10 Best Scary Horror Movies on Apple TV & Why You Should Watch Each
In today’s day and age, there are plenty of streaming services to go around, and Apple TV is just one among many that can be considered home to plenty of quality content. Among various dramas, comedies, sci-fi, and mysteries, Apple TV can pride itself on the chilling and downright terrifying selection of horror movies.
As a horror movie aficionado, I’ve decided to create this list of best horror movies to find on Apple TV, so who knows, maybe you find your next favorite movie on it. Here are ten excellent horrors on Apple TV and why you should watch them, preferably with lights off.
1. ‘The Lighthouse’
What it’s about: In the 1890s, Ephraim Winslow arrives on a remote island as a lighthouse keeper, working under the strict supervision of Thomas Wake. Wake tasks Winslow with grueling chores and restricts access to the lighthouse’s lantern room. Winslow becomes haunted by hallucinations, including sea monsters and floating logs while fixating on a mermaid scrimshaw.
Tensions rise as a one-eyed gull torments Winslow, leading to a violent confrontation. In the storm, the two men get drunk, and their isolation becomes even more reality-breaking when they find a beached mermaid’s body. Stranded for weeks, reality doesn’t even make sense anymore.
Why you should watch it: ‘The Lighthouse’ was originally supposed to be an adaptation of Poe’s unfinished short story under the same name, and the movie itself has some notable Lovecraftian influences. I mean, is it really a horror story if it doesn’t take place in New England? If you’re in these types of horror movies or stories, I urge you to give ‘The Lighthouse’ a go.
2. ‘Don’t Breathe’ (2016)
What it’s about: ‘Don’t Breathe’ is a horror-thriller that revolves around Rocky, Alex, and Money, a trio of Detroit thieves aiming to escape their troubled lives. They happen upon a blind Gulf War vet, Norma Nordstrom, who allegedly has plenty of cash lying around. The trio breaks into Norman’s house, but their plan takes a horrifying turn when Norman, using his heightened senses, fights back. They will soon find themselves in a living hell, unable to escape.
Why you should watch it: Álvarez directed ‘Don’t Breathe,’ the same name behind ‘Evil Dead’ movie, but there are some major differences between the two works. Álvarez decided to leave out the blood, the gore, and supernatural elements in order to create a thrilling and suspenseful experience.
3. ‘Shutter’ (2004)
What it’s about: Jane and Tun were involved in a hit-and-run accident one night after a party. They fled the scene, leaving both the victim and the consequences behind. Soon, Tun’s photographs reveal strange shadows and faces, possibly connected to the accident. As Tun experiences physical changes and disturbing events, Jane learns that Tun and Natre had a “special relationship” in the past. Soon, Tun’s friends fall one by one, and Tun is left terrified by a very real possibility that his own demise might be close by.
Why you should watch it: You can’t make a good horror list without including at least one haunting story. ‘Shutter’ is a Thai supernatural horror movie, and while it follows the same formulaic approach to the “haunting,” it does some new concepts to the whole affair. It’s a pretty solid and decent movie overall.
4. ‘NOPE’ (2022)
What it’s about: Set in Agua Dulce, California, the Haywood family trains horses for films. After a mysterious event involving a falling metallic object that kills their father, Em and OJ are fired from a film set due to a horse’s reaction to a chrome ball that’s used for visual effects.
Struggling financially, OJ sells horses to Jupe, who runs a Western theme park. As strange occurrences continue, the siblings discover a UFO responsible for abducting their horses, leading them to investigate and capture evidence of something far more horrifying.
Why you should watch it: This is the second Peele movie that tackles the suspense aspect of a horror movie perfectly. Even though ‘NOPE’ is a sci-fi horror flick, it manages to evade most tropes while delivering a unique experience.
5. ‘The Deep House’ (2021)
What it’s about: Ben and Tina, a young engaged couple and YouTube content creators, travel through Europe to explore haunted houses. In southwest France, they encounter Pierre, a local, who guides them to a mansion submerged in a lake.
Once inside, they find the house well-preserved but experience eerie occurrences, including strange voices and unexplained drone activity. As they delve further, they discover images of missing children, satanic symbols, corpses, and body parts. Their attempts to escape are ruined when the house’s exits become mysteriously blocked, trapping them within.
