Movies
Stoner Horror: Best Horror Films to Watch with Buds
If you’re a horror fan who likes to partake in a bake, you’re in the right place. These horror films go together with stoners like some OG Kush and orange juice. Maybe you have yet to see them, or perhaps it’s been so long that your pothead memory forgot. Fear not! This list has you covered. Some are the quintessential stoner horror films, others are scary recent releases, while others will provide a trippy, thought-provoking experience. Roll one and roll the clip!
Disclaimer: This article is only intended for those who can legally indulge in the subject matter. Legal users 21+, this means you. Please smoke responsibly. In the words of Katt Williams: “It is not cool to get high and eat all your babies’ cereal.”
The Best Stoner Horror for 420
Leprechaun 2: Back 2 the Hood (2003)
Leprechaun is a forgotten idol of 90’s horror outside St. Patrick’s Day. As the slasher villain who speaks in rhyming couplets while dispatching anyone foolish enough to steal his gold once said: “A friend with weed is a friend indeed, but a friend with gold is the best I’m told.”
Idle Hands (1999)
Speaking of 90s idols, you couldn’t throw a rock in the 90s without hitting a production Devon Sawa had been in. Devon Sawa was everywhere, from Casper to SLC Punk, to playing Stan in Eminem’s music video of the same name. Among these titles, just before he starred in Final Destination, he starred in Idle Hands alongside Seth Green – a horror film about a lazy stoner who discovered the hard way that idle hands are indeed the devil’s playground.
Barbarian (2022)
Potheads in the early 2000s may or may not have already been familiar with Zach Cregger, who headed the IFC show Whitest Kids U Know alongside Trevor Moore. Though Trevor Moore is no longer with us, may he rest in peace; Zach Cregger burst into the horror scene with quite the debut into horror with Barbarian. Following a girl who finds her Air B&B mysteriously double-booked with a stranger, this film is unpredictable. It is equal parts horrifying and a blast to watch.
Possessor (2020)
If you’re looking for a mind-bending, trippy inclusion from the elevated horror subgenre, this film about a woman who uses technology to control another’s body is for you. Be prepared for a minor existential crisis about how much our subconscious affects our consciousness, and wonder whether a version of this technology may ever be a reality.
John Dies at the End (2011)
This movie is a trippy experience from start to finish. It follows the story of two college dropouts who work as paranormal investigators only to discover that a street drug called Soy Sauce is sending people to other worlds. It will make you laugh and bring up some weird points about dreaming. If Dude Where’s My Car and 21 Jump Street had a spooky baby, it would be John Dies at The End.
Shrooms (2007)
This movie follows the formulaic plot of most horror movies: a group of friends on vacation begin to experience something deadly. In this case, though, they’re all tripping on mushrooms. It has general scares and some entertaining visions of the result of the mushrooms, summed up with a memorable ending.
ABCs of Death (2012)
Do you feel like it’s all been done before? Do you want variety? Do you have a strong stomach and the desire to ask yourself repeatedly: What am I watching? Then it’s ABCs of Death for you, pal! This horror anthology film consisting of 26 different tales of horror will blow your mind and make you simultaneously feel every emotion known to human existence. A movie that will make you say both: “I’m too high’ and “not high enough for this.” Please don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Await Further Instructions (2018)
“The greatest hypnotist on the planet Earth is the oblong box in the corner of the room. It is constantly telling us what to believe is real.” If that statement from David Icke resonates with you, you’ll most certainly enjoy the movie Await Further Instructions. During the reunion of an estranged family, the house suddenly goes into lockdown, and instructions begin appearing on the TV set. How far will people go when the television tells them what to do?
Fall (2022)
If heights bother you in the slightest, you will physically feel the effects of this film. The long shots, dizzying angles, and sweaty-palm-inducing antics will freak you out. If a visceral horror experience is what you’re looking for, look no further than the movie about the girls who got stuck at the top of a 2000-foot radio tower.
Evil Bong Franchise
After smoking a possessed bong, a group of stoner friends are transported to a terrifying dimension in this stoner horror comedy. To date, there are nine films in the Evil Bong franchise. Diana Prince appears in two of them: Evil Bong 666 and Evil Bong 888: Infinity High.
