Quick Answer
Good scary movies to watch right now include Get Out on Peacock, Hereditary and Sinners on HBO Max, Nope and Alien on Netflix, and Weapons on Prime Video. For free, Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre stream with ads on Tubi. Families can start with Coraline on Hulu or Hocus Pocus on Disney+.
This guide collects 24 horror films that currently stream in the US on a subscription or free service, grouped by what kind of scare you want: recent hits, classics, PG-13 picks with less gore, free titles, Prime Video picks and PG movies for kids. Every pick below comes with the reason it made the list (reviews, box office or awards) and the services that carry it today. Any service JustWatch showed as leaving within 30 days was dropped, and titles with a JustWatch end date of October 30 or 31 are flagged in the table.
Where each scary movie streams (US)
| Movie | Where it streams (US) | How / cost | Notes (rating) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hereditary (2018) | HBO Max | Subscription | R (HBO Max end date October 31, per JustWatch) |
| Get Out (2017) | Peacock | Subscription | R (Peacock end date October 31, per JustWatch) |
| Sinners (2025) | HBO Max | Subscription | R |
| Nope (2022) | Netflix | Subscription | R |
| Talk to Me (2023) | HBO Max | Subscription | R (HBO Max end date October 31, per JustWatch) |
| Psycho (1960) | Peacock, AMC+ | Subscription | R (Peacock end date October 31; Philo leaves September 30, per JustWatch) |
| Halloween (1978) | Shudder, AMC+; Plex, Xumo Play | Subscription; free with ads | R |
| Alien (1979) | Netflix | Subscription | R |
| The Others (2001) | Shudder, AMC+, Philo | Subscription | PG-13 |
| Drag Me to Hell (2009) | Peacock | Subscription | PG-13 (Peacock end date October 31, per JustWatch) |
| A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) | Paramount+, Netflix, Prime Video | Subscription | PG-13 |
| Night of the Living Dead (1968) | Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex; Peacock, HBO Max | Free with ads; subscription | Not rated |
| Nosferatu (1922) | Tubi, The Roku Channel, Plex; Prime Video, Shudder | Free with ads; subscription | Not rated (silent film) |
| The Babadook (2014) | The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Plex; AMC+, Shudder | Free with ads; subscription | Not rated |
| The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) | Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex; Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, Shudder | Free with ads; subscription | R |
| The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | Prime Video | Included with Prime | R (Prime Video end date October 31, per JustWatch) |
| Weapons (2025) | Prime Video, HBO Max | Subscription | R |
| Carrie (1976) | Prime Video, HBO Max | Subscription | R |
| The Visit (2015) | Prime Video | Included with Prime | PG-13 (Prime Video end date October 30, per JustWatch) |
| Coraline (2009) | Hulu; The Roku Channel | Subscription; free with ads | PG |
| ParaNorman (2012) | Hulu; The Roku Channel | Subscription; free with ads | PG |
| Hocus Pocus (1993) | Disney+ | Subscription | PG |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | Disney+ | Subscription | PG |
| Beetlejuice (1988) | HBO Max | Subscription | PG |
Availability last checked September 28, 2026.
During this check JustWatch showed several horror titles leaving their services within days, so availability can shift quickly. For single-title lookups, our where to watch guides track individual movies and shows.
Modern horror hits
These five recent releases pair strong reviews with real box office results, and each one streams on a subscription service today.
Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster directed Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro in this family horror story. After her secretive mother dies, a grieving miniature artist uncovers disturbing secrets while paranormal events close in on her family. Rated R. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 90% approval rating, and it grossed more than $80 million worldwide against a $10 million production budget. Stream it on HBO Max.
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele directed this story of a young Black photographer (Daniel Kaluuya) who visits the family of his white girlfriend (Allison Williams) and uncovers shocking secrets. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener co-star. Rated R. The film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards, holds a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and grossed $259.9 million on a $4.5 million budget. It streams on Peacock (Premium and Premium Plus) and on live TV services such as fuboTV and YouTube TV.
Sinners (2025)
Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, this period horror film casts Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers who return to their Mississippi Delta hometown in 1932 to open a juke joint, only to meet a supernatural evil. Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton and Jack O’Connell co-star. Rated R. Wikipedia reports it earned 16 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, the most of any film in history, and won four, including Best Actor for Jordan. It grossed $371 million worldwide and streams on HBO Max.
Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele also directed this one, about horse-wrangling siblings (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) who try to capture evidence of a UFO in California. Steven Yeun co-stars. Rated R. Critics were mostly positive (83% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the film grossed $172 million worldwide. Netflix carries it on all plans, including Standard with Ads.
