Best Movies on HBO Max Right Now (October 2026)

HBO Max has quietly stacked its shelf with some of the best movies to watch right now. Fresh 2026 arrivals sit next to two of the best horror movies of the last two years, and with Halloween two weeks out, the timing could not be better.

The Best Movies to Watch on HBO Max Right Now (October 2026)

So here’s the short version: if you want scares, start with Weapons, Sinners, or Hereditary. If you want something shiny and loud, Supergirl and Mortal Kombat II are in. If you want a movie that critics are nearly unanimous about, Pillion sits at 99%. And if you want to argue with your partner afterward, The Drama has you covered.

Quick Guide: Best Movies on HBO Max at a Glance

Availability can change without notice, so check the HBO Max app before you commit to a movie night.

1. Weapons (2025)

Tomatometer 93% | Popcornmeter 85% | Streaming since Sep 9, 2025

One night, a whole classroom of kids walks out of their houses at 2:17 a.m. and disappears. That’s the hook, and it’s a good one. Weapons jumps between perspectives, and each shift makes the mystery stranger and the dread tighter. It’s also funnier than you’d expect, which makes the nasty turns land harder. Watch it with the lights off and your phone in another room.

2. Sinners (2025)

Tomatometer 97% | Popcornmeter 96% 

Ryan Coogler’s Jim Crow–era vampire story, with Michael B. Jordan in a double role, is the best-reviewed film on this list for a reason. It’s a horror movie, a music movie, and a period drama at once, and it never feels like it’s juggling. If you somehow skipped it, fix that this week.

3. Hereditary (2018)

Tomatometer 90% | Popcornmeter 72%

Toni Collette gives one of the great horror performances here, as a mother unraveling after her family suffers a loss. Ari Aster’s debut is slow, grim, and deeply upsetting, and the audience score shows it divides people. It’s also the kind of movie you’ll still be thinking about days later.

Not a casual pick, so don’t watch it with someone who just wants a fun scare.

4. X (2022)

Tomatometer 94% | Popcornmeter 76% 

Ti West sends a film crew to a Texas farmhouse in 1979, and the elderly couple renting it out are not thrilled about the company. Mia Goth is magnetic. It’s a gory, stylish slasher that knows exactly what it’s doing, and it works as a double feature with the other X movies if you want to keep going.

5. Evil Dead Burn (2026)

Tomatometer 70% | Popcornmeter 74% 

The latest entry in the Evil Dead franchise keeps the gore dial turned all the way up. It’s not as polished as Sinners or Weapons, but that isn’t the point. This is a messy, bloody crowd-pleaser, and it works best with friends and snacks.

6. Backrooms (2026)

Tomatometer 86% | Popcornmeter 74% 

Critics liked this one more than audiences did, which usually means it’s doing something strange. If you know the internet legend it’s built on, you already know the mood: endless, humming, empty spaces where nothing feels right. Patient horror fans will get the most out of it.

7. Carrie (1976)

Tomatometer 94% | Popcornmeter 77%

The classic prom nightmare is still on the service, and it still bites. Sissy Spacek’s performance is the reason the final act has never lost its grip. A perfect pre-Halloween rewatch.

Already seen it a dozen times? Mike Flanagan’s Carrie (2026) takes the most obvious ending, rewrites it, and uses that twist to tie the series into the most recent TV adaptations of Stephen King’s Multiverse. It’s a fresh spin on a story we all know by heart.

8. Coraline (2009)

Tomatometer 91% | Popcornmeter 74% 

The stop-motion classic is the gentlest scare on the list, and still the one that gets under your skin. A girl finds a secret door to a “better” version of her life, and the button-eyed Other Mother has plans. Great for older kids, and honestly great for adults who never stopped being freaked out by those eyes.

Best New and Big-Screen Movies on HBO Max

9. Pillion (2025)

Tomatometer 99% | Popcornmeter 89% 

Harry Lighton’s A24 romance stars Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, and the 99% Tomatometer puts it at the top of everything on this list. It’s a mature, intimate, and surprisingly tender story about a relationship built on a dominant and submissive dynamic. Not one for the whole family, but if you want a critically adored pick that isn’t horror, this is it.

10. The Housemaid (2025)

Tomatometer 74% | Popcornmeter 92% 

Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried play a cat-and-mouse game inside a very pretty, very sinister house. Critics were mixed. Audiences loved it, and that 18-point gap tells you exactly what kind of movie it is: a twisty, juicy thriller made to be talked about.

11. The Drama (2026)

Tomatometer 76% | Popcornmeter 78% 

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a couple in the days before their wedding, and things get uncomfortable fast. It’s a sharp, awkward, very watchable relationship story. Date night pick, but maybe not the night before the big day.

12. Supergirl (2026)

Tomatometer 52% | Popcornmeter 72%

The reviews were split, but audiences were warmer, and Milly Alcock’s performance was phenomenal. If you want a superhero movie that leans more on attitude than on universe-building homework, this one is an easy Friday night watch. Go in without huge expectations, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

13. Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Tomatometer 63% | Popcornmeter 86% 

A big audience favorite, and the Popcornmeter shows it. Fights, fatalities, and a cast clearly having a blast. Not high art, not trying to be. Flawless victory for anyone who just wants to turn their brain off.

14. The Death of Robin Hood (2026)

Tomatometer 69% | Popcornmeter 56%

Hugh Jackman stars in a grim, muddy take on the legend’s final chapter. The audience score is lower, so this is a pick for viewers who like their classics reimagined and a little bleak.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the best movie on HBO Max right now? It depends on who’s asking. Pillion has the highest critic score on this list at 99%, while Sinners has the best combined critic and audience scores (97% and 96%) and holds up on a second watch.

• What are the best horror movies on HBO Max? Weapons, Sinners, Hereditary, X, Evil Dead Burn, Backrooms, Carrie, and Coraline are all streaming as of this update.

• What is a good scary movie on HBO Max for kids or a family night? Coraline is the gentlest pick here. It’s still spooky, so use your own judgment for younger viewers.

Your HBO Max Watchlist Starts Here

Fourteen movies, one app, and a Halloween season that’s only getting started. If you want the safest bet, press play on Sinners. If you want to be unsettled for days, go with Hereditary. And if you’d rather skip the screaming, Pillion is the one critics can’t stop praising.

So what’s going on your list first? Tell us in the comments, and bookmark this page. We update it whenever new titles land on HBO Max or old ones rotate out.

Still hungry? Browse our best movies streaming right now for weekly picks across Netflix, Prime Video, and more, or head to our Movie hub for reviews of everything on this list.