The 50 Best Horror Movies Ever (FILM SCHOOL REJECTS)

By Film School Rejects (https://filmschoolrejects.com/50-best-horror-movies-ever/)

 

Until the next great horror film is released, this is the definitive ranking of the 50 best ever.

Calling something “the best” will always be an exercise in subjectivity. You know it, we know it, and yet still we use the term because there’s a silent understanding that it’s all ultimately opinion destined to be forgotten like skin particles in the winds of time as our bodies crumble to dust and our species follows suit.

That said, what you’ll find below are the 50 best horror films, period.

And by “period” I, of course, mean as chosen by myself (Rob Hunter) and the rest of the Film School Rejects family. Our definition of horror comes down to movies that want to scare, unsettle or disturb, and that leaves intentional room for films that could also be described as thrillers, comedies, or sci-fi. The only restriction to consider is that they had to have been released before 2016, as calling something the best of all-time despite having only come out a year or so prior is a bit ridiculous.
One note on the ranking below. The fact that they’re in a top 50 means that all of these movies are among the best of the best, so while they’re numbered the fact that they’re considered the best out of tens of thousands means you should have no issue with their order. Right?

 

50. It Follows (2014, USA)

 

 

With beautiful cinematography and an unnerving score, It Follows is my favorite modern horror film. For me, anticipation and suspense are more terrifying than gore. It takes impressive storytelling to create a film that not only makes you scared watching it but keeps you from looking over your shoulder the next day in fear of someone following you. The nuanced theme of sexual violence is never obvious but certainly present, something hardly done well in horror. – Emily Kubincanek

 

 

49. Evil Dead (2013, USA)

 

 

If any film’s inclusion on this list raises hackles it’s almost guaranteed to be Fede Alvarez‘s remake of the much-revered Sam Raimi classic. Like the other remakes to make the cut here, Evil Dead takes core plot elements from its predecessor and uses them to tell its own story its own way. Where Raimi used slapstick to fuel its mayhem, Alvarez employs pure terror, stunning effects (both practical and cg), and a sympathetic performer at the center of it in the form of Jane Levy. All due respect to Bruce Campbell, but while his nightmare unfolds in antics and whip-pans this film is an immersion in pure horror that leaves us empathizing with a monster. The film’s third act is a descent into bloody hell that in turn is heaven for fans of fleshy carnage. It delivers a horror experience that’s simple in setup and intensely satisfying in execution as it hits the trifecta of being scary, unsettling, and gory as gory can be. – Rob Hunter

 

 

48. Funny Games (1997, Austria)

 

 

This is my favorite horror film of all time because it masterfully walks the tightrope of social commentary and scream-inducing terror. Of course, the best films in any genre offer something prescient about our society, but Funny Games makes you feel the commentary before you think it. From the first meeting with the two brothers, Michael Haneke sets up the tension inherent in hospitality. Is asking your neighbor for four eggs too much to ask? And when you break them, asking for four more? Each inconvenience is followed by profuse apologies, building up and building up, until one of the brother’s swings a golf club at the neighbor’s knee. Further, its breaking of the fourth wall and rewind sequence suggest a kind of video game morality. It makes us wonder, “are we the host or the guest?” in this country house of horrors. – Sarah Foulkes

 

 

47. Carnival of Souls (1962, USA)

 

 

Carnival of Souls is rarely mentioned in the same conversation as classics like Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and rest of them, but its influence and importance shouldn’t be understated. Herk Harvey’s eerie chiller was made on a shoestring budget of $30,000 in 1962 and its effect can be found in genre efforts to this day. The film is a landmark of American independent cinema, but its real power lies in its timeless ability to unsettle and get under the skin. What starts out as a traumatic experience for the protagonist, Mary, leads to her discovering some horrifying revelations, but the journey getting there is one steeped in dread and strange occurrences. Come the end of the film, it leaves an impression that’s hard to shake off. – Kieran Fisher

 

 

46. Mulholland Dr. (2001, USA)

 

 

I watched Mulholland Dr. all alone in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t recommend it. David Lynch has a particular brand of horror that can lure the unsuspecting among us into watching by ourselves. (I did the exact same thing with Twin Peaks because I never learn). There’s one arguable jump scare, but it’s early enough to set you on edge for the rest of the film, and it’s drawn out enough to make you lose your mind in anticipation. Most of the horror comes from confusion and dread and, very effectively, from the characters you’ve come to know and think you understand. One of the oldest horror tricks is inverting the safe into a source of fear. The safety in Mulholland Dr. is the characters and the way in which we think we know them. The most frightening moment is, I think, an eyeline shot between Naomi Watts’ Betty and herself — it inverts a traditional cut and, by extension, the safety and familiarity we feel with the person we think we’ve been getting to know. Ghosts have got nothing on that. – Liz Baessler

 

 

45. The Beyond (1981, Italy)

 

 

The second installment in his unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy, Lucio Fulci’s 1981 cult classic doesn’t make a lot of sense at times. Regarding narrative cohesiveness, it’s by no means flawless. However, sometimes the best horror takes the viewer takes the viewer out of their comfort zone and leaves them feeling bewildered and confused. The Beyond is essentially the cinematic equivalent of a seedy, gore-drenched nightmare and that’s what makes it so effective. It’s by no mean the classiest title on this list, but few movies surpass it when it comes to surreal imagery and grotesque practical FX. – Kieran Fisher

