Horror films are something you have to prepare for. Whether it’s gripping the seat or shielding your eyes or ears, or wrapping yourself up in a world full of tension and menace, great horror movies are much more than jump scares. Utilizing the sound of floorboards, the movement of shadows, the unpredictability of mist, horrific or hilarious (or hilariously horrific) deaths, or a tingling film score—this genre is always playing with the audience. The greatest horror films can be heady and philosophical, slapstick or serious—in short, if you’re a fan of horror, most likely you’re a fan of cinema. No other genre best represents how the moving image can affect us—by using every filmmaking tool in the shed.
Horror cinema has seen historic highs; the best horror movies never really leave your mind for good. But which of the genre’s finest are the very, very best? Below arethe greatest, the most unforgettable—and indeed the most frightening—horror movies ever made,ranked from great to greatest.
100’The Last House on the Left' (1972)
Directed by Wes Craven
“To avoid fainting, keep repeating: it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie…“The Last House on the Leftis one of the more infamous films in all of horror to this day. Loosely based onIngmar Bergman’s far more restrainedThe Virgin Springfrom 1960 (Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film),Wes Craven’s debut featurefollows (at first), two teen girls who are abducted, sexually violated, tortured and killed by serial criminals, perpetrators who unwittingly seek shelter in one of the girl’s parents' home for the night mere hours later.
Craven was green in 1972, and the picture is not without its flaws (some of the acting just isn’t very good, and woefully misjudged comedy sequences should have never, ever, been a part of this film), but it’s an essential part of the horror conversation, with a raw and gripping power that holds up over a half-century later.The horror genre wouldn’t be anything like it is without Craven,andThe Last House on the Leftstands as deeply unpleasant proof that shock exploitation cinema can be more thoughtful and incomparably more impactful than a lot of prestige-seeking awards bait.- Samuel R. Murrian
The Last House on the Left
99’Near Dark' (1987)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
After spending the previous decade in sexploitation films, vampires re-emerged in the 80s as postmodern leather-clad punks. And that look gave filmmakers a lot of new angles to play with: gangs, bikers and junkies. All of those groups run in packs and engage in more dangerous behaviors than the old-fashioned singular vampires of old. These were a new breed of terrorizing clans and sorry (not sorry),Lost Boys, butKathryn Bigelow‘sNear Darkis the best of the 1980s vampire movies.She puts them in a hybrid of both the neo-Western and the road movie that became popular in the 70sandshe also seems to call bullsh*t on eternal love.
These vampires are modern bandits. They roll down our sleepy highways. In the best scene, they pick a bar fight. The epically named Severen (a wildBill Paxton) has blades at the tip of his cowboy boots, an addition that removes the need to bite, and thus removes the intimacy of feasting that most vampires previously engaged with their victims. But there is still an intimacy inNear Dark. It’s a young love that starts at a convenient store (betweenAdrian PasdarandJenny Wright).— Brian Formo
A small-town farmer’s son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.
98’The Substance' (2024)
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
IfDemi Mooremaking a universally well-received career comeback inone of the best, boldest, funniest and grossest body horror movies ever madewasn’t on your bingo card for 2024, you’re not alone; that’s a blow-by-blow of exactly what transpired, though.The iconic actress gives the performance of her careeras Elisabeth Sparkle, a TV fitness personality who’s devastated enough by her 50th birthday to accept a Faustian bargain that puts her at odds with a young, gorgeous and alluring parasite (Margaret Qualley, also splendid here).
Running entirely on immersive dream logic, and feeling about half its 140-minute runtime,The Substanceis a stunning piece of technical bravado that’s rooted in pathos, an unmitigated triumph for a Hollywood legend whose acting chops have long been underappreciated, ironically enough, because of her beauty.Coralie Fargeatmakes good on the promise shown in 2017’s electricRevenge, but it’s important to note there’s a reflective quality Moore brings to this that really makes the film so substantial.- Samuel R. Murrian
The Substance
A fading celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth. The drug temporarily creates a younger version of herself, named Sue, who quickly ascends to the fame Elisabeth once craved.
97’Cannibal Holocaust' (1980)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Directed byRuggero Deodato, the undeniably disturbingCannibal Holocaustcenters on a professor (Francesca Ciardi) who discovers lost footage from a missing documentary crew while on a rescue mission into the Amazonian rainforests.Cannibal Holocaustwas notably homaged inEli Roth’s technically impressive, rather immature and cloyingThe Green Inferno.
No doubt, Deodato’s arguably most notorious film is extremely uncomfortable to sit through; for the most part, this has to do with the amount of gore, explicit sexual assault, and the onscreen depiction of animal death that it features. Still,the controversial horror provides a valuable social commentary on journalism and the exploitation of South American countries.— Daniela Gama
Cannibal Holocaust
During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.
