10 Best Horror Movies Streaming on Amazon Prime
Making these lists is always tough which is part of the reason I don’t give them numbers so here they are, 10 of them. Another difficult part is leaving certain movies out and I have an honorable mentions at the end of this list to address that as well. But the most difficult of these list? Not being obvious and boring.
Sure, I could have made a Best Horror on Amazon list and just rambled off Hereditary, Rosemary’s Baby, A Quiet Place and Night of the Living Dead but what's the fun in that? All those movies are on Amazon but what's the point of making the list then? To me it’s suggestion, here are the 10 Best Horror Movies on Amazon that you will read and say, “Oh, I’ve never heard of that” or, “You know, I was on the fence about that, I’ll check it out”. If you, the reader, sees the list and dismisses it because it’s obvious then I have failed you as a writer. I won’t fail you! I’m never going to give you up, never going to let you down, never gonna...well you know the rest…..
So, without further ado, here are the 10 Best Horror Movies on Amazon Prime and hopefully some new additions to your watch-list. Enjoy!
Unsane
Fun fact, this whole movie was recorded on an iPhone 7 Plus. Another fun fact, this is probably one of the most underrated and overlooked movies of 2018. A psychological thriller in league with Alfred Hitchcock about a young woman who moves across country to escape the sinister clutches of a stalker. Although she has moved, the thought of the stalker in her mind impacts her relationships with men around her. She seeks out counseling but is accidentally committed for a 24 hour stay at the psych ward and guess what? Stalker works there posing as a cop. She freaks out, as one would, but is she really crazy? Or is her stalker really there? This is a tight, high tension thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Check it out now on Amazon and rethink your Best of 2018 list.
Friday the 13th IV A New Beginning
This is one of the Fridays that gets a lot of hate and sure, it doesn't have Jason Voorhees proper but it has some of the best kills in the entire series as well as one of the highest kill counts. Beyond the murder, death, killing, this series also has some of the most interesting characters in the whole series. There’s the hillbilly who rides his motorcycle in circles yelling, “He hurt me bad MA” while his Ma is in the house yelling, “Shut up and eat my stew”. There’s the infamous outhouse duet of “ooo baby ooo baby” and of course, the one, the only Reggie the Reckless. Most of the Friday films are on Amazon, but you've seen those before, check out the often skipped Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning.
Angel Heart
Before acting great Al Pacino played the role of a modern day Satan alongside a young Keanu Reeves in Devil's Advocate, acting great Robert DeNiro played the role alongside a young Mickey Rourke. The difference between the two? Well, Angel Heart has a bit more of the horror element and was also an X rated film upon its release. This movie not only has a heavy psychological horror aspect and much more evil voodoo and mumbo jumbo (and gumbo) but it also reminds me of those old timey gangster noire films, which is fitting considering DeNiro usually plays a gangster type role. Fair warning, this one is graphic. Not just the blood and guts but most of the sex scenes are very aggressive. A fantastic much overlooked horror classic which is probably the most unique film on this list. (Check out Josh’s review of this essential flick HERE)
Terror Firmer
Scratch that, Terror Firmer is on this list. I’ll keep this brief. It’s a Troma film about the making of a Troma film with a blind director, Ron Jeremy, a naked fat man and a penis pickling serial killer with over the top gore galore. There isn't much that needs to be said about this one except…go watch it now on Amazon. Warning, this trailer is certainly NSFW but the film is right up there with Toxic Avenger and Rabid Grannies as the best in the Troma catalog.
Spider Baby
“Just because something isn't good doesn’t mean it’s bad”. A fantastic quote by Lon Chaney Jr’s character. in describing the three demented kids he is charged with taking care of. And oh yeah, one of those kids is a very young, very creepy Sid Haig. Spider Baby is one of those super under the radar older films that you may have heard of but never got the chance to watch. The story follows a group of travelers who are staying overnight in a house with three siblings who have a rare genetic disorder that makes them lunatics. The Spider? Well that’s the little girl who has two knives who pretends she is a spider, catching people in her web and biting them…with knives. It's amazing! It’s cheesy! Its super low budget and indie.