 

 

44. Seven (1995, USA)

 

 

Anyone who suggests that David Fincher‘s Seven isn’t a horror film is not only wrong but should also never be listened to again. Like The Silence of the Lambs before it, the film is a serial killer thriller that enjoys conventions of the genre while simultaneously twisting a knife into its writhing corpse. Increasingly twisted set-pieces share the screen with moments of pure humanity — a diner conversation on love, a shared laugh to hide nervousness, time spent learning in a library — and by the time our killer inexplicably turns himself in we’re left as uncertain and off-balanced as the detectives themselves. There are scenes of absolute horror here in the grotesque crime scenes, but it’s the emotionally gripping nightmare that haunts the film’s third act that cements its place in the genre. Fincher’s gorgeous, precise direction hits the beautifully-crafted ugliness of Andrew Kevin Walker‘s script, and the result is a mirror held up to the best of us and the worst. The film’s final line captures the eternally current and too often horrific state of humanity well. “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.” – Rob Hunter

 

 

43. Les Diaboliques (1955, France)

 

 

Full of far more grandiose twists and turns than director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s other horror masterpiece Le Corbeau (1943), Les Diaboliques is one of the most poetic, terrifying, and entertaining films about misplaced trust and identity. Set in a French boarding school run by the increasingly ill Christina Delassalle, the film expands on Clouzot’s obsession with films set in claustrophobic settings. Paul Meurisse and Simone Signoret (as Michel Delassalle and Nicole Horner) are equally terrifying, with Signoret’s tall, looming presence being something this writer both fears and aspires to. Véra Clouzot, who the director was married to, plays Delassalle with such naiveté and truth that the viewer will often feel as though their heart is mirroring hers. Like Clouzot’s performance, the film’s horror is understated, masking itself in the confines of the frame until the horror creeps out and all is revealed. – Sinead McCausland

 

 

42. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986, USA)

 

 

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a Chicago-centric sociopathic character study that is one of the models of the modern serial killer film. The film’s hypnotic horror, alternatingly deadened by a blue-collar hopelessness and invigorated by explosive violence usually reserved for the climax of indie slashers, lulls viewers into its urban nightmare. Writer/director John McNaughton works with Michael Rooker (in his breakout performance) to make a tight, $100,000 glimpse into the mind and life of a loser who’s slipped under society and into a new one of his own creation. Bleak morality looks evil in the face, straight through its mask and into the heart of its depravity. This steely gaze is enhanced by razor-sharp dialogue and an unflinching brutality that makes Henry one of the most disturbingly realistic horror films ever made. – Jacob Oller

 

 

41. Martyrs (2008, France)

 

 

If horror is thought of as a genre of catharsis then it can be surmised that most great horror movies entertain along their journeys with wicked fun and/or satisfaction. Good triumphs over evil, but if not audiences at least had an entertaining ride. Pascal Laugier‘s Martyrs takes a different approach. To be sure, the film’s first half features some intensely creepy scenes as a young woman is stalked by nightmarish, razor-wielding figure, but the film satisfies in a wholly unique and brutal way. Ignore the garbage people who call the film “torture porn,” and know that while it features harsh, painful scenes of abuse it does so in a tale that shocks, surprises, and lands with an emotional gut punch. Themes of guilt, sacrifice, and mortality are explored in ways no other film has attempted, and it succeeds through the power of its lead performances, the visceral beauty of its cinematography, and the unrelenting power of its message. – Rob Hunter

 

40. The Legend of Hell House (1973, UK)

 

 

When it comes to horror movies, ones about haunted houses are even more ubiquitous than those featuring vampires or zombies. It’s due as much to the simplicity of plot as to the inexpensiveness of the effects (turns out showing “nothing” is a pretty cheap effect), but while most are content with straightforward tales of hauntings and restless spirits, this film — and its source material, Richard Matheson‘s equally excellent Hell House — goes the extra mile with its narrative. Our “ghost” is given a fantastically cruel story, our mix of visitors to the house is eclectic (and brought to beautiful life by the likes of Roddy McDowall and Pamela Franklin), and the supernatural world is met with a scientific approach to the natural one. The subject of ghosts is approached in a reasonable, rational way, and it serves to both fascinate and lower our guard as viewers — things are less frightening when we think we understand them. It’s here, though, where the film and director John Hough (Twins of Evil) unleash their greatest trick yet by terrifying and educating us anew. Ghosts, the film argues, are every bit as real as science, but that doesn’t make them any less frightening. – Rob Hunter

 

 

39. Audition (1999, Japan)

 

 

Director Takashi Miike released his 100th feature film this year, and in the time it took you to read this sentence he’s probably completed another two. He’s made several great ones along the way, but while surprisingly few of them can be categorized as horror this one alone secures his place on our list. It’s a masterful lesson in patience and pacing as the film’s first half gives no hint of the bizarre turns and painful events to come, and if you haven’t seen it yet then please stop reading and rectify that immediately. It introduces themes of loneliness with its main character, a man essentially auditioning women in his pursuit of a new wife, and in one of the women who respond. There’s a pathos to both as most of us can empathize with their emotional isolation, and that connection to their pain only heightens the far more visceral suffering that follows. It’s creepy, unsettling, and disturbing, and it’s all the more unforgettable for it. – Rob Hunter

