Best Showtime Horror Movies

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Soap Opera Aficionado at Data Stream Diva

There isn't a soap opera Matt hasn't seen. But he isn't just hooked on soap operas. Anything that can bring Matt into a whole new world and make him feel like he's left his couch has his attention. He thinks watching TV shows from different countries helps to save him thousands of dollars in travel costs. He just clicks on the TV and away he goes!

Get Scared with These Awesome Freaky Flicks

Showtime and Horror Movies

Showtime is a pretty unique streaming service. You can find a broad array of popular movies, straight-to-streaming site films, highly rated television series, and original content. Showtime is also home to a solid list of horror titles, including my favorite one on this list that we will discuss in detail later, Midsommer.

As with most streaming sites, Showtime has a broad assortment of known and unknown horror movies. This is pretty standard across most streaming platforms, as horror is generally one of the cheaper genres of movies to make. There is no shortage of films you’ve probably never heard of or will ever check out. Still, as any true horror fan knows, sometimes really bad can turn into something really fun.

Horror movies and scary things have held an integral role in my life since I was a kid. I remember watching Unsolved Mysteries with my gramma Vickie as an eight-year-old and hiding under a blanket or under her arm when I got too scared. As I got older, I moved around a lot. I didn’t always have many friends to hang out with, so my friends became people named Michael Myers, Leatherface, Freddy, and Jason.

Horror is a genre that is often looked down upon, but it has played a crucial role in helping us as humans determine what truly scares us; but in a world where our screens are filled with frightening real-life scenes daily, what is even scary anymore when it comes to horror movies?

What Makes a Good Horror Movie These Days Anyway?

Although what scares us has changed over the years, horror movies never go out of style. Sure, the genre has gone through a multitude of changes. Some horror elements have always remained the same, while new or altered types continue to find ways to frighten us to our cores.

Zombies were the hot horror topic in the 2000s and 2010s before found footage became dominant. But now, there are movies like Hereditary, Mother, Us, and The Black Phone that are creating realistic ways to get deep into our subconscious.

Grief, racism, our families, and mental health are being used as vehicles for new directors of horror to keep us up at night. Real-life is scary, and the only masks that the monsters who haunt us now are wearing look seemingly like us.

Criteria for this Horror Movie List

As with other movie genres, horror movies are unique to the viewer. What may scare one person could be considered kid stuff to another. When putting this list together, I considered a few major components of what I think a great horror movie consists of. Firstly, I wanted to list movies that I found frightening or chilling.

Next, I wanted to name movies with distinct, unnerving, and surprising plotlines. Lately, I wanted to name not just films you may have heard of but ones you haven’t as well.

10 Horror Movies on Showtime to Watch Next

Now it’s time to get to the main reason we have gathered here today. Here is a list of 10 movies to check out on Showtime the next time you’re looking for some late-night chills. As a side note, these are not in any specific order and span the last five decades. So, sit back, turn down the light and get ready for a fright.

Midsommer

I’m starting with my favorite movie on this list. Grief horror is a term I like to use when referring to movies where horrendous things happen to the main characters. Midsommer encapsulates this term perfectly while also offering a whole lot more.

After losing her parents and sister to a murder-suicide, Dani (played to perfection by Florence Pugh) goes to Sweden for a midsummer festival with a group of friends and her boyfriend Christian, who was about to break up with her before the tragedy took place. What transpires is a clash of beliefs, societal norms, and coming face to face with mortality.

I can’t lie to you folks. It might take a few viewings to appreciate it how incredible it truly is, but every time I watch, I see or feel something new.

Besides being visually stunning, there is a constant slow burn between the characters and their new environment that all come together for an incredible third act. Ps, keep an eye out for the name Ari Aster. He directed this and Hereditary and is one of the most talented directors out there.

Werewolves Within

Possible one of my favorite sub-genres of horror is horror-comedy. These two forces can flow together incredibly well when done right. Still, if you tip the scales too much in either direction, you can end up with something that feels uncomfortable and clunky. A movie that does an excellent job at this is the 2021 movie, Werewolves Within.