96’Final Destination' (2000)
Directed by James Wong
Originally envisioned as a simple spec script for the then-thrivingX-Files,Jeffrey Reddick,James WongandGlen Morgan’s clever, tense and frighteningFinal Destinationwas generally dismissed, unjustly, by critics of the day (Roger Ebert’s “thumbs up” being a notable exception); the supernatural slasher is aging very well, and spawned a long-running franchise that’s at once one of horror’s most underrated and best-loved by diehard fans.
Devon Sawagives a terrific, Saturn Award-winning turn as Alex, a teen who has a violent premonition of his classmates being incinerated on flight 180 to Paris. The classmates escape, the plane actually does blow up, and death itself isn’t finished with Alex and his friends.It’s such a simple, malleable, great premise, andFinal Destinationis truly a cut above the vast majority of what Ebert would call “dead teenager movies.” The series has seen highs and lows (a sixth installment is expected in 2025), and the original film is still the very best and most satisfying.-Samuel R. Murrian
Final Destination
95’What We Do in the Shadows' (2014)
Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waitti
Finally, someone breathed new life into the vampire genre.What We Do in the Shadowsis a mockumentary about four vampire flatmates and it takes an absolutely delightful approach to exploring creature clichés in a deadpan, reality show-like manner.
Viago (Taika Waititi), Vlad (Jemaine Clement), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Petyr (Ben Fransham) all turned during different time periods, which leads to some brilliant spins on familiar issues like doing the dishes, getting into nightclubs, adapting to new technology and so much more. The only unfortunate thing aboutWhat We Do in the Shadowsis that it clocks in at a mere 86 minutes. Between the winning jokes and the wildly charming friendships between the characters, a whole series dedicated to their antics was welcome.— Perri Nemiroff
What We Do in the Shadows
In What We Do in the Shadows, vampire housemates navigate the challenges of modern life while mentoring a newly turned hipster on the advantages of vampirism. The film explores their coexistence within the human world, balancing supernatural elements with humorous insights into the undead lifestyle.
Directed by Peter Jackson
Peter Jacksoncould have only made thisgory, gushy, and occasionally outright repulsive zombie film, and he would still be a kind of legend, if not at the level of the man who broughtLord of the Ringsto the big-screen.Dead Aliveopenly toys with one of horror’s most cherished concepts – repression – and when Lionel’s (Timothy Balme) love for a local girl is no longer held down by his controlling mother (Elizabeth Moody), out come the decaying zombie-like creatures to act as a horrifying expression of momma’s villainous control.
LikeTobe HooperandStuart Gordon’s iconic 1980s output,Dead Alive(also known asBraindead) strives for what Hooper called “red humor,” a melding of slapstick and physical comedy with horror, and the result is the most idiosyncratic and zany effort that Jackson produced, complete with zombie-monster momma and rotted ears and noses garnishing a nice Sunday chowder.— Chris Cabin
Dead Alive
93’The Conjuring' (2013)
Directed by James Wan
Aside from, say,Let the Right One Inand scarce few other standouts, the early 21st century was hardly a hot spot for great horror, mostly ruled by theSawfilms and other torture-centric fare. Something shifted in the mid-to-late-2010s with the rise of elevated horror.SawdirectorJames Wan’s smash hitThe Conjuringfactors into all of this, a multiplex popcorn thriller that won fans and critics alike over witha refreshing blend of understatement, classiness, and absolutely unbridled terror.
A possession filmand one of the most effective haunted house pictures in memory, the film that spawned a franchise inspired by real-life demonologists is excellently performed all-around, but it belongs to the women:Lili Taylorand especiallyVera Farmigadeliver generous performances that are many times better and richer than they needed to be. Wide-release, popcorn-munching horror entertainment doesn’t really get much slicker or more soulful than this. Even the jump scares are impossible to fault; nothing feels cheap.– Samuel R. Murrian
The Conjuring
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
92’Martyrs' (2015)
Directed by Pascal Laugier
With graphic depictions of violence and gore,Martyrssimply has to be one of the most perturbing movies in the genre.Pascal Laugier’s film depicts a young woman’s (Mylène Jampanoï)quest for revenge, alongside her equally traumatized childhood friend (Morjana Alaoui), against those who tormented her as a child.
“Combining the psychological and body horror subgenres to terrifyingly effective results,Martyrsis far from an easy watch.”
Combining the psychological and body horror subgenres to terrifyingly effective results,Martyrsis far from an easy watch. The 2008 movie is guaranteed to shock audiences with its brutally intense premise and gruesome imagery, two elements that make itone of the most polarizing horrors.— Daniela Gama
Martyrs explores a young woman’s pursuit of vengeance against those who abducted and tortured her in childhood. Accompanied by her closest friend, who shares