Award-winning horror movies to stream this Halloween on HBO Max

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Enhance your movie nights with these critically acclaimed hits on HBO Max, best experienced with your PLDT Home Fiber Unli All Plan 1499

(Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures l HBO Max)

In the Philippines, Halloween movie nights are serious business for horror fans. While jump scares and slasher flicks are fun, sometimes you need a movie with real backbone: critically acclaimed, award-winning horror that lingers long after the credits roll.

If you are looking for top-tier cinematic frights, HBO Max is home to some of the most celebrated and award-winning horror movies. Best experienced with your PLDT Home Fiber, here are some titles streaming on HBO Max that promise the ultimate spine-chilling binge session.

IT (2017)

(Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, New Line Cinema’s horror thriller IT is based on the hugely popular Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades. It is the highest-grossing horror film of all time, being nominated for and winning film and genre awards, including the MTV Movie & TV Awards and the IGN Awards for Best Horror Movie of 2017, as well as earning a high Rotten Tomatoes score.

When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

Weapons (2025)

(Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 am, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

From Zach Cregger, the director behind Barbarian, Weapons is an intricate, sprawling horror epic that keeps viewers guessing until the final frame. Amy Madigan, who plays the film’s antagonist Aunt Gladys, earned the movie an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other awards and nominations, including the Actor Awards (Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role), the AACTA International Awards, and the Astra Film Awards (also Best Supporting Actress).

The Exorcist (1973)

(Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Modern horror has come a long way, but sometimes, you can’t go wrong with the classics like The Exorcist, available to stream on HBO Max.

This one barely needs an introduction: the classic story of possession and its legacy of unforgettable scares is a proven winner. When a charming 12-year-old girl takes on the characteristics and voices of others, doctors say there is nothing they can do. As people begin to die, the girl's mother realizes her daughter has been possessed by the devil – and that her daughter's only possible hope lies with two priests and the ancient rite of demonic exorcism. The Exorcist has garnered prestigious accolades, including awards like the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

(Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

The sequel to horror and Stanley Kubrick classic The Shining brings the familiar feeling of eerieness and dread. Ewan McGregor plays the grown-up Danny Torrance, the son of Jack Nicholson’s iconic character Jack Torrance from the 1980 original – and he must deal with the trauma and supernatural threats seeking his psychic power.

Horror master Mike Flanagan directed the highly acclaimed work, and Doctor Sleep garnered much praise from critics and a slew of nominations in the 2021 Saturn Awards, with supporting actress Kyliegh Curran winning Best Performance by a Younger Actor.

Stream more iconic and award-winning movies and enjoy unli entertainment when you apply for PLDT Home Fiber Unli All 1499, which comes bundled with an HBO Max Standard subscription, on top of high-speed fiber internet, Cignal TV, 9GB Smart data, and unlimited calls. Upgrade your home entertainment setup today and experience premium horror streaming and more at its best!

From screen to street: 4 new HBO Max shows to inspire your style

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This Fashion Month, take cues from these characters in series you can binge and more with your PLDT Home Fiber Unli All 1499 – that comes with an HBO Max Standard subscription

Photo credit: Lionsgate

What you wear versus what you watch on TV. Life does imitate art and vice versa, but which follows which when it comes to fashion and streaming?

Quite often, costume designers and stylists working on a show often borrow from the streets to visualize the cultural mood of the moment. On the other hand, audiences absorb these looks and bring it back into the real world.

Ever since Giorgio Armani made cinema elegant and costume designer Patricia Field influenced global trends with every season of the HBO Original series Sex and the City, fashion on-screen has done more than expound a character’s story. It has given us ideas about how we might want to dress in real life. This transcended further over time, with the likes of costume designer Eric Daman molding Manhattan’s sensibilities into the 2007-2012 run of Gossip Girl and then the series’ 2021-2023 reboot.

Today, fashion is less about a single prevailing look and more about finding an aesthetic to call our own. Gen Z and millennials increasingly draw style inspo from one of their favorite pastimes: Streaming. The shows they binge become virtual mood boards, offering a steady stream of characters and wardrobes to borrow from.

Customers of PLDT Home’s new Fiber Unli All Plan 1499, which bundles fast and reliable fiber internet with an HBO Max Standard subscription, can tap easily into these shows turned style inspirations. The plan offers even more unlimited entertainment, along with access to Cignal TV channels, 9GB of Smart mobile data, and unlimited landline calls.

This Fashion Month, there’s a whole wardrobe of ideas on HBO Max waiting to make the jump from screen to your closet!

Photo credit: Reality MM Studios

Power dress à la Andrea Manuel on Call My Manager

Adapted from the French series Dix pour cent, Call My Manager is a comedy series that follows the managers and employees of the fictional talent agency Shine Artist Management. Starring Judy Ann Santos, Edu Manzano, and RK Bagatsing, the Erik Matti-directed HBO Original Philippine series looks to differ from the French original in terms of pacing.

Santos as talent manager Andrea Manuel rocks tailored power suits in monochromatic gray, black, and navy. Unlike corporate power suits, the talent managers portrayed by Manzano and Bagatsing prefer a more relaxed style that still exudes boss energy – even as they scramble to deal with the drama of their artists.

New episodes of Call My Manager drop weekly on HBO Max every Thursday.

Photo credit: DC Studios

Pull off punk like Kara Zor-El on Supergirl

Outside of the Supergirl costume, Kara Zor-El – played by Milly Alcock – showcases a rugged, punk-edged, and rebellious civilian aesthetic. The key pieces? Tan-brown hooded trench coat, Miu Miu boots, jeans, and a Blondie T-shirt. The look says she just rolled out of bed looking like this: weary yet somehow put together, and with the attitude that she sure won’t be doing a GRWM video.

Supergirl costume designers Anna B. Sheppard and Michael Mooney created a wardrobe that resonated with Gen Z so much that after the movie came out, the tan trench trended on online retailers.

Supergirl is now streaming on HBO Max.

Photo credit: Lionsgate

Reinvent retro to the tune of MJ in Michael

In Antoine Fuqua’s 2026 biopic starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s clothes help recreate the eras of the singer. Costume designer Marci Rodgers retraces Jackson’s evolution from the colorful looks of the Jackson 5 years to the distinctive wardrobe of his solo career.

Channeling the 80s, the jackets are easily the highlight. There are plenty of iconic looks represented: the red leather jacket with V-shaped piping from Thriller; the sparkly jacket, glove, and socks from Michael’s Billie Jean performance at Motown 25; the belts-and-buckles jacket from Bad; and the white suit and hat from Smooth Criminal.

Michael premieres on HBO Max on September 25.

Photo credit: SHOWTIME

Aim for an arresting style like the MobLand Season 2 gangsters

Even when the characters are doing terrible things, their wardrobes look terribly good. MobLand – starring Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Tom Hardy – brings the mob chic sartorial language into the present. Still expensive, just not outwardly expensive.

Standing out is Anglo-Italian tailoring in labels like Ralph Lauren, Salomon shoes, Barbour silhouettes for the men; and always all black for Mirren’s character Maeve Harrigan. As for accessories, expensive Swiss watches seal the statement.

MobLand Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on September 19.

Stream Call My Manager, Supergirl, Michael, and MobLand Season 2 only on HBO Max, bundled with your PLDT Home Fiber Unli All Plan 1499. Enjoy unlimited fiber internet, entertainment, and more plan benefits all in one – making it a smart choice in keeping your home connected and entertained.