Coming up with a list of the best horror movies of all time is a good way to weed out7️⃣ the scary movie veterans from the scaredy cats. You can spot 'em every time a jump scare happens, or a7️⃣ devil-possessed girl crab walks upstairs, or an alien missiles out of some poor sucker's chest.
Okay, so we were more scared7️⃣ than not when working on this list. Sue us! Using overall movie quality, impact on the genre, legacy potential, fright/creepy7️⃣ factor and that mysterious quality known as Editor's Choice, we assembled a list of movies that guarantee you'll want to7️⃣ sleep with the lights on.
Some of the movies here are more traditional horror fare, while others are just twisted and7️⃣ creepy in a "permanently scarred for life" sorta way (e.g. The Silence of the Lambs). But all of them will7️⃣ scare the living heck out of you. So enjoy, and fire off your own suggestions and faves in the comments!
The7️⃣ 25 Best Horror Movies 26 Images
25. Scream (1996)
Director : Wes Craven
: Wes Craven Stars : Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David7️⃣ Arquette
: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette Runtime: 111 mins
Both director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson have plenty of7️⃣ successes in their career, but Scream remains a big highlight for both men. Williamson's script managed to deftly be so7️⃣ many things -- it was a sly meta/self-parody about the horror genre that didn't cross the line into goofiness, while7️⃣ also playing as a successful whodunit and, most importantly, an effective horror film in and of itself.
Finally a group of7️⃣ horror movie characters made it clear that yes, they'd seen all the same movies we had, and were aware of7️⃣ the rules and clichés that come with the genre. But no one was more knowledgeable than the killer (or is7️⃣ that killers?), who toyed with the victims by asking them horror movie trivia that plenty of us in the audience7️⃣ could have fun playing along with.
But when the killer actually showed himself, it was terrifying, with several extremely well-executed suspense7️⃣ scenes by Craven, which proved again just how good he was with this sort of material. A movie that set7️⃣ out to simultaneously make the audience laugh, cheer and yes, scream, Scream deserves a lot of credit for pulling off7️⃣ all these elements so well.
Scene to watch with the lights on: Scream's opening scene is incredibly strong and scary, instantly7️⃣ grabbing the audience by the throat. Watching a high school girl (Drew Barrymore) get a series of increasingly ominous phone7️⃣ calls, we (and she) begin to realize just how vulnerable she is. And that's when the guy with the ghost-faced7️⃣ mask shows up...
See Where to Watch Every Scream Movie
24. Nosferatu (1922)
Director : F.W. Martin
: F.W. Martin Stars : Max Shcreck,7️⃣ Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim
: Max Shcreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim Runtime: 94 mins
Count Orlok is moving to Germany,7️⃣ and he’s bringing pestilence and shadows with him. F.W. Murnau’s shameless rip-off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula does away with the7️⃣ sensuality that many associate with the undead monster, revealing the vampire to be a sad and rat-like creature, tormented by7️⃣ isolation and completely wrong for the modern world.
Murnau seems to have a queasy fixation on Orlok and his eery appetites,7️⃣ and his movie paints them out with thick shadows and grotesque imagery. Max Schreck’s performance as the Count is so7️⃣ bizarre and hypnotic that, years later, he stills ranks as one of the most iconic horror monsters. Indeed, the horror7️⃣ genre is still using the language that Murnau helped invent with Nosferatu, and his film feels as deliriously creepy today7️⃣ as it ever did.
Scene to watch with the lights on: Count Orlok’s last hurrah as he approaches a beautiful, sleeping7️⃣ victim is an oft-imitated and, almost 100 years later, still very creepy moment.
See more of the best vampire movies of7️⃣ all time.
23. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Directors : Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez Stars : Heather Donahue,7️⃣ Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard Runtime: 81 mins
The movie that gave birth to7️⃣ the widespread "horror movie as faux-documentary" trend and that inspired such films as Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project is7️⃣ quite an effective scare fest in retrospect.
Some of its then-inspired choices in the realm of "is it or isn't real"7️⃣ seem dated and obvious now, given the fact that the Internet seemingly sets out to reveal spoilers that surround projects7️⃣ like this. (Also, we know it's all fiction at this point.) But Blair Witch came out in 1999, when the7️⃣ Internet was in its infancy and could be used as a tool to successfully convince audiences that maybe the story7️⃣ of a three-person documentary crew going snipe hunting for what turns out to be pure evil is in fact real.
Blame7️⃣ the gift/curse of the shaky cam on this movie, but give it credit for delivering scares in such a way7️⃣ that changed the way we like to be scared... and that changed the way Hollywood goes about making the things7️⃣ that scare us.
