If you cannot get enough of the horror genre, there are many great documentaries about horror movies that you should check out. Go deeper behind the scenes of the best horror movies of all time and the scary movie icons who made them with the following films.
Room 237 (2012)
Director: Rodney Ascher
Featuring: Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks
What it’s about: A fascinating exploration of the many unique and irreverent conspiracy theories that Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining has inspired, as explained by some of the fans who have conceived or investigated them.
How to watch Room 237
- Stream Room 237 on AMC+
- Stream Room 237 on Plex
- Rent or buy Room 237 on Amazon
- Buy Room 237 on Blu-ray on Amazon
Pennywise: The Story Of It (2021)
Director: John Campopiano, Christopher Griffiths
Featuring: Tim Curry, Seth Green
What it’s about: Interviews with the cast and crew of 1990's miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's It paint a portrait of the making and enduring legacy of one of the most iconic creepy clown "movies" of all time.
How to watch Pennywise: The Story of It
- Stream Pennywise: The Story of It on Amazon Prime
- Stream Pennywise: The Story of It on Tubi
- Buy Stream Pennywise: The Story of It on platform on Blu-ray on Amazon
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street (2019)
Director: Roman Chimienti, Tyler Jensen
Featuring: Mark Patton, Robert Englund
What it’s about: Also available with a Shudder subscription, this doc takes a look at the homoerotic themes in 1985's A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, mostly through the eyes of its star, Mark Patton, who had not spoken publicly about his homosexuality at the time.
How to watch Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street
- Stream Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street on Tubi
- Rent or buy Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street on Amazon
- Buy Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street on Blu-ray on Amazon
Horror Noire: A History Of Black Horror (2019)
Director: Xavier Burgin
Featuring: Jordan Peele, Tananarive Due, Keith David, Tony Todd
What it’s about: The stories behind the best Black horror movies and the genre's sometimes controversial history involving Black characters and culture.
How to watch Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
- Stream Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror on AMC+
- Buy Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror on Blu-ray on Amazon
Birth Of The Living Dead (2013)
Director: Rob Kuhns
Featuring: George A. Romero, Gale Anne Heard
What it’s about: How social and political outrage in the late 1960s inspired filmmaker George A. Romero to create Night of the Living Dead, pioneering the modern zombie movie in the process.
How to watch Birth of the Living Dead
- Stream Birth of the Living Dead on Tubi
- Rent or buy Birth of the Living Dead on Amazon
- Buy Birth of the Living Dead on Blu-ray on Amazon
Wolfman's Got Nards (2018)
Director: Andre Gower
Featuring: Shane Black, Fred Dekker
What it’s about: Named after one of the most oft-quoted lines from The Monster Squad, Wolfman's Got Nards sheds light on the late success of the cult favorite, not-so-scary horror movie from 1987.
How to watch Wolfman's Got Nards
- Stream Wolfman's Got Nards on Tubi
- Rent or buy Wolfman's Got Nards on Amazon
- Buy Wolfman's Got Nards on Blu-ray on Amazon
Living With Chucky (2022)
Director: Kyra Elise Gardner
Featuring: Don Mancini, Brad Dourif, Tony Gardner
What it’s about: An exploration of the popularity of the Child's Play franchise and how Chucky became one of the most iconic horror movie villains, directed by the daughter of special effects and makeup expert Tony Gardner who has worked on the killer doll animatronic in every installment since 2004's Seed of Chucky.
How to watch Living with Chucky
- Stream Living with Chucky on Amazon Prime
- Stream Living with Chucky on Tubi
- Buy Living with Chucky on Blu-ray on Amazon
78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene (2017)
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
Featuring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Guillermo del Toro
What it’s about: Various filmmakers, film historians, and Janet Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, discuss the cultural impact of one of Alfred Hitchcock's best movies, Psycho, particularly the famous shower scene.
How to watch 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene
- Stream 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene on AMC+
- Stream 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene on Plex
- Rent or buy 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene on Amazon
- Buy 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene on Blu-ray on Amazon
Hail To The Deadites (2020)
Director: Steve Villeneuve
Featuring: Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi
What it’s about: A love letter to the fans that have kept the Evil Dead movies a pop culture staple since the release of the 1981 original.
How to watch Hail to the Deadites
All The Colors Of Giallo (2019)
Director: Federico Caddeo
Featuring: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava
What it’s about: A specific corner of Italian horror cinema known as Giallo (Italian for "yellow") is explored through interviews with many filmmakers and actors who pioneered the style.
How to watch All the Colors of Giallo
- Stream All the Colors of Giallo on AMC+
- Stream All the Colors of Giallo on Tubi
- Rent or buy All the Colors of Giallo on Amazon
- Buy All the Colors of Giallo on Blu-ray on Amazon
Best Worst Movie (2009)
Director: Michael Paul Stephenson
Featuring: George Hardy, Claudio Fragasso
What it’s about: An inside look at the making and astonishing enduring legacy of a film widely considered to be the worst of all time, Troll 2.
How to watch Best Worst Movie
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey Of Richard Stanley's Island Of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Director: David Gregory
Featuring: Richard Stanley, Fairuza Balk
What it’s about: The fascinating story behind the challenging production of the 1996 adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau and its damaging effect on the career of filmmaker Richard Stanley.
How to watch Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
- Stream Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau on Amazon Prime
- Stream Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau on Tubi
- Buy Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau on Blu-ray on Amazon
Cursed Films (2020-2022)
Director: Jay Cheel
Featuring: Various
What it’s about: A docuseries covering the alleged Poltergeist movies curse, the tragedy on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, the controversy surrounding The Exorcist, and other films whose legacies have been plagued by strange or concerning circumstances.
How to watch Cursed Films
Prepare to call yourself a true expert on spooky cinema after watching these documentaries about horror movies.
