Who’s up for some chills, thrills, and—more than likely—popcorn spills? There’s a unique thrill to be had when settling in for a chilling movie, and I’m not just talking about jump scares. A good chilling movie taps into something deeper to play on our fears, anxieties, and the unknown. They draw us into worlds where the tension continues to build and the unease never fully fades, and that’s why we love them.

My top chilling Amazon Prime Video movie pick this week is one that features the son of a legendary star with what’s either the funniest or creepiest smile on the planet—you’ll have to be the judge of that.

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Smile 2

The curse returns

Featuring a stellar cast that includes Drew Barrymore (50 First Dates), Ray Nicholson (Borderline), Kyle Gallner (The Passenger), and Naomi Scott (Charlie’s Angels), Smile 2 is a direct continuation of 2022’s Lovecraftian horror film Smile. It’s also a new release on Prime Video.

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Scott) begins to experience increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events, haunted by the same smile-based curse from the original film. As if feeling overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and pressures of fame aren’t enough, she now must face her dark past to get a grip on her life before it spirals out of control and culminates with the dreaded grin.

Smile 2 far outshines its predecessor by amplifying its psychological horror with more intensity, relentless jump scares, visceral body horror, and a disorienting, “no-fair” atmosphere where reality is constantly shifting. If that’s not chilling enough for you, Scott’s performance, combined with unsettling sound design, creates a genuine sense of dread and unrelenting mental torture.

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The Dreadful

Top-tier medieval storytelling

Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Marcia Gay Harden (Fifty Shades series), and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) star in 2026’s The Dreadful, a chilling gothic tale about a young woman whose grim reality is forever shattered by the demons of her past and present. The movie is based on the same Shin Buddhist parable on which the 1964 film Onibaba is based.

Set in 15th–century England during the Wars of the Roses, Anne (Turner) and her mother-in-law Morwen (Harden) live a harsh, solitary life on the outskirts of society. Everything changes when a man from their past appears, setting off a sequence of events that become major turning points for Anne.

Don’t expect high-octane terror here. Instead, settle in for a character-driven focus on themes of isolation, desperation, and supernatural temptation. What makes The Dreadful a haunting watch is its slow-burn atmosphere, emphasizing bleak medieval settings and psychological terror trapping characters in desperate situations.

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Blink Twice

We’re all having a good time here

Written and directed by Zoë Kravitz, Blink Twice is a dark thriller about an island-owning billionaire with a penchant for attracting the strange, unusual, and sinister. Channing Tatum stars alongside Geena Davis (Beetlejuice), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Naomi Ackie (Mickey 17), and Simon Rex (the Scary Movie franchise).

When tech billionaire Slater King (Tatum) meets beautiful cocktail waitress Frida (Ackie) at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends for a dream vacation on his private island. Wild nights soon blend into sun-soaked days, but when strange things start happening, Frida must uncover the truth if she wants to make it out alive.

What’s chilling about Blink Twice is its exploration of the brutal exploitation of women on a secluded island by using a “memory-erasing” drug to create a nightmarish loop of isolation, abuse, confusion, and claustrophobia. Its tense atmosphere, thematic focus on trauma and power dynamics, and Tatum’s charming, manipulative villain performance contribute to its unsettling nature, making this selection a lingering, disturbing aftertaste that will chill you to the bone.

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The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Man versus beast versus nature

Boasting a 90% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Wolf of Snow Hollow features a chilling story centered on the mystery of a suspected ravenous werewolf. The noteworthy horror-comedy mystery is written and directed by its lead star, Jim Cummings.

The story follows Utah police officer John Marshall (Cummings), who tries to maintain order in a small mountain town after a string of brutal deaths continues to occur during full moons. Not only is he busy trying to solve the seemingly supernatural murders, but he’s also struggling with addiction and personal issues while resisting the theory that a werewolf is responsible for the bloodshed.

Fast-paced and erratic, the anxiety-fueled narrative blends violent, realistic horror with chaos to create an atmosphere that sends chills up and down your spine. What makes it so unique is its focus, which isn’t necessarily on just a “monster” but on a deeply personal story of addiction, panic, and toxic masculinity. Its abrupt shifts between dark comedy and tension will leave you feeling genuinely unsettled.

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Borderline

A parasocial relationship gone wrong

Fans of the legendary Jack Nicholson shouldn’t pass on watching any movie featuring his son, Ray. In the thrilling dark comedy Borderline, the lookalike son stars as an unhinged fan who escapes confinement to capture and torment a beloved pop star. Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) also stars.

Set in 1990s Los Angeles, pop star Sofia (Weaving) must fight to survive a frightening ordeal after a twisted, sociopathic stalker breaks into her home and manipulates her into a forced, delusional marriage scenario. The movie’s premise is a fictionalized, satirical take on the era of celebrity obsession. It’s loosely inspired by a 1996 stalking case involving Madonna.

Clearly, the movie’s intense focus on a parasocial relationship gone wrong makes it an eerie watch with ground-shifting twists, but what makes it sensationally creepy is the terrifying, unpredictable performance by Ray Nicholson, who brings an entirely new meaning to the word “devotion,” as well as that of his co-star, Alba Baptista (Warrior Nun). You’ll constantly be pulled to the edge of your seat and kept guessing as to how it all will end.

Though it’s only May, it’s never too early for chills and thrills. These types of movies remind us why we love to be scared, and sometimes, the most chilling, unsettling stories are the ones we can’t stop thinking about. Before diving into these recommendations, level up your Prime Video experience.

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