6 Best Asylum Horror Movies

By Vlad Zakh · May 16, 2026

An asylum is horror on easy mode: locked doors, confusing staff and nobody believing you. Unsane has a woman involuntarily committed while her stalker seems to be working there, Gothika wakes a psychiatrist on the wrong side of the glass, and Grave Encounters traps a ghost-hunting crew overnight. The Ward, Session 9 and Shock Corridor fill out the list.

Unsane (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.2

A woman is involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility where her stalker appears to be working as a staff member.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 1h 38m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Grave Encounters (2011)

TMDB ★ 6.1

A ghost-hunting reality TV crew becomes trapped overnight inside a notoriously haunted former asylum.

Directed by Stuart Ortiz & Colin Minihan · 1h 33m

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, ARROW · Rent: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Ward (2010)

TMDB ★ 5.7

A troubled young woman institutionalised in a psychiatric ward is stalked by a vengeful ghost.

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 29m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Gothika (2003)

TMDB ★ 5.5

A psychiatrist wakes to find herself institutionalised and accused of a murder she has no memory of committing.

Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz · 1h 38m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Philo, Netflix Standard with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Session 9 (2001)

TMDB ★ 6.2

An asbestos cleanup crew working inside an abandoned mental hospital is stalked by a mysterious, malevolent presence.

Directed by Brad Anderson · 1h 40m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shock Corridor (1963)

TMDB ★ 7.0

An ambitious journalist poses as a patient to investigate a murder inside a mental institution.

Directed by Samuel Fuller · 1h 42m

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, FlixFling, IndieFlix, Cultpix, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Asylum Horror Movies

Unsane (2018)

Grave Encounters (2011)

The Ward (2010)

Gothika (2003)

Session 9 (2001)

Shock Corridor (1963)

You might also like

50 Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time

6 Best Sanatorium and Asylum Movies

6 Best Chuck Roberson Movies

6 Best Philip Ahn Movies

6 Best Music Box Movies

6 Best Salem Witch Trials Movies