The Best Movies Now Streaming on Max, From ‘Dune: Part Two’ to ‘The Shining’

Max, the streaming provider formerly known as HBO Max, launched in 2020 and is often the first stop for Warner Bros. theatrical titles. The newish streamer on the block also has partnerships with TCM, Studio Ghibli, and DC that creates a diverse library of films across different genres.

It’s October, so Max is serving up horror classics such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist, Trick ‘r Treat, and The Shining as Halloween treats. There are also recent theatrical releases such as Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and MaXXXine, all available in 4K Dolby Vision. If you prefer classics, here’s looking at you, Casablanca.

Which of the following will you check out on Max this month?

Updated: October 18

Civil War (2024)

This A24 dystopian thriller directed and written by Alex Garland is not about the Union-vs.-Confederacy Civil War of the 19th century. Instead, Garland imagines what a modern-day U.S. civil war might look like as parts of the country try to secede after a president clings to power in a third term. Kirsten Dunst plays a burnt-out photojournalist covering the chaos.

As we near one of the most consequential presidential elections in history, Civil War might be “too soon” for many viewers. Those who watch the disturbingly believable cautionary tale may have a lot more to think about before they vote.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

The second chapter in Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he rallies the Fremen on the desert planet of Arrakis to battle House Harkonnen for control of the production of spice — the most valuable substance in the universe.

If you have a 4K TV at home capable of outputting Dolby Vision HDR, sit back, relax, and let your eyes soak up the gorgeous cinematography that may convince you giant sandworms are a real threat in deserts around the world. Dune: Part Two is one of the most sensational sci-fi films of the past few decades and blew dust around its competition at the box office.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

George Miller’s prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road tells the origin story of Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne, in postapocalyptic Australia where gasoline, fresh water, food, and nonmutated humans are difficult to come by. Chris Hemsworth steals scenes in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as the aptly named warlord Dementus.

Although many question Miller’s decision to recast Furiosa with Taylor-Joy instead of Charlize Theron, who played the character in Mad Max: Fury Road and wanted to reprise her role, no one films postapocalyptic desert chaos between warring factions quite like the man who directed all five films in the Mad Max franchise. Pay attention for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by Max himself watching the action from atop a cliff.

Dream Scenario (2023)

The black comedy fantasy-horror movie Dream Scenario stars Nicolas Cage as an unextraordinary biology professor who inexplicably starts appearing in the dreams of people everywhere, which has disastrous consequences for his home life.

People dog Cage for his sometimes questionable post-Oscar career choices, but Dream Scenario showcases the actor at his absolute finest. Cage won a Critics’ Choice Super Award for Best Actor in a Horror Film for his hilarious, committed performance as an unremarkable guy unable to handle sudden fame.

MaXXXine (2024)

In MaXXXine, the third film in Ti West’s X trilogy, Mia Goth reprises her role as Maxine Minx in 1985 Los Angeles where Maxine tries to make the transition from adult-film actress to Hollywood scream queen as the Night Stalker terrorizes the city. Kevin Bacon is a highlight as a scumbag private investigator hired by Maxine’s evangelical father.

West perfectly captures the sleazy vibe of Hollywood in the mid-1980s as Maxine will do anything to become a star and leave behind her troubled, blood-soaked past. You might even cheer her on as she looks into the mirror and recites with 100% conviction, “I will not accept a life I do not deserve.”

Barbie (2023)

In case you were off-world in 2023, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie became the highest-grossing movie of the year and stars Margot Robbie as “Stereotypical Barbie,” Ryan Gosling as “Beach Ken,” and a scene-stealing Kate McKinnon as “Weird Barbie.”

Thanks to America Ferrera’s impassioned monologue about the patriarchy and moments of subversive humor, Barbie became more than another movie adaptation of a Mattel toy. Plus, it’s just fun seeing Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” musical number at home again.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the fifth film in Warner Bros.’ Monsterverse franchise, Kong encounters more of his kind in Hollow Earth and must team up with Godzilla to stop the monstrous Skar King from wreaking havoc on the surface world.

Although Godzilla x Kong received mixed reviews from critics who got distracted by the surprise Oscar-winning film Godzilla Minus One, the former still features what Monsterverse fans expect: expensive-looking, city-stomping CGI smackdowns involving two iconic cinema monsters.

Spirited Away (2001)

Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece Spirited Away is about a young girl named Chihiro “Sen” who inadvertently enters the Japanese spirit world after a witch turns her parents into pigs. Sen encounters bizarre characters such as the demanding entity No-Face as she tries to find a way to return to the corporeal world with her parents.

Watching Spirited Away is like experiencing a fever dream or mildly hallucinating after drinking one too many sakes. It’s a surreal, colorful, and fantastical movie that won the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

The Shining (1980)

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining follows a struggling writer named Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) who accepts a job as a caretaker at the haunted and secluded Overlook Hotel. With wife and son in tow, Jack slowly loses his marbles as the ghostly denizens of the Overlook get into his head and convince him to try to murder his family.

From the creepy twin girls who want to “play forever and ever” to the hag in the bathtub in Room 237, the ghosts of the Overlook are pure nightmare fuel. Mike Flanagan successfully recreated the Overlook and its notorious ghosts for the 2019 sequel Doctor Sleep, also streaming on Max.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Michael Dougherty’s Halloween-themed anthology horror film Trick ‘r Treat features four interconnected stories tied together by a mischievous demon named Sam who wears orange footie pajamas and a burlap sack over his head.

If you binge-watch the Halloween movie franchise featuring Michael Myers this time of year, consider adding Trick ‘r Treat to the mix. Dougherty’s wicked directorial debut has developed a cult following, and you’ve probably seen merchandise everywhere featuring Sam’s likeness even if you never saw the little rascal’s movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the world to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a burned maniac with a razor glove who kills teens in their dreams as revenge for their parents burning him alive. Heather Langenkamp plays “final girl” Nancy Thompson who lives down Elm Street from her boyfriend, Glen (Johnny Depp).

A Nightmare on Elm Street celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The seminal slasher film spawned a franchise consisting of nine films, a TV show, novels, and comic books. Many of the sequels are also streaming on Max for your Halloween movie marathon.

The Exorcist (1973)

William Friedkin’s adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist is still the scariest exorcism movie of all time, if not the scariest movie period. Linda Blair plays a possessed girl named Regan MacNeil who projectile vomits, speaks in tongues, curses, and turns her head 360 degrees as two exorcists try to expel the demon within.

The Exorcist spawned a franchise consisting of five movies and a TV series, as well as countless rip-offs and imitators. None come close to the cultural phenomenon ignited by the 1973 original, which won Oscars for Best Sound and Best Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium.

Casablanca (1942)

If you’re sitting there reading this and thinking, “I don’t like horror films or Halloween. What does Max have for me?” How about the classic, ever-quotable romantic drama Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman?

Max offers Casablanca in 4K with Dolby Vision, so if you’ve never seen the landmark black-and-white film before or if you’ve only seen it in standard definition, prepare to time-travel to another era. It’s really like experiencing it for the first time. Here’s looking at you, kid.