10. Christine
- Release Year: 1983
- Director: John Carpenter
Christine is one of the more unique stories on this list, because who would ever think a car could be scary? Well, leave it to Stephen King to make that happen. The 1983 movie follows a possessed Plymouth Fury named Christine and its owner, a high school student named Arnie. Arnie is an awkward teen who buys the car and spends most of his time working on it to restore it to perfect condition. He starts acting differently, going from shy to aggressive, as we learn about the car’s impact on him.
The movie’s exploration of possessed is definitely creepy, and the deaths are memorable. Christine is currently streaming on AMC+
9. Secret Window
- Release Year: 2004
- Director: David Koepp
Another movie about a writer, Secret Window follows an author who’s dealing with a divorce. To find writing motivation and take a break from everything else going on in his life, he travels to Upstate New York to stay in a cabin to work. But his plan is interrupted when a stranger comes to see him and accuses him of stealing his work. A game of cat-and-mouse ensues as the stranger becomes increasingly threatening. This movie is a psychological thriller that’ll leave you scratching your head and on the edge of your seat waiting to see what’ll happen next.
Secret Window is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi.
8. Doctor Sleep
- Release Year: 2019
- Director: Mike Flanagan
36 years after the release of The Shining, King published a sequel, titled Doctor Sleep. Of course, seeing how successful the movie adaptation of The Shining was, it was a no-brainer to adapt Doctor Sleep for the big screen as well. The sequel takes place 40 years after the events of The Shining, following Danny Torrance all grown up, still dealing with the trauma of what happened at the Overlook Hotel. Using his psychic abilities to comfort patients, he works at a hospice and forms a connection with a young girl who has similar powers.
Similar to The Shining, Doctor Sleep is a psychological horror that also deals with elements of the supernatural. It does a great job combining the two. You can watch the movie on Max and Hulu.
7. Children of the Corn
- Release Year: 1984
- Director: Fritz Kiersch
Oh, Children of the Corn. It’s one of my biggest guilty pleasures on this list! The 1984 horror movie imagines a world where children revolt against adults and sacrifice them to a mysterious deity who lives in a cornfield. The storyline follows an adult couple who drive through the town and accidentally hit a child who runs into the road. As they try and find help, they realize the town they’ve accidentally entered has sinister intentions. The movie is dated, for sure, but it’s still incredibly chilling.
Children of the Corn is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Shudder, Tubi, Plex, and The Roku Channel. Believe it or not, there have been multiple sequels, but we’d only recommend the first.
6. Misery
- Release Year: 1990
- Director: Rob Reiner
Ever wonder what stans were like years before the term was coined by Eminem in 2000? The psychological thriller Misery will answer that for you. The movie follows a famous author who gets into a car accident during a big snowstorm and is rescued by a nurse with ulterior motives. As it turns out, she’s a super fan of his and is desperate to find out what’ll happen in his next book. And she’ll do whatever it takes to make him write it.
Another big one for Kathy Bates, the actress won a Golden Globe for her performance as the horrifying Annie Wilkes. At this time, you can only watch Misery by purchasing it for $14.69 on Amazon Prime Video.