The 20 best horror and sci-fi films to stream on Paramount+

You can run but you can’t hide from Paramount+’s vast catalog of sci-fi squirmers and horror films.

Paramount+ has an extensive filmography of some of the best sci-fi and horror films around. These movies can plunge you into an abyss of transformers and demons, or travel out of this world on an intergalactic quest for more evolved planets. Whether you're watching solo or with a significant other, the titles on this list are sure to evoke smiles, screams, and racing hearts.

If you feel brave enough to embark on a journey into dark and unknown territories, here are the 20 best sci-fi and horror films to stream on Paramount+.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2002)

In a distant future, scientists have created the first robotic child able to love. (As the film’s tagline states: “His love is real. But he is not.”) When David (Haley Joel Osment) is given to a family whose child has a rare disease, he bonds with the child’s mother, Monica (Frances O’Connor). But David’s cyborgian form doesn’t sit well with everyone, and eventually, he is forced out on his own. Based on a short story from 1969, Stanley Kubrick acquired the rights but never lived to see the film made. Steven Spielberg, who directed the movie and dedicated it to Kubrick’s memory, refused to make the film without casting Osment in the leading role, a wise choice given Osment’s “astounding performance.” As EW’s critic writes, A.I. Artificial Intelligence is “unwieldy, fabulous, blurry, intense, adventurous, and stunted.” —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson, William Hurt

Related content: Why A.I. still causes arguments

A Quiet Place (2018)

The Office alum John Krasinski's blockbuster directorial and writing debut follows the Abbott family as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world where sound-motivated bloodthirsty aliens rule. Unlike most modern films, A Quiet Place employs minimal dialogue, preferring to convey story and build tension through the vacuum of silence and ambient noise that serve as the movie's soundtrack.

Well-deserving of its Oscar nomination for Best Sound Editing (and arguably overlooked for nominations in the writing, directing, and acting categories) A Quiet Place was a critical hit when it premiered in 2018, prompting the release of A Quiet Place Part II in 2021, with casting announced on a third movie in the fall of 2022. —I.G.

Where to watch A Quiet Place: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward

Related content: Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn will keep running from monsters in A Quiet Place spinoff

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

A picture is worth a thousand words, and in 2018, A Quiet Place writer John Krasinski produced a supernatural masterpiece with practically no dialogue. The original film follows the Abbott family as they attempt to survive in a world that has been overtaken by aliens with hypersensitive hearing. The sequel picks up where the original left off with Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), her daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) — whose deafness has given the family an advantage in surviving — and Regan’s two brothers trying to move on from their lost loved ones and destroyed home, while attempting to make contact with other survivors. Introducing new characters played by Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, and Okieriete Onaodowan Hamilton), A Quiet Place Part II moves the story forward, while expanding the universe to prepare for the upcoming franchise: a prequel called A Quiet Place: Day One is slated for release in 2024, with A Quiet Place Part III is schedule to premiere a year later. —I.G. 

Where to watch A Quiet Place Part II: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski, Okieriete Onaodowan

Related content: The 20 best horror sequels of all time

Arrival (2016)

If you could see how the future will unfold, would it alter your choices? Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is an accomplished linguist who is called into military service after 12 extraterrestrial spacecraft land in various locations around the world. Tasked with working alongside physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to translate what the extraterrestrials — referred to as Heptapods — are after, Louise begins to bond with and understand Earth’s visitors. But as each individual nation undergoes different experiences with their alien guests, humanity seems inclined to enter into a global conflict, and it’s up to Louise to prove that the Heptapods have come on a mission of peace. An alien invasion movie told in the style of an arthouse film, Arrival’s deeper story is far more profound than detailing the coming apocalypse. Unfolding slowly and heartbreakingly, Arrival is a sci-fi film about time and the choices we make in service of love. —I.G.

Where to watch Arrival: Paramount+ 

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma

Related content: Denis Villeneuve on Arrival Oscar noms, Amy Adams' snub

Bumblebee (2018)

The first film in the Transformers universe to be centered around a teenage girl's perspective, 2018's Bumblebee is the sixth installment in the long-running sci-fi action franchise. Set in California in 1987, the movie tells the story of Bumblebee who is sent to Earth by Optimus Prime to defend the planet from the Decepticons. After suffering major injuries during a battle, Bumblebee transforms into a Volkswagen Beetle — only to be discovered and repaired by Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), a teenager still reeling from the recent death of her father.

With the fate of the world resting on Bumblebee's metal shoulders, the transformer and Charlie team up to protect Earth from the Decepticons and Agent Burns (John Cena), the head of a secret agency tasked with helping to protect the planet from hostile extraterrestrials. Laden with fun '80s pop culture references and offering more humor and heart than previous chapters of the franchise, Bumblebee is half sci-fi film, half buddy cop comedy between a teenager and a transformer. —I.G.

