For this list, everything that’s scary is fair game. We’ve included horror classics and newer genre favorites. This list is updated regularly.
1. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried star in Juno Oscar winner Diablo Cody and The Invitation helmer Karyn Kusama‘s teen horror comedy about a high school hottie possessed by a demon, and the girl who vows to stop her reign of carnage. Critical and commercial disappointment upon release, now a widely admired cult classic.
2. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Directed, photographed, edited and co-written by George A. Romero, then a kid in his mid-20s, this minimalist frightfest about a siege of zombies in Western Pennsylvania pushed the limits of explicit gore. What’s more, it played around the U.S. as a kiddie matinee when it first came out because the modern rating system hadn’t yet been put into place. Renowned today for its social commentary as well as its ability to scare the living daylights out of people, this was the top-grossing film in Europe in 1969, and it earned nearly 300 times its budget during its initial release. In 1999, the Library of Congress selected Night of the Living Dead for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” and in 2001 the American Film Institute named it one of the most heart-pounding movies ever made. The graphic violence and the utterly depressing, nihilistic ending are still shocking after 50 years. To be fair, Romero one-upped himself a decade later: 1978’s Dawn of the Dead remains, to this day, the best zombie film ever made.
3. Let The Right One In (1972)
All at once tender and scary, delicate and badass, this now-iconic Swedish coming-of-age fable with a lot of gore is an adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s 2004 novel about a horrifically bullied 12-year-old who befriends a vampire. No one asked for the American remake Let Me In…and then it turned out to be shockingly great.
4. Suspiria (2018)
Luca Guadagnino‘s wildly divisive remake starring Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton is far more dance-heavy than its predecessor (it certainly has time to be, with a full hour added to the runtime), with some seriously icky, even sexualized body horror. Some critics said the reimagining was bold and brilliant; others called it a pretentious slog. You be the judge.
5. The Neon Demon (2016)
In Nicolas Winding Refn‘s followup to the phenomenal Drive and the stylish-but-empty Only God Forgives, Elle Fanning stars as a fresh-faced small-town teen who braves Los Angeles in her search of supermodel stardom. The Neon Demon is pulpy, stylized within an inch of its life. It’s gobsmacking on the surface, with very little if anything going on underneath that. Perhaps that’s the point? The Neon Demon costars Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote and the underrated, super-charismatic Abbey Lee Kershaw.
6. Candyman (2021)
Arguably the second-best cinematic Clive Barker adaptation (Hellraiser being top banana), Bernard Rose’s supernatural thriller starred Virginia Madsen as a scholar who discovers a folk legend, about an undead evil with a hook for a hand (Tony Todd), is all too real. A box-office and critical hit, Nia DaCosta’s remake is now on Prime.
7. Hellraiser (1987)
How is this movie over 35 years old?! Perhaps the most notorious horror movie to come out of Britain since Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, Clive Barker’s body horror tale of resurrection initially received the X rating from the MPAA before getting a few cuts–or, shall we say, slices. Hellraiser received wildly mixed reviews upon release, but everyone agreed the film’s unyieldingly serious tone was unlike anything in popular horror at the time, as the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series were getting increasingly goofier. The practical effects still dazzle and the phantasmagorically gory violence still shocks today. That relentlessly serious tone has rendered the film a bit campy at times, though if anything that adds to the charm and just makes it an even more enjoyable enterprise overall. Hellraiser has earned its place in the pantheon of horror, and it will definitely freak you out.
8. Open Water (2003)
A superior shark movie, Open Water is loosely based on the real-life disappearance of a married couple, who went missing after their scuba-diving expedition crew failed to take an accurate headcount. Ebert gave Open Water a highly positive review, saying the film had a “physical effect” on him, and that after watching it, he felt the need to go walk around in sunshine for a while to feel better and recalibrate. You’ve been warned.
