Papy video 2 : 10 great horror movies you can watch right now | Part 2

 10 great horror movies you can watch right now | Part 2

Whether gory and macabre, silly and irreverent, or eerie and unsettling, the horror genre is as rich and varied as the multitude of ghosts, ghoulies, and homicidal maniacs that go bump in the night.

It may be Halloween season now, but horror is a year-round thing for us here at Polygon.

Looking for the best horror films available to stream on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Paramount Plus? No worries, we've got the goods. We've combed through the libraries of each of the major streaming platforms to bring you a list of our most recommended horror movies. Here are the 10 best horror movies you can stream right now, from old classics to new hits. Our latest update added Angel Heart, Audition, Near Dark, and Unfriended: Dark Web.

10. RAMPANT

A classic genre mashup for the ages, Rampant combines a 17th-century Korean period piece (with all the political intrigue those stories tend to include) with a fast-paced, bloody zombie apocalypse. When the arrogant young prince to the throne of the Joseon dynasty is called to return home after his older brother's death, he uncovers an impending zombie apocalypse. He attempts to convince his father (and his father's advisors) to do something about it. Rampant is available to watch on Hi-Yah! or for free with ads on Plex, Tubi, PlutoTV, and FreeVee.

9. PULSE

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001 Japanese horror classic Pulse is one of the most terrifying films I've ever watched. The film follows a group of Japanese teenagers who, in the wake of their friend's inexplicable suicide, begin to experience strange visions and unsettling encounters linked to a mysterious floppy disk their friend was investigating before his death. Pulse is widely championed as one of the definitive works in the canon of Japanese horror, with several critics and fans citing it as the ideal internet horror film of the 21st century. So be sure to have all the lights off for this one ... and something to cover your eyes when you get too freaked out (trust me—you will). Pulse is available to watch on Prime Video, on AMC+, and for free with a library card on Kanopy and Hoopla.

8. OVERLORD

Director Julius Avery (of the upcoming Sylvester Stallone superhero movie Samaritan) delivered a genre mashup for the ages. Of course, "World War 2, but with zombies" is not exactly new ground — Dead Snow, among many others, has delved into the "Nazi zombie" sub-subgenre of horror. But Overlord works so well because it succeeds on both levels—as a war thriller following soldiers trapped behind enemy lines and as a zombie horror movie.

It helps to have such a gifted ensemble cast. In addition to leading man Jovan Adepo, who shines as the brave paratrooper Edward Boyce, Overlord boasts Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49), Pilou Asbk (Game of Thrones), John Magaro (First Cow), Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), and Iain De Caestecker (Agents of SHIELD). It's hard to go wrong with a group like that.

Overlord is available to watch on Paramount Plus.

7. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

The movie that launched the modern zombie film in the United States, George A. Romero's debut feature, was written, directed, photographed, and edited by the nascent zombie film master on a shoestring budget, which only adds to the eerie atmosphere and grounded terror. In this film, a group of survivors hides out in an abandoned house in western Pennsylvania at the start of a zombie apocalypse. The group, led by the level-headed Ben (Duane Jones), must deal not only with the conflict of zombies attempting to break in but also with internal conflicts arising from disagreements on how to handle their precarious situation. Night of the Living Dead is the first example of Romero's typical blend of jaw-dropping (and stomach-churning) practical effects and astute social commentary. Fun fact: This movie came out a month before the MPAA film rating system, which meant a lot of controversy over when children could see the quite graphic movie in theaters. And another fun fact: Night of the Living Dead was never copyrighted and is in the public domain because of an error by the original theatrical distributor. 

Night of the Living Dead is available on HBO Max, Peacock, and Paramount Plus, for free with a library card on Hoopla, or for free with ads on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Vudu, and The Roku Channel.

6. NEAR DARK

Finally, Near Dark is available to stream at home.

Kathryn Bigelow's sexy vampire Western is among the most incredible movies ever made. It was an absolute travesty that it was impossible to watch it at home for so long (unless you have a physical copy, of course). Luckily, that situation has been rectified, and you can now watch this kick-ass movie to your heart's content.

Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) plays a country boy who falls for a vampire girl and ends up hanging with the wrong crowd (the kind that turns upside down, that is). The other vampires in the girl's clique are suspicious of him and unsure if there's room for one more in their crew. What follows is an explosive genre-mashing adventure with plenty of incredible thrills and fantastic makeup and costume design. Near Dark is available to watch on The Criterion Channel.