Where to watch Bumblebee: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Travis Knight

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon

Related reading: A rundown of all the Transformers in that opening Bumblebee battle

Cloverfield (2008)

There are countless ways to shutdown a party, but a massive monster infiltrating New York City is definitely one of the most effective. A J.J. Abrams-produced sci-fi horror movie with a found-footage style, Cloverfield marks the film debut of comedian T.J. Miller (Deadpool), and stars an ensemble cast consisting of mostly unknowns — and a still up-and-coming Lizzy Caplan. During a farewell party for the group’s friend Rob (Michael Stahl-David), a massive monster attacks NYC, wreaking havoc on the five boroughs and tearing the Statue of Liberty to pieces. As the city’s residents attempt to flee to safety, Hud (Miller) catches the madness on his handheld camcorder in real time. EW’s critic describes the film as a “surreptitiously subversive, stylistically clever little gem,” and while character development isn’t the film’s strongest suit, the movie brilliantly taps into post-9/11 paranoia, and the coming-of-age of a generation that believes that all content is worth capturing — even in the face of almost-certain death. —I.G.  

Where to stream Cloverfield: Paramount+     

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Matt Reeves 

Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman

Related content: Cloverfield endings: Do they work?

Event Horizon (1997)

Where does a spaceship go when it disappears for seven years? In the science fiction horror film, Event Horizon, the answer is into another dimension that may or may not be Hell. In the year 2047, a rescue team is sent to investigate the reappearance of the Event Horizon, a long lost vessel that has suddenly reappeared and is orbiting around Neptune. Led by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), the crew of the Lewis and Clark boards the ghost ship — now devoid of its original crew — and seeks to piece together the events that led to its disappearance and subsequent return. Light on dialogue but heavy on style and spectacle, Event Horizon offers what an EW critic describes as “some of the most unsettling horror imagery in years.” Board at your own risk and prepare to be transported into a dimension far more terrifying than you would expect from standard sci-fi fare. —I.G. 

Where to watch Event Horizon: Paramount+

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson 

Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson

Related content: Event Horizon star Sam Neill responds to black hole photo: 'Been there, done it'

Identity (2003)

The rain comes pouring down in Identity, a stormy mystery thriller that follows 10 strangers stuck in a remote hotel during bad weather, only to find themselves systematically murdered. Struggling to identify the killer among them before it’s too late, the group begins to turn on each other, but a parallel storyline involving a murderer with a mental illness waiting to hear whether he will be executed for his crimes, plus a giant twist at the end, make Identity a thriller that’s hard to predict and even harder to stop watching.

A film that requires at least two viewings to fully click, the rules of this world are purposefully obtuse, but the journey to comprehension is made enjoyable thanks to an ensemble cast that fully commits to their tropey characters. Alternating between frustrating, illuminating, and entertaining, the one constant in Identity is the rain, so grab your popcorn and prepare to cozy up. —I.G.  

Where to watch Identity: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: James Mangold 

Cast: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, John C. McGinley, William Lee Scott, Jake Busey, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Rebecca De Mornay

Related content: John Cusack: Is it time for a gear change? Or is he trapped, forever, in the 1980s?

Interstellar (2014)

In the year 2067, the question of "what are we going to eat tonight" becomes slightly more pressing as a famine sweeps the globe. Determined to cast a wider net in humanity's search for sustenance, a group of NASA scientists travel to space to investigate three planets that could potentially prove hospitable for humans.

A film by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar is a sci-fi drama that doubles as a love story between a father (Matthew McConaughey) and his daughter (played at different points by Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain, and Ellen Burstyn). In the grand Nolan tradition, Interstellar fools around with time and space, but it's the film's visuals that prove most revelatory. "Christopher Nolan would be derelict if he didn't take gargantuan risks," EW's reviewer writes. "It's good for us that he does." —I.G.

Where to watch Interstellar: Paramount+

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Caine

Related content: The stars of Interstellar get quizzed on all things outer space in 'True or False'

Mimic (1997)

Entomophobics beware: Mimic is a living recreation of your nightmares, only with a better plot. The B in this B-movie stands for bugs, the kind created by entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) in an attempt to cure a deadly disease plaguing New York City's children. Three years after the illness has been eradicated and the bugs have allegedly died out, Dr. Tyler discovers they are in fact still alive, thriving in tunnels under the city. In even worse news, the bugs have mutated in such a way that they are capable of mimicking human behavior — making them more than a match for their above-ground prey. Working alongside her husband Dr. Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam), director of the CDC, Dr. Tyler must find a way to keep the creepy crawlies from continuing to breed, or risk the elimination of the entire human species. —I.G.