 

 

38. Evil Dead II (1987, USA)

 

 

Ask me any random day and I’m not sure I’d have the same answer for which of Sam Raimi’s deadite trilogy should be at the top. The original Evil Dead is a world of pure, low-budget, cabin-in-the-woods horror. That pencil in the ankle? The way they torque that pencil once it’s in there. I wince every time. Army of Darkness is a full-on period piece of comedy horror filled with legendary quips, glorious stop-motion, and gonzo demon fighting. Evil Dead II is the best of both worlds. It’s Bruce Campbell coming into his own. The laughing scene in Evil Dead II may be my favorite in the trilogy. Brought beyond his capacity to cope, we witness his descent into madness. If it ain’t fun, it’s funny. And if it isn’t funny, it’s hilarious. There’s genuine dread. That scene wouldn’t work without Campbell shining or Raimi operating on all cylinders. Campbell makes Ash feel so very human, even as he chops off his own deadite infected hand. Evil Dead II makes me afraid of my basement, but also leaves me giggling as I descend the stairs. Perfection. – William Dass

 

 

37. The Wicker Man (1973, UK)

 

 

Despite being bastardized by Nicolas Cage’s 2006 version of the film, 1973’s The Wicker Man still holds up as one of the most bizarre explorations of isolation and cults. With Cinefantastique describing it as ‘the Citizen Kane of horror movies,’ the film offers more than jump scares and gory images, instead diving into the mind of Edward Woodward’s Sargent Howie. To continue with the Citizen Kane comparison, in The Wicker Man it’s not our protagonist who’s the Welles-like figure, but Christopher Lee’s haunting Lord Summerisle. Playing the role after his series of Hammer horrors as Count Dracula, Lee’s quietly menacing presence adds the initial dark tone to the film. As Sargent Howie spirals deeper into the world of Summerisle, he is faced with temptations of sex, lust, desire, and – in a particular blow to his devout Christian ways – paganism. – Sinead McCausland

 

 

36. The Innocents (1961, UK)

 

 

There’s something deeply unsettling about having young children singing. It goes double when that starts before the opening credits even begin. Combining that singing with the striking imagery of Deborah Kerr praying in the darkness and you’ve got the chills right away. The Innocents sees Kerr accept a job as a governess. She is to care for two children because their uncle has no feelings for his niece and nephew. That doesn’t sound like too difficult of a task except these children aren’t normal. Their previous governess died suddenly one year ago under strange circumstances. The children are in turn possessed by the former governess and her lover, who were in an abusive relationship. The Innocents is an eerie B&W horror film from director Jack Clayton, which lives on due to its creepy performances and memorable atmosphere. – Max Covill

 

 

35. Under the Skin (2013, UK)

 

 

The internet likes to argue about everything, and when it comes to genre movies, one of the favorite topics for the cantankerous is the idea of what is and isn’t a horror film. For me, it comes down to movies that intend to scare, unsettle, or disturb (whether through ideas or images), and to that end, Jonathan Glazer‘s Under the Skin is one hell of a horror film. Ostensibly the story of an alien being that comes to earth to suck the very essence from male human victims, it eschews the campy T&A of something like Species to instead explore sexuality, identity, and loneliness while still racking up a body count and delivering memorable visuals, an eerie atmosphere (credit in part here to Mica Levi‘s haunting score), and scenes of real terror. One comes at the end, but an earlier one set on a cold, windy beach still haunts me years after my first viewing. – Rob Hunter

 

 

34. The Orphanage (2007, Spain)

 

 

There are some first viewings you never forget, and this is certainly the case with JA Boyana’s The Orphanage. There’s a reason it features on every single “Best Plot Twist” list. Laura returns to her childhood home, a remote, gothic beachfront orphanage, to reopen it as a home for children with learning difficulties, along with her son Simón, who suffers from HIV. But things begin to fall apart when Simón’s proclivity for imaginary friends goes from cute to “fuck that, ” and the house starts giving off some serious “haunted by the restless souls of orphans” vibes. Steeped in a deeply horrible and potent sense of loss, The Orphanage will leave you cursing whatever cinematic genius realized how terrifying kids could be. – Meg Shields

 

 

33. 28 Days Later (2002, UK)

 

 

How fast does a zombie move? With 28 Days Later, the shuffling zombies of yesteryear made way for the new standard of zombie horror—the sprinter. But while some horror movies take a little while to build up the terror, Danny Boyle‘s modern zombie trendsetter is unsettling from the get-go. With its unforgettable opening of Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up in an abandoned hospital and then wandering around an equally empty London, with iconic landmarks such as Big Ben and the London Eye looming in the background, 28 Days Later has you thoroughly creeped before the Olympic speed zombies even show up on screen. – Ciara Wardlow

 

 

32. The Devil’s Backbone (2001, Spain)

 

 