Honorable Mention: The Last Drive-In. With four seasons to stream on Shudder, every episode consists of a double feature led by horror historian Joe Bob Briggs and his co-host Darcy the Mail Girl (Diana Prince). The films range from classics such as Night of the Living Dead to cult favorites like Popcorn, and a lot in between.
The next time you make a smoke salad from the Devil’s Lettuce, and are looking for some horror content, don’t scroll endlessly looking for something to watch. Know that Horror Press has your back no matter which subgenre of horror is your favorite, so be sure to bookmark this list, so you have it when you need it!
For even more scary movie recommendations, check out The Top 5 Cerebral Horror Movies to Watch When You’re Stoned. If there’s any you wish we’d included, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below or on social media!
We are finally in the midst of Shudder’s 61 days of Halloween! There are so many horror movies to consume and 31 days simply isn’t enough. Use the long Labor Day weekend to kick off your horror movie countdown and add these movies to your Shudder queue. Here is a list of what I would recommend checking out to ease into the Halloween spirit right before going into full blown premature trick-or-treating mode.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
The Yeti (2026)
A large creature has captured people in a remote Alaskan town in the 1940s. The sheriff has put together a search-and-rescue monster hunting party to bring back the captives. It sounds like the premise of a Cold Iron Studios co-op video game in the same vein as Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The stylization from co-directors Gene Gallerano & William Pisciotta in the trailer makes me think they have cooked up a story that blends action, horror, and wilderness survival. Sign me up, sheriff!
Leave (2022)
Hunter was found as a baby abandoned in a cemetery wrapped in a cloth covered with satanic symbols. She has been searching for answers her whole life about where she came from. Her journey to find her parents takes her down a mysterious path, and she is being warned by something from the beyond to leave this mystery alone. Can she trust who this investigation is leading her towards? It’s a mysterious, supernatural, culty film that will give you chills.
Penny Lane is Dead (2026)
One crazy night in Australia with perhaps a dash of revenge. Shudder’s latest original looks to be packed with blood and violence in this story of girls just trying to have fun until the crazy cousin drugs the party and invites dangerous people to play. The trailer promises lots of body horror (trigger warning, there may be SA or threat of it). I’m not saying it will be Evil Dead level, but there’s definitely something in the Aussie water with Lee Cronin pumping out his gory deadites and mummy films, and now Mia Kate Russel with this one.
The Others (2001)
This is a PSA to the younger readers of Horror Press; stop what you’re doing and watch Nicole Kidman go 100 miles per hour in this classic ghost story with a twist. Dreary weather, massive estate, confusing corridors, creepy house servants you don’t know if you can trust, and sad British kids. The ending is an all-timer and spoilers should be avoided at all costs. It has exactly what you need to get right into the cozy, spooky mood for 61-days of Halloween.
Dark Harvest (2023)
If The Hunger Games and The Purge had a baby and raised it during Oktoberfest. Teenage boys are tasked with hunting and killing the entity known as Sawtooth Jack on Halloween night, or it could mean certain peril for their town. Of the movies I have listed here that I have not seen, this is going to be at the top of my watchlist. Teens fighting for survival on Halloween night and the battle setting is in a cornfield?! Say less. I am there with my Sam Adams seasonal in hand. Another perfect movie to cannonball me right into the Halloween spirit.
This list has been carefully curated to watch in a specific order to gear up for a Halloween marathon. Start with the wintry monster movie, move on to a macabre supernatural thriller, followed by a ramp-up in blood and gore, to then be lulled into a spooky, bump-in-the-night classic, all to end on a ritualistic hunt taking place on Halloween night. This is just getting things started for the first 30-days. Looking forward to sharing the next list to get you through October.
Anyone who follows legendary horror author Stephen King on social media or reads the back of books knows one thing. It’s harder to find something that King hasn’t blurbed than something that he has. The dude is a voracious consumer of genre media, and he finds a lot to love. It’s an admirable quality. But, speaking as someone who saw American Ultra after he praised it, you can’t always trust his recommendations. Today, I’ll cut some of the wheat from the chaff and break down the best modern horror movies he’s recommended.
