From supernatural chillers to creature features and gory slashers – Amazon Prime Video has it all.
While we enjoy a summer packed full of huge horror releases – from Nicolas Cage’s Longlegs to A Quiet Place: Day One – those of us who don’t fancy a trip to the cinemas can be terrified from the comfort of our own homes.
The streaming giant and additional subscription services available through it feature an array of huge titles, as well as hidden gems you may not have heard of.
From a disturbing word-of-mouth thriller to a French horror that used real spiders on set, we take a look at some films that might have missed your watchlist so far.
If you’re looking for some fresh frights, here are just some of the incredible horror films you can watch right now on Amazon Prime Video.
Ben Wheatley’s iconic horror film Kill List is available to watch on Prime Video via a StudioCanal Presents subscription.
Released in 2011, the psychological horror follows Jay (Neil Maskell), a former British soldier who becomes a hitman while struggling with flashbacks from his time in Kiev. However, a new job from a shadowy client plunges Jay into a deep, mysterious world that threatens his life.
At the time of its release, Kill List received largely favourable reviews and it still sits at a high 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with many people praising its shifts in genres that keeps audiences guessing at every turn.
Speaking to Complex, Wheatley addressed the film’s twist nature, sharing: ‘There’s a lot of talk about the film using different genres, but that’s a real example of a genre shift. It goes from being a genre film to being a bit of news footage—that’s what really upsets people, I think.’
This is certainly not a film for those of us scared of spiders.
Available via a Shudder subscription on Prime Video, Vermines, aka Infested, is the terrifying directorial debut of Sébastien Vaniček starring Théo Christine buys a dangerous exotic spider from the backroom of a Paris convenience store. As you do.
He brings the arachnid home but soon he and his neighbours find themselves under threat when the spider escapes and its offspring terrorise the banlieue they live in.
Infested horrified fans at its premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival and then again at Fantastic Fest 2023 before coming to Prime Video thanks to the eight-legged critters on screen – and the fact a reported 200 real spiders were used during filming.
Demián Rugna has a reputation for his terrifying supernatural horror films, with his latest, When Evil Lurks, available now on Prime Video via Shudder.
But back in 2017, Rugna released his directorial debut Terrified (Aterrados) – not to be confused with Terrifier – which has become revered among audiences for its genuinely horrifying narrative and scenes. And you can tune in now via Prime.
When strange events occur in a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, a doctor specializing in the paranormal, her colleague, and an ex-police officer decide to try and uncover what is behind it.
As they embark on their investigation, they soon come into contact with a malevolent force, unlike anything they have encountered before.
Damian McCarthy’s latest horror film, Oddity, has landed a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes as it terrifies critics ahead of its US release.
And as we await a UK release date, you can watch McCarthy’s critically acclaimed Caveat on Shudder via Prime Video.
It stars Johnny French as Isaac, a drifter suffering from partial memory loss who accepts a job to look after his landlord’s niece Olga (Leila Sykes) a psychologically disturbed woman who lives on a remote island.
The film has been dubbed a ‘masterpiece’ by some critics due to its disturbing imagery and the sense of unease McCarthy creates, though others did point out its budget constraints.
Stopmotion offers viewers a film within a film as it follows stop-motion animator Ella (Aisling Franciosi) who moves to a new apartment to complete the film she is making alongside her mother, Suzanne (Stella Gonet) after she is admitted to the hospital.
In the apartment block, she meets a mysterious girl (Caoilinn Springall) who tells her the story of the Ash Man, a terrifying tale that begins haunting Ella’s everyday life.
In his feature debut, Robert Morgan creates a thoroughly eerie horror film on two levels – through Ella’s haunting experience with the Ash Man, and the film she is creating with puppets so bizarre and horrifying they’re difficult to look at.
Speaking to Animation World Network, Morgan spoke about the ‘ordered chaos’ of creating the film: ‘ I remember that there was an ambitious, audacious, and original effects moment that I dropped in favour of the moment with the character because to me, that was the core of the scene. Knowing what to drop and keep on the fly when there’s a million different things going on is also part of the big learning curve for me having never made a feature before.’
Speaking of sinister puppet films, Matthew Holness’ sickening horror Possum is available to watch now on Prime Video – if you can stomach it.
The 2018 film is an adaption of Holness’ short story of the same name and tells the story of disgraced puppeteer Philip (Sean Harris) who returns to his childhood home inhabited by his uncle Maurice (Alun Armstrong) as he is plagued by the presence of a spider-like puppet named Possum.
At the same time, news reports document the disappearance of a young boy that Philip inexplicably met during his train ride to his home.
Possum premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and garnered multiple awards and nominations with critics praising the film’s performances as well as its haunting score.
With the controversial remake starring James McAvoy set to hit UK cinemas on September 12, the original Speak No Evil is available on Shudder via Prime Video.
Originally released in 2022 (yes, we really are getting a remake so soon) the horror film directed by Christian Tafdrup follows Bjørn and Louise, a Danish couple, and their daughter Agnes, who meet Patrick and Karin, a Dutch couple, and their mute son Abel, during a holiday in Italy.
The couples exchange contact details, with Bjørn, Louise, and Agnes travelling to Denmark to stay with the family. However, when they arrive, the odd behaviour of Patrick, Karin, and Abel soon becomes too much to bear.
Upon its release to Shudder, Speak No Evil became a word-of-mouth hit and dubbed the most disturbing film of 2022, if not all time, thanks to some of its shocking scenes of violence.
As horror icon Maika Monroe dazzles audiences in cinemas as FBI agent Lee Harker in Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs, you can check out her phenomenal performance in It Follows on Prime.
Directed by David Robert Mitchell, the 2015 film follows a curse that is passed from person to person via sexual intercourse with the victims stalked and killed by a supernatural entity after catching the curse.
The film has a 95% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and is one of the highest-rated horror films with fans praising it as one of the best horror movies of all time.
And what’s more, a sequel is on its way and it’s set to be even darker than the original. Sign us up.
For a horror comedy packed full of gruesome kills and hilarious moments, look no further than Totally Killer.
Directed by Nahnatchka Khan, the film stars Chilling Adventures of Sabrina icon Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, who goes to a concert with her friend Amelia on Halloween night while her mother, Pam, stays at home.
Pam is murdered by the Sweet Sixteen killer several years after her friends met the same fate, and Jamie, while grieving her death, is transported back in time to 1987, where she pairs up with her mother to catch the killer during his original spree and return to her timeline before she is trapped in the past forever.
The crazy meta-slasher has garnered a strong 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics praising Shipka’s impressive performance as well as the film’s excellent balance of comedy and bloody horror.