Greetings, reader!
Well, I've been doing a series of movies-by-genre posts lately, and Halloween happened to fall on a Thursday, so this was a no-brainer - except, I've already done a post on my top 10 favorite horror movies a few years ago! Sure, the ranking has changed a bit over the years, but it's similar enough that it would've felt like a lazy rehash. So, instead, I'm expanding the premise - with absurdly short descriptions to compensate for the long-ass list, these are the 50 best horror movies of all time!
Here are my honorable mentions: Godzilla Raids Again (1955), It: Chapter Two (2019), King Kong (1933), Planet Terror (2007), The Purge: Election Year (2016).
50. Doctor Sleep (2019)
Much like the Doctor Sleep book, this The Shining pseudo-sequel doesn't hold a candle to the original but holds its own with its share of decent scares.
49. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
An atmospheric fusion of the horror and musical genres, yielding memorable results.
48. The Wolf Man (1941)
Some cultural aspects have aged poorly, but other than that, it's a classic horror flick from Hollywood's original monster craze.
47. Friday the 13th Part II (1981)
Many forget that it's this slasher sequel where the fabled Jason Voorhees is the main villain for the first time, so points for that!
46. Salem's Lot (2024)
The brand-new Salem's Lot adaptation doesn't quite nail the atmospheric creepiness of the masterpiece it's based on, but the plot and characters are wonderfully adapted and the horror does get quite intense.
45. Carrie (1976)
The horror isn't even the main point in this psycho-drama, but it's creepy enough and a great adaptation of Stephen King's debut novel.
44. Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
The Conjuring franchise is such an awesome dive into the horror genre's potential that even some of its semi-average instalments made it onto the list.
43. Pet Sematary (2019)
A less faithful adaptation than the original film based on King's scariest book, but out of the two Pet Sematary movies, the newer is undoubtedly the scarier (still doesn't hold a candle to the source material, though).
42. The Babadook (2014)
Would be in the top ten if this was only based on how scary the film is (seriously, Jesus Christ), but being a great horror movie is about more than just that.
41. Hereditary (2018)
Overrated in the grand scheme of things, but definitely a well-directed flick that broke important new ground into the genre.
40. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
"This was somehow both the most cliché horror film and the least cliché horror film I've ever seen"
-My buddy Henrik after we watched The Cabin in the Woods
39. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
A love letter to cinema's greatest slasher franchise, and a welcome return for Jamie Lee Curtis as horror cinema's ultimate 'final girl'.
38. The Vvitch (2015)
Robert Eggers' debut film proves that he did not come to fuck around, but to do his part in reshaping the genre.
37. A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors (1987)
Fun, cheesy and hammy to the maximum, and Freddy Krueger is just such an entertaining and iconic horror antagonist.
36. Us (2019)
Better as a movie than as a horror movie, if that makes sense, but the horror ain't bad either.
35. Christine (1983)
Yet another King adaptation, this is in the very veins of vintage, not-that-scary-but-still-somehow-awesome-horror-cinema cult classics. A great one to balance out a horror marathon.
34. A Quiet Place (2018)
A neat premise that will have you on the edge of your seat!
33. Pet Sematary (1989)
While it's not as intense and frightening as the remake, I appreciate how faithful this one is to the book's plot, and how well it nails the creepy vibes in the build-up phase.
32. Nope (2022)
I always appreciate when a filmmaker finds a new way to do horror, and Jordan Peele seems to invent new methods and subgenres with each of his films - voices and camera angles play a big part here, but not in the usual way.
31. Midsommar (2019)
Ari Aster is a legend for making just the scariest shit in broad daylight, proving that the genre doesn't need darkness and shadows in order to succeed.
30. The Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari (1920)
This one might not have the most intense jump scares or up-to-date visual horror, but being the first horror movie ever made, I'd argue that its influence on aspects of the genre (such as its existence) counts for a lot.
29. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The catalyst of the found-footage subgenre really struck gold, and let's face it, it was all downhill from there (although that one Doctor Who episode is cool as fuck).
28. Annabelle: Creation (2017)
A proper prequel with a uniquely creepy atmosphere, improving greatly on the first Annabelle.
27. Friday the 13th (1980)
Wait, if Jason isn't the killer in the original Friday the 13th, then who is? Watch this campy classic to find out. I'm afraid at lakes at night because of this damn film.
26. Saw (2004)
Horror based on gore and ick almost never works half as well as genuine suspense and creepy atmospheres, but exceptions can be made when you have A) one of the genre's greatest villains, B) one of the genre's best soundtracks and C) the nostalgic value of being the first horror film I ever saw.
