Gather ‘round, goblins and ghouls!
Whether you prefer your horror psychological, monstrous or slasher, there’s no doubt you’ll need a good list of horror films to get you through the spooky season.
But which ones are really worth the time — and where can you find them?
In October 2025, Watch With Us has combed through IMDb to pick out some of the top-rated horror movies across the world of streaming, from recent hits to cult classics. Check out our picks now.
5. ‘The Substance’ (2024)
This body horror film about aging, beauty standards and Hollywood won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, in addition to receiving nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director — making Coralie Fargeat the first woman to be nominated for writing and directing a horror film.
The accolades are well deserved, because the story of actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is as chilling, funny, moving and scary as they come. When Elisabeth is fired from a project because of her age, she begins taking a mysterious substance that allows a younger version of herself, christened Sue (Margaret Qualley), to emerge from her own body. As the two versions of Elisabeth’s consciousness continue to split, however, dark side effects begin to surface.
The Substance is currently available to rent on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime Video. It’s also streaming with a subscription through distributor Mubi, and will make its wider streaming debut on HBO Max on October 10.
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4. ‘Sinners’ (2025)
Ryan Coogler’s vampire musical masterpiece stars Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack Moore, who return to their Mississippi hometown in the 1930s to open a nightclub for their community. But when the music gets a little too powerful, some unsavory characters are drawn to the party — including Remmick (Jack O’Connell), an Irish vampire with designs on the twins’ young cousin Sammy (Miles Caton).
Filled with as much humor as gore and as much social commentary as blues music, Sinners is a remarkable cinematic feat. It will hit with horror fans, history fans, music fans and much more. The extensive ensemble features Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo and more talented performers who create an entire world in 137 minutes.
Watch Sinners on HBO Max.
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3. ‘Get Out’ (2018)
Another horror film that mixes social commentary on the Black American experience with humor and suspense, Get Out stars Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington, a photographer who joins his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) at her parents’ house for the weekend — only to discover that her parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) are part of a sinister plot that’s making Black people disappear.
Jordan Peele’s masterful direction makes this movie a roller coaster of terror and tension that will fascinate and shock you. It’s also so meticulously plotted that you’ll notice new details every time you watch.
Watch Get Out on HBO Max.
2. ‘The Thing’ (1982)
A true cult classic, The Thing was a failure during its 1982 release but has since become regarded as one of the best horror movies of all time. It follows an American research crew in Antarctica who encounter an alien shapeshifter that can assimilate all life it touches and replicate anyone. As the researchers try to destroy the creature, distrust and fear spread through the group.
Kurt Russell stars as rugged, take-charge helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady, who attempts to lead the crew through the crisis — and stay alive himself. The Thing was ahead of its time in both special effects and themes of paranoia.
Watch The Thing on Peacock.
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1. ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
“Hannibal Lecter” has become synonymous with “serial killer” in American vocabulary, and that infamy starts with Anthony Hopkins’ chilling portrayal of the cannibal psychiatrist in The Silence of the Lambs. Jodie Foster stars as young FBI investigator Clarice Starling, who seeks Lecter’s help in profiling and tracking a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine).
Foster and Hopkins play off each other in a fascinating ballet of manipulation, each trying to understand the other to gain information they can use to further their own ends. It’s a mix of slasher and psychological horror that has earned its high score and every bit of name recognition it has received.
Watch The Silence of the Lambs on HBO Max.