“What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again.” Guillermo Del Toro has little interest in the poltergeist out to gobble and ghoul. As he has proven film after film, the director sides with those that go bump in the night. Set amidst the real-life horror of the Spanish Civil War, a group of children is made aware of the terrible threat that lurks amongst them thanks to the spiritual guidance of a phantasm. The Devil’s Backbone is a somber mood piece that picks at the melancholy of childhood and terrorizes only through the treachery of man. Cinematographer Guillermo Navaro captures the amber in which these kids are trapped; the yellow walls of the orphanage stretching into a hopeless prison around a seemingly endless desert. This is not a horror interested in screeching violin strings or jump scares (although a few of those are present), Del Toro is there to crush your heart over your nerves. – Brad Gullickson

 

 

31. The Witch (2015, USA)

 

 

Robert Eggers’ directorial debut is both an aesthetically audacious exercise in composition and an inky black New England nightmare, a multilevel miracle of first-time filmmaking. The film’s rigorous design work–a holy trinity of near-perfect sound, sets, and costumes–makes it a pleasure to behold, even as the creeping “folktale” about a banished Puritan family and the witch that may haunt them becomes increasingly difficult to watch with eyes wide open. Twisted religious and superstitious imagery–a goat’s glinting eye, a choking forbidden fruit, a grim, candlelit last supper-create real jolts of fear, but it’s the threat of teenage Thomasin’s (Anna Taylor-Joy) emerging womanhood, and her sinful craving for agency, that scares her devout family more than anything. The film’s unnerving conclusion is an unexpected, shivery delight, elevating The Witch beyond easy categorization and catapulting it into a spot in horror history. – Valerie Ettenhofer 

 

 

30. Pulse (2001, Japan)

 

 

As mentioned in the introduction, horror movies don’t need to be scary (or even try to be scary) to qualify as horror. That said, it’s always appreciated when a film tries and succeeds in that regard anyway. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s beginning of the millennium thriller achieves this in spades and manages to frighten and unsettle without the need for lazy jump scares or loud noises. Scenes build, images appear, and your eyes widen as your arm hairs stand on end. You’ve never seen shadows used so well and so terrifyingly. Well, this feat would be enough to merit its greatness, Kurosawa elevates his film further with a prescient observation on humanity’s addiction to our precious social media and electronic devices. It’s still a ghost story, but while individual spirits appear it’s every bit an apocalyptic recognition of a dying species. – Rob Hunter

 

 

29. The Fly (1986, USA)

 

 

On paper, the premise of The Fly is simple: an eccentric scientist’s experiment goes wrong, and he slowly turns into a fly-hybrid creature. A gory remake of an old classic. In practice, the film offers a special effects tour-de-force and a deeply unsettling and effective tragedy about what it’s like to watch a loved one slip into disease. Like much of David Cronenberg’s fare, The Fly is an entertaining, but not necessarily enjoyable watch (it’s the fingernail scene that does me in). But for a film that relies so much on its effects, this is not gore qua gore, but rather a natural and recognizable expression of all the pathos and horror bound up in corporeal decrepitude. Also, learn from my mistakes: don’t eat while watching. – Meg Shields

 

 

28. The Descent (2005, UK)

 

 

The Descent is the story of a group of adventuring gal pals who go spelunking to help a grieving one of their number relax. Because when I hear “tight enclosed spaces that have restricted entrances and exits” I think “excellent place find your zen.” The fact that the cave is crawling with flesh-eating humanoids is incidental to the fact that caves are a waking nightmare in their own right. The vast majority of the butt-clenching, horrifying nonsense in this movie has jack-all to do with monsters. They certainly don’t help though. The Descent gets big ups for being one of cinema’s only all-female spoken screenplays and for ravaging my imagination with the phrase: “uncharted cave system.” – Meg Shields

 

 

27. Re-Animator (1985, USA)

 

 

This movie is so perfectly madcap bonkers it’s impossible not to feel the impish joy in this imagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s story. The honest truth is the film is gross, but it is bursting with playfulness. You couldn’t have more fun watching a dead cat get re-re-animated. There’s a scene where a re-animated decapitated doctor places his head between the legs of the very naked, very captive Megan (Barbara Crampton). This production owned its lasciviousness. A genuine horror comedy is hard to get right, especially one that is so perverse. Jeffrey Combs, as mad scientist Herbert Gordon, and Crampton’s chemistry with Stuart Gordon’s script and direction is unmistakable. Re-Animator succeeds on that connection. Despite its grossness, it is fun to watch. And, it’s probably why they teamed up again to make From Beyond. They make fire. What else to say? Cat’s dead, details later. – William Dass

 

 

26. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, USA)

 

 

Jack Finney‘s novel, The Body Snatchers, has been brought to the big screen no fewer than four times, but while all but 2007’s The Invasion have their merits it’s Philip Kaufman‘s late 70s version that delivers a perfect blend of sci-fi thrills, horrifying chills, and a still-harrowing sense of fear and paranoia. Creepily effective special effects work compliment Kaufman’s direction, the less and less bustling San Francisco locale, and stellar performances by the likes of Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Brooke Adams. The story is already enough to frighten as friends and neighbors are essentially xeroxed and discarded like trash with hollow replicas taking their place, and themes of conformity and group-think double down on the terror leading to one of the genre’s great endings. Who do you turn to when you can only trust yourself? Certainly not a member of the Sutherland clan. – Rob Hunter