25. Halloween II (1981)
Not as groundbreaking as the first but pretty much every bit as good in terms of horror cinema, completing the genre's most awesome double feature.
24. The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter is one of the genre's greatest directors, and he works wonders with this intense-as-hell whodunit.
23. Halloween (2018)
Like H20, but Jamie Lee Curtis gives even less fucks after her second 20-year hiatus, and her ultimate face-off with Michael Myers is one for the ages.
22. Longlegs (2024)
Some might call recency bias on ranking this year's breakout horror film so highly, but hey, it was pretty much the most scared I've been in a movie theater, and an unforgettable horror flick overall.
21. The Exorcist (1973)
One of the cinematically greatest films to fall into the horror genre, even if the scariness-aspect never really hit my personal subjective nerves all that much.
20. The Conjuring (2013)
A masterfully paced modern horror flick, so good that it spawned a cinematic universe trying to replicate (or expand on) its glory.
19. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
An extremely rare case of a sequel in a slasher franchise being better than the original - the fourth Friday the 13th film (very much not the final one despite the title) is the franchise's peak, and I will die on this hill.
18. Jaws (1975)
John Williams and Steven Spielberg team up to show how they can make an entire generation afraid to go into the water with just two notes and the trick of not showing the big bad until the final act.
17. Nosferatu (1922)
Man, pre-Hitler Germany was COOKING with their cinema, and this trailblazer of the horror genre is a fine example.
16. Scream (1996)
Wes Craven manages to parody the tropes of the genre, while simultaneously making a decent horror film in its own right all while making fun of horror cinema - not an easy balance to hit.
15. Frankenstein (1931)
Frankenstein isn't a super-loyal adaptation of Mary Shelley's book nor is it the most frightening viewing experience, but I just love old-school horror cinema so much in its own delicate way, and this film hits in the vein of the romance of that era.
14. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
A suspenseful, classy and massively impactful milestone of zombie cinema.
13. Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele does an expert job balancing genuine horror with political commentary and surprisignly efficient comedy in the first-ever horror flick to get an Oscar nomination for writing.
12. Ju-on (2002)
Also known as the original The Grudge, this Japanese horror masterclass will terrify the f**king hell out of you with its expert sound design and cinematography.
11. Alien (1979)
The scariness in the mystery and potential of outer space is utilized to a maximum in this intense, timeless classic.
10. The Lighthouse (2019)
Psychological horror done right, with the frightening imagery, imaginative cinematography and sledgehammer acting performances really sealing the deal.
9. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Down to every small detail, I can't imagine a conventional modern horror flick being a more perfect representative of the genre and its potential than this authentically creepy, magnificently paced work.
8. Godzilla (1954)
The Japanese were so very ahead of their time when they made the crown jewel of monster cinema, one that still stands the test of time.
7. Dracula (1958)
For those who romanticize the genre and like their horror classy and elegant, you can't do any better than this absolute chef's kiss of a movie.
6. Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock changes the course of cinematic history by showing just how much you can do with the right soundtrack, expert editing and a well-written villain.
5. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
For my weird subjective tastes, this underrated Nightmare on Elm Street reboot it hands-down the scariest movie I've ever watched, and the only one that genuinely made me lose sleep, so kudos to Wes Craven for that achievement.
4. It (2017)
The greatest horror book of all time is adapted into a movie that makes some bold-ass changes to the story, but 100 per cent retains the atmosphere of the book (also, I saw it before I read it, and the curiosity sparked by this film is what inspired me to become a Stephen King mega-fan, so my journey with this genre wouldn't be nearly as deep if it wasn't for It being so damn good).
3. The Shining (1980)
Also a Stephen King adaptation, and objectively not very good as a book-to-movie adaptation, but Stanley Kubrick was such a genius of filmmaking that he just sort of accidentally made a horror masterpiece in its own right, no matter how recklessly it treats the source material - I love the book and movie equally, albeit in very different ways.
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Genuinely creepy as f**k, with a wildly creative premise, and unforgettable villain, an excellent group of heroes, a spine-tingling score and some of cinema's best jump scares - the full package.
1. Halloween (1978)
With its atmospheric utilization of the inherent creepiness of the spooky time of year, its pitch-perfect score, its perfectly paced plot, its unbeatable combination of great villain and great final girl, and its brand of horror that relies on suspense and editing choices rather than blood and gore, the original Halloween is, in my view, the crown jewel of the genre.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as my genre project continues with the top 15 fantasy movies of all time.
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