Talk to Me (2023)
Brothers Danny and Michael Philippou directed this story of teenagers who discover that a severed, embalmed hand lets them contact spirits. Sophie Wilde leads a cast that includes Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird and Miranda Otto. Rated R. It opened in the US on July 28, 2023, grossed $92 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget, scored 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and won Best Film at the 13th AACTA Awards. Find it on HBO Max.
Horror classics
All three of these older films are in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.
Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller follows an embezzler on the run (Janet Leigh) who stops at a motel run by a young man (Anthony Perkins) and his mother. Vera Miles and John Gavin co-star. The film was first released as “Approved” and was re-classified R in 1984. It holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, earned four Oscar nominations and was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. Watch it on Peacock or AMC+. JustWatch lists the Philo copy, and AMC+ bought through the Prime Video Channels add-on, as leaving on September 30, so subscribe to AMC+ directly if you go that route.
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter made this slasher for about $300,000, and it went on to gross $70 million. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence star in the story of an escaped mental patient who returns to his hometown to stalk teenagers on Halloween night. Rated R. It has a 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating and is preserved in the National Film Registry. Subscribers can stream it on Shudder or AMC+, and it is free with ads on Plex and Xumo Play.
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott directed this science fiction horror film about a commercial starship crew that investigates a derelict vessel and encounters a deadly creature. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt and Ian Holm star. Rated R. Reviews were mixed at first, but it won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and was selected for the National Film Registry in 2002. Netflix streams it.
Scary but not gory: PG-13 picks
These films carry a PG-13 rating, which makes them a gentler starting point for teens or anyone who prefers suspense over blood.
The Others (2001)
Nicole Kidman plays a mother raising two light-sensitive children in a dark manor house, where supernatural events begin after new servants arrive. Alejandro Amenábar directed; Fionnula Flanagan and Christopher Eccleston co-star. Rated PG-13. Made for $17 million, it grossed $210 million worldwide and won eight Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. It streams on Shudder, AMC+ and Philo.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
A loan officer (Alison Lohman) turns down an elderly woman’s request for a mortgage extension and is hit with a curse that will send her to hell in three days. Justin Long and Lorna Raver co-star. Director Sam Raimi wanted the film to be PG-13 and not driven by gore, and it received that rating. Critics gave it 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream it on Peacock or through the Starz channel on Apple TV.
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
Directed by Michael Sarnoski, this entry in the A Quiet Place series follows a terminally ill woman (Lupita Nyong’o) through the first day of an alien invasion in New York City, alongside Joseph Quinn and Djimon Hounsou. Rated PG-13. It grossed $261.8 million worldwide on a $67 million production budget. Options are wide: Paramount+, Netflix and Prime Video all carry it.
Free scary movies on Tubi and other free services (with ads)
No subscription needed for these. Two of them are in the public domain, which is why they turn up on so many free services at once.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero’s low-budget film traps a group of people, played by Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea and others, in a farmhouse surrounded by flesh-eating reanimated corpses. It has no MPA rating: the ratings system started the month after its release. The film scores 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, entered the National Film Registry in 1999 and, according to Wikipedia, fell into the public domain by mistake when the distributor failed to replace the copyright notice after a title change. Watch free with ads on Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel or Plex, or with a Peacock or HBO Max subscription.
Nosferatu (1922)
F. W. Murnau’s silent film stars Max Schreck as a vampire who buys property in a German town and brings plague and death with him. Made decades before the MPA ratings system, it has no rating. Wikipedia describes it as an influential masterpiece of cinema and the horror genre, and it entered the public domain worldwide in 2019. It is free with ads on Tubi, The Roku Channel and Plex, and it is also included with Prime Video and Shudder.
The Babadook (2014)
Jennifer Kent directed this film, which follows a widowed mother (Essie Davis) and her young son (Noah Wiseman) as a monster from a pop-up book seems to enter their home. Released in the US with no MPA rating. It holds a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and won the AACTA Award for Best Film (shared with The Water Diviner). Free viewing is available with ads on The Roku Channel, Pluto TV and Plex, and AMC+ and Shudder carry it by subscription.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Tobe Hooper shot this on an estimated budget of $80,000 to $140,000, and it grossed over $30 million at the domestic box office. Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain and Gunnar Hansen star in the story of friends traveling through Texas who fall victim to a cannibalistic family. Rated R. It joined the National Film Registry in 2024 and is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. JustWatch lists it free with ads on Tubi, Pluto TV and Plex, and by subscription on Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock and Shudder.
