Warner Bros owns HBO Max, so there are plenty of great movies from that studio on the streaming service to choose from. However, like other streamers, other studios’ movies come and go from the streamer every month. That said, there are thousands of movies on HBO Max to choose from, so it is easy to miss some hidden gems that get buried and are often overlooked by fans. There are even some fantastic older movies on the service that some fans might not even know are available to stream there. This includes cult classic movies and some classics that might be buried on HBO Max.
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From one of Akira Kurosawa’s best films to one of the most entertaining cult films of 2025, here is a look at seven hidden gems that are streaming now on HBO Max.
7) Freaky Tales (2025)
Freaky Tales is the newest movie on this list, but it is well worth watching for HBO Max subscribers. The movie is an immediate cult flick that presents four interconnected stories taking place in Oakland, California, in 1987. These stories are all exaggerated action scenes with often cartoonish violence, but it is all shot in a rock and roll style, often with real-life figures playing into the story.
The four tales all feature evil Nazis, superhumanly talented martial artists, punk rockers who stand up to defend their town, and a lifetime criminal who wants to go straight. Pedro Pascal is the biggest name in the cast, but everyone in the movie pulls their weight, and even Tom Hanks cameos as a video store owner. Anyone who loves crazy, cult movies should love Freaky Tales.
6) Slacker (1990)
Released in 1990 by Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused), Slacker is the movie that basically set the template for the indie film that flooded cinemas in the 1990s. Kevin Smith called this film a direct influence for him in making Clerks, and names like Quentin Tarantino have praised the film for showing young filmmakers how to force their way into the industry.
Slacker follows one day in the life of a group of 20ish misfits in Austin, Texas. The film flies by, never sticking with one character for more than a few minutes before moving on to the next. There is almost no narrative here, and this is just Linklater’s way of showing people living life in a college town, and it is, in reality, a movie that is a slice of life for anyone who lived through the early ’90s.
5) Yojimbo (1961)
One thing that HBO Max has in a nice quantity is Criterion Collection movies. This also means that people unfamiliar with Akira Kurosawa’s films can finally see why he is one of the world’s greatest directors. One movie that fans can see on HBO Max should seem familiar since it was an influence on some incredibly popular films in later years.
Yojimbo tells the story of a traveling ronin who comes into a village where two warring clans are tearing the town apart. He then agrees to help and integrates himself into both clans, turning them against each other. Sergio Leone unofficially remade Yojimbo in his movie A Fistful of Dollars, the movie that turned Clint Eastwood into a star.
4) Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (2023)
Metalocalypse was an Adult Swim animated series that focused on a death metal band that ended up as one of the world’s most successful musical groups and was sent on a mission to save the world. Released in 2023, the movie Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar was released to finish the story that was left open when Adult Swim ended the series.
This movie plays in the same arena as the Adult Swim series, with a biting parody of heavy metal culture, and the movie is a fun horror story as well. It features demons, magic, Hellscapes, and all the fun metal puns a fan could want.
3) Dead Man (1996)
Dead Man is a Jim Jarmusch film that remains a cult classic as one of the 1990s’ best psychedelic Westerns. Johnny Depp stars as a white accountant from Cleveland named Blake who kills a man who catches him with his wife. Blake was also shot and goes on the run after the murder, where he ends up being found by a Native American man named Nobody, who helps get the bullet out of him.
Blake then goes on a spiritual journey, which pretty much displays Blake’s journey through the end of his life. It is a movie that pays great respect to Native American culture, without the stereotypes, and offers a revisionist look at classic Westerns. Between the William Blake poetry used throughout the movie and Neil Young’s original soundtrack, Dead Man is well worth watching.
2) Dredd (2012)
Dredd was a 2012 action movie that finally gave the character of Judge Dredd the respect he deserves. There was a previous movie in the 90s with Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd, but this new version with Karl Urban as the character is miles better in every single way. Based on the 2000 AD character, Judge Dredd is one of the law enforcers who serve as judge, jury, and executioner in a dystopian future.
The movie was not a box office success, compared unfairly to The Raid, which had a similar story of law enforcement officers working their way up a building to take down the main villain. However, the action, violence, and respect for the comics make this well worth watching. The only downfall is that it lacks the satire of the comics, but for an action movie, Dredd was one of the best of the 2010s.
1) Bronson (2009)
Before he was a star, Tom Hardy proved his acting talent with his role as Michael Peterson, who went by the name of Charles Bronson, starting in 1987. Bronson was sentenced to seven years in prison for armed robbery, and he spent 13 years in prison, thanks to his continued fighting while locked up. He was then arrested again in 1988 for robbery and ended up getting life in prison, thanks to a hostage situation he undertook while in prison.
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Bronson took the prisoner’s story and turned it into a vaudeville-style theater production with a live audience (in the movie) watching as he tells his life story. This is one of the most unusual movies ever told about a criminal, and Hardy’s performance was phenomenal. This is a movie all fans should watch. It is available right now on HBO Max.
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