Why you should watch it: ‘The Deep House’ is not for thalassophobic people as the whole premise of the movie revolves around being stuck underwater and unable to escape. Expect jumpscares and Lovecraft references, as usual, when we’re dealing with cult-inspired movies.
6. ‘Insidious’ (2010)
What it’s about: Married couple Josh and Renai Lambert move with their children Dalton, Foster, and Cali into a new house. Everything goes well until their son Dalton sneaks into the attic and meets a strange entity, and the encounter eventually results in Dalton falling into a coma the very next day.
Dalton is released from the hospital, still in a coma without improvement, but the family is haunted by terrifying experiences, even after they move into a new house.
Why you should watch it: Probably among the best haunted house flicks you can find on Apple TV. Even though plenty of critics had a lot to say about the movie’s second half, it’s still a decent experience. Besides, the whole ‘Insidious’ franchise is on Apple TV, so you can make it a marathon.
7. ‘The Black Phone’ (2021)
What it’s about: Set in 1978, a child abductor named ‘The Grabber’ terrorizes a Denver suburb. Siblings Finney and Gwen Blake live with their abusive father, while Finney also faces bullying at school. After the Grabber kidnaps a boy named Bruce, Finney’s friend Robin is also taken. Finney becomes a victim, too, trapped in a soundproof basement with a disconnected phone.
The phone eventually rings, and on the other side is Finney’s deceased friend, Bruce, who tries to guide him to escape and survive this ordeal.
Why you should watch it: ‘The Black Phone’ is a supernatural horror based on a short story, and the movie was praised for its faithfulness to the source material. It’s a decent movie that goes way beyond jump scares and a supernatural premise.
8. ‘Us’ (2019)
What it’s about: In 1986, young Adelaide encounters her doppelgänger in a funhouse, leaving her traumatized and mute. Three decades later, Adelaide, now married to Gabe and with children Zora and Jason, returns to Santa Cruz. Strange events escalate when a doppelgänger family appears at their vacation home, led by Adelaide’s double, Red.
These doppelgängers, known as “the Tethered,” reveal their existence and seek to “untether” themselves. Tensions rise as each family member confronts their double; Jason realizes Pluto mirrors him, and Gabe kills his double, Abraham. The Wilsons ultimately escape the onslaught of their doppelgängers, but doppelgängers start terrorizing the rest of the city.
Why you should watch it: I know that Peele’s movie can get preachy at times, but ‘Us’ is a truly well-put-together metaphor of deeper issues wrapped up in a solid and, at times, marvelous psychological horror flick. Doppelgängers in the movies are nothing new, but in ‘Us,’ they come with a terrifying new twist that goes well beyond the paranormal.
9. ‘The Others’ (2001)
What it’s about: In post-World War II 1945, Grace Stewart lives with her light-sensitive children, Anne and Nicholas, in a remote house on a Channel Island occupied by Germans during the war. She hires new servants, including a housekeeper, Mrs. Bertha Mills, gardener Edmund Tuttle, and a mute girl named Lydia.
Odd occurrences in the house make Grace uneasy, especially after Anne claims to have seen mysterious figures. Mrs. Mills reveals she had worked at the house before and shares a story of a past tuberculosis outbreak. As Grace witnesses strange phenomena like a self-playing piano, she becomes convinced the house is haunted.
Why you should watch it: Nicole Kidman stars in the haunted house horror, and even if the movie begins a bit slow, it has a terrific ending. The movie doesn’t rely on the classic visual effects or even jumpscares to deliver the creeps. If you enjoy haunted house movies with a bit more substance, definitely give this one a try.
10. ‘Old’ (2021)
What it’s about: Guy and Prisca Cappa, facing a separation, take their children to a tropical resort as one last family hooray. The kids befriend the resort manager, who takes a liking to the kids and decides to invite them to a tropical beach. Soon after arriving at the beach, the kids are aged into teenagers, and the rest of the group either dies of old age or quickly develops chronic illnesses. They figure out they are aging one year every half an hour that they spend in this bizarre place.
They attempt to leave the beach but are faced with the horrifying fact that they cant. Every time they aim to escape, they pass out and reset in the same position.
Why you should watch it: ‘Old’ was based on ‘Sandcastle’ written by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters and it was directed by M. Night. Shyamalan, so you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. It’s a mystery somewhat lacking in suspense, but if the existence itself scares you, and you have anxiety when you think about passing of life and getting old, this might be a perfect horror for you.