The horror genre is arguably the hardest to get right. Even tougher than attempting to garner laughs in comedy films, horror filmmakers not only have to perfect the art of pacing and building tension, but they often need to locate something that sets them apart. This could be a variety of things — knowing their audience about the myriad subgenres within horror and really specializing in one; reflecting the neuroses and fears at the heart of the human subject through allegory; or, perhaps most crucially, having their finger on the pulse of contemporary sociopolitical issues and commentary, whether timeless or topical. This latter classification is often what makes scary movies truly important.

Whether they're seeing slasher, supernatural, psychological, or body horror films, horror audiences are extremely well-informed and often overly critical of genre clichés. Alongside this, culture, morality, politics, and special effects technology are all changing constantly. As such, horror continuously has to reinvent itself, both for its audience and to keep up with the times. Some films have navigated this constant fluctuation extremely well and have become not just scary but utterly important in the process. Whether for their allegorical messages and theories, for their cultural impact, or just for being damn terrifying and visually stunning, these are not just the best horror movies ever made, but the most important, too.

Updated Mar. 10, 2024, by Ben Hathaway: This collection of the best horror movies ever made has been updated with even more terrifying entries.

75 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Though they share a director and writer in Tobe Hooper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and its predecessor couldn't be any more different. The far more comedic (but still quite frightening and icky) sequel tells the tale of disc jockey Vanita "Stretch" Brock, who joins erratic lawman Lefty Enright (a scene-stealing Dennis Hopper) in his quest to take down the Sawyer clan. After all, they're responsible for the death of his nephew, the original film's Franklin Hardesty, not to mention the near-death of his niece, Sally.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Is a Nightmarish Sequel

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a movie that knows exactly what it wants to be and checks a lot of boxes when getting there. It works as a bizarrely-paced, nightmarish experience, it works as a twisted comedy courtesy of Bill Moseley's iconic performance as the deranged Chop Top, and it works as one of the best Texas Chainsaw sequels to this day. Stream on Hulu

74 The Dead Zone (1983)

Stephen King and David Cronenberg may deal with a lot of hellish material, but with The Dead Zone, they were a match made in heaven. The story follows Christopher Walken's character, Johnny Smith, who falls into a coma for a few years after a car accident, awakening to find his life far different than when he left it. For one, his girlfriend had gotten married and procreated. Two, Smith now has the power of second sight.

The Dead Zone Combines Cronenberg With Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken and Brooke Adams both give powerful leading performances in Cronenberg's film, but equally effective is the film's wintry atmospherics. Toss in a terrifying performance from Martin Sheen as Greg Stillson, a politician who doesn't seem so far removed from reality, and The Dead Zone is a top-tier King adaptation. Stream on Paramount+

73 The Crazies (1973)

When the late George A. Romero wasn't directing Night of the Living Dead films, he was releasing other diverse projects of varying quality. In the upper echelon is The Crazies, an early effort that follows a group of five as they try to escape their currently-quarantined small town. But why has the town been quarantined? It turns out that a virus has been unleashed upon the water supply, doing one of two things to people: killing them, or driving them out of their minds on a permanent basis.

The Crazies Is a Real Thinker

There's a great level of '70s filmmaking charm to The Crazies. None of the characters really seem like characters so much as they seem like real people, which stands in stark contrast to the realism on display in the film's gore scenes. The Crazies is a thinker, a movie that shows just how horrifying an outbreak could be, especially given the fact there's no way people could get in line enough to control it. Stream on Shudder

72 The Fog (1980)

The Fog takes place in a small coastal Northern California town that, long ago, banished some leprous fishermen to their doom. Now, they're back, and their ghosts want revenge on everyone whose relatives had anything to do with their deaths years ago. Jamie Lee Curtis partners with Carpenter once again in the role of Elizabeth Solley, with Adrienne Barbeau, John Houseman, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook making up the rest of the principal cast.

The Fog Is Dripping With Atmosphere

John Carpenter's followup to Halloween is an incredibly atmospheric blast of a motion picture with only one major flaw: It should be longer. The experience is so engrossing that the viewer barely gets a chance to catch their breath, or yell out for Hal Holbrook's Father Malone to watch out. It remains a terrific cult classic in Carpenter's filmography. Buy or Rent on Prime Video

71 The Lost Boys (1987)

The late Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys gives audiences a glimpse into the lives of the Emerson family, including divorcee Lucy (Dianne West) and her two boys, Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim). The older Michael soon falls in with a group of leather-clad, motorcycle-riding hooligans who hold a fanged secret. And, before long, the two boys may very well realize that those vampire hooligans' leader is closer than they think.

