The scariest horror series and movies to stream

Do you love the thrill of watching scary horror series and movies that make you want to bury your face in a pillow at crucial moments?

Consider yourself warned: you might want to keep the lights on and have a friend nearby for comfort for this horror line up. You don’t want to watch these alone - they’re the most terrifying horror series and movies to stream on Showmax, and are best experienced with company.

The Monkey (2025)

When a toy monkey that causes death and horror reemerges years later, twins Hal and Bill set out to destroy it once and for all.

Nosferatu (2024)

This chilling reimagining of a classic tale got four Oscar nominations. When a terrifying vampire becomes infatuated with a young woman, a series of inexplicable horrors are unleashed.

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

A late-night talk show host in the 1970s plans a Halloween special, unaware he is about to unleash evil into people's living rooms.

Sting (2024)

A rebellious 12-year-old secretly adopts a spider as a pet - but the creature soon starts growing in size and appetite ... and never stops.

Longlegs (2024)

Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage play a game of cat and mouse as an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues as she hunts a serial killer.

Apartment 7A (2024)

An ambitious young dancer, played by Julia Garner, is offered another chance at fame by an older, wealthy couple, but at what cost?

Never Let Go (2024)

In this mysterious horror, evil arrives on a family's doorstep, and their only protection is their home and their bonds to each other - until one of them lets go.

Smile 2 (2024)

This horrifying sequel explores a global pop sensation's slow descent into madness as escalating horrors force her to confront her past before it's too late.

Teacup S1

In this gripping horror series, a disparate group of people in rural Georgia unite in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive.

Abigail (2024)

When a group of criminals kidnaps the daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they soon realise she is no ordinary little girl.

Heretic (2024)

In a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, two young missionaries find themselves trapped in the home of a diabolical man set on testing their faith.

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Yellowjackets S1-S3

In this dark, compelling horror, a high school girls' soccer team becomes the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the wilderness.

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Night Swim (2024)

A family moves into a new home, unaware that a dark secret from the house's past will unleash a malevolent force in the backyard pool.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

A young woman named Sam finds herself trapped in New York City during an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.

Showmax is the home of HBO in Africa

Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? is on Showmax

Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? (2025)

Comedian Bill Maher offers his scathing commentary on conservative and liberal politics, trends in modern parenting, sex and dating.

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Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night Of Your Life on Showmax

Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night Of Your Life (2025)

Charm and wit take centre stage as Emmy winner Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) ditches his Roy Kent edge to deliver hilarious insights.

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The Chair Company S1

After a humiliating incident at work, Ron stumbles onto a hidden conspiracy: beneath everyday life lies a secret world only he can see.

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Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God S1

This HBO docuseries explores the rise and fall of cult leader Amy Carlson, aka Mother God. As her health declined, followers awaited UFO salvation.

Stand Up and Shout: Songs from a Philly High School is on Showmax

Stand Up & Shout: Songs from a Philly High School (2023)

This heartfelt documentary follows a unique music programme at Hill-Freedman World Academy, which teaches students to create original songs.

The Insurrectionist Next Door on Showmax

The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023)

An intriguing and insightful documentary that focuses on the individuals who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

No Accident (2023)

A lawsuit followed the deadly Charlottesville rally, targeting white nationalist leaders. Who were the conspirators? And were they held accountable?

Navajo Police: Class 57 S1

Recruits face grueling training, personal demons, and cultural pride as they join the Navajo Police to protect the people of the reservation.

The best movies to stream

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning on Showmax

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s South African stunts

Tom Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie, and Durban-born stunt co-ordinator Wade Eastwood unpack the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s death-defying biplane stunts.

Made in South Africa

Novocaine: the US box office hit shot in Cape Town

Nathan Caine stars in the US box office hit Novocaine, shot in SA and premiering this Sunday at 8PM on M-Net and on Showmax from 1 December.

IT: Welcome to Derry

Set in the 1960s in the town of Derry, this horror series explores its strange happenings, disappearances, and the origins of Pennywise the Clown.

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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim on Showmax

10 fun things to watch on World Animation Day

Get drawn into comedy, drama and fantasy where, if you can imagine it, you can bring it to life – from The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime, to The Wild Robot.

Creating The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Anime director Kenji Kamiyama and Oscar-winning screenwriter-producer Philippa Boyens chat about how the LOTR trilogy team reunited to turn back the clock in Middle-earth.

Inside spy movie Black Bag

Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, director Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp give us a top-secret peek inside their new spy movie Black Bag.

The best kids' shows and movies to stream during school holidays

Showmax has loads of fun to look forward to during school holidays in October 2025, including blockbuster movies for the whole family.

Horror countdown: 31 days of Halloween

Get ready for Showmax's epic countdown to Halloween this October. From supernatural thrills to chilling horrors, there's something for everyone.Stream now on Showmax.

Shows you'll find only on Showmax

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S3

Venture into the unknown with Captain Pike, Spock, Number One and the USS Enterprise crew a decade before Captain Kirk's legendary five-year mission.

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Wizkid: Long Live Lagos (2025)

This intimate and uplifting documentary explores Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Wizkid's rise to superstardom as one of the biggest Afrobeats artists.

FirstMade in Nigeria