Where to watch Mimic: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin, Giancarlo Giannini

Related content: The assorted works of Guillermo del Toro, ranked

Minority Report (2002)

One of the gold-standard sci-fi action films from the early aughts, Minority Report offers everything a genre fan could want: brow furrowing and sick stunts courtesy of star Tom Cruise, fast-moving direction provided by Steven Spielberg, and a moody, ominous audio aesthetic dreamed up by his frequent collaborator, legendary composer John Williams. With these powers combined, the filmmakers invite us to fast forward to the year 2054, when the country's system of law enforcement has undergone a seismic shift thanks to the introduction of the precrime unit. Relying on visions provided by “pre-cogs,” clairvoyant humans who can see murders before they happen, the unit is under orders to arrest potential criminals for crimes they are expected to commit in the future. But when precrime Commanding Officer John Anderton (Cruise) discovers a flaw in the system, it’s up to him to avoid capture and arrest from Department of Justice Agent Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell), and find justice for one of the precogs, Agatha (Samantha Morton). A chase movie crossed with an ethical conundrum, Minority Report will get your brain thinking and your heart pounding. —I.G.

Where to watch Minority Report: Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow

Related content: Tom Cruise reboots

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

One of the genre’s pioneering works, Rosemary’s Baby stars Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, a young New York City couple who move into a storied building rumored to have ties to the occult. Disconcerted by the apartment’s elderly tenants and their overt interest in her pregnancy, Rosemary soon becomes convinced that her neighbors are using her as a Satanic surrogate and intend to include her unborn child in their demonic rituals. Based on the 1967 novel by the same name, Rosemary’s Baby is generally associated with Mia Farrow’s acclaimed performance as a fragile and unraveling pregnant woman trapped in a nightmare (not to mention her era-defining pixie haircut), but it’s Ruth Gordon (Harold and Maude) in her role as Rosemary and Guy’s neighbor Minnie Castevet who took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. —I.G.   

Where to watch Rosemary’s Baby: Paramount+

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Roman Polanski

Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy 

Related content: Rosemary's Baby made our countdown of the 13 scariest movies of all time

Significant Other (2022)

Love can feel like an alien experience — but when you add anxiety and actual aliens to the equation, all bets are off. Ruth and Harry (Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy) are a young couple backpacking in the Pacific Northwest when they encounter a series of unusual situations that test their six-year relationship and love for each other.

Lacy (The White Lotus) has proved himself to be a master of roles that have you questioning whether his professed "good guy" act is actually a front for something much more sinister, and in Significant Other, he manages to deliver another performance that starts out earnest and ends somewhere more evil — with a few laughs thrown in for good measure. A sci-fi horror film that examines love, relationships, and how the traumas we endure in life can hold us back or empower us to survive, Significant Other is a B movie with something to say. —I.G.

Where to watch Significant Other: Paramount+

Directors: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen

Cast: Maika Monroe, Jake Lacy, Matthew Yang King

Related content: Significant Other helmers on why the sci-fi thriller is the 'best anti-date movie'

Smile (2022)

Frowning gives you lines, but grinning can be deadly. Enter Smile, a supernatural horror film starring Sosie Bacon as a clinical psychiatrist named Rose Cotter who works in a public hospital and witnesses a patient's baffling suicide. Soon after, Rose finds herself haunted by a entity that takes control of people and forces them to complete horrifying acts while smiling like maniacs. Concerned she has been cursed, Rose attempts to track down the origin of this deadly pattern, hoping to free herself from its clutches, and avoid passing it on.

Scaredy cats need not apply: Smile offers up "sadistic jump scares" and a story so freaky, EW's critic warns "you might need a bucket of bleach (and several hours of TikTok kitten videos) to cleanse your brainpan afterward." Directed by Parker Finn with the intention of making audiences feel like they're experiencing a "sustained panic attack," and featuring some of the most effective movie marketing in recent history, Smile will not put a grin on your face, but it will strike fear in your heart. —I.G.

Where to watch Smile: Paramount+

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Parker Finn

Cast: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan

Related content: A restroom offers no rest from terror in Smile deleted scene

Star Trek (2009)

In the late 2000s, J.J. Abrams went where no man has gone before by directing the first film in a Star Trek prequel trilogy. Non-trekkies might find the sheer vastness of the franchise overwhelming — currently, it includes 12 television shows, beginning with Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969), and 13 films — but given that 2009's Star Trek serves as an origin story for some of the main characters, newbies will find it to be a solid entrée into the world. Set in 2233, Abrams' film follows the evolution of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members as they battle a future version of Nero (Eric Bana), a vengeful Romulan with a vendetta against their captain. A movie that paved the way for 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond, Star Trek is a satisfying and compelling precursor. —I.G.