 

 

25. Frankenstein (1931, USA)

 

 

The monster, the film, the legend. With all due respect to Mary Shelley, the Frankenstein tale as we know it starts here. The James Whale helmed classic codified the monster—the neck bolts, the stilted walk—and the narrative—the hunchbacked assistant, the abnormal brain, “it’s alive!”. To a modern viewer, Frankenstein might seem cheesy or somewhat overrated, but that’s largely because the film has spent the past 86 years being constantly homaged, spoofed, and variously referenced in popular culture. Love it or hate it, it’s a founding father of the horror film genre, and calling yourself a bona fide horror buff without seeing it is something like calling yourself a theater expert without having read any Shakespeare plays. – Ciara Wardlow

 

 

24. [Rec] (2007, Spain)

 

 

A documentary team gets more then they bargained for when they accidentally end up on the wrong side of a quarantine and find themselves trapped alongside the building’s residents as the infection continues to spread. Found footage has become somewhat of a dirty word and [REC] is frequently, rightfully, cited as the exception. [REC] never cheats its format, never is anything but a subjective, claustrophobic viewpoint of calamity. By the time the final act rolls around you’ve been wound up tighter than a screw. And the payoff is excellent, earned, and might just scare your pants off. The first time I watched [REC] was in a bright sunny living room and it still had me squirming. – Meg Shields

 

 

23. The Night of the Hunter (1955, USA)

 

 

Comedy and horror employ many of the same tricks for very different ends. Both art forms create tension until the viewer cannot take it anymore, then the tension is relieved either through a punch line or a scare. When Steve Martin was starting out as a stand-up comic, he theorized that if he built up enough comedic pressure in the audience but never relieved it with a punch line, the audience would have to decide for themselves when to laugh. This is essentially the same theory Charles Laughton applied in his horror film The Night of the Hunter. The 1955 cult classic is a truly horrifying movie, but it doesn’t have a lot of what comes to mind when you think of a horror flick. It doesn’t have blood and guts, but it will leave you nauseous. It doesn’t have exploitative jump scares, but you will get that sudden shooting sensation up your spine.

Like Martin’s stand-up comedy, tension is built up throughout the movie, but Laughton never tells the audience where to jump, scream, or look away. The effect is an unrelenting sense of dread throughout the entire film. The most noticeable commonality between this film and other great horror movies is the creation of a disturbing villain with iconic calling cards. Jason has his hockey mask and machete, Freddy has his fedora and knife glove, and The Night of the Hunter’s monster, Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), has his switchblade and “LOVE” and “HATE” tattoos on his knuckles. An additional reason this film is one of the best horror movies ever made is because it has the ability to tap into the familiar feeling of helplessness in ways few other films do. The lyrical style of storytelling allows for the audience to check their “ugh why is that character not running away from the monster faster” comments at the door. Watching this film is like watching your own personal nightmare in which you cannot escape an unrelenting disturbing presence no matter how much you think you should be able to. It’s the nightmare where nothing really happens, and that’s what’s so unsettling about it—everything is feeling and nothing is revealed. – Cooper Peltz

 

 

22. Suspiria (1977, Italy)

 

 

Audiences are familiar with traditional masters of horror such as Hitchcock, Carpenter, and Craven. They might not be as familiar with Dario Argento. Best known for his work in the subgenre known as giallo, Argento made countless Italian horror features. Perhaps none are as well-known as Suspiria. As the first part of a trilogy Argento calls “The Three Mothers”, Suspiria follows the plight of American ballet student Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper). She believes that she is going to be receiving world-class instruction at a dance studio but soon finds something not quite right with the Tanz Dance Academy. Suspiria is known primarily for its production design and cinematography that emphasizes striking colors and set design straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Also helping is the terrific score by Italian prog rock band Goblin and the performance from Harper. Suspiria is unlike many horror movies and is truly a fantasy induced nightmare. – Max Covill

 

 

21. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, USA)

 

 

I was born in the early 80s, but I didn’t catch this classic until recently. When I went to check it out, I assumed it would be much the same fair as many other classic 80s horror movies. I was expecting “Welcome to Prime Time” Freddy. I know, silly me. Freddy is terrifying, and this film is very much pure nightmare fuel. The shot of the angled ceiling over Nancy’s bed as Freddy flexes against the membrane to our reality immediately became one of my all time favorite cinema moments. Nancy is tough, resourceful, clever and rightfully terrified. Freddy is the nightmare man. Thirty three years on and those effects still kill; from the blood explosion, to the nightmare arms, to the bath tub, to that ceiling shot, to all the kills. This film anchors the most consistently high quality horror franchise. What else to say? Wes Craven was the best. – William Dass

 

 

20. Dawn of the Dead (1978, USA)

 

 

Watching Dawn of the Dead for the first time might be underwhelming for some. If for no other reason than to witnesses just how much has been copied and ripped-off from the horror classic. Every signature beat of this film has been seen elsewhere since its release whether that is the form of video games, television shows, or other zombie films. Dawn of the Dead is the iconic start of many zombie tropes we see today. The film takes place years after the events of Night of the Living Dead and follows four survivors as the try to make a life for themselves inside an abandoned shopping mall. While director George Romero’s previous work was in B&W, Dawn of the Dead is in full gory color. Behind the effects was Tom Savini, whose work was instrumental in capturing the horror of the zombie apocalypse. Outside of the blood and gore, Dawn of the Dead worked as a social commentary on material processions. There’s no question of Dawn of the Dead’s influence on the genre and how it remains a cornerstone of horror films to this day. – Max Covill

