Top 10 Movies To Watch This Week on HBO Max | September 14-20, 2025

So you’re stuck in scrolling purgatory again, huh? Endlessly thumbing through HBO Max, hoping something jumps out. We’ve been there. That’s why we pulled together the Top 10 Movies you would actually want to watch this week—no fluff, no filler. Whether you’re into thrillers, rom-coms, or indie gems, there’s something worth hitting play on. Here’s your movie cheat sheet for September 14-20, 2025—because your time is too valuable for another “meh” movie night.

Friendship (2025)

A24’s latest oddball gem has Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd becoming unlikely BFFs over punk rock and paleontology. Sounds adorable, right? It is—for about 15 minutes.

Then things go off the rails. Like, Single White Male meets I Think You Should Leave off the rails. Rudd plays it weirdly sincere, Robinson dials up the neuroses, and before long you’re watching a “bromance” unravel into full-blown obsession. It’s cringey, hilarious, and kind of heartbreaking. Perfect for fans of Nathan for You who also enjoy crying a little.

Warfare (2025)

Not gonna lie—this one’s a gut punch.

Warfare drops you into a single house in Ramadi, Iraq, where a squad of Navy SEALs holes up inside a family’s home while a battle rages outside. No music cues. No big speeches. Just silence, tension, and the kind of realism that makes you forget you’re watching a movie.

Directed by Alex Garland (Annihilation) and ex-SEAL Ray Mendoza, it’s like The Hurt Locker filtered through A24’s more intimate lens. Will Poulter and Joseph Quinn lead a quietly stacked cast, and if you’re into war movies that leave you wrecked—this is it.

The Sitter (2011)

Before he got skinny and serious, Jonah Hill gave us The Sitter—a chaotic one-night comedy that’s basically Superbad meets Adventures in Babysitting on something stronger than Red Bull.

Hill plays a burnout who agrees to babysit three unhinged kids, then drags them through drug deals, club fights, and the worst date night in history. It’s ridiculous, low-stakes fun, and it doesn’t care if you judge it. Sam Rockwell shows up as a coked-out villain (of course he does), and honestly, that’s all you need to know.

The Conjuring (2013)

Still scary. Still the gold standard.

The first Conjuring isn’t just “another haunted house movie.” It’s the haunted house movie—made by someone who knows exactly how to get under your skin. James Wan paces it like a pressure cooker, and Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga sell the hell out of the Warrens without ever winking at the camera.

If you’ve somehow never seen it, fix that. If you haven’t watched it in a while, revisit it with the lights off. Then regret everything.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

This time, the Warrens go to rainy, miserable 1970s London, where a poor family is being terrorized by ghosts who apparently hate children and accents.

It’s slower and moodier than the first one, but it’s got some real standout moments—like the Crooked Man, or that terrifying nun scene that later became its own spinoff. Is it scarier? Maybe. Is it longer? Definitely. But if you liked the first, this is more of the good stuff.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The third movie in the main series tries something different—it’s part possession horror, part courtroom thriller. It’s also based on a real-life case where a guy claimed “demonic possession” as his legal defense. America is wild.

It’s not quite as scary as the first two, but Wilson and Farmiga still do the heavy lifting. And honestly, after two haunted-house flicks, seeing the Warrens do legal horror is kind of a fun detour. One for fans who are already deep in the Conjuring universe.

Se7en (1995)

Nearly 30 years later and Se7en still goes hard.

David Fincher’s grimy, rain-soaked serial killer flick stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as mismatched detectives chasing a killer who bases his murders on the seven deadly sins. Gwyneth Paltrow is here too, and yes—the ending still slaps (and hurts).

If you’ve never seen it: cancel your plans. If you have: rewatch it and marvel at how no modern thriller can touch its vibe. This is peak ‘90s noir, and it holds up terrifyingly well.

Prometheus (2012)

Is it brilliant? Is it frustrating? Yes.

Prometheus is Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel that’s technically not a prequel but also… totally is. A bunch of scientists go to space looking for God and instead find body horror, killer goo, and the creepiest android ever (Michael Fassbender in full menace mode).

Some people loved it. Some people tore it apart. But it’s gorgeous to look at, full of wild ideas, and 100% rewatchable—especially now that it’s aged into cult status.

Jonah Hex (2010)

Okay, hear me out: it’s not good… but it’s kind of fascinating.

Josh Brolin plays a Confederate soldier with a scarred face and the power to talk to dead people (sure). He’s chasing John Malkovich, who wants to blow up the U.S. government with a steampunk cannon. Megan Fox plays a prostitute with a heart of gold and a corset of steel.

The whole thing is a weird fever dream that somehow exists in the DC universe. It bombed. Hard. But if you’re in the mood for a glorious trainwreck? There’s fun to be had.

Sinners (2025)

Now this is how you do vampire horror.

Ryan Coogler’s latest follows two twin brothers—both played by Michael B. Jordan—returning to their 1930s Mississippi hometown. But instead of healing old wounds, they find bloodthirsty vampires hiding in plain sight.

With a bluesy, Southern Gothic vibe and a stacked cast (Hailee Steinfeld! Delroy Lindo!), Sinners feels like Let the Right One In meets Lovecraft Country. It’s stylish, tense, and already being whispered about for next year’s awards season.

And That’s A Wrap

Whether you’re bracing for a jump scare (The Conjuring) or just need to laugh at someone else’s terrible night (The Sitter), HBO Max has options this week. Go deep with Warfare, spiral into Se7en, or get weird with Friendship. Just… maybe skip Jonah Hex unless you’re in that kind of mood.

Happy watching. Or rewatching. Or panic-pausing five minutes into Prometheus. No judgment.