There are some great horror movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video—for free—if you know where to look. Where, specifically, is Freevee, Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service.
As with most streaming services, there are a lot of titles to scroll through on Freevee, and not all of them are worth your time. Lucky for you, the work has already been done. So if you’re in the mood for a scare, these are the best horror movies you can stream for free on Amazon Prime right now.
And if you’re looking for more streaming recs, check out our landing page featuring the best horror movies on Max right now, everything coming to Hulu next month, and more.
Old (2021)
With Old, M. Night Shyamalan takes a simple concept—what if you started aging rapidly?—and mines it for all it’s worth, and then some. Visitors at a tropical resort are tipped off to a hidden beach, but the secret paradise turns out to be a total nightmare. In a fun way. I promise. (Full transparency: my version of fun involves cringe-inducing body horror.)
Teeth (2007)
Written and directed by Joel Lichtenstein, son of famous pop artist Roy (nepo baby alert), Teeth is a dark horror comedy centered on one of the greatest beasts of myth: vagina dentata. That’s Latin for “toothed vagina,” for all you non-nepo babies. Jess Weixler stars as a teen who breaks her chastity promise, which is how she discovers—in the most gnarly way possible—that her vagina has teeth.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Released in 1974, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre follows a group of friends whose Texas road trip is interrupted when they stop at an old farmhouse and discover a family of deranged cannibals living nearby. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an absolute classic that introduces one of the greatest horror villains, the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface, as well as one of the greatest final girls, Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns). It also sounds much more gruesome than it actually is; Tobe Hooper’s direction is clever and suggestive, leaving viewers with the impression that they saw more violence and gore than is actually shown.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project is similar to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in that it suggests much more than is actually shown. Directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, the 1999 indie film became a massive sensation and kickstarted a wave of found-footage horror. The film follows a trio of college students who venture into the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland with cameras in tow to investigate a local legend known as the Blair Witch.
High Tension (2003)
High Tension was and maybe still is somewhat divisive, but in my mind, it’s still the best film from Alexandre Aja, who went on to direct 2006’s The Hills Have Eyes remake and (more recently) the super-fun survival horror flick Crawl. In High Tension, best friends Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco) and Marie (Cécile de France) are staying with Alex’s parents in the countryside. A mysterious breaks into the home, kills Alex’s parents, and then kidnaps Alex, forcing Marie to give chase in a gnarly game of cat-and-mouse.
Candyman (2021)
Nia DaCosta’s Candyman is part reimagining, part sequel to the 1992 horror classic. Yahya Abdul Mateen II stars as Anthony, an artist who becomes fascinated by the dark history behind the Chicago urban legend known as Candyman. Anthony begins incorporating the boogeyman into his work, unaware of or perhaps willfully ignoring the consequences. Mateen anchors this haunting film with a compelling performance supported by Colman Domingo and Teyonah Parris. While the CGI is a little distracting in an otherwise artful work of mid-budget horror, DaCosta keeps us gripped from start to finish.
Frankenhooker (1990)
Frankenstein is all the rage right now, from Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things to the Diablo Cody-scripted Lisa Frankenstein. Fans of the latter in particular might want to give Frankenhooker a spin. Directed by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case), this B-movie cult fave from 1990 follows a med school dropout who reanimates his fiancée when she dies tragically in a lawnmower accident. As our own Chelsea Steiner wrote, “This gonzo low-budget delight is offensive in all the right ways and deliriously over the top.”
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
If you’ve made it this far in life without knowing the ending of Sleepaway Camp, I urge you to remain unspoiled as you hit “play” on this cult classic. Released in 1983 to capitalize on the slasher wave, Sleepaway Camp is set at the eponymous youth summer getaway, where everyone who bullies outcast tween Angela (Felissa Rose) is conspicuously, brutally murdered by a mysterious psycho-killer. The ending of Sleepaway Camp is notoriously shocking for a couple of reasons and, to be honest, pretty problematic. But it really must be seen to be believed.