Starring the hilarious Sam Richardson, this new take on the old werewolves trope is actually based on a video game of the same name, which was news to be before watching this fun flick. In the film,

Richardson plays Finn, a forest ranger who is new to a small town who are in a disagreement about a newly proposed gas line. After a major snowstorm where most of the residents are snowed in a local inn, Finn and a postal worker must work to keep the townsfolks from killing each other while also having to worry about suspected werewolves who have been slowly taking out the town’s residents.

Excellent comedic timing and just the right amount of gore give the audience someone they can really sink their teeth into. Also, I hope we see more werewolf movies soon.

The Humans

For some people, the idea of being trapped somewhere with their family is an incredibly frightening thought. The majority of families can hold it together long enough for a meal or a day together, but what would happen if you through some creepy elements into the mix? Well, this is what The Humans explore and does a wonderful job doing so.

Erik Blake has brought together three generations of his family for Thanksgiving at his daughter’s crumbling pre-war duplex in Manhattan. As darkness starts to take hold of the night, creepy and unusual things start to transpire. Tensions begin to rise between the family members, and their deepest fears start to manifest.

As someone who doesn’t particularly like the majority of their family, the plot of this movie alone gave me the shivers. You throw in some excellent anxiety-building scenes and an electric cast. You have a fantastic watch that may have you lying about your plans the next time your family invites you over for dinner.

It Comes at Night

Paranoia has been an effective plot device in horror movies for decades. Our minds can create the most terrifying scenarios imaginable. The idea of not being able to trust those who look like you or are in the same unfortunate situate can be scary. You dread not feeling safe in a place where you’re supposed to be protected, and you have the perfect fear-inducing combination.

A family finds themselves safe and self-contained while an unnatural threat lurks in the outside world. The family has a stringent domestic order in the home that is tested when a young family finds themselves on their doorstep. What follows is a slow but evolving build-up of paranoia that makes you feel as if you’re stuck in the home with the characters.

I really enjoyed how the suspense was created and built up in this movie. The end may not be what you expect, but it’s hard to discredit the director for what he was able to craft in only 90 minutes.

Ex Machina

If this fell through the cracks of your viewing habits, don’t worry. You’re not the only one. This may be considered more of a thriller than a horror movie. Still, this topic will only become more relevant and frightening as we delve further into AI technology.

In Ex Machina, we see computer programmer Caleb win a competition to spend a week with his company’s reclusive CEO Nathan at his private mountain getaway. Caleb is immediately enamored by the building that features all of the newest technology, and even things he didn’t know were fully operational.

While on a tour of the home, Caleb meets Aya, the world’s first artificial intelligence. Caleb learns that he is there to be part of a new experiment, where he must interact with Aya. Feelings get caught, violence ensues, and moral questions regarding AI get raised.

I consider this film horror the same way I see the Terminator films. Creating and allowing AI to not only think for us but to potentially be part of our family or become our life partners is incredibly terrifying to me.

Assault on Precinct 13

This movie doesn’t just make this list out of pure respect and admiration for its director, John Carpenter, but because of how it infuses multiple genres into one film. Action, thriller, drama, and horror elements are woven through this memorable 1976 film. By the way, a kid gets murdered in broad daylight in this movie. If that doesn’t scare you, your skin is on too tight (I stole that line, by the way.)

In Assault on Precinct 13, we see police ambush and kill several Los Angeles gang members. Other gang members make a pact to get back at the police and attack a small police station that is about to be closed down. The film builds up to an intense battle with the gang members on one side and the police and jailhouse criminals on the other.

Now, there is a 2005 remake that you may be tempted to watch, but don’t do it. As in most cases, the original is the superior movie. I didn’t see this movie till a few years ago, and I was instantly taken back by its grittiness and well-paced storytelling.

Event Horizon

Space horror is another combination that can get under the skin and offer a real sense of terror and dread. The early installments in the Alien franchise set the bar for what horror off of our planet should look like. Still, Event Horizon holds its own and is one of my favorites of the sub-genre.

Directed by Paul W.s. Anderson, the same person who gave us the Resident Evil movies, Soldier, and the first Mortal Kombat movie, Event Horizon is filled with stylized action and horror that Anderson has been praised for.

We start where any good space-horror movie should start – in the future. It’s the year 2047, and a crew of astronauts are sent on a rescue mission to find the starship named, you guessed it, “Event Horizon.”

