One of the younger streaming services out there, MGM+ has become a rising star in the world of at-home entertainment. A big part of that is the platform's impressive catalog of feature films. That's especially true for the genres of horror and sci-fi, as subscribers have access to dozens upon dozens of films that range from beloved franchises to lesser-known cult classics. It may not be quite as expansive a library as some of the platform's reputable competitors, but MGM+ still has a solid list of features that are worthy of discussion.
Here are just seven examples of horror and sci-fi movies you can watch on MGM+ right now.
'Cloverfield' (2008)
Release Date: | January 18th, 2008 |
Run Time: | 1 hour 25 minutes |
Director: | Matt Reeves |
Starring: | Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Odette Annable, Margot Farley, Theo Rossi, Brian Klugman, and Kelvin Yu |
One of the finest examples of found-footage horror, Cloverfield is a phenomenal monster movie by director Matt Reeves and writer Drew Goddard. It was a seemingly normal night in the late 2000s for a group of New Yorkers, until their night of partying turned into a night of surviving. The video camera of one of these friends documents how the Big Apple has become besieged by a massive mysterious monster, whose only goal appears to be wreaking havoc. The film's unprecedented sucess led to an unusual franchise, with two fundamentally different sequels being developed in the forms of 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox.
Cloverfield
PG-13Action Sci-FiThrillerA group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.
- Release Date
- January 15, 2008
- Director
- Matt Reeves
- Cast
- Lizzy Caplan , Jessica Lucas , T.J. Miller , Michael Stahl-David , Mike Vogel , Odette Annable
- Runtime
- 90
- Main Genre
- Action
- Writers
- Drew Goddard
- Tagline
- Some Thing Has Found Us
- Website
'War of the Worlds' (1953)
Release Date: | August 26th, 1953 |
Run Time: | 1 hour 25 minutes |
Director: | Byron Haskin |
Starring: | Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Robert Cornthwaite, Sandro Giglio, Lewis Martin, William Phipps, and Vernon Rich |
Long before Steven Spielberg gave us his adaptation of H.G. Wells' groundbreaking novel, Byron Haskin had a crack at it with 1953's War of the Worlds. Life on Earth is disrupted and changed forever when a terrifying race of extraterrestrial alien invaders declare war on the planet, willing to take it over by any means necessary. As the world's military forces try to learn how to defeat this seemingly unstoppable threat, the thousands of displaced civilians try to survive this deadly onslaught. The 2019 television adaptation of War of the Worlds is also available to stream on MGM+.
The War of the Worlds
'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1978)
Release Date: | December 22nd, 1978 |
Run Time: | 1 hour 55 minutes |
Director: | Philip Kaufman |
Starring: | Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, Art Hindle, and Lelia Goldoni |
Another tale of extraterrestrial horror can be seen in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which is arguably even better than the 1956 film it's a remake of (which is also available to stream on MGM+). In this tense psychological thriller, the residents of San Francisco are slowly replaced by aliens that can completely mimic their appearance. The only real way to tell these creatures apart from the humans their impersonating is when they point in your direction and make that absolutely horrific scream.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Sci-FiThrillerWhen strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.
- Release Date
- December 22, 1978
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
- Cast
- Donald Sutherland , Brooke Adams , Leonard Nimoy , Jeff Goldblum , Veronica Cartwright
- Runtime
- 115
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Writers
- W.D. Richter
'Shutter Island' (2010)
Release Date: | February 19th, 2010 |
Run Time: | 2 hours 18 minutes |
Director: | Martin Scorsese |
Starring: | Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, and John Carroll Lynch |
Martin Scorsese has directed many different genres, but his one rare look into horror was 2010's Shutter Island. Two U.S. Marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), are tasked with investigating some strange and unexplainable circumstances at the Shutter Island Ashecliffe Mental Hospital. This unusual mystery eventually has its protagonists question what is real and what isn't as they pull the thread on what's actually going on at this asylum.
Shutter Island
RDramaDocumentaryMysteryThrillerTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
- Release Date
- February 14, 2010
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio , Mark Ruffalo , Ben Kingsley , Max Von Sydow , Michelle Williams , Emily Mortimer
- Runtime
- 138
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Laeta Kalogridis , Dennis Lehane
- Tagline
- Someone is missing.
- Website
'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)
Release Date: | October 4th, 1968 |
Run Time: | 1 hour 36 minutes |
Director: | George A. Romero |
Starring: | Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Rieley, and Kyra Schon |
If you're a fan of the near-endless amount of zombie content in movies, television, and beyond, then you have George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead to thank. Widely credited as the progenitor of the zombie genre as we know it, this low-budget horror masterpiece perseveres as an effective and entertaining zombie survival film. Not only does the film succeed in telling a tense zombie story, it also has a compelling story with cultural themes that are just as relevant today as they were in the 1960s. The film also went on to spawn a franchise spanning across several sequels, with a new installment called Twilight of the Dead reportedly in the works.
Night of the Living Dead
NR Horror- Release Date
- October 4, 1968
- Director
- George A. Romero
- Cast
- Duane Jones , Judith O'Dea , Karl Hardman , Marilyn Eastman , Keith Wayne , Judith Ridley
- Runtime
- 96
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- John A. Russo , George A. Romero
- Studio
- Continental Films
- Tagline
- If it doesn't scare you, you're already dead!
'Halloween H20: 20 Years Later' (1998)
Release Date: | August 5th, 1998 |
Run Time: | 1 hour 26 minutes |
Director: | Steve Miner |
Starring: | Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Durand, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, Adam Hann-Byrd, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Janet Leigh, LL Cool J, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt |
David Gordon Green's requel trilogy of the Halloween series isn't the first time the franchise has undergone a soft reboot. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later ignores Halloween 3 through 6 and functions as a direct sequel to Halloween II, where beloved final girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living a peaceful life as a private school dean two decades after she escaped Michael Myers (Chris Durand). Now, her homicidal brother has returned for revenge in their most dangerous encounter yet. Also available on MGM+ is Halloween H20's so-bad-it's-good sequel, Halloween: Resurrection, and the original timeline's sixth installment, Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
R HorrorThrillerLaurie Strode, now the dean of a Northern California private school with an assumed name, must battle the Shape one last time, as the life of her own son hangs in the balance.
- Release Date
- August 5, 1998
- Director
- Steve Miner
- Cast
- jamie lee curtis , Josh Hartnett , Adam Arkin , Michelle Williams , LL Cool J , Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
- Runtime
- 83
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Debra Hill , John Carpenter , Robert Zappia , Matt Greenberg
- Tagline
- This Summer, terror won't be taking a vacation
- Website
'Sleepy Hollow' (1999)
Release Date: | November 19th, 1999 |
Run Time: | 1 hour 45 minutes |
Director: | Tim Burton |
Starring: | Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Caper Van Dien, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough, and Christopher Walken |
Finally, there is Tim Burton's dark and Gothic reimagining of Sleepy Hollow. Here, a young investigator named Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to the titular hollow of Sleepy Hollow to solve the mystery behind a string of horrific beheadings. It doesn't take long for him to discover the culprit is a vengeful spectre known as The Headless Horseman (Christopher Walken), who won't rest until the members of this once-quiet town feel his ghostly wrath.
Sleepy Hollow
RFantasyHorrorMystery- Release Date
- November 19, 1999
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Cast
- Johnny Depp , Christina Ricci , Miranda Richardson , Michael Gambon
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
- Writers
- Washington Irving , Kevin Yagher , Andrew Kevin Walker