Where to watch Star Trek: Paramount+

EW grade: (read the review)

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast: John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldaña, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy

Related content: Star Trek is getting its first-ever musical episode

Terminator 2 (1991)

The creative and financial apex of what's become an entire universe of film and television titles, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the first expansion on the story told in 1984's The Terminator. In the second film, Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 cyborg killer from the future has transformed into a father figure/good guy to teenaged John Connor (Edward Furlong), the son of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), who grows up to lead the human resistance against sentient rogue intelligence Skynet and its world-conquering army of murderous machines. The storyline isn't the only thing that expands here. T2 director James Cameron takes action filmmaking to incredible new heights with sequences that hurl massive semi-trucks through cement retention walls, smash helicopters into government laboratories, and intensify the firepower at every turn. This time around, the T-800 is tasked with protecting the Connors from a more advanced Terminator dubbed T-1000 (Robert Patrick) who is constructed from liquid metal and is utterly, totally relentless. — Johnny Loftus

Where to watch Terminator 2: Paramount+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong

Related content: The Terminator movies, ranked

Total Recall (1990)

Director Paul Verhoeven followed the success of his 1987 classic RoboCop with Total Recall, a big budget, effects-heavy dystopian sci-fi action movie that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a construction worker in the future whose innocent wish to visit a colonized Mars via memory implant goes violently awry. Turns out, he’s already been there and his brain can’t tell the difference. As the confused but determined Quaid, Schwarzenegger has plenty of chances to go full Action Hero, taking down 10 guys in a metro station attack, and, in a thrilling extended fight sequence, squaring off against Sharon Stone when his supposed wife is revealed to be an agent of the evil forces looking to take over Mars for themselves. When the action moves off-planet, Total Recall gets a ton of mileage out of balancing all of its bruising and errant gunfire against the mortal threat of exposing the colony’s built environment to the deadly wastes and choking atmosphere of Mars. —I.G.

Where to watch Total Recall: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Paul Verhoeven 

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside 

Related content: Total Recall: 13 Reasons to Watch the Original

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Michael Bay is back with the third film in the Transformers franchise, and this time he's shooting for the moon. As always, it's Autobots facing off against Decepticons in a battle for dominance over Earth, with Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) along for the ride. Megan Fox has moved on, and Sam has a new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), along with some space-age secrets with which to contend.

With an impressive ensemble cast and plot points that involve everything from Buzz Aldrin to "Space Bridges," Transformers: Dark of the Moon moves fast and covers a lot of ground. While not the strongest of all the Transformer movies — let's face it, Dark of the Moon usually falls right in the middle of most people's rankings — the film is still a great way to satisfy your Autobot cravings until you can get your hands on the seventh movie, Rise of the Beasts, which premiered in June 2023. —I.G.

Where to watch Transformers Dark of the Moon: Paramount+

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand

Related content: What winged beast is in the Transformers: Dark of the Moon spot?

The Truman Show (1998)

Released just as reality TV was beginning to take over programming schedules, The Truman Show remains a prescient — and terrifying — reminder of the dangers of entertainment overreach. On paper, Truman’s life looks as clean-cut as a 1950s advertisement, but unbeknownst to him, his entire existence has been the subject of the world’s longest TV show. As Truman starts to suspect that his reality is not normal, the entertainment conglomerate that runs the series and his life does everything in its power to stop him from realizing the truth. Jim Carrey gives one of the best performances of his career as the always pleasant, increasingly paranoid Truman, and Laura Linney is infuriatingly good as Meryl — a nod to Streep — the actress who plays his wife. A sci-fi comedy that predicted Hollywood’s willingness to bend moral and ethical rules in the name of good content, The Truman Show is tense, funny, and triumphant. —I.G.

Where to watch The Truman Show: Paramount+

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Peter Weir

Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Ed Harris

Related content: There should be a sequel: The Truman Show

World War Z (2013)

When you take away a zombie's one weakness — its tendency towards slow-motion movement — you get World War Z, a zombie film in which the villains don't so much stagger as swarm. Brad Pitt stars as Gerry Lane, a former UN Investigator with the skills and connections necessary to save his wife and two young daughters — but only if he agrees to identify the origin of the outbreak, and help humanity survive a planet-wide zombie apocalypse. EW says the film may be "the most entertaining and accomplished zombie thriller since George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead," and if that's not incentive enough, you get to see Pitt in a role that has him exemplifying "feral grace under pressure." Run — don't walk — to your nearest screen to check it out. —I.G.

Where to watch World War Z: Paramount+

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Marc Forster

Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.