With Halloween just around the corner, HBO Max will feature several must-see horror movies to terrify audiences during this spooky season. The streaming platform will add many frightening classics and modern horror hits to its ever-changing digital library in October.
From bloody slashers to supernatural nightmares, HBO Max will offer a wide variety of horror films for subscribers. For those looking for a good scare this October, here are scary movies that should be at the top of their watchlist.
Bring Her Back (2025)
Directed by Talk to Me masterminds Danny and Michael Phillipou, Bring Her Back follows a pair of siblings who are taken into foster care after their father’s death, only to learn that their new foster mother (Sally Hawkins) has some sinister plans for them.
In their second feature film, the Phillipous succeed in presenting an unnerving story about the dangers of unresolved grief with gruesome imagery and a frightening atmosphere. Bring Her Back is elevated even more thanks to the remarkable performances by Hawkins and Jonah Wren Phillips.
Stream Bring Her Back on HBO Max on October 3.
Poltergeist (1982)
40 years later, this iconic haunted house movie still sends chills down viewers’ spines. Directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist follows the Freeling family when they move into a house filled with ghosts who eventually send the youngest child into “the other side.”
On top of unleashing plenty of memorable scares, Poltergeist captivates its audience with a dazzling and distinctive blend of wonder and terror as the Freelings face the unknown together.
Stream Poltergeist on HBO Max on October 1.
The Exorcist (1973)
Director William Friedkin’s The Exorcist tells the infamous tale of a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) being possessed by a demon, forcing her mother (Ellen Burstyn) to seek a priest’s (Jason Miller) help in saving her. As the quintessential possession movie, this is the go-to film for fans of supernatural horror.
However, The Exorcist is not for the faint of heart. Though the movie is over 50 years old and has had several imitators, it can still invoke profound shock and dread with its thought-provoking story, realistic performances, and extreme depiction of demonic possession.
Stream The Exorcist on HBO Max on October 1.
The Shining (1980)
It’s been 45 years since The Shining premiered, and the movie has not lost its luster. Based on the novel by Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick’s cult classic shows an alcoholic writer (Jack Nicholson) succumbing to cabin fever when he and his family spend the winter at a haunted hotel.
This movie immerses its audience in a chilling atmosphere as it explores the vast, empty halls of the Overlook Hotel with breathtaking visuals and haunting music. It also unleashes a terrifying performance from Nicholson as he completely loses himself to the will of the ghosts, turning him into one of horror’s most iconic killers.
Stream The Shining on HBO Max on October 1.
The Substance (2024)
Anyone who missed director Coralie Fargeat’s hit horror film last year should put it on their watchlist this October. The Substance follows an actor (Demi Moore) who gets fired from her job due to her age and decides to take a mysterious drug that will allow her to inhabit the body of her younger clone (Margaret Qualley).
Featuring incredible performances, stunning visuals, blistering social commentary, and stomach-churning body horror, The Substance has just about everything audiences could want in a scary movie.
Stream The Substance on HBO Max on October 10.
The Witch (2015)
Before he directed modern masterpieces like The Lighthouse and Nosferatu, filmmaker Robert Eggers broke out on the scene with this A24 horror classic. The Witch follows a Puritan family in 1630s New England who succumb to paranoia as they suspect a Satanic force is tormenting them from the woods near their farm.
Eggers’s film is a slow-burning nightmare that sends viewers back in time with a haunting and realistic portrait of religious hysteria. With a haunting story and unsettling atmosphere, The Witch is guaranteed to crawl underneath audiences’ skin as it shows a loving family destroyed by evil from within themselves and from beyond.
Stream The Witch on HBO Max on October 1.
X (2022)
In the first film in director Ti West’s X trilogy, a film crew travels to a farmhouse to shoot a pornographic movie, only to find themselves hunted by their elderly hosts. Though X pays loving homage to slasher classics like Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the film stands out with its deconstructive approach to the genre.
West’s film features recurring slasher themes of voyeurism and sexual repression. It also explores aging and regret through its sympathetic but frightening villain, brought to life by Mia Goth in a chilling dual performance.
Stream X on HBO Max on October 1.
