10 Best Horror Movies On Amazon Prime, According To IMDb (Updated October 2021)

There’s nothing quite like a good fright to set the mood for the spooky season of late September and early October. As the first signs of things that go bump in the night begin to emerge, many a horror fan searches for the right source of entertainment.

From Netflix to Hulu, the number of streaming services offering out endless content is bountiful, with Amazon Prime being a top contender. Though the service offers many original horror movies, their back catalog of classics is almost unbeatable.

Updated on October 6th, 2021 by Mark Birrell: The best horror movies on Amazon Prime, according to IMDb, is a slate of great films that’s always shifting thanks not so much to the changing of scores but the streaming service’s gargantuan and ever-changing library. Nevertheless, there are many top-rated movies on Amazon Prime that enjoy much longer stays and they’re often essential viewing for fans of the genre too. Even the most discerning of film fans will find something to scare them silly on the service.

10 The Descent (2005) – 7.2

A visceral horror film that’s full of gore and brutality, The Descent has stood the test of time thanks in large part to its well-drawn characters and emotional performances. The all-female cast shuck many of the norms of the genre for a monster movie that holds nothing back but still finds ways to be subtle when it comes to subplots and relationship dynamics.

The story sees a group of thrill-seeking friends become trapped within an uncharted cave system, soon discovering that a horrific presence hunts them in the dark. It’s an unforgivingly intense ride, but an undeniably enjoyable one for fans who need their horror to have a little extra kick.

9 Dead Ringers (1988) – 7.3

David Cronenberg’s very name has become a byword for body horror and grotesquely odd science-fiction movies and, off his many horror movies available on Amazon Prime, his highest ranking is one of his most dramatically charged.

Dead Ringers stars Jeremy Irons in a dual role as identical twins, both of them successful gynecologists with very different personalities. When a cruel romantic game being played between them and a successful actress leads to a downward spiral of addiction and erratic behavior, the two are lead to an unforgettably emotional–and truly horrifying–climax. Irons’ performance(s) alone place it head and shoulders above most horror movies. It’s a must-see for those who prefer a more unique approach to blood and guts horror.

8 The Devil’s Backbone (2001) – 7.4

Though he had already made waves with horror movie fans with his earlier features, The Devil’s Backbone was the movie that really made Guillermo del Toro’s name internationally acclaimed and set him on the path to Oscar glory with The Shape of Water.

Set during the Spanish Civil War, this ghost story set in a boy’s orphanage demonstrates the writer/director’s penchant for characterization more succinctly than perhaps any of his other films. People assumed to be heroes become villains and people assumed to be villains become sympathetic heroes. It’s a gripping yarn that’s full of the kind of heart that’s rarely ever seen within the genre.

7 We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) – 7.5

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin revolves around the complex relationship between a mother and her worryingly antisocial son.

Jumping back and forth through time, the most horrific reveals are saved for last but the palpable sense of dread is kept high all the way through. The audience knows from the beginning that Kevin’s actions have lead to something truly unforgivable, with his deeds automatically reflecting on his mother. The film is a fearless exploration of postnatal feelings of anxiety but they’re delivered in such a way so that anyone can relate to them.

6 The Lighthouse (2019) – 7.5

The follow-up by director Robert Eggers to his hugely impressive debut, The Witch, was arguably even more staggering in its commitment to period detail in the language of the characters and the unrelenting weirdness in the story.

Revolving around two lighthouse keepers on an isolated island who become increasingly suspicious of one another as strange goings-on rattle them both, the movie blends many classic sea horror tales into a wholly unique experience. The old-fashioned 1.19:1 aspect ratio certainly gives it extra character and ramps up the feeling of claustrophobia too.

5 The Wicker Man (1973) – 7.5

The Wicker Man is one of those movies where the ending is often well-known to viewers long before they ever get a chance to see the whole thing and the fact that it doesn’t diminish its strangeness or horror is the truest testament to what the film accomplished.

The story of a cop investigating a disappearance on a remote island has been remade into an infamously terrible Nicolas Cage movie but, more positively, its clear influence can be seen in modern horror hits like Ari Aster’s Midsommar, or any horror movie about cults and ritualism, really.

4 The Wailing (2016) – 7.5

Set in a sleepy Korean community in the country, The Wailing follows a comedically incompetent cop as the local people begin to experience a wave of bizarre and violent murders with inexplicable motivations. Signs point to a mysterious Japanese man who arrived in the area not long ago but nothing is certain in this twist-filled horror story.

The effortlessness with which the movie switches between physical comedy and supernatural body horror is impressive within itself, not to mention its gorgeous scenery and cinematography, making it a unique experience and a modern must-watch.

3 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – 7.7

The remake in 1978 places highly, but IMDb still ranks the original adaptation of Jack Finney’s original novel The Body Snatchers as the best of the story’s numerous adaptations.

Though it’s often remembered as being a direct political allegory for the turbulent times, this essential ’50s horror film has remained popular for 65 years thanks to the universal sensation of something being uncannily wrong with society and the lack of gore is no impediment to the terror the movie evokes from simple close-ups of horrified reactions.

2 Peeping Tom (1960) – 7.7

Though generally overshadowed by 1960’s most iconic horror movie, Psycho, Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom has developed and maintained a reputation amongst cinephiles as a seminal gamechanger within the horror genre, and for good reason.

Unlike Psycho, the story is told entirely from the often-literal perspective of the disturbed killer who records his victims’ deaths as he perpetrates them. Peeping Tom was decades ahead of its time in so many respects, not least in its unflinching examination of the mind and motivations of a murderer, to say nothing of its twisted sense of humor. Few horror movies have aged as well.

1 Night Of The Living Dead (1968) – 7.9

Nowadays, the idea of zombies and the undead has exploded into the world of Hollywood. From films to TV series, zombie films have grown to the point of becoming overused and cliched, with many forgetting where they came from.

Back in 1968, the late great George A. Romero released what was his debut film, Night of the Living Dead, a masterpiece of horror that for the first time, brought the undead to life on the big screen. With simple yet effective effects and storytelling, Night of the Living Dead will remain a pinnacle of the horror genre for generations to come.

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