Within the last few years, a multitude of streaming services has boomed onto the market, giving longstanding frontrunners like Netflix and Hulu a run for their money. But with such a wide range of selection, viewers are starting to get overwhelmed and overloaded.
For horror fans, there are a few distinct winners (and losers) in the streaming space. For example, Disney+, while full of great content, is not the place for horror fans to seek out screams and scares. Luckily, there are some great choices out there depending on what audiences are looking for.
Peacock
NBC Universal's Peacock gained some ground among horror fans after announcing it would stream Halloween Kills the same day it was released in theaters. Sadly, the movie has since been removed from the platform in order to get a full digital and physical launch.
However, because Peacock is a product of NBCUniversal, it still has a good selection of horror films to choose from, like The Descent, the Phantasm series, Psycho, and more. It's by no means the best platform for horror fans, but thanks to its free option, it's a great supplemental streaming service that doesn't cost a dime.
Amazon Prime
Amazon's Prime Video has been in the game for a long time, and in that time they've been able to secure streaming rights to various movies and shows.
Horror movies in their film library include The Silence of the Lambs, Hellraiser, and the 1986 remake of The Fly. On top of its great selection of classics, Amazon Prime also produces its own content and recently released a series of Amazon Original horror films, including The Manor, Nocturne, and more.
HBO Max
The new streaming arm of HBO has tons of excellent content, including everything from HBO, as well as other Turner networks like TBS, TruTV, Cartoon Network, and more. The streaming service also has a hefty selection of horror titles, including classics like The Shining and The Amityville Horror, but is probably best known as being the streaming home of The Conjuring series.
In fact, the newest installment, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It received a same-day streaming launch as its theatrical release, allowing subscribers to watch it from day one. Upcoming films in the franchise, such as The Nun 2, will also be released on HBO Max.
Hulu
Hulu does a great job at securing horror content and producing its own. The streaming service is known for its yearly "Huluween" celebration that brings together tons of scary movies and TV shows. Their horror library includes Rosemary's Baby, Se7en, and Blair Witch, among many others.
They also have a large selection of Hulu-exclusive horror movies like Bad Hair, False Positive, and Run. The streamer even has its own original show, Into the Dark, which is a horror anthology series made up of feature-length episodes, as well as exclusive short films, like the Five Nights at Freddy's-inspired short The Hug.
Paramount+
In 2021, CBS All Access was rebranded as Paramount+, and tons of new content was added. For horror fans, Paramount+ is the official streaming home of the A Quiet Place and Paranormal Activity franchises. In October 2021, the newest installment of Paranormal Activity, titled Next of Kin, was even released as a Paramount+ exclusive.
The streamer also has access to Paramount's large library of horror favorites like the Friday the 13th series, Jacob's Ladder, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It's also the new home for all of CBS and CBS All Access' horror series like Evil, The Stand, and Tell Me a Story.
Screambox
While Screambox is a smaller streaming service that many probably haven't heard of, it's a great option for finding indie, obscure, and low-budget horror movies - from The Funhouse Massacre, a retro-inspired slasher film, to cheesy monster movies like Python, and even sleeper indie hits that have gained massive cult followings, like Hell House LLC - there are tons of horror oddities to be found and enjoyed on Screambox.
There are also a few mainstream hits, like Sleepaway Camp and the original Black Christmas, but in general, the streaming platform aims to showcase the campy, the wild, and the unknown.
Netflix
Thanks to Netflix's massive size (the streamer has over 220 million subscribers) they have the budget to produce an almost endless string of exclusive content, a lot of which is perfect for horror fans. From their acclaimed horror series like Fear Street and The Haunting of Hill House to their reality show, Haunted, which delves into people's experiences with the paranormal, there's no shortage of horror content on Netflix.
On top of their original series, Netflix offers up tons of original horror movies too, like Hush, which sees a killer stalk a deaf-mute woman at her home. Fans can also watch a large selection of theatrical hits, such as films in the Final Destination franchise and 2019's surprise hit, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Shudder
Shudder is the home of all things related to horror and suspense. From a large library of slasher movies like Hellraiser, Halloween, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to original series like Creepshow and Cursed Films, the streamer has just about everything a horror fan could want.
Interestingly, Shudder even has a large library of animal horror movies, like Boar and Great White, as well as tons of other genre-specific options, like They Live in the Grey, which is perfect for viewers who love a good ghost story. Shudder is a great option for horror hounds who are always on the lookout for new content.
AMC+
It might be surprising to hear, but there's actually a better streaming service for horror fans than Shudder. AMC+ is the official streaming platform of AMC and all its networks...including Shudder. This means that AMC+ subscribers get access to all of Shudder's movies and TV shows, as well as content from other AMC networks that will surely appeal to horror fans.
AMC's hit The Walking Dead is perfect for fans of the zombie apocalypse genre, the AMC+ exclusive, Firebite, is a great choice for those into vampire lore, and Sundance's Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle sheds light on the very real horror that took place during the 1978 massacre. AMC+ is an excellent option for horror fans who also have an interest in suspense, thrillers, and true crime.