Frankenstein's Army
This is the World War II, found footage, body horror, monster movie you never knew you needed in your life until now. The movie follows a band of Russian soldiers making their way back from behind enemy lines during the end of World War II when they stumble upon a secret Nazi base. But this is no ordinary base, this is a base where a mad scientist does human experiments making super soldiers. Not just any super soldiers, these ones have chainsaw arms, propeller heads and all assortment of horrors. The monsters in this movie are some of the best in recent memory and the found footage aspect, when it turns from waves of monsters to up close and personal with the nefarious doctor is absolutely amazing. A fantastic film, with fantastic look and feel.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
A fair disclaimer, Amazon has both of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies so if you want to do the double header route, you can...no, you should. My fondest memory of this movie was from last year during the Halloween season. Each year we do this big scary movie marathon at the house and we try to make sure each of the movies is kid friendly to some extent. And while Invasion has an extended nude scene I thought what the heck. So we watched it, they liked it, kinda freaked out the youngest but the best was the next morning. I woke them up for school and was acting different, like I was body snatched myself. When my middle daughter said, “What's wrong with you Daddy?” I did that mouth gaping finger point like Donald Sutherland did at the end of the film and they all screamed. Amazing! Just like this movie, go check it out.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
I feel like I can’t get through writing one article without referencing CHUD, Video Nasties or Hammer Horror. It’s like ingrained in my DNA or something, I don’t know. This is my obligatory Hammer Horror reference, The Satanic Rites of Dracula. This is the eighth entry of Hammer’s Dracula series and the last to have Christopher Lee as the iconic vampire. Feeling pressure from the rest of the horror world which was growing, Hammer had to pivot and change direction. Where earlier Hammer Dracula films were Gothic period pieces set in drafty old castles this one was set in modern times. Also feeling the pressure, they had to add Satanic cults and possession and to great success! This isn’t the only Hammer Dracula film with this model Dracula AD 1972 which has a super funky soundtrack, but for something with a darker tone, check this one out for sure!
Prophecy
No, not The Prophecy with Christopher Walken, although that is also on Prime, I mean Prophecy the monster movie. In the 1970’s there was a huge wave of wilderness horror movies between sharks, piranha, orcas, multiple bigfoot movies, frogs, slugs, lepus and even one mean barracuda it seems like the decade was just filled with this stuff but none as unique as Prophecy. The monster in this movie is this huge, gross mutated bear. Actually, it always reminds me of the South Park monster man-bear-pig. But seriously, this things is creepy and gross and awesome. This is one of those movies, along with The Beast Within that Joe Bob Briggs continually makes remarks about and if you have not yet seen it, definitely check it out and see what all the Joe Bob Buzz is about.
The Hole in the Ground
You know what? I’m just going to say it. This is one of the best horror movies of 2019. Top 10 easily regards of your taste or flavor of horror. This fantastic Irish horror movie will give you the willies. The story follows Sarah, a single mother who moves out to the country with her young son Chris looking for a new life. One night Chris makes his way out into the forest and Sarah finds him near this gigantic sinkhole. From that night on Chris starts acting bizarre. How bizarre? Eating spiders bizarre. Now, this may seem like a common tale but the execution is what sets this film apart from the rest. Immediately and without question, the mother knows and the rest of the film is pure tension. Is she right? Or is she crazy? She knows that's not her son who’s eating spiders and burying people's heads in the dirt to kill them, but could it be a figment of her imagination? 2019 is a fantastic year for horror and it's in my personal opinion that this film has been overlooked thus far. Check it out streaming on Amazon now.
Honorable mentions
So Amazon has tons of content from old stuff like Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Seconds and Nosferatu to more modern horrors like Braid, Possum and Jigsaw but to me the best part is all the indie, cult and obscure content they have like The Night Eats the World, Season of the Witch and Blood Craft. Hopefully this list helps you fill up your watch list and sets you up with some great horror content to watch on Amazon Prime.
