The Parenting is the most popular movie on Max this week, but so far reviews of the new horror-comedy have been very mixed.
It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 50% from the critics, which is too low to receive a spot on our best Max movies list. However, if you are looking for some critically acclaimed horror movies, there’s plenty to choose from.
A24 has a huge library on Max, with recent additions including the Hugh Grant-led horror Heretic, which made up part of the six Max movies and shows I was most excited to watch in March. Two of my picks here also come from the production company.
With so many new releases as part of everything new on Max in March to choose from, I’ve picked out three of the best horror movies on Max, all of which have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes approval rating from the critics.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
RT score: 91%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 86 minutes
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Main cast: Anna Cobb, Michael J. Rogers
I’ve spoken at length about my favorite horror movie of 2024, I Saw the TV Glow (also on Max), but there’s a second Jane Schoenbrun directed movie I highly recommend. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is inspired by online Creepypastas, which have brought us varying degrees of horror over the years such as Slender Man and The Backrooms. I’ve spent many hours deep-diving into various horror forums and stories but it’s all in good fun, however, what happens when it goes too far?
Made up of a very small cast of just two people, we follow a teen who decides to do the fictional to us, viral in the film’s universe, ‘World’s Fair Challenge’, where she documents the mental and physical changes that it causes. It’s harrowing stuff but you can’t look away.
X
RT score: 94%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 106 minutes
Director: Ti West
Main cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow
Ti West has been busy lately giving us a whole trilogy of horror movies, and it all started with X (not to be confused with the social media site). If you like your horrors outrageous and unapologetically crass, this is a great place to start, and its two sequels Pearl and MaXXXine are also streaming on Max if you end up enjoying the first one.
Here, we follow a group of actors who head out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but they soon end up finding themselves in a desperate fight for their lives after their elderly hosts end up being less than welcoming. The movie sees an intense dual-role for Mia Goth, and she does both of them perfectly.
Hereditary
RT score: 90%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 127 minutes
Director: Ari Aster
Main cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd
Hereditary was the feature-length debut for Ari Aster who has gone on to freak us out all over again with Midsommar and Beau is Afraid (both also on Max). But it’s this one that really had a lasting impression on me, and considering the familial themes, it’s a great one to try after The Parenting.
Much of this movie’s imagery has stayed with me for a long time, it’s one of the most haunting, most brilliant modern horrors to date. Toni Collette, recently starring in Mickey 17, should’ve received more recognition for her role and I can only hope she chooses to do more horror in the future. Her performance is one of the greatest female leads I’ve seen in the genre.
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lucy.buglass@futurenet.com (Lucy Buglass)