The Lost Boys Is a Solid Vampire Film

The Lost Boys is right up there with Tom Holland's Fright Night and Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark as the best vampire movies of the '80s. It has a solid argument for being Schumacher's most well-rounded and thoroughly entertaining film. He was a reliable workmanlike director who helmed quite a few features from just about every genre, and in terms of critical reception, the horror film The Lost Boys was and remains top-tier. Buy or Rent on Apple TV

70 The Amityville Horror (1979)

Stuart Rosenberg's The Amityville Horror is not a great film. It's not even considered to be a great horror film by many. But it is an important one. And, truth told, its mostly negative reputation is unwarranted. Most of its negative reception stems from its cheapness, which often holds The Amityville Horror back from being an all-time great. For instance, while a 12-year-old will be creeped out by a scene involving a window and sharp red eyes, anyone above that age will immediately see it as the silliness it is. Thankfully, it makes up for this silliness in plenty of other ways. The narrative is simple: a divorcee, her kids, and her new husband move into a beautiful new house, but it's one with a horrid past and many dark secrets.

The Amityville Horror Has a Lot to Appreciate

But, there's a lot to appreciate in The Amityville Horror. James Brolin and Margot Kidder as George and Kathleen Lutz, respectively, are both solid if not entirely convincing in their roles, and they share a strange chemistry that makes their struggling marriage very believable. And this is critical when things start falling apart. The Lutz family never feels truly whole in The Amityville Horror, and that lack of cohesion makes their shared trauma all the more evocative of empathy and fear. You can't deny the cultural impact this film had on the wider perception of the paranormal, as well. Lalo Schifrin, the film's composer, would later garner an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. Stream on Max

69 The Evil Dead (1981)

1987's Evil Dead II is objectively superior to 1981's The Evil Dead, effectively perfecting what was essentially a student film. But darn if Sam Raimi's directorial breakout film wasn't an impressive one. The plot follows a group of friends as they go out to a remote cabin and awake an ethereal demonic spirit, with the now-beloved Bruce Campbell in one of his earliest roles as Ash Williams.

The Evil Dead Innovated in the Horror Genre

An iconic horror film that established a new take on the possession subgenre (not to mention a rather simplistic but brilliant camera technique), Raimi's The Evil Dead remains a horror masterpiece, no matter how poorly aged its effects are. Compared to the later films in the Evil Dead franchise, there's a shocking amount of sadistic terror here that isn't played for laughs either. There's also a charm to seeing a simple, more straightforward version of Ash Williams fans have grown to know and love. Buy or Rent on Prime Video

68 My Bloody Valentine (1981)

There's an argument to be made that My Bloody Valentine is the most effective slasher film outside the original installments of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Friday the 13th franchises. The narrative follows two young men as they vie for the attentions of an old female friend, but things get even more complicated when a thought-dead killer seemingly returns from the grave. My Bloody Valentine was originally notorious for its shocking amount of gore and violence, which slashed the original film's length down by a whopping nine minutes.

My Bloody Valentine Mixes Mystery With Murder

Paul Kelman and Neil Affleck are equally terrific as, respectively, Jessie Hanniger and Axel Palmer. The audience spends so much time with the two, none of which serves to indicate that either is the killer. However, when an unpredictable twist is revealed, you won't believe how easily you've been fooled. Toss in incredibly creepy ambiance, inventive kills, and a great design for the antagonist, and My Bloody Valentine is one of the best slasher films ever made. Buy or Rent on Apple TV

67 Scream 2 (1997)

It's astonishing that Scream 2 turned out as well as it did. For one, a single year is a mighty short turnaround for a franchise, horror or otherwise. Some franchises have consistently pulled it off, e.g. Saw and Friday the 13th. But, in some cases, even in those two iconic franchises, that short turnaround leads to diminishing returns. That's certainly not the case for this sequel, which picks up with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) after the events of the first film, seemingly safe at college right up until a new batch of murders starts occurring.

Scream 2 Is an Impressive Sequel

There are plenty of people who prefer Scream 2 to Scream, and the perspective is a fair one. It's loaded with surprises, it successfully furthers Gail (Courteney Cox), Sydney, and Dewey's (David Arquette) stories, and even traumatizes the audience with the death of Randy (Jamie Kennedy). Toss in wonderfully unhinged performances from Timothy Olyphant and Laurie Metcalf (not to mention an opening that's nearly as iconic as the original's masterful fake-out intro), and Scream 2 is not only one of the best horror sequels ever made, it's one of the best sequels ever made, period. Buy or Rent on Apple TV

66 Fright Night (1985)

Tom Holland's easily accessible and charming Fright Night is a horror all-timer. And, with Chris Sarandon playing the narrative's vampire, it's a well-cast all-timer. But the appeal to Fright Night isn't vampirism, but rather an everyman's struggle to prove that at least one vampire exists. He may lose everything in the process, but he digs in deeper because he knows how much he'll regret not doing so when the bodies start stacking up.

