The horror genre is ripe for exploration. For many years, it has been at the forefront of experimentation in the film industry. It has a toy box of longstanding motifs and iconography to play with. Many times, those that find the most success use those toys to create visceral, bloodstained experiences. And these are the 50 best horror movies of all time – ones that experimented and succeeded, and altered the trajectory of the genre in the process.
50. The House of the Devil (2009)
49. The Lighthouse (2019)
48. Near Dark (1987)
47. Carrie (1976)
46. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
45. Onibaba (1964)
44. It Follows (2015)
43. Suspiria (1977)
42. Us (2019)
41. Kill List (2011)
40. Saint Maud (2019)
Saint Maud certainly has a few of the motifs and themes you’d expect from an A24 horror movie – a real sense of dread and Christian guilt lingers throughout much of its brisk runtime – but the debut from Rose Glass feels like an expansive, reinvigorating mold of those ideals. A few years since its release, Saint Maud remains the best horror film from the studio in the 2020s.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Saint Maud
39. Perfect Blue (1997)
38. Barbarian (2022)
Zach Cregger‘s Barbarian is still refreshing and thrilling, and it’s easily one of my favorite theater experiences of 2022. Films try over and over again to use the schlocky marketing bit of audiences screaming in theaters only to be disappointing in actual terror when places in front of you – but Barbarian is genuinely jaw-dropping.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Barbarian (2022)
37. Evil Dead II (1987)
36. The Sixth Sense (1999)
35. The Omen (1976)
34. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
33. Coraline (2009)
An absolutely beautiful stop-motion movie, Coraline supplies enough whimsical joy for kids, while still being thoughtful and profound. Henry Selick’s best film is also Laika Entertainment’s best film.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Coraline (2009)
32. Audition (1999)
31. Gremlins (1984)
30. I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
Jane Schoenbrun delivers a similarly sinister and bewildering story with I Saw the TV Glow as they did in 2021 with We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. And while their debut film used its DIY aesthetic to great effect with long uninterrupted found-footage shots, I Saw the TV Glow uses every effect and camera flourish you could think of.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of I Saw the TV Glow
29. Nope (2022)
Nope delivers on its promise of spectacle. Its set-up helps deliver one of the most rewarding third acts of the year, and one I’ll surely return to in years to come. Those don’t come around very often, only a handful of films lend themselves to repeat viewings, and Nope is certainly one of them. A dazzling and hypnotic viewing, and one that doesn’t leave your mind once you leave your theater. The best films make you think, and Nope gives you plenty to sink your teeth into.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Nope
28. Dressed to Kill (1980)
27. Don’t Look Now (1973)
26. Videodrome (1983)
25. The Exorcist (1973)
While The Exorcist may feel like a dated recollection of visual ideas from a newer generation of filmmakers, William Friedkin’s daring and mannered horror picture is still about as sturdy as anything made since. A tentpole release that paved the way for every audacious genre picture that came after it.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of The Exorcist (1973)
24. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
23. The Brood (1979)
22. Signs (2002)
M. Night Shyamalan made many great genre movies to launch his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but none are as quirky, silly, and downright wholesome as Signs, which brings a family together under extraordinary circumstances. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix lead a small cast of great performers reckoning with alien lifeforms reaching Earth.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Signs (2002)
21. Get Out (2017)
20. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
19. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
18. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
17. Deep Red (1975)
16. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
15. Paranormal Activity (2007)
14. The Birds (1963)
13. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
12. Jaws (1975)
11. Alien (1979)
10. Scream (1996)
Scream is an incredibly important film in horror movie history. It helped to redefine the genre and set the stage for a new wave of more violent, self-aware horror movies. The film’s impact can still be felt today, and it remains a must-watch for horror movie fans.
Read our review of Scream (1996)
9. Cure (1997)
8. Halloween (1978)
7. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
A sense of dread and despair blankets the entirety of Fire Walk with Me, the Twin Peaks prequel movie centered on the torment and inevitable death of Homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the fictional small town in Washington. There’s little fun to be had as much of the movie descends into a few frightening subplots with characters hiding dark secrets.
Read our review of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
5. Psycho (1960)
4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
3. Hereditary (2018)
2. The Thing (1982)
1. The Shining (1980)
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- Every V/H/S Movie Ranked from Worst to Best
- The 25 Best Horror Movies of the 2020s So Far
- The 50 Best Horror Movies of All Time, from ‘The Exorcist’ to ‘Hereditary’
- The 15 Best Directorial Debuts of the 2020s So Far, from ‘Barbarian’ to ‘Past Lives’
- The 15 Best Directorial Debut Movies, from ‘Get Out’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’ to ‘Citizen Kane’
- Every David Lynch Movie Ranked from Worst to Best
- The 15 Best Movies of 1999, from ‘Magnolia’ to ‘The Matrix’