 

 

19. Let the Right One In (2008, Sweden)

 

 

This Swedish original, directed by Tomas Alfredson, is a quiet look at a young, isolated boy, Oskar (Kare Hedebrant). He’s bullied and has no real connections. In fact, he’s starting to develop some troublesome behaviors. Then, Oskar finds solace in the company of a new arrival. A young girl, Eli (Lina Leandersson), who is also a loner. And, unfortunately for that town, a vampire. Despite this being a vampire movie, we spend most of our time with Oskar. Alfredson wants you to focus on Oskar and understand him. After all, he’s considering becoming the companion of a vampire. We really should have more movies about Renfields. He does give you details and plot points outside of Oskar’s experience, but my read on the film says Oskar’s choice is the one we’re meant to focus on. In fact, in one of the most violent scenes in the film, the camera stays with Oskar, hidden under water, as Eli lays waste to his tormentors. We really only see the aftermath. A missed opportunity to go full gore, or a desire to force you to consider Oskar’s perspective? If you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil the ending. I’ll just leave you with the question that keeps me interested in this film long after the credits roll: is this a happy ending? – William Dass

 

 

18. The Babadook (2014, Australia)

 

 

Ba ba dook! Give me more of that gravelly, distorted monster growl. BA BA DOOK! Let them hear it in the back. DOOK DOOK DOOK! Real talk, writer/director Jennifer Kent made one of the best films of that year. A single mom is dealing with major behavioral issues with her son. As her son’s birthday (also the anniversary of the car accident that killed her husband) approaches, the family begins to break. Mother and son descend into madness and chaos. Is this the work of an otherworldy pop-up book monster brought to life? Or, maybe it’s just a tooth infection. At the end, it’s more than a jump-scare-in-the-bedroom flick. Each of it’s many interpretations works back to the very singular theme of dealing with the long term consequences of loss and grief. Essie Davis is brilliant as the mom, and Noah Wiseman was deeply impressive as the son. The film is as terrifying as it is moving. For that, my new found fear of the dark corners of my room is as unabiding as the empathy I have for that family. – William Dass

 

 

17. Shaun of the Dead (2004, UK)

 

 

Shaun of the Dead is Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s first film, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at it. The first of the now-historic Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, it remains my favorite (of the trilogy and, possibly, of all films). Shaun of the Dead is a lot of things — a pitch-perfect love letter to the horror genre, a tightly written and even more tightly edited comedy, and a very real examination of love, friendship, and adulthood. It’s also genuinely a little scary. It could be said that Shaun of the Dead has something for everyone, but it’s maybe more appropriate to say that it has everything for anyone. It’s a fantastic film that happens to double as a horror movie, not the other way around. – Liz Baessler

 

 

16. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Germany)

 

 

Arguably one of the most influential horror films of all time, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari‘s legacy is one of style and storytelling that goes far beyond the confines of silent cinema. Chilling settings, production design, and makeup help make this film scary even for today’s audiences. – Emily Kubincanek

 

 

15. The Exorcist (1973, USA)

 

 

When young Regan’s disturbing behavior begins to escalate, her mother calls upon the help of two priests. What an excellent day for an exorcism. Whether you think it’s a straight-up horror movie, a psychological thriller, a meditation on faith, or some unholy combination of all three, one thing’s for sure: The Exorcist is unnerving as all hell. For me, the other shoe drops the moment the gargling, satanic vocal stylings of Mercedes McCambridge enter the picture. Whichever way the wind blows for you personally, to watch The Exorcist is to enter into a theological battleground and all the pain, puke, and trauma that entails. – Meg Shields

 

 

14. Poltergeist (1982, USA)

 

 

Proof a horror movie doesn’t need an R rating. In fact, it can be PG and scar you for life with well-executed scenes involving clown dolls, rotting meat, rotting faces, man-eating trees, long-legged skeletons in the closet, actual skeletons in the unfinished pool and so much more. Of course, Poltergeist would be at least PG-13 if made today, but it’s still one of the scariest movies for any age, feeding on universal fears about home and family whether you’re 5 or 50. Beneath the incredible practical effects is a very strong narrative foundation. Whoever really directed it, the movie works first because it does a good job of balancing children’s and adults’ perspectives of a haunted house with terror escalating to levels that have yet to be topped. – Christopher Campbell

 

 

13. Night of the Living Dead (1968, USA)

 

 

Night of the Living Dead helped usher in so many classic horror tropes: the house as fortress, the fight for the role of patriarch , the “Oh no! The phones are broken!”, and of course the moral of many zombie films: emotion is your worst enemy. And of course, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the film was made at the height of the civil rights movement. George Romero claims that the casting of Duane Jones, the black actor in the lead role — the last man standing until he’s fatally shot by the police – was totally random and was simply because Jones gave the best audition. Yeah, ok, George… – Sarah Foulkes

