Amazon Prime has one of the better horror libraries in streaming, without much fanfare about it. There is real variety here. You get WWII monster experiments, Australian possession films, slashers in New York, and grief-soaked ghost stories. These are the ones actually worth your time, arranged oldest to newest.
The Purge series (2013–2021)
All five Purge films are on Prime. The premise is bleak: one night a year, every crime is legal. The first film stays inside a single house. The second, Anarchy, takes the concept into the streets, and is the stronger film. Election Year and The First Purge get more political. The Forever Purge goes furthest. Watch in order; each builds on the last.
The Witch (2015)
The film is set in the 1630s in New England, USA, and it’s Robert Eggers’ debut film. One Puritan family is ejected from their colony and must make their way to the fringe of an ancient forest to farm. Almost right away, things go wrong again. The movie is so slow, cold and ominous, it isn’t really about scares at all. It was a screen debut for Anya Taylor-Joy. Has 90% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Overlord (2018)
Their mission is to destroy a radio tower. What they discover under the church is quite another story. Overlord was directed by Julius Avery and produced by J.J. Abrams who got it 82% on Rotten Tomatoes but it only grossed $41 million. It’s really underrated. It was shot by Wyatt Russell during the time he was sick with the mononucleosis.
Pet Sematary (2019)
The 2019 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel alters one of the crucial plot elements in the original film (1989), which gives it a completely different feel. A family settles in the rural Maine woods, and finds themselves brought back from the dead. Cold and grim from the beginning of the film. It doesn’t stay too long at 101 minutes.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Based on Alvin Schwartz’s children’s horror anthology and set in 1968, this follows a group of teenagers who find a book that writes their deaths in real time. Each creature comes directly from the original books’ illustrations, and the creature design is the film’s real strength. Guillermo del Toro produced it. It runs at a good pace and works well as a gateway horror for younger audiences.
IT Chapter Two (2019)
The Losers Club returns to Derry as adults to confront Pennywise again, featuring James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader.Hader in particular is very good.The nearly three-hour film drags in the third act, but it’s still worth watching if you liked the 2017 original. Both are on Prime.
Orphan: First Kill (2022)
Orphan is the prequel to the 2009 movie Orphan, in which Esther’s past in Estonia before she pretended to be a child in America is explored. It begins with a “cash in” and a turn up the middle that no one predicted. Isabelle Fuhrman is back as her 12-year-old self, but this time at 24.
Barbarian (2022)
A woman arrives at an Airbnb in Detroit late at night and finds a stranger already staying there. Describing anything beyond that risks spoiling the film. Zach Cregger’s debut horror takes a hard left turn roughly 40 minutes in and becomes something completely different. Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård are both excellent. It grossed $45 million on a $4.5 million budget.
Smile (2022)
A psychiatrist witnesses a patient’s death under disturbing circumstances and begins seeing a smiling figure that others cannot. Sosie Bacon effectively carries the film on her own. The film uses its central image cleverly and holds tension better than most studio horror of recent years. It earned $217 million against a $17 million budget. The sequel is also on Prime.
Scream VI (2023)
The Sixth Ghostface’s setting is from Woodsboro to New York City, and it’s a good one. The kills are both more elaborate and the film picks up a little bit faster. Neve Campbell is missing, however Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are great as leads. It scored 76% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $169 million; the entire Scream franchise is available on Prime.
Talk to Me (2023)
The film is their first feature made by the Australian directors Danny and Michael Philippou. A team of teenagers finds an embalmed hand which allows them to communicate with the dead. They play it until one of them crosses the line. Sophie Wilde’s act is a serious one. It’s rated at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and is estimated to have cost about $4.5 million to produce. One of the greatest horror first efforts of recent years.
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