Clown (2014)
Before he made Spider-Man: Homecoming and its sequels, Jon Watts directed a couple of smaller indie films. The 2015 thriller Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon, was his breakout hit, but Watts made his feature debut with a campy 2014 horror film called Clown. When a professional clown drops out of his son’s birthday party at the last minute, Kent (Andy Powers) finds an old clown costume and decides to improvise. Unfortunately, the costume is impossible to remove, and it seems to be grafting itself to his body. If you love practical effects and classic campy horror, you’ll probably dig Clown.
Dead Ringers (1988)
Released in 1988 and loosely based on a true story, Dead Ringers stars Jeremy Irons as innovative twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle. David Cronenberg’s psychosexual drama follows the Mantles as they become consumed by their obsessions and find it increasingly difficult to define their own identities. Cronenberg’s body horror takes on a new perspective in Dead Ringers, which features some of his best production design. I also highly recommend the Prime Video limited series of the same name, a modern update starring Rachel Weisz as the twin gynecologists—the rare example of a remake that improves on the original.
The Crush (1993)
There are certain line readings that stay with you forever, like the moment when Alicia Silverstone flirtatiously calls to Cary Elwes, “Hey Nick, I got my period.” The Crush was released in 1993, an eventful and occasionally cursed time for women in thriller movies, which often depicted adult women as dangerous psychopaths and teen girls as oversexualized and dangerous psychopaths. The Crush falls in the latter category, starring Silverstone as a wealthy teen brat who becomes infatuated with the single writer (Elwes) who rents her family’s guest house. You either die a problematic fave or live long enough to see yourself become a camp classic.
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Ginger Snaps predates Jennifer’s Body by nine years, but this Canadian riff on the classic werewolf story makes for a great double feature with Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody’s 2009 horror film. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins star in Ginger Snaps as Ginger and Brigitte, death-obsessed teen sisters whose bond is tested when the elder Ginger gets bitten by a werewolf the same day that she gets her first period. Is it a little heavy-handed with the puberty metaphors? Yes, but that’s a big part of the fun in this bloody, campy work of teen body horror.
Hagazussa (2017)
Now, you might think that the quickest way to sell someone on a horror movie about a cursed young woman, set in the mountains of 15th century Austria is by comparing it to The Witch. You’d be right, but Hagazussa is a little less accessible and more oblique than Robert Eggers’ directorial debut. Directed by Lukas Feigelfeld, Hagazussa tells the story of a young woman named Albrun across four increasingly disturbing chapters: “Shadows,” “Horn,” “Blood,” and “Fire.” Embellished with body fluids, rune stones, and deep-ass folklore, Hagazussa sort of makes The Witch look like a commercial blockbuster.
The House of the Devil (2009)
Director Ti West’s first feature film is a throwback to ’70s and ’80s horror with a brief appearance from Greta Gerwig. The House of the Devil features a simple premise that slowly builds to one hell of a burn: college student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) needs cash, so she takes a gig babysitting for an older man. When she arrives at the remote house, the man tells her she’ll actually be helping out with his mother-in-law. And that’s really all that can be said without tipping you off to the film’s intense climax.
Daniel Isn’t Real (2019)
When Luke (Miles Robbins) was a child, he summoned an imaginary friend named Daniel to cope with a terrible trauma. But Daniel proved a dangerous influence on Luke, who locked his friend away in an old dollhouse. Now in college, Luke is struggling with anxiety—he’s the only one caring for his mentally ill mother, and he worries that he’ll succumb to the same fate. So he turns to Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) again, hoping that his imaginary friend will give him the stability and confidence he needs to survive. Unfortunately, Daniel has other motives. Directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer and based on the novel In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw (who co-wrote the adaptation), Daniel Isn’t Real turns psychological horror inward to examine the destructive nature of mental illness.
(featured image: Universal Pictures / Lionsgate / MPI Media Group / Warner Bros.)