5. MALIGNANT

There was just no way to see it coming. After the Conjuring and Insidious franchises, plus blockbuster turn with Furious 7 and Aquaman, James Wan could have cashed in chips to make another moody franchise starter to stretch his jump-scare muscles. Instead, he made Malignant, a high-emotion Giallo stuffed into dingy '90s direct-to-video pastiche like some horror-movie turducken. Wan pulls back the layers in an almost tedious fashion: The pregnant Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is first the victim of domestic abuse, then encounters another killer, and then starts dealing with psychotic episodes tied to her childhood imaginary friend Gabriel, and then it's revealed... Well, please go and behold it.

Strung together with a dramatic cover of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind," reveling in horror tropes to the point of parody, the final twists of Malignant are some of the most gratifying lunacy of the year. The acrobatic actor Marina Mazepa brings it home in a gruesome ballet display. I won't explain anything more out of fear of spoilers — just get on the Malignant train. Wan put his dream (nightmare?) on screen for us all to enjoy. "Malignant" is available to watch on HBO Max.

4. MAD GOD

It is gross if Mad God could be summed up in a single word. A feature-length descent into a Boschian hellscape of scatological (and eschatological) horrors stacked on top of one another like the strata of an impossible tower of Babel, each layer was oozing with pus, bile, blood, ichor, and excrement. Another word to describe it would be phenomenal, an apocalyptic stop-motion horror epic over three decades in the making through the meticulous, unfettered craftsmanship of Phil Tippett, the legendary visual effects director and artist behind such films as the original Star Wars trilogy, RoboCop, and Jurassic Park. I could tell you about the film's story, but in truth, the story is little more than a matter of personal interpretation. What matters most in Mad God, first and foremost, is the animation. Tippett's masterpiece is a resounding testament to the power of unrestrained creativity and the intrinsic cathartic capacity of the horror genre. Mad God is available to stream on Shudder and AMC+ or for digital rental or purchase on Amazon and Apple TV.

3. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

A 12-year-old Swedish boy finds a friend in a vampire who looks roughly his age but is actually an old vampire permanently trapped in the body of a young child. The film is kaleidoscopic, each viewing revealing something different than the last. The first time I saw the movie, I was a pessimistic college student. I read the central relationship as a warning about the parasitic nature of love. After college, the children's bond reminded me of the impermanence of youth and why growing up is a mixed blessing. This past year, I was far more focused on the girl's relationship with her caretaker. This older man sacrifices everything for her existence. The film was adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist's 2004 novel of the same name, which inspired not just this Swedish film. Still, a 2010 American adaptation, a comic-book prequel, and a two-stage play. The latter has its own legacy—it was adapted by the magnificent National Theater of Scotland, and it eventually had a run at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2015. A few books inspire so much other great art. So I suppose I recommend the book just as much as the film. Let the Right One In is available to watch on Hulu and Prime Video, for free with ads on The Roku Channel and Crackle, or for free with a library card on Hoopla and Kanopy. 

2. JACOB’S LADDER

Adrian Lyne’s 1990 psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder stars Tim Robbins as Jacob, a former American infantryman. He is plagued by recurring nightmares of his time-fighting in Vietnam. As his visions intensify, seeping into his waking reality and seemingly claiming the lives of all those close to him, Jacob will have to descend into a world of horrors beyond his wildest imagination, where the only way out is through. 

Jacob's Ladder is a hallucinatory body-horror thriller inspired by the works of Francis Bacon and H. R. Giger and utilizing jarring fast-motion in-camera special effects.

Keep your head on a swivel when watching this one.

Jacob’s Ladder is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

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1. THE HOST

The Host was Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to the smash success serial killer drama Memories of Murder. A critical and commercial success, it was the highest-grossing South Korean film ever after its release. In addition, it won Best Film at the Asian and Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Years after chemicals are dumped into the Han River, a vast mutated fish monster emerges and kidnaps a young girl. Her father (Song Kang-ho) sets out to find and rescue her before being kidnapped by the American scientists responsible for her existence. The Host is a high mark in Bong's impressive filmography, a fun monster thriller that doubles as an insightful commentary on U.S. intervention, ecological disasters, and much more.

The Host is available to watch on Showtime, for free with ads on Pluto TV, and for free with a library card on Hoopla or Kanopy.

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