'The end' will come and everything will go back to normal... or not. Here's a list of the 10 best new horror movies and classics of this genre you'll find on HBO Max.
The Menu (2022)
- Directed by: Mark Mylod
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau
- Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes
A group of respectable people are invited to a private island owned by a millionaire to dine in an exclusive restaurant whose chef has become famous for his completely unconventional approach to food. A dinner of several courses turns into a bloody surreal action, the role of dessert in which is intended for the guests themselves. This is not just a horror, but a caustic satire on the modern world of consumption and the danger of a despot emerging from a complex person. As always, excellent acting work of the brilliant Ralph Fiennes, who played the role of a maniac cook.
The Night House (2020)
- Directed by: David Bruckner
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin, Vondie Curtis-Hall
- Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes
This mystical thriller with philosophical overtones that attempts to flirt with evil can cost a lot in the end. The inconsolable widow (Rebecca Hall) discovers that her late husband practiced voodoo and faced the terrifying "Nothing". Now she herself will have to feel the evil forces of a parallel reality...
The Shining (1980)
- Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers.
- Running time: 2 hours 22 minutes
Although we think everyone knows the story, here's what it's all about: Jack Torrance moves with his wife and his seven-year-old son to the stunning Overlook Hotel in Colorado to take over the maintenance of the facilities during the winter season, a time when the hotel remains closed and isolated by snow.
Haunted by persistent writer's block, Jack hopes to find the peace and quiet he needs to write a novel. However, shortly after his arrival at the hotel, little Danny —gifted with a peculiar skill— begins to sense strange phenomena. He soon realizes that dark forces inhabit the hotel and begin to exert their power and influence over its guests. Jack starts to progressively lose his mind and will end up becoming a violent psychopath ready to murder his family...
The Conjuring (2013)
- Directed by: James Wan
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lily Taylor.
- Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes
It is not our intention to scare you ;), but if you are going to watch this movie, we must warn you: it is based on real events! But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First things first. The story it's set in 1971 and focuses on the Perrons, a family of seven that moves into a clearly haunted farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. After having verified manifestations of a supernatural presence, the Perrons summoned to their home Lorraine and Ed Warren, two reputed demonologists. Once in the house, the paranormal investigators discover that there are in fact several spirits living there, and the most powerful one won't leave the Perrons alone…
So, let's talk about the real events that inspired the film. Ed and Lorraine Warren were an IRL couple of famous paranormal experts. During their lifetime, they investigated quite a few high-profile cases, such as the Perrons'. Lorraine said that 'The Conjuring' accurately depicted almost every detail of this case. In fact, she was a major consultant on the first film as well as the subsequent sequels and prequels.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
- Directed by: Mike Flanagan
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyleigh Curran, Cliff Curtis.
- Running time: 2 hours 31 minutes
This film tells the story of Dany, the son of Jack Torrance ('The Shining') who has grown up into an alcoholic and a drifter, and it takes place decades after surviving the terrifying winter at the Overlook Hotel. However, after managing for years to suppress his unique gift, Dan decides to put his power to good use, and he signs up to volunteer at the local hospice 'Doctor Sleep'. There, he meets Abra Stone, a brave little girl with far superior abilities to his. The girl immediately recognizes that she and Dan share the same skills and asks for his help in confronting the semi-eternal psychic vampire, Rose the Hat and her gang of followers. Together, Dan and Abra will have to face evil while Dan will have to finally stand up to his own ghosts from the past...
Barbarian (2021)
- Directed by: Zach Cregger
- Country of origin: USA
- Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, Justin Long
- Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes
Another recent release in the horror genre. Sometimes booking an appartment can lead to the most dire consequences (fortunately, only in the movies). The characters in this film become prisoners in a Detroit backyard house that holds a sinister secret. Although this film does not reveal the psychological depths, it will give you an adrenaline rush if you want a strong feeling.
The Others (2001)
- Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar
- Country of origin: Spain
- Starring: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan.
- Running time: 1 hour 41 minutes
The story takes place in 1945. World War II has ended, and Grace (Nicole Kidman) awaits her husband's return from the war. Grace lives with her two children in a secluded mansion on the Isle of Jersey, in the English Channel. Affected by a strange disease called 'photosensitivity', the children are unable to come into contact with light. Grace hires help and warns the employees about the strict rules they must follow to never let the children be exposed to any sunlight as it harms them. Soon after the helpers arrive, Anne, the daughter, claims to see ghosts. Grace initially thinks the new servants are playing tricks on the kids, but chilling events and visions make her believe something supernatural is going on in the mansion… 'The Others' is a spooky thriller that honors us with the incredible beauty of Nicole Kidman and reminds us that movies don't need expensive special effects to be creepy.
Watch 'The Others'
Old (2021)
- Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
- Country of origin: USA
- Starring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff
- Running time: 1 hour 48 minutes
Several tourist families come to the lonely beach to have a great day. After a series of strange events, they realize with horror that they cannot leave the beach that ages them, and every half hour they age by a year. We will not give you more spoilers so that the plot will surprise you with its twists and turns.
Antlers (2021)
- Directed by: Scott Cooper
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Amy Madigan
- Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes
The inhabitants of a small town in Oregon become victims of the evil demon wendigo. This deer-like creature devours people and can possess different people. Critics were divided on this art-horror film produced by Guillermo del Torro, with some noting its attempt at generational drama, while others were not so positive about its dramaturgy. You can make up your own mind.
Poltergeist (1982)
- Directed by: Tobe Hooper
- Country of origin: United States
- Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight.
- Running time: 1 hour 54 minutes
This movie is a horror classic that we could not leave out. The Friedman, a middle-class American family, moves into a new house in an idyllic neighborhood, but things get spooky when ghosts begin to communicate with them through the television set. Initially friendly and playful, the spirits turn unexpectedly threatening. When Carol-Ann, the little one of the family, goes missing the parents turn to a parapsychologist and eventually an exorcist for help. The story is simple, but the fear is deep because it is believed that something evil began to haunt the cast after real skeletons were used to film the swimming pool scene... There's an urban legend that links this with the premature deaths of two of its protagonists: Dominique Dunne, murdered by her partner, and Heather O'Rourke, who died at age 12 from an intestinal disease.