Scene to watch with the lights on: A night in the woods full of tent shaking and lots7️⃣ of screaming leads to a morning where one character discovers a nice gift-wrap of anatomy no longer attached to its7️⃣ person.
22. Dracula (1931)
Directors : Tod Browning, Karl Freund
: Tod Browning, Karl Freund Stars : Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners
:7️⃣ Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners Runtime: 75 mins
All of today's mega-popular vampire franchises owe a debt of gratitude to7️⃣ Count Dracula. And as much as Bram Stoker's original novel helped popularize the vampire story, it was Universal's 1931 adaptation7️⃣ that cemented the image of Dracula in the minds of most moviegoers.
Dracula condenses and combines many of the main characters7️⃣ from the novel, opening with the poor Mr. Renfield's arrival in Transylvania. After falling victim to Dracula's influence, the pair7️⃣ head to London so Dracula can feast on the city's inhabitants. Only the courageous Dr. Seward, his ally Professor Van7️⃣ Helsing, and their friends can prevent Dracula from slaughtering innocents and making the fair Mina his newest bride.
Dracula isn't the7️⃣ scariest film by modern standards (though the alternate Spanish cut is superior in that regard). What it does have is7️⃣ plenty of atmosphere and a very memorable take on the lead villain. This adaptation diverged from the source by making7️⃣ Dracula a handsome, charismatic figure, and Bela Lugosi captured the imaginations of millions with his performance as Dracula. For better7️⃣ or worse, it was a role that would follow him for the rest of his life. And it remains the7️⃣ definitive portrayal of this classic villain for many.
Scene to watch with the lights on: Renfield's midnight ride is full of7️⃣ dramatic tension as he meets the world's creepiest carriage driver. By the time he finally arrives at the castle and7️⃣ is introduced to its master, he and the viewer are much worse for wear.
21. 28 Days Later (2002)
Director : Danny7️⃣ Boyle
: Danny Boyle Stars : Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston
: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston Runtime: 113 mins
The7️⃣ zombie genre is bigger than ever now, and you have 28 Days Later to thank for it. The genre was7️⃣ practically dead by the time Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland gave zombies a much needed shot of adrenaline with7️⃣ this film. Seriously, this movie is pumped up on adrenaline. The zombies -- er, sorry, “infected” -- sprint through the7️⃣ movie, spawning endless debates about whether “fast zombies” are scarier than “slow zombies.” As if that’s the important thing.
What mattered7️⃣ most is that 28 Days Later was more than a visceral horror experience. A great cast and a smart script7️⃣ treated the concept with sincerity and severity, and Boyle’s digital cinematography gave the film an immediacy that hadn’t been matched7️⃣ at that time. If zombies -- sigh, “infected” -- did take over the Earth, this is surely what it would7️⃣ look and feel like. And it would be terrifying.
Scene to watch with the lights on: When Cillian Murphy finds his7️⃣ way into a church and starts to realize what’s really been going on since he woke up.
20. The Fly (1986)
Director7️⃣ : David Cronenberg
: David Cronenberg Stars : Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz Runtime:7️⃣ 96 mins
David Cronenberg's very R-rated, very intense and very excellent remake of The Fly puts Jeff Goldblum in the role7️⃣ of Seth Brundle, a scientist who invents telepods meant to change the world. Instead, they change him into a man-fly7️⃣ monster when a fly accidentally gets trapped in one of the machines as Seth teleports from one pod to the7️⃣ other.
The script, performances and Howard Shore's tremendous score work together to create a horror opera, one full of dark twists7️⃣ and practical creature effects scares. Once all the gore and vomiting-on-food-to-eat-it settles, we realize we've just watched a tragedy about7️⃣ a scientist who accounted for everything save nature finding a way to remind man not to play God. (Kind of7️⃣ fitting that Goldblum learned this lesson here and again in Jurassic Park, no?)
Scene to watch with the lights on: Brundlefly7️⃣ inspecting a medicine cabinet-turned-museum of pieces of the man-fly that his new insect body doesn't need anymore. (Give yourself a7️⃣ gold star if you can spot his mason-jarred junk or if you don't wince at the moment before this scene,7️⃣ where Seth peels off his fingernails.)
19. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Director : John Landis
: John Landis Stars : David7️⃣ Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher
: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher Runtime: 97 mins
It rarely hurts to merge horror with7️⃣ a tinge of comedy, and John Landis' An American Werewolf in London is one of the finer examples of that7️⃣ combination. It's also one of several iconic werewolf movies that hit theaters in 1981. Of the trio, American Werewolf remains7️⃣ the most popular and well-loved.