William Ragsdale Makes for a Terrific Lead

William Ragsdale is terrific in the lead role of Charley Brewster, bringing a wide-eyed innocence that calls to mind Zach Galligan in Gremlins. Toss in his wonderful chemistry with Amanda Bearse's Amy Peterson, and a believably complicated friendship with Stephen Geoffreys' iconic 'Evil' Ed Thompson, and you'll realize that there's never a dull moment in Fright Night. The 2011 remake is also very much worth seeking out. Buy or Rent on Apple TV

65 Christine (1983)

After 1978's Halloween, 1980's The Fog, 1981's Escape from New York, and, even with the lack of critical and commercial appreciation at the time, 1982's The Thing, it seemed as though John Carpenter couldn't miss. But adapting Christine, a Stephen King novel about a killer car taking over the soul of a bullied young man, was a tall order. Following the same plot beats from the original novel, Christine sees Keith Gordon playing the role of Arnie Cunningham, with additional roles played by John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, and Robert Prosky.

Christine Is John Carpenter's Take on Stephen King

Thankfully, the potentially silly concept translated sublimely to the screen, allowing Christine to work just as well as a film as it did a novel. This is partially thanks to Carpenter's adherence to King's complicated teen characters. But there's also the director's incredible score and a cast of performers perfectly suited for their respective roles. This is especially true of Keith Gordon's masterful take on the sheepish-turned-sinister Arnie Cunningham. Buy or Rent on Apple TV

64 Day of the Dead (1985)

Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead are both universally deemed A-list horror ventures that are as effective now as they were in the 1960s and '70s. But the trilogy capper, Day of the Dead, which follows a team of scientists and a platoon of soldiers as they tear each other apart in an underground research bunker, receives almost none of the same accolades. And that's a shame, because just as the racism seen in Night of the Living Dead is still sadly very present in today's real world (as is the consumerism seen in Dawn of the Dead), so too are the paranoia and infighting that populate Day of the Dead.

Joseph Pilato Is the Soul of Day of the Dead

It also starts and ends with a terrific dream sequence, which often feels like a cheat but works entirely here. Not to mention, when performers and characters are as likable as Lori Cardille's Sarah, Jarlath Conroy's Bill, and Terry Alexander's John, the audience would rather leave them on an island than be torn apart. Furthermore, there's an argument to be made that Joseph Pilato's work as Rhodes is the best to ever grace the Dead franchise. Stream on Shudder

63 Child's Play (1988)

Killer dolls have been a staple of horror for quite some time now, and if there's any reason for this (outside a particularly memorable The Twilight Zone episode with Telly Savalas), it's Don Mancini's Chucky of the Child's Play franchise. The plot of the original film follows a serial killer who puts his soul into the body of a Good Guy Doll, who then proceeds to continue his work. Unfortunately, he soon crosses paths with the innocent Barclay family, with Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) and Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) unaware of the doll's supernatural existence.

The Scariest Child's Play Movie

Is 1988's Child's Play even the best of the franchise? Opinions vary, with 1990's Child's Play 2, 1998's Bride of Chucky, and Syfy's Chucky all having their very devoted fans. But the original is certainly the scariest, carrying a somewhat serious (but not too serious) tone that would be decreased in intensity as the franchise progressed. It would set the stage for not only a terrific slasher franchise, but for a heightened fear of killer dolls around the world. Buy or Rent on Prime Video

62 Creepshow (1982)

The result of George A. Romero and Stephen King putting their heads together (along with a shared love for classic EC Comics, of course), Creepshow is one of the smartest, funniest, and creepiest horror flicks of the '80s. Or, really, of any decade. It's an anthology film merging several distinct horror sensibilities, with five stories of comparable entertainment value.

Romero and King Top Off a Terrific Horror Anthology

Loaded with pre-fame stars, terrific practical effects from Tom Savini, and a lengthy segment basically just starring Stephen King himself, there's much to love about Creepshow, especially for King aficionados. Savini was, per usual, a particularly great addition to the production, as it's his ability to recreate a comic book vibe on the screen that sells the experience as much as the writing and acting. Rent on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube

61 Friday the 13th (1980)

With 12 films and a prequel series on the way, horror IPs rarely have more longevity than Friday the 13th. The original film's plot follows a group of teens as they're enlisted to re-open a long-closed camp... and it may very well cost them their lives. Directly inspired by the success of Halloween, the film is notable for being one of the first significant horror films to originally start as an independent production before securing distribution rights from a larger entity. Its low budget and breakout success at the box office would ultimately secure it a place in horror history.

