If you’re a horror fan, Paramount+ has plenty to offer across the genre. The platform’s library spans classic studio horror, modern blockbusters, psychological thrillers, and genre-defining hits that helped shape what horror looks like today. We narrowed down the catalogue to a shortlist of our picks for the best horror movies streaming on Paramount Plus.
What are the best horror movies on Paramount Plus?
While Paramount Plus doesn’t have as deep a horror catalog as some of its competitors, it still includes a strong lineup of major franchises, critically acclaimed classics, and modern crowd-pleasers.
A Quiet Place (2018)
In a world where deadly extraterrestrial creatures have invaded Earth and hunt by sound, a family lives on a rural farm in New York in near-total silence to survive this apocalyptic world. Parents Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) are doing their best to raise their children, their sons Marcus and Beau, and their deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds). To survive, the family lives under strict rules designed to avoid attracting the attention of these creatures. Even ordinary routines are major threats to their safety, as any noise can be fatal. After tragedy strikes, Lee and Evelyn try to find a way to kill these creatures. The secret to the creatures’ weakness may be found in their daughter, Regan.
Directed by John Krasinski with a story by Scott Beck and Brian Woods, A Quiet Place is easily one of the best thrillers in recent years.
Scream (1996)
In the quiet suburban town of Woodsboro, high school student Sidney Prescott is still grieving the murder of her mother, who was killed the year before. Even though the person believed responsible is already in custody, the town is thrown into panic when a masked killer begins targeting teenagers. After an infamous opening attack involving a horror trivia phone call, the murders quickly escalate, and Sidney becomes the killer’s main target. Directed by Wes Craven, Scream operates like a classic whodunnit that’s also deliberately self-referencing and satirical. Beyond being a great film to watch again and again, it’s also known for ushering in the post-modern horror genre. To that, we say, it’s also educational for us cinephiles.
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Claire Spencer (Michele Pfeiffer) and her husband Norman (Harrison Ford) live in a lakeside home in Vermont. Their marriage has been strained, after their daughter left for college and a car accident the year before that left Claire physically and mentally fragile. Claire begins noticing strange disturbances and unsettling signs that something is wrong. She becomes convinced their house is haunted, but her investigation leads her toward secrets involving her neighbors and her husband’s past. As Claire digs deeper, she uncovers evidence of a disappearance that may be connected to her own marriage.
Directed by Robert Zemeckicks and written by Sarah Kernochan (inspired by a real paranormal experience she encountered), What Lies Beneath walks the line between thriller and horror. Despite Roger Ebert’s somewhat scathing review, What Lies Beneath is a solid watch in our books. It’s not perfect, but it’s easily one of the best on the platform.
Us (2019)
The second horror in Jordan Peele’s horror trifecta (Get Out, Us, and Nope) is a great watch if you’re looking for a high horror film that makes you think as much as feel. Lupita Nyong’o’s performance is also absolutely brilliant in this film and is a reason to watch it alone.
While vacationing with her family in Santa Cruz, Adelaide Wilson (Nyong’o) becomes increasingly uneasy when a group of strangers appears outside their home late at night. The situation turns violent when the intruders reveal themselves to be identical doubles of Adelaide and her family. As the night unfolds, the Wilsons fight to survive while Adelaide searches for answers about who these people are and why they’ve come.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
Based on the title alone, you might expect this film to be quite gruesome. But part of the film’s strength lies in the skill of its subversion. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is smart and often flies under the radar in the horror genre, so we wanted to give this one a mention. Norwegian director André Øvredal is also one we’re surprised hasn’t become a bigger name in horror, despite having had a hand in other commercial successes. There’s the potential for that to change with his upcoming film Passenger, set to release later this year.
As for the plot of this film, The Autopsy of Jane Doe follows a small-town coroner, Tommy Tilden (Brian Cox), and his son, Austin (Emile Hirsch), who run a family morgue. One night, they’re given an unidentified young woman found at the scene of a violent crime. With no obvious cause of death and no signs of who she is, the two begin a routine autopsy. Normalcy doesn’t last long as the two discover strange injuries and clues that don’t make sense. As the examination continues, the evidence becomes more disturbing, and unexplained events begin happening around the morgue. The father-and-son duo soon realizes they may be dealing with something far beyond the ordinary.
How we picked the best horror movies on Paramount+
We wanted to include horror movies that are genuinely fun to watch and easy to revisit, whether you’re in the mood for classic scares or something more modern. We also considered audience and critical reception, as well as each film’s impact on the genre. Just as importantly, we wanted to include movies from standout directors and writers who’ve helped shape horror filmmaking.