The film begins with two backpackers traveling the English countryside. When only one survives an attack7️⃣ by a vicious wolf, he becomes convinced he's been infected by the werewolf's curse. And it wouldn't be much of7️⃣ a werewolf movie if he turned out to be wrong.
An American Werewolf in London stood out at the time thanks7️⃣ to its amazing makeup and special effects work; never had the werewolf transformation seemed so convincing. The humor didn't hurt7️⃣ either. And then there’s the brilliantly demented nightmare sequences. But American Werewolf was ultimately a tragic horror film, and one7️⃣ certainly deserving of remembrance today.
Scene to watch with the lights on: American Werewolf's iconic transformation scene is a showcase for7️⃣ just how grotesque and painful the werewolf curse can be. When David wolfs out, what ensues is a graphic transformation7️⃣ of man into werewolf. This all-too convincing display of special effects and makeup work from 1981 still holds up today.
18.7️⃣ Let the Right One In (2008)
Director : Tomas Alfredson
: Tomas Alfredson Stars : Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
: Kåre7️⃣ Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar Runtime: 114 mins
Can you believe that there's a movie on our list that got its7️⃣ title from a Morrissey song? This most unusual of love stories is a Swedish film which hit it big internationally7️⃣ with its tale of a 12-year-old boy and his centuries-old vampire... who looks like a 12-year-old girl (but most certainly7️⃣ isn't).
Whether or not Oskar and Eli's relationship is an equal partnership, or Oskar is doomed to become the vampire's next7️⃣ Hakan (the old and ill-fated human who takes care of Eli early in the film) isn't clear. But it's an7️⃣ engrossing story from start to finish.
Though chock-full of bloody good horror moments, director Tomas Alfredson's film works so well because7️⃣ it is acutely interested in its two lead characters: Oskar, the boy who is bullied at school and finds a7️⃣ protector in his new, nocturnal neighbor; and Eli, a beautiful little cherub who's actually not even a girl and certainly7️⃣ not a cherub. Weird, right? But so good.
Scene to watch with the lights on: This may be a controversial pick7️⃣ (and a spoilery one), but we'd have to go with the closing moments of the film, as Oskar and Eli7️⃣ head off for a new life together as friends and/or love interests. Or as master and slave? You decide, but7️⃣ it is creepy either way.
17. Suspiria (1977)
Director : Dario Argento
: Dario Argento Stars : Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci
:7️⃣ Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci Runtime: 92 mins
Of course we're including a giallo film on this list, though the7️⃣ question did come up as to which of the Italian horror masters was most deserving to represent this distinctive genre.7️⃣ In the end, we had to give it to Dario Argento and his Suspiria -- a supernatural shocker that is7️⃣ an experience in style as well as terror.
The film is about an American ballerina who travels to Germany to attend7️⃣ a dance academy, but instead gets a tutu full of trouble when she comes to realize that the place is7️⃣ home to a coven of witches who are brewing up all kinds of deadly mischief.
The picture might seem over the7️⃣ top in some ways, but Argento proves masterful at creating an environment and a world that is uniquely its own7️⃣ thing. The gruesome, convoluted killings, the garish color design, the freaked-out sound (including a haunting score by Goblin)... this is7️⃣ the stuff that nightmares are made of and one of the best witch movies ever made.
Scene to watch with the7️⃣ lights on: Don't even bother turning the lights off, since the film gets right to it with a double murder7️⃣ early on that sees one young lady staring out a window into the dark, only to suddenly realize that a7️⃣ pair of eyes are staring back. This leads to stabbings, a hanging and, finally, impalement by stained glass for her7️⃣ and her friend.
16. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Director : Zack Snyder
: Zack Snyder Stars : Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi7️⃣ Phifer
: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer Runtime: 101 mins
George Romero practically created the zombie movie genre single-handedly in 19687️⃣ with Night of the Living Dead. Ten years later he refined the formula with Dawn of the Dead. Far bigger,7️⃣ gorier, and funnier than its predecessor, Dawn of the Dead remains Romero's definitive work.
Whereas Night featured a small cast of7️⃣ survivors holed up in a remote farmhouse, Dawn opens with a glimpse of a major metropolitan area falling to chaos7️⃣ during the zombie outbreak. It isn't long before our four heroes are forced to leave town and barricade themselves inside7️⃣ a shopping mall. But as it turns out, the undead hordes still retain enough of their old selves to feel7️⃣ the need to shop and consume.