 

 

12. The Cabin In the Woods (2012, USA)

 

 

Meta horror is one of the quickest ways to derail a film, but when talented filmmakers make it work (Wes Craven’s Scream) the results can be magical. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s incredibly smart, funny, and creative love letter to horror films is one of those rare successes in the way it deconstructs genre tropes in brilliant ways while still delivering a masterfully entertaining genre film. Incredibly sharp writing spins an apocalyptic tale built on horror film history, and the death and mayhem is paired with wonderfully designed creatures and scenes of bloodletting. Not content with delivering a great and gory horror movie, Goddard and Whedon also layer it with laughs both big and wise. Neither half intrudes on the other, and instead the horror and comedy blend seamlessly together to terrific effect. – Rob Hunter

 

 

11. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, USA)

 

 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is “an exercise in the pornography of terror.” At least that is what James Ferman of the British Board of Film Certification called the film. He meant to criticize the film, but man is that a compliment to a horror movie. It’s got all the teenager interest sparking buzzwords like porn and terror. Plus, its a rebuke from a film rating board. However, what separates the film from the pack of pretenders is not only that it was the game-changing first, but that it is the best. The film doesn’t just elicit an emotional response it demands it. Whether its the dark humor of the dinner scene, the horror of Leatherface’s initial reveal, or the relief when our blood-soaked final girl scrambles away. Over 40 years later, Tobe Hooper‘s classic slasher is still a visceral experience of bodily horror. The iconography is so entrenched in our collective fear that a chainsaw is the most nefarious sounding power tool cluttering the aisle of your local hardware store. While Silence of the Lambs had Hannibal Lecter turned cannibalism bourgeoisie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre wriggled it around the Texas dirt like pigs. That’s the beauty of the film; its violence is tactile. Close at hand in the corridors of the Sawyer family home, unprepared hippies beware. – Francesca Fau 

 

 

10. An American Werewolf in London (1981, USA)

 

 

Leave it to John Landis to throw ’80s John Hughes charm and The Howling in a blender. After an animal attack leaves him mutilated and his best friend dead, a young American backpacker becomes a werewolf. Featuring extraordinary special effects by Rick Baker (who won the first official makeup Oscar as a result), the scene where David transforms in agony to the tune of “Blue Moon” is as lucid and poetic as it is absolutely horrifying. That and David’s undead victims cheerfully urging that he commit suicide before he kills again (“thank you, you’re all so thoughtful”). Offering some truly frightening practical effects for a horror comedy, American Werewolf in London is a howling good time. – Meg Shields

 

 

9. Scream (1996, USA)

 

 

By the mid-nineties, there was no denying that horror was getting played out; creature features, Hitchcockian thrillers, B-movies, cult and camp, and teen slashers had all been done to death. Then Wes Craven’s Scream flipped the script by taking meta-horror mainstream, proving that one can make a scary movie and make fun of scary movies at the same time. The killer’s film-buff-baiting question, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” and Drew Barrymore’s prompt disembowelment kicked off a franchise that has so far included three sequels and a TV series. For horror fans, so much of the joy of Scream comes from seeing genre tropes (virgins live, partiers die, and for the love of god, don’t split up) deconstructed by teens with way better survival skills than most slasher protagonists. The original cast, including Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Skeet Ulrich, and Rose McGowan, have the best group chemistry of any ‘90s horror ensemble, and keep the And Then There Were None-but-in-high-school plot fun and freaky. – Valerie Ettenhofer

 

 

8. Bride of Frankenstein (1935, USA)

 

 

There aren’t many sequels that truly surpass a great original. Movies such as Godfather 2 or Terminator 2 are rare examples of that feat. Certainly, James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. Continuing moments after the original Frankenstein, Bride continues the story of Dr. Frankenstein and his misunderstood creature. Frankenstein is willing to forget his devious crime of reanimating the dead, but his old mentor Doctor Septimus Pretorius has other plans in mind. He wants to continue Frankenstein’s work and create a Bride for Frankenstein’s creature. Bride of Frankenstein hits many of the same notes as the original but continues the story in an organic way that makes a ton of sense. It stands as the crown jewel of the Universal Monsters movies and an ingenious sequel. – Max Covill

 

 

7. Alien (1979, USA)

 

 

With so many slasher films, you wonder why the terrorized parties don’t just run as fast they can out of the situation. What makes Alien particularly scary is the idea that the Nostromo crew have nowhere to go. They’re on a spaceship in which a sneaky monster is out to kill for its own evolutionary survival. And yes, Alien is basically a slasher movie in space, with Ripley being more final girl than action heroine in her first installment. But it’s not just a proto Jason X, as the movie is also pure science fiction, as well, with its believable scenario of a blue-collar space mission, bureaucratic android, and the wonder of life beyond our galaxy — emphasizing the fear and danger of the unknown that comes along with the curiosity. – Christopher Campbell

 

 

6. The Shining (1980, USA)

 

 