Three notes: First, I have decided to define “modern” as “2001 or later.” Second, King practices good social media hygiene and has deleted many of his old posts. A lot of them are archived elsewhere. However, it’s more or less impossible to make a truly comprehensive list of his recommendations. I’ve synthesized multiple different sources and done my best to truly encapsulate the breadth of his recommendations. Third, I have not included any adaptations of his own work. He may be outspoken about the ones he doesn’t like, but he’s still obviously biased in that department.
#10 Snakes on a Plane (2006)
To quote King himself (defending putting 2012 among his top 2009 movies), “no filmgoing diet is complete without some cheese.” Snakes on a Plane is a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin movie, delivering high-flying serpentine thrills. However, it’s also a remarkably faithful resurrection of the atmosphere of old 1970s airplane thrillers.
#9 Final Destination 5 (2011)
In his Best of 2011 entry on Final Destination 5, King called it “the best since the first,” and he’s absolutely right. While the sequels probably peaked with the highway prologue in Final Destination 2, the fifth installment is pound-for-pound the most thrilling entry. Between the bridge collapse, the laser eye surgery, and the nail-biting sequence where a screw falls pointy-side-up on a balance beam, there’s no denying there’s real power here. And that’s not even mentioning the fun final twist!
#8 A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
In a since-deleted Tweet, King called Day One “the rare ‘big Hollywood film’ that is both intimate and textured.” It’s true. A Quiet Place: Day One is a mini miracle of horror filmmaking. An IP-drenched prequel to a duology of good-not-great post-apocalyptic popcorn blockbusters shouldn’t be this genuinely stirring. Plus, relative newcomer Joseph Quinn holds his own against the awe-inspiring Lupita Nyong’o, resulting in an all-timer two-hander.
#7 The Strangers (2008)
After watching The Strangers, King took to Entertainment Weekly to pontificate about what makes good horror. If you inspire someone who literally wrote the book on horror to think about it more, you’ve done something right. Bryan Bertino’s home invasion movie is one of the grimmest movies of the 2000s, but its desperate existential dread is terrifying and perfectly in line with King’s best works.
#6 Splice (2009)
King included Splice on his Top 10 list for 2010, particularly praising the “talented actors… who take the material seriously.” How did this grotesque genetic-experimentation horror movie directed by the guy who made Cube land Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley? Who knows. But they breathe life into some already super solid material. What Brody in particular gets up to feels even more twisted because it’s the guy from The Pianist doing it.
#5 Smile (2022)
In a since-deleted Tweet, King called Smile a “good, scary horror film.” He added that “the real surprise is Sosie Bacon as Rose. What a hell of a performance.” Bacon really was a revelation, but so was debut director Parker Finn. His control over tone and pacing leads to some of the best scare sequences of the 2020s.
#4 The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)
King’s not fucking around about the New Zealand horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen. It’s one of just two horror movies on his New York Times ballot for the best of the 21st century. The underseen movie is a real corker, too. It follows a judge (Geoffrey Rush) recovering in a care home after a stroke. However, his relaxation is ruined by a sadistic retiree (John Lithgow) who is obsessed with his baby doll puppet. Lithgow’s performance is stunning, and his thrillingly dark energy commands the screen every second he’s in front of the camera.
#3 Barbarian (2022)
In a since-deleted reply to a fan’s Tweet about Barbarian, King said “Yeah, that movie blew me away. It was crazy! Crazy GOOD!” This movie contributed what is perhaps the definitive scary basement in horror, which is no small feat. That’s all thanks to director Zach Cregger’s control over onscreen darkness (one of his many skills). The man must be a shadowmancer of some kind.
#2 Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan is the only other horror movie on King’s NYT ballot. It has received a lot of international recognition over the years. Perhaps more than any other non-Parasite movie from South Korea. That’s because it’s flipping amazing. Its crackling energy makes it one of the scariest fast-zombie movies in history. But it also marries that with a compelling father-daughter story. There’s really nothing Train to Busan can’t do.
#1 The Descent (2005)
King put The Descent on his 2006 best-of list, calling it “the best horror movie of the year.” Forget that. It’s one of the top horror movies of the century so far. It’s a bloody good monster movie nestled into a skin-crawlingly claustrophobic spelunking movie.
Honorable Mentions:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – I’ve never seen it, so I can’t in good faith recommend it
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – A masterpiece, but it’s not really “horror”
Obsession (2026) – We gotta let this one sit, in order to avoid recency bias