The true brilliance of Dawn is how it combined straight-up zombie carnage with a healthy7️⃣ dose of satire and social commentary. At the end of the day, are modern Americans really so different from the7️⃣ shambling undead? They crave warm flesh; we crave iPhones.
Scene to watch with the lights on: When Roger finally succumbs to7️⃣ his bite wounds, it’s a tragic moment that really drives home what our characters have lost in this world.
15. A7️⃣ Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Director : Wes Craven
: Wes Craven Stars : Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robery Englund
: Heather Langenkamp,7️⃣ Johnny Depp, Robery Englund Runtime: 91 mins
By 1984, the slasher movies had been done to death (excuse the pun). Just7️⃣ how many masked killers could you see before fatigue set in? But Wes Craven had a brilliant twist on these7️⃣ types of films. First, he created a killer, Freddy Krueger, who instantly stood out from the rest of the pack.7️⃣ His face was burned beyond recognition, but Freddy wore no mask and didn't stay silent.
In fact, he had plenty of7️⃣ cruel taunts for his victims. More importantly, his domain was the dream world, where he could stalk and terrorize without7️⃣ any rules to bind him -- if you ran away from him, he could just as easily be waiting for7️⃣ you as you approached. There was nowhere to hide from Freddy because we all have to sleep sometime, right?
Featuring a7️⃣ more down to Earth and relatable group of young characters than most slasher films, A Nightmare on Elm Street made7️⃣ a huge impact upon its release, thanks to its excellent conceit and amazing villain, and Craven's talent at building tension7️⃣ and delivering the goods in his murder scenes. And with Freddy, Craven gave us one of the most popular, durable7️⃣ and recognizable horror movie villains of all time.
Scene to watch with the lights on: When Freddy gets a hold of7️⃣ Tina in her dream, we suddenly realize just how big the stakes are, as her sleeping body is pulled up7️⃣ into the air, and four fatal cuts rip into her. The fact that she's dragged along the ceiling, screaming, before7️⃣ she dies, as her boyfriend looks on in horror, only adds to the shock of the scene.
See our guide to7️⃣ the Nightmare on Elm Street movies in order.
14. Poltergeist (1982)
Director : Tobe Hooper
: Tobe Hooper Stars : JoBeth Williams, Heather7️⃣ O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson
: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson Runtime: 114 mins
After Poltergeist, all of a sudden quaint7️⃣ cookie-cutter houses everywhere became haunted death-traps, ravaged by violent Native American ghosts who weren't too pleased about their current state7️⃣ of "unrest."
Director Tobe Hooper and producer Steven Spielberg created a veritable masterwork that took the ghost story out of ancient7️⃣ castles and haunted mansions and shoved it, without apology, into the happy suburban track home.
Almost every single part of this7️⃣ movie is so full of devastating win -- from Carol Ann's warbled white-noise voice to freakin' angry trees that bust7️⃣ through your window to grab you -- that one is almost able to forgive the less-than-warranted sequels. This house may7️⃣ now be "clean," but your pants are going to need changing.
Scene to watch with the lights on: Man. Just pick7️⃣ anything. How about the guy who tears his own face apart or the malicious clown doll that loves to strangle7️⃣ or the vengeful zombies coming out of the swimming pool? This movie will hit you from every direction and leave7️⃣ you cowering in the corner.
13. The Thing (1982)
Director : John Carpenter
: John Carpenter Stars : Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley, Keith7️⃣ David
: Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley, Keith David Runtime: 109 mins
An alien with the ability to take the form of any7️⃣ life that it absorbs infiltrates an Antarctic research base, and soon the 12-man team is up to their eyeballs in7️⃣ slaughter, suspicion and paranoia. John Carpenter's film has itself planted on either side of the horror and sci-fi movie lines.
The7️⃣ Thing plays fair within both genres, but leans more toward horror. The movie takes its time setting up the rules7️⃣ of the creature living amongst our heroes, while more importantly establishing each character -- from Windows to MacReady to MacReady's7️⃣ beard -- as people we actually worry about.
The practical special effects hold up better than you'd think, and Kurt Russell7️⃣ gives one of his best performances as team leader MacReady. But really, the entire ensemble is excellent as each character7️⃣ comes to realize that all is not what it seems in their camp. And that ending! We’re still arguing about7️⃣ what it really means all these years later.
Scene to watch with the lights on: The scariest bit involves the Thing7️⃣ assimilating dogs and revealing a mouth (best described as a flower made out of tongue petals) moments before it slime-claws7️⃣ its way out of sight.
12. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Director : Tobe Hooper
: Tobe Hooper Stars : Marilyn Burns,7️⃣ Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger
: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger Runtime: 83 mins
Like your films bleak, bloody and full of7️⃣ brutality? Tobe Hooper's gruesome 1974 indie flick took the nefarious inbred mountain folk that we all cringed at in 1972's7️⃣ Deliverance and turned them into an aggressively insane backwoods clan of cannibals. Take a van full of "young adults" on7️⃣ their way to, let’s say, smoke weed and hang out at a cemetery, and let them run out of gas7️⃣ in the wrong part of Texas. Then throw in the skin-suited Leatherface and some meat-hooks and you've got yourself a7️⃣ film that barely found a distributor because of its extreme levels of graphic violence.
Psycho might have been the first "slasher"7️⃣ film per se, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre simultaneously elevated and de-elevated the genre with its disturbing levels of sadism.
Scene7️⃣ to watch with the lights on: It might not be the moment you immediately think of, but the two-minute-long scene7️⃣ where poor Sally is forced to "dine" with Leatherface's family where she's tied to a chair made out of human7️⃣ parts and they all just laugh at her screaming is pretty disturbing!
11. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Director : Roman Polanski
: Roman Polanski7️⃣ Stars : Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon Runtime: 137 mins
Get over Mia Farrow's7️⃣ bad haircut and watch this movie. You'll be surprised how much this unsettling creepshow from 1968 gets away with for,7️⃣ you know, being in 1968. Roman Polanski's most "conventional" film outside of Chinatown is one of his best, telling the7️⃣ slow-burn story of a young New York couple who move into an apartment building... which happens to be home to7️⃣ several Satan worshipers who want to use Rosemary's spawn as a means for Mr. Devil McBrimstone to enter our mortal7️⃣ realm.
Farrow is perfect in the role of Rosemary, as she slowly unravels the more she discovers what shady cult dealings7️⃣ are happening all around her. The entire world seems to be conspiring against the most innocent of people here, as7️⃣ the devil watches from the wings and Rosemary breaks down.
Polanski's lean approach to delivering chills further supports the storytelling rule7️⃣ that the more kept off screen, the more the audience has to imagine, and hence, the scarier.
Scene to watch with7️⃣ the lights on: When Rosemary finally gets to meet her baby.
10. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Director : George A.7️⃣ Romero
: George A. Romero Stars : Duane Jones
: Duane Jones Runtime: 96 mins
In 1968, director George Romero took the frightening7️⃣ idea of "zombification," which up until that point had been relegated to creepy voodoo tales and extra-dimensional Lovecraft-ian lore, and7️⃣ created a terrifying new genre of horror: the zombie apocalypse film. "They're coming to get you Barbara" became the first7️⃣ official "I'll be back" of horror, as poor Judith O'Dea has to flee a cemetery because the dead have inexplicably7️⃣ come back to life and started walking the Earth in search of human flesh.
Hitchcock discovered, with 1963's The Birds, that7️⃣ the sheer terror of "not knowing" the reasons behind the sweeping global outbreak of evil can be the most horrifying7️⃣ part of the entire story. The "Zombocalypse" genre is so enduring that it's still going strong today (hello, Walking Dead7️⃣ fans...). Sure, some films have made their zombies run fast and tried to explain the whole dead-alive deal with a7️⃣ virus, and that's all fine. But nothing will ever beat the basics.
With this one film, Romero was able to tap7️⃣ into so many things we're afraid of: death, desecration of the flesh, cannibalism, brainwashing, disease and hopelessness. There's also a7️⃣ stinging underlying social message about racism, media and paranoia where viewers got to learn that they could be just as7️⃣ dangerous and cruel as the mindless hordes of undead they were hiding from.
Scene to watch with the lights on: The7️⃣ end, when our hero Ben finally makes it out of the farmhouse.
9. Evil Dead II (1987)
Director : Sam Raimi
: Sam7️⃣ Raimi Stars : Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks Runtime: 84 mins
Though more of7️⃣ a "remix" than a sequel, Evil Dead II improves on its predecessor in almost every way. More gore, more comedy,7️⃣ more, more, more…
Director Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell (and Ash!) returned to the woods after six years for Evil Dead7️⃣ II, which leans into the gruesome excess of the first but ups the ante to a ridiculous degree (this was7️⃣ the one where an eyeball flies into a person’s open mouth). Though Evil Dead II didn't invent splat-stick, it sure7️⃣ did perfect it, and went on to influence countless other comedy gross-outs. (Also see 16 Things You May Not Know7️⃣ About Evil Dead).