A Maligned Horror Classic

Maligned by critics initially — though they've softened a bit on the first four over the years — but widely accepted by audiences, Sean S. Cunningham's classic is basically shooting in the dark and hitting every target. Some bash the acting, but the majority of the performances in the original film (including Kevin Bacon's, of course) are from theater actors, and their work feels so organic it's even harder to watch them die. It's also a film loaded with eerie cinematography, effective music, and a handful of legitimately tense scenes, e.g. Annie temporarily evading Mrs. Voorhees, Ned entering the cabin, Jack's death, and Alice's discovery of Bill. Stream on Max and Paramount+

60 Jigoku (1960)

The plot of Jigoku follows a young student named Shiro (Shigeru Amachi), who kills a yakuza member in a car crash and flees the scene instead of helping the man. After being ridden by guilt and the corruption of his conscience, the young man starts witnessing eerie happenings along with the emergence of a diabolical doppelgänger, all trying to drag him back down to hell.

Nobuo Nakagawa's Folk Horror Film

A tour de force of horror, Jigoku embodies the theme of unatoned wickedness, dealing with it with a sense of poetic justice. Nobuo Nakagawa’s film paints a horrific picture of infernal desires that tempt us during our existence and the cost they come at in the agonies of the afterlife, complete with a folk horror flair you wouldn't necessarily see from other directors at the time. Stream on The Criterion Channel

59 Cure (1997)

Cure picks up on the wave of gruesome murders that have rocked Tokyo and left everybody befuddled. The only connection the victims have is that there’s a bloody X carved into the victim’s neck, along with the murderer being found right next to the victim, unable to remember anything about the crime. As Detective Takabe (Koji Yaksuho) and psychologist Sakuma (Tsuyoshi Ujiki) team up to solve the case, horrors beyond their comprehension rise to the surface.

A Crushing Kurosawa Tale

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s deep dive into the darkness of the human psyche is part atmospheric and part philosophical in nature. Operating on a twisted premise, the film plays out as a mystery with an eerie sense of the supernatural that can’t be explained by science, logic, or reason. It's notable for releasing in proximity to a wave of famous Japanese horror films in the early 2000s, predating the release of The Ring by a whole year. Stream on The Criterion Channel

58 The Lighthouse (2019)

Set against the backdrop of a remote island in the 1890s, two lighthouse keepers, Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Thomas Howard (Robert Pattinson) slowly find themselves losing their minds, succumbing to strange visions and weird happenings. The more time they spend together, the more they find themselves questioning each other's true motivations, their illusive pasts, and their own survival.

Gothic Black and White Horror

Directed by the poster boy of gothic horror, Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse is one of the most visually stunning horror films of recent times. Shot in black and white, the film captures the vast expanses of an isolated lighthouse, thoroughly at the mercy of a relentlessly wild ocean. Apart from great visuals and a taut script, the film also serves as a watershed moment in Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson’s careers as they play the role of two men who are on the cusp of insanity. Rent on Apple TV

57 Rec (2007)

Directed by Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró, Rec does a brilliant job of building tension as it follows a TV host and her cinematographer accompanying a few firefighters on an emergency call. As the crew reaches the location and enters the apartment building, they come face to face with a barrage of bloodthirsty monsters with superhuman strength. With nowhere to go and nowhere to hide, the crew find themselves in a battle royale situation with the monsters, with their lives being on the line.

An Underrated Spanish Found Footage Film

Rec is probably one of the most underrated horror films to come out of Spain in recent times. A cult classic of the found footage genre, Rec manages to leverage the tropes of the genre to add to the narrative, rather than just to spook the viewer momentarily. Manuela Diez, a real-life television host in addition to being an actor, does a terrific job of selling the seriousness of the situation with the help of her steadfast camera operator. Rent on Prime Video

56 The Omen (1976)

When diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick) suffer from a miscarriage, Thorn adopts a newborn son without informing his wife. As the days go by, the couple begins to notice strange signs about their little boy before finally realizing that their new son may be the biblical Antichrist.

Richard Donner Deals Out a Classic Horror Film

Richard Donner’s 1976 classic features one of cinema’s creepiest children, masking a pure face behind a simmering sense of evil. Despite not being as terrifying as The Exorcist, or as tense as Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen still holds up as one of the most sinister horror films to come out of the '70s. It certainly helps that it was one of the highest-grossing movies that was released in 1976, with two Oscar nominations for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Rent on Apple TV