Along for the ride is the man who created the ship, and almost instantly, no one believes anything he has to say. Upon finding the empty vessel, suspicions arise, and the fundamental question of just because humans are capable do incredible feats, should they mess around with things they don’t fully understand?

Green Room

You may have read the description for this movie and thought, “well, that doesn’t sound like a horror movie to me,” and I can guarantee you wouldn’t be the first one to do so. Green Room shines a light on something terrifying that is real and doesn’t haunt your dreams or where a creepy mask. It’s something that destroys lives, can hide in plain sight, and be spoken about in coded terms – racism.

In Green Room, we follow a young punk band just trying to play some shows and make enough money for a few drinks and gas to get them to the next gig. After playing a show for an audience with questionable morals (the I hate everyone who doesn’t look like me type), the band witnesses a murder and becomes sought after by club owner and lead-Nazi Darcy Banker.

Banker is played brilliantly by Patrick Stewart, who apparently was so disturbed after reading the script, he made sure all of his windows and doors were locked and poured himself a glass of scotch. Bunker sends his gang of neo-Nazis after the band, who hold up in the club’s green room where they have to fight for their lives to escape.

Between the suffocation that the small room offers and the all too real prejudice being spewed out, this movie is genuinely chilling and is sadly all too real in our current society. As someone who also plays in a punk band, this movie also shows why it’s so important to know the details of a show and who is running it before you agree to play.

Misery

If you ask a Stephen King fan what their favorite books of his are, you will get a variety of answers. But if you ask what their favorite film adaptation is, you will most likely only receive a few answers, and Misery will most definitely be near the top of the list.

The book is beyond dark and dreary, but the film can somehow turn those attributes up even higher. After finishing his most recent novel, famous writer Paul Sheldon is driving back from his Colorado hideaway. During a freak blizzard, Paul is injured badly. He is found and rescued by nurse and ultra-fan Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates’ most iconic role, in my opinion) and taken back to her home.

Annie begins to nurse Paul back to life. After regaining consciousness, Paul is beyond thankful to Annie for saving him, but this is short-lived as Annie reads Paul’s new book only to discover that he has killed off her favorite character. What follows is a battle of wits between the writer and nurse with some incredibly disturbing scenes that still haunt me to this day.

I recently rewatched this film, and it holds up wonderfully even after being released more than three decades ago. It also reminds you that something dark can reside behind even the brightest smiles and welcoming eyes.

Under the Skin

Firstly, there are a few movies and shows with the name Under the Skin, so be sure to find the one that is from 2013 and stars Scarlett Johansson in a role that she was destined to play. The film is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen and creates an utterly dreary world void of any brightness, making what happens in the film that much more menacing.

Johansson plays an alien being who takes the form of a beautiful earth being. She seduces men on the streets of Scotland and sends them to an other-worldly dimension where they are completely stripped of their body parts and flesh and consumed. But the more time the alien spends on earth around humans, the more she becomes empathic to them.

The movie’s undertones on sexuality and the reversal of gender roles, as its men who are being used as objects instead of women, are profound. These real-life elements intertwined with stunning cinematography make this film so unique and disturbing. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that. It stuck with me for a few days after I watched it.

FAQs

Question: Is Showtime Worth Paying Dor?

Answer: Showtime has a diverse and extensive list of content to watch. The premium channel is home to various original content, popular films, lesser-known movies, television shows, and sporting events.

Question: How much does Showtime Cost?

Answer: Showtime is priced fairly close to most other streaming sites and premium channels. It costs $10.99 a month, with the first month free for new subscribers.

Question: Does Showtime Show Ads?

Answer: No, Showtime does not show ads, but there is no telling if they will follow Netflix’s future plan to start showing ads on their streaming site.

In Conclusion

We made it! Ten horror films to check out on Showtime when you’re looking for something dark and scary to watch. Horror is such a wonderful category of film for so many reasons. Still, the genre can take different forms and find new and unsettling ways to scare us, keeping it fresh and entertaining.

I can’t state it enough. If you are only going to watch one movie on this list, please give Midsommer a go, or watch it again if you didn’t love it the first time. You’ll be happy you did. Take scare, and remember to always creep it real.