‘SICK’ and more of the best horror films to stream right now

Sick, the new pandemic slasher film co-written by Scream mastermind Kevin Williamson, just made its streaming debut over on Peacock, which means horror fans everywhere will be spending their weekend getting to know this new entry in 2023’s horror offerings. But of course, Sick is just 90 minutes of horror fun, so what do you do after that? Well, you can definitely watch the film again (honestly, it’s worth it), but you also might be looking for other streaming horror films to link together into one big marathon of scares.

That’s where we come in. From classics to modern gems, here are 15 of the best horror films you can stream right now, plus where to find them, in alphabetical order.

Barbarian (HBO Max)

One of the most talked-about and acclaimed horror releases of last year, Zach Cregger’s Barbarian starts as a simple-yet-creepy case of misunderstanding, and then just keeps darker, stranger, and more over-the-top for the rest of its runtime. If you still haven’t experienced one of 2022’s best, now is the time.

The Beyond (Peacock)

Lucio Fulci, Italy’s Godfather of Gore, might not be the first person you think of to direct a haunted house story set in Louisiana, but The Beyond remains a solid contender for his best film. The story of a woman who inherits a mysterious old house that also might be a hellmouth, it’s packed with unforgettable moments of gore, as well as some often startling beauty.

Censor (Hulu)

Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor is both a journey through a certain chapter of film history and a frightening meta-textual look at violence, trauma, and its effect not just on how we perceive art, but on how we perceive reality. The film follows a censor working through the U.K.’s infamous “video nasty” ban era, who finds one filmmaker’s work bears a shocking closeness to certain events in her own life, and it’s one of the best horror films to come out of 2021.

The Changeling (Peacock)

One of the greatest haunted house films of all time, The Changeling follows a grieving composer (George C. Scott) as he heads to a secluded mansion to recover from the loss of his family and, hopefully, finally get started on some new work. What he finds when he gets there is the spirit of a child who might need his help, and a decades-old mystery waiting to be unraveled. Even if you’ve seen it a dozen times, it’s the kind of film that still sucks you in with its haunting beauty.

Dead Ringers (HBO Max)

It’s not nearly as talked-about as classics like The Fly and Videodrome, but Dead Ringers remains one of David Cronenberg’s most stylish, quietly creepy films. The story of twin brothers who share a medical practice (both played by Jeremy Irons), it’s a film that digs into Cronenberg’s psychosexual thematic preoccupations and features some of the most elegant shots in his entire filmography.

The Exorcist III (Hulu)

A film that’s gotten a lot of mileage out of internet chatter in recent years, The Exorcist III has undergone numerous reappraisals to reach the status of a beloved cult classic, a film that’s in some ways just as scary as the original which inspired it. Directed by William Peter Blatty and adapted from his own novel Legion, the film calls back to the plot of the first Exorcist film while also exploring a horrifying serial killer narrative. Plus, it features one of the best jump scares in horror history.

His House (Netflix)

A pair of refugees settle in a new flat in a London neighborhood and try to settle into a new life far away from the country they fled. What happens next is one of the most terrifying blends of haunted house narrative and folk horror you’re likely to find from the last 10 years. Tense, inventive, and packed with unforgettable scares, Remi Weekes His House remains a must-see.

Hunter Hunter (Hulu)

One of 2020’s best under-the-radar genre releases, Hunter Hunter follows a family of fur trappers as they fight through a harsh season while dealing with two major threats: An apparent killer wolf, and a much more human danger. What follows as they struggle to stay together and survive will leave your jaw on the floor.

It Follows (Netflix)

If it feels like It Follows has made it onto just about every list of horror films you need to watch over the past decade or so, that’s because It Follows really deserves that place in the modern horror canon. David Robert Mitchell’s film about a mysterious force which pursues its victims to their deaths is as effective now as it was when it was released nearly 10 years ago.

Mandy (AMC+)

A simple logger retreats to his woodland home to be with his beloved, only to be attacked by a sinister cult who captures and kills Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) and leaves the logger for dead. The problem? Well, said logger is played by none other than Nicolas Cage, and he’s not about to go down with a very, very gnarly fight. Packed with eye-popping visuals and unforgettable Cage moments, Mandy is a modern horror classic.

My Bloody Valentine (HBO Max)

One of the best films to come out of the slasher boom of the early 1980s, this Canadian horror classic follows the youths of a small mining town as they try to throw the area’s first Valentine’s Day party in years. But unfortunately for all of them, the killer who got the holiday canceled in the first place is back, and he’s got more than a few old scores to settle. The result is quite simply one of the most entertaining slasher films ever made.

Near Dark (Shudder)

Arguably the best vampire movie ever made, Kathryn Bigelow’s horror-western about a young farmboy who gets lured into the adventures of a coven of nomadic vampires is still one of the most thrilling expressions of the genre ever. Thanks to unforgettable work by Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen, and Bigelow’s wonderful grasp of the film’s dark, it remains an ’80s horror masterpiece.

Pontypool (AMC+)

A morning radio DJ reports for work at the tiny Canadian local station where he’s been lucky enough to find a job, and in between the usual morning banter and clashes with his producer, learns that something very wrong is going on outside. It feels like you’re about to watch a traditional zombie narrative play out, but then Pontypool surprises you, and will continue to surprise you right up until its ending. It’s one of the 21st century’s great underseen horror gems.

Possession (Shudder)

Andrzej Zulawski’s film about the twisted relationship between a husband (Sam Neill), a wife (Isabelle Adjani), and the dark force that seems to be driving them apart just recently landed on Shudder after years of being completely unavailable to stream anywhere. The news caused lots of horror fans to freak out, and with good reason. Possession is a cult masterpiece, an endlessly unnerving ride into the heart of darkness that will linger in your head for days.

[REC] (Prime Video)

Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza’s found footage film starts with a very simple setup: A TV news reporter and her cameraman follow a local fire brigade as they respond to a call at an apartment building. Then, the whole building is locked down as some kind of illness spreads, and things descend into absolute heart-pounding madness. Easily a contender for one of the scariest found footage films ever made, [REC] remains a must-see.

SICK (Peacock)

Two best friends decide to leave their closed-down college and head to a family lake house to quarantine in luxury in the spring of 2020. What happens when they get there is much more than they bargained for, as a mysterious killer stalks the grounds outside, and the girls must find a way to survive not just a pandemic, but a single night alone. Directed by John Hyams and co-written by slasher legend Kevin Williamson, SICK is a thrilling new piece of survival horror fun.

The Witch (HBO Max)

So much has already been said about Robert Eggers’ feature debut, which follows a family in Puritan New England who are slowly consumed by dark forces, that it feels like there’s nothing else to say other than: Watch it. If you’ve already watched it, watch it again. If you’ve never seen it, turn all the lights out and get ready for a beautifully strange ride.

Watch SICK on Peacock.