Stanley Kubrick’s smorgasbord of horror is perhaps the only non-franchise film that has inspired enough imitators, documentaries, recuts, and homage episodes to populate a multi-day viewing marathon–plus a horror film festival set at two of its iconic hotels to boot. The story, based on one of Stephen King’s earliest novels, is creepy in itself, overstuffed with silent twins, waterfalls of blood, a sweet-but-spooky psychic kid, and much more. But with Kubrick’s deliberate pacing, John Alcott’s vivid cinematography, and Jack Nicholson’s frenzied performance, the surreal, claustrophobic experience builds to a perfect fever pitch. Every moment of this movie, from “Here’s Johnny!” to “REDRUM” to “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” have been co-opted as pop cultural signifiers that seem unlikely to ever die, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. – Valerie Ettenhofer

 

 

5. Rosemary’s Baby (1968, USA)

 

 

An adaptation of Ira Levin’s best-selling novel of the same name, Roman Polanski’s first foray into Hollywood is a masterclass in paranoia and satanic panic. When it was released in 1968, Anton LaVey and his Church of Satan were in the mainstream consciousness and inciting fear of devil-worship among concerned citizens. Polanski’s film tapped into this hysteria marvelously, thus creating a timely nerve-shredding conspiracy thriller told from the point-of-view of a petrified, pregnant, protagonist. Polanski successfully puts the viewer in her shoes and we experience her ordeal as the horror unfolds. The movie also inspired the satanic cult subgenre of the 1970s, which is another reason to be thankful for the existence of Rosemary’s Baby. – Kieran Fisher

 

 

4. Halloween (1978, USA)

 

 

In the late 70’s, director John Carpenter was hired to direct a horror film intended to have the same impact as The Exorcist. With the assistance of then-girlfriend Debra Hill, Carpenter got to work on a script titled The Babysitter Murders. Fortunately, that awful title was scrapped and replaced with Halloween and a legend was born. Michael Myers is the villain of Halloween, but the film is less about a serial killer than what he represents. Michael is pure evil — and pure evil needs no motive and cannot be stopped. It was only his third feature, but Carpenter showed he had already mastered the craft. The film’s minuscule budget of $300,000 could’ve been a hindrance, but Carpenter used it to his advantage. This isn’t an overly violent and bloody slasher. There are no disposable characters here. When there is a kill it serves a purpose, it means something and it creates a beautiful rhythm and pace to the movie. It wasn’t the first and it certainly wasn’t the last, but when it comes to slashers Halloween is a cut above the rest. – Chris Coffel

 

 

3. Jaws (1975, USA)

 

 

“It’s all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, ‘Huh? What?’ You yell shark, we’ve got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.” It’s the simplest and most elemental of fears. There’s an infinite ocean resting just outside your doorstep, and escaping the horrors of your daily life is as easy as plunging into its cool graces. Clothes optional. But what evil lurks beneath its welcoming, warm waters? Nature. Hungry, and without remorse for your attachment to dogs or children. Steven Spielberg established himself as one of our great, populist directors by embracing B-Movie schlock with A-Movie craft. Jaws earns its fears through the aquaphobic police chief at its center. In witnessing Brody’s failure to save the Kintner boy from the belly of the beast we immediately relate to his sense of shame, and the eventual mission to hunt down the monster. He may need a bigger boat, but at least he has a couple of miscreants mad enough to join him on this venture. When John Williams’ relentlessly iconic score finally pays off with that chum chomping maw we’re all ready to face down the leviathan with Chief Brody. Horror gives way to heroism and it has to be one of the most satisfying climaxes in movie history. “Smile, you son of a bitch.” – Brad Gullickson

 

 

2. Psycho (1960, USA)

 

 

Alfred Hitchcock’s roadside motel classic is a masterwork in suspense and structure, a film school staple that’s both technically flawless and narratively fulfilling. Anthony Perkins is hypnotizing as Norman Bates, the iconic disturbed motel manager with major mommy issues, and Janet Leigh deserves praise for an impressive performance that goes beyond the infamous shower scene she’s remembered for. Psycho is at its core a study in duality, so perhaps it’s appropriate that, with its 1960 release, it denotes a fissure between the candy-colored Hollywood hits of the 1950s and the emergence of the newer, edgier film diaspora of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Psycho isn’t often considered Hitchock’s best (that title usually goes to Vertigo), but its potent mix of visual misdirection, precisely orchestrated suspense, and powerful, lived-in performances can’t be beat. – Valerie Ettenhofer

 

 

1. The Thing (1982, USA)

 

 

News of remakes is typically met with derision sight unseen, and while Hollywood has earned than cynicism over the years even a casual glance at some of cinema’s best and most memorable films reveals more than a few remakes among their ranks. Our list here features four, and each stands not only against the original but also proudly in the genre itself. Like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, John Carpenter‘s 1982 fusion of horror and sci-fi builds much of its fear and tension through ideas of paranoia and mistrust, but its minimal cast of characters and isolated locale add an extra layer of hopelessness. Toss in a mesmerizing cast of performers (including Kurt Russell in his third of five collaborations with Carpenter) and a master-class in practical effects from Rob Bottin that still captivates to this day, and you have an endlessly suspenseful and thrilling experience. Ignored upon release, as great works of art sometimes are, the film has long since come to be revered for the classic it is. Whether viewed as a remake or simply as a new adaptation of John W. Campbell Jr.’s short story, the movie remains a masterpiece. – Rob Hunter