Scary movies on Prime Video
These four are included with a Prime Video membership right now. For more suspense on the same service, see our list of top thriller movies on Amazon Prime.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Jonathan Demme directed Jodie Foster as an FBI trainee who seeks help from an imprisoned psychiatrist and cannibal (Anthony Hopkins) to catch a serial killer. Scott Glenn and Ted Levine co-star. Rated R. At the 64th Academy Awards it won all “Big Five” categories: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay. It grossed $272.7 million worldwide and streams with Prime Video.
Weapons (2025)
Seventeen children from the same classroom vanish on the same night, and a teacher becomes the focus of suspicion. Zach Cregger directed a cast that includes Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and Amy Madigan. Rated R. Madigan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film scored 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $270 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. Prime Video and HBO Max both have it.
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma adapted Stephen King’s 1974 novel about a bullied teenager (Sissy Spacek) with telekinetic powers who takes revenge on her tormentors at prom. Piper Laurie and John Travolta co-star. Rated R. Spacek and Laurie both received Oscar nominations, and the film grossed $33.8 million on a $1.8 million budget. It streams on Prime Video and HBO Max. For more King on screen, see where to watch IT: Welcome to Derry, the HBO prequel series to the IT films.
The Visit (2015)
M. Night Shyamalan sends two siblings (Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould) to visit their estranged grandparents at an isolated farmhouse, where they discover disturbing secrets. Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie and Kathryn Hahn co-star. Rated PG-13. Made for $5 million, it grossed $98.5 million worldwide. Prime Video includes it.
Family-friendly Halloween scares for kids (PG)
All five of these are rated PG, and each has an Oscar nomination or a strong place in Halloween viewing traditions, as noted below.
Coraline (2009)
Henry Selick directed this stop-motion film about an 11-year-old girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who finds a hidden door to an idealized version of her home, where something sinister waits. Teri Hatcher and Ian McShane also voice roles. Rated PG. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards and grossed $188.3 million. Stream it on Hulu (more titles on our Hulu page) or free with ads on The Roku Channel.
ParaNorman (2012)
A boy who can talk to ghosts (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) has to break a 300-year-old witch’s curse on his Massachusetts town. Sam Fell and Chris Butler directed; Anna Kendrick and Casey Affleck are in the voice cast. Rated PG. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and the Rotten Tomatoes consensus says it “will entertain (and frighten) older children.” Hulu streams it, and The Roku Channel has it free with ads.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Three witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) are brought back to life in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night by a teenage boy. Kenny Ortega directed; Thora Birch co-stars. Rated PG. Critics were lukewarm and the film may have lost Disney around $16.5 million in theaters, but Wikipedia notes it became a cult classic with a yearly spike in home media sales every Halloween season, and a sequel followed on September 30, 2022. Disney+ is the place to watch.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, this animated film follows Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloween Town, as he discovers Christmas and tries to take it over. Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman and Catherine O’Hara lead the voice cast. Rated PG. It holds a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating, was the first animated film nominated for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects and joined the National Film Registry in 2023. It streams on Disney+.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Tim Burton directed this story of a recently deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who, trapped as ghosts in their house, hire a “bio-exorcist” (Michael Keaton) to scare off the new owners. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara co-star. Rated PG. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and grossed $84.6 million on a $15 million budget. HBO Max carries it.
FAQ
What are good scary movies for beginners that are not too gory?
Start with the PG-13 picks: The Others (Shudder, AMC+), A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount+, Netflix, Prime Video), Drag Me to Hell (Peacock), which Sam Raimi deliberately made PG-13 rather than gore-driven, and The Visit (Prime Video).
Which scary movies can I stream for free?
Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre are free with ads on Tubi, The Babadook is free with ads on The Roku Channel and Pluto TV, and Halloween (1978) is free with ads on Plex and Xumo Play.
What are PG-rated Halloween movies for kids?
Coraline and ParaNorman stream on Hulu and free with ads on The Roku Channel, Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas are on Disney+, and Beetlejuice is on HBO Max. All five are rated PG.
Which streaming service has the most movies on this list?
Prime Video and HBO Max tie with seven each. A Prime membership covers Weapons, The Silence of the Lambs, Carrie, The Visit, A Quiet Place: Day One, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Nosferatu, while HBO Max has Hereditary, Sinners, Talk to Me, Weapons, Carrie, Beetlejuice and Night of the Living Dead.
Streaming availability verified September 28, 2026 via JustWatch. Rights change over time, and we keep this guide updated.
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked against the linked sources on September 28, 2026.