And yet, for all the fun grotesqueries on display, Raimi still manages to chill and scare his audience7️⃣ plenty with stylish and over-the-top antics. Check out Henrietta peeping in on things from the basement, or Ash’s brief turn7️⃣ as a Deadite himself (before he’s saved by a fortuitously timed rising sun). Groovy.
Scene to watch with the lights on:7️⃣ Ash’s farewell to his girlfriend Linda will have you in pieces. Or her, anyway.
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Director7️⃣ : Jonathan Demme
: Jonathan Demme Stars : Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A.7️⃣ Bonney Runtime: 118 mins
Using a serial-killer cannibal with a doctorate to help catch another serial killer is as bare bones7️⃣ as you can get with this Best Picture Oscar winner. But the movie is much more than that. It's the7️⃣ scariest movie ever made built around psychology and deduction, with both used as crime-solving tools and murder weapons. Yes, blame7️⃣ this movie all you want for your friend's bad Hannibal Lecter impersonation that never seems to get better, but it7️⃣ gave us one of the screen's all-time iconic villains and Anthony Hopkins the role of his career.
Jodie Foster is also7️⃣ exceptional as FBI Agent Clarice Starling, on the trail of Buffalo "It Puts the Lotion in the Basket" Bill. Director7️⃣ Jonathan Demme is effortless and relentless with his tension here, succeeding where Ridley Scott failed in his 2001 sequel, Hannibal,7️⃣ by keeping Lecter more of a believable monster and less of a monstrous caricature.
We suggest watching The Silence of the7️⃣ Lambs with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Check out our list of the best 90s horror movies for7️⃣ more like this.
Scene to watch with the lights on: Lecter's first encounter with Clarice -- his crazy and her virtue7️⃣ are separated only by safety glass.
7. Jaws (1975)
Director : Steven Spielberg
: Steven Spielberg Stars : Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard7️⃣ Dreyfuss
: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss Runtime: 124 mins
The first blockbuster ever and the scariest movie (maybe even the7️⃣ best one?) Spielberg's ever made, Jaws is equal parts shark movie and character piece, centered on an island called Amity7️⃣ that's preyed upon by something that leaves teeth the size of shot glasses in the hulls of boats and turns7️⃣ their owners into decapitated flotsam. The late Roy Scheider gives a career-defining performance as Chief Brody, the local sheriff with7️⃣ a fear of water who is put in charge of taking down the murder fish.
Joining him on the Orca for7️⃣ the hunt are Richard Dreyfuss' Hooper and Robert "Find 'im for three, catch 'im and kill 'im for 10" Shaw7️⃣ as Quint, the number one cause of death for just about any marine life.
But you already know that. You should7️⃣ have seen this movie at least 10 times by now, thanks to cable and VHS and DVD and Blu-ray and7️⃣ streaming. You've probably contemplated making John Williams' theme your ring tone. It's made out of the type of movie magic7️⃣ that warrants repeat viewings.
Scene to watch with the lights on: It's a tie! When the shark turns Alex Kintner into7️⃣ a human chew toy… or when Bad Hat Harry stands before Brody, wearing a bathing suit and shaking his saggy7️⃣ gym-sock moobs.
6. Alien (1979)
Director : Ridley Scott
: Ridley Scott Stars : Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
: Sigourney Weaver, Tom7️⃣ Skerritt, John Hurt Runtime: 117 mins
Alien movies are generally thought of as being planted in the science fiction realm. However,7️⃣ with the original at least, Alien was as much a horror film as a sci-fi one. With a small cast7️⃣ being hunted by a lone, terrifying creature, Alien was a long way removed from the Star Wars and Star Treks7️⃣ of Hollywood.
The film is set several centuries in the future when humanity has ventured into the stars. The crew of7️⃣ the mining vessel Nostromo become unwitting hosts to a bloodthirsty alien lifeform, and one by one they fall to an7️⃣ enemy that hides in the shadows and springs from above. Only Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is savvy enough to survive the7️⃣ alien's onslaught. Too bad for her it was only the first round.
Alien doesn't resemble many sci-fi movies of the time.7️⃣ Artist H.R. Giger designed a world full of twisted tubes, cold hallways, and pervasive darkness. Before Alien, pop culture never7️⃣ warned us how dark, dirty and scary the cold depths of space were. Director Ridley Scott adopted a "less is7️⃣ more" approach that later sequels sadly abandoned; modern directors can cram all the Aliens and Predators (and Michael Fassbender androids)7️⃣ they want into their films, but none can match the sheer claustrophobic terror generated in the original film.
Scene to watch7️⃣ with the lights on: Dinner with Kane and the crew of the Nostromo, fresh after Kane wakes up from his7️⃣ facehugger coma, ends with Kane disagreeing with something that ate its way out of his chest. They don't get much7️⃣ better than this, movie fans.
See our guide on how to watch the Alien movies in order.
5. The Bride of Frankenstein7️⃣ (1935)
Director : James Whale
: James Whale Stars : Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive
: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive7️⃣ Runtime: 75 mins
Certainly there were those of us on the IGN staff who argued that this James Whale classic should've7️⃣ been higher on our list -- perhaps even number one. But compromise being what it is, director James Whale, Colin7️⃣ Clive, Boris Karloff and the rest have had to settle for fifth place.
The film is the apex of the Universal7️⃣ cycle of classic monster pictures in terms of quality. Rather than simply regurgitating a cheap variation on the first Frankenstein7️⃣ (which is basically what many of the Universal sequels would go on to do), Whale opted to, ahem, flesh out7️⃣ the story and characters of the original (which he also directed). Karloff, in his second turn as the Monster, granted7️⃣ his most famous creation the gift of speech here, and of friendship, and even love. Also, of humor -- Bride7️⃣ of Frankenstein is a comedy as much as it is a horror film.
Brimming with wonderful side characters (oh, Doctor Pretorius,7️⃣ how we miss you) and often unsettling imagery (Jesus H. Christ, did they just crucify the Monster?), the film is7️⃣ over 80 years old and we're still talking about it -- and loving it. To paraphrase Doctor Pretorius, "It is7️⃣ our only weakness"
Scene to watch with the lights on: The finale, when the Bride is finally created only to spurn7️⃣ the Monster, which is a very bad thing to do for anyone who values not getting blown up in an7️⃣ exploding mountainside laboratory.
4. Halloween (1978)
Director : John Carpenter
: John Carpenter Stars : Donald Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
: Donald7️⃣ Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran Runtime: 91 mins
Psycho can be seen as the film that birthed the slasher genre,7️⃣ and Texas Chain Saw Massacre was an integral step in its progress, making things more visceral. But it was Halloween7️⃣ that truly defined this subgenre in horror, inspiring a million sequels, rip-offs, imitations and homages. Take an instantly identifiable holiday,7️⃣ add in a chillingly silent, unstoppable masked killer and a feisty, resourceful heroine and you have Halloween... and of course7️⃣ all the films that came after it.
But John Carpenter brought a sense of tension and suspense few others could match7️⃣ in a slasher film, as we watched Michael Myers stalk Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) from afar, before going on7️⃣ his inevitable killing spree.
Michael himself is an excellent villain, wearing a blank, emotionless mask that perfectly captured the black soul7️⃣ of someone who simply killed and killed, and seemingly couldn't be stopped, no matter what you did to him. It's7️⃣ no wonder Michael became a horror icon and that fans rebelled when he didn't appear in Halloween III. After all,7️⃣ Michael Myers and Halloween -- both the film and the actual holiday -- are now forever intertwined.
Scene to watch with7️⃣ the lights on: Laurie Strode is trying to hide from Michael Myers, and crouches down inside a closet. She manages7️⃣ to tie the door shut, but that's not going to stop Michael, who begins smashing the door in, causing light7️⃣ to shine in and for Michael's spooky mask to come into plain view of the understandably terrified Laurie.
See our guide7️⃣ to the Halloween movies in order.
3. Psycho (1960)
Director : Alfred Hitchcock
: Alfred Hitchcock Stars : Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera7️⃣ Miles
: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles Runtime: 109 mins
Psycho is both one of the greatest thrillers of all time7️⃣ and one of the greatest entries in Alfred Hitchcock's legendary resume. A true master of suspense and tension, Hitchcock crafted7️⃣ a memorable horror experience with a limited cast and even more limited budget. Like so many great horror movies, Psycho's7️⃣ scares far exceed its limited scale.
The film tells the story of crazy old Norman Bates and his even crazier mother.7️⃣ When a young woman on the run from the law arrives at the remote Bates Motel, she falls victim to7️⃣ a knife-wielding killer. Several more victims are claimed before the true secret of the Bates family stands revealed.
The content of7️⃣ Psycho isn't as shocking as it was way back in 1960. After all, girls get stabbed in the shower all7️⃣ the time in modern horror cinema. However, it's a testament to Hitchcock's skill as a director that Psycho remains a7️⃣ tense and nerve-wracking experience. The killing of Janet Leigh's character and the accompanying musical key by Bernard Herrmann is one7️⃣ of the most famous scenes in Hollywood history.
Psycho is such a classic of the genre that it inspired a shot-for-shot7️⃣ remake in 1998. It's also had sequels and a TV show based on the tale.
Scene to watch with the lights7️⃣ on: What scene could we pick but the quintessential shower slaying? Coupled with that amazing music cue, it remains a7️⃣ horror classic almost 60 years later.
2. The Exorcist (1973)
Director : William Friedkin
: William Friedkin Stars : Ellen Burstyn, Max von7️⃣ Sydow, Linda Blair
: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair Runtime: 122 mins
"Tubular Bells" is the scariest music arrangement ever7️⃣ made. We hear it and we're the shaking-in-our-boots equivalent of Pavlov's Dog.
The movie's premise -- a little girl possessed by7️⃣ a demon -- is scary enough as words on paper. But what director William Friedkin does with it, aside from7️⃣ prove that he has a seriously strong (or frightfully off) constitution for this sort of stuff, is treat the extraordinary7️⃣ of it all as if it were really happening next door to us.
The scares come from a place based in7️⃣ faith, where Heaven and hell are as real as your beliefs in them care to be. Faith, for all the7️⃣ documentation on the subject, is tethered to the intangible; it's not something science can define or strategize. The demon that7️⃣ comes from The Exorcist's interpretation of that idea is something more powerful than a Freddy or a Jason. Something that7️⃣ can't be shot or stabbed or detonated.
Before it can be attacked, let alone defeated, it has to first be believed7️⃣ in -- as terrible and soul-threatening as this may be to the young priest and old priest charged with delivering7️⃣ the climatic exorcism. Fathers Karras and Merrin spend the third act of the movie fighting back the devil for control7️⃣ of young Regan's soul. And in doing so, Karras, a man of wavering faith throughout most of the movie, finally7️⃣ believes in the only true good he knows by sacrificing himself to save that little girl.
Film-school analyze this movie more7️⃣ if you want. Bottom line: It is the best horror movie about the consequences of belief ever made.
Scene to watch7️⃣ with the lights on: All of it. No no no, trust us. Watch it at mid-day, with the blinds open7️⃣ and the lights on. And then get used to the fact that you may never, ever sleep again.
1. The Shining7️⃣ (1980)
Director : Stanley Kubrick
: Stanley Kubrick Stars : Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd7️⃣ Runtime: 146 mins
The Shining might just be Stephen King's most popular horror novel. Stanley Kubrick's movie adaptation is almost certainly7️⃣ the most popular Stephen King movie. The project was an unusually commercially-focused one for Kubrick, but the same stylistic elements7️⃣ that defined his earlier films were on full display, and the film remains a haunting and unsettling chronicle of a7️⃣ family man's psychological breakdown.
Jack Nicholson is iconic as Jack Torrance, the struggling writer who accepts a job as winter caretaker7️⃣ for the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Mountains. The knowledge that the previous caretaker had gone insane and murdered his7️⃣ family fails to scare Jack away. But when both Jack and his psychically attuned son begin communing with the many7️⃣ spirits haunting the Overlook, things quickly take a turn for the worse. Deadly hedge mazes, elevators full of blood and7️⃣ the terrifying Room 237 are only some of the horrors that await viewers.
Aside from being a genuinely scary film, The7️⃣ Shining has left its mark on modern pop culture. Who doesn't recognize the image of Nicholson poking his head through7️⃣ a doorway and shouting "Here's Johnny!"? The Shining also served as fodder for one of the best "Treehouse of Horror"7️⃣ segments in the history of The Simpsons.
The film is required viewing for any horror aficionado -- just don't expect to7️⃣ sleep easily that night -- and our pick for the best horror movie ever made.
Scene to watch with the lights7️⃣ on: "The blood usually gets off on the third floor." May we also suggest the Room 237 scene. Beware of7️⃣ women in bathtubs that are really Overlook corpses!
Upcoming Horror Movies in 2024
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Horror movies are in a great place right7️⃣ now. There have already been a ton of great horror films to arrive in 2024, with franchises like The Conjuring7️⃣ and Saw getting new movies. But even if that's not enough to quench your taste for the macabre, there are7️⃣ plenty of horror films coming out in the next few months that are sure to get your blood pumping.
Night Swim7️⃣ - January 5, 2024
Imaginary - March 8, 2024
The First Omen - April 5, 2024
Terrifier 3 - October 25, 2024
Nosferatu -7️⃣ December 25, 2024
Salem's Lot - TBD
Note: This list was updated on 09/18/2024 to add more information about upcoming horror movies.