9. Goodnight Mommy (2022)
A blood chiller from Austria, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s 2014 close-quarters thriller of the same name centered on a mother and her twin boys is not what it seems. The filmmakers returned in fine form with 2020’s underrated The Lodge starring Riley Keough (now streaming on Hulu). Starring Naomi Watts, the American remake is now streaming exclusively in Prime.
10. Train to Busan (2016)
A slam-dunk mashup of genres from South Korea, Sang-ho Yeon’s Train to Busan is the freshest zombie film in at least a decade. Yoo Gong stars as a selfish workaholic who becomes trapped aboard a speeding train along with his estranged daughter and several strangers during an outbreak. No need to be wary of the subtitles, once Train to Busan gets warmed up, it never relents. Though the film is scary, gross, funny and sad–everything you want a zombie flick to be–it perhaps works best as an action film. Yeon stages set piece after thrilling set piece with kinetic energy and inventiveness that put several American summer blockbusters to shame. The biggest reason the movie clicks is the attention to character; this is a touching and well-acted father-daughter story, only with a lot of blood and guts as an added bonus. Next
11. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Jonathan Demme‘s classic psychological horror film based on the popular book by Thomas Harris stars Jodie Foster as FBI trainee Clarice Starling. As a serial killer sweeps the midwest, Starling seeks the help of incarcerated Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), resulting in a “quid pro quo” tête-à-tête that’s become Hollywood legend.The Silence of the Lambs is one of three movies in history to win the “Big Five” Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best [Adapted] Screenplay, Best Director). The American Film Institute named it the fifth most suspenseful movie in history in their “100 Years, 100 Thrills” list of cinema’s most heart-pounding movies. In their 2003 special, “100 Heroes and Villains,” Clarice Starling was named the sixth all-time greatest screen hero ever; Lecter was named cinema’s all-time most unforgettable villain.
12. The Wailing (2016)
A gem from South Korea, Hong-jin Na‘s sprawling and operatic mind-bender about a demon who terrorizes a small mountain village is many kinds of horror film rolled into one. This is a zombie movie, a ghost story and an exorcism film–and it excels as all of those, but these aren’t just empty thrills. Na is a virtuoso filmmaker; The Chaser (2008) was an instant classic psychological thriller, and The Yellow Sea (2010) is a crime drama that Martin Scorsese would be proud of. With The Wailing, Na has crafted a horror film on a scale that Hollywood rarely even attempts, a lush spectacle that takes its time, develops strong characters and isn’t afraid to be uncompromisingly weird. Well GO Usa The centerpiece of the film is an exorcism sequence–and if you think you’ve seen every exorcism scene movies have to offer, prepare to be surprised. This is an electrifying cross-cutting of two rituals, a vision of roaring fire, bright colors, music and dancing. It’s a widescreen showstopper that’s unlike anything else in the history of the genre. The Wailing runs just shy of three hours long, but its slow-burn sting is worth your patience. The story is wildly unpredictable, and by the end you’ll feel as if you’re in the clutches of evil, like a cold claw is gripping the back of your neck. A signature of Na’s are his unhappy endings; be warned, this is pitch black. Na has a mastery over his craft, and it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood starts remaking these films and/or brings him overseas to direct American movies.
13. Terrifier (2016)
Art the Clown starts here, in Damien Leone’s micro-budgeted slasher about a silent jester type who carves his way through a bunch of teens, in utterly grotesque and stomach-churning fashion, on Halloween night. This is low-brow, to put it mildly—and it’s easy to see why it became a cult hit. Terrifier 2 premiered in 2022 to surprising box-office and critical success.
14. A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
John Krasinski’s much-anticipated (and long-postponed thanks to the pandemic) sequel to his 2018 smash hit critical darling about a post-apocalyptic Earth under siege by giant spider aliens didn’t disappoint, thanks to a keen pivot in character focus, and a uniformly brilliant cast headlined by Emily Blunt. Paramount Pictures Next, check out our ranking of the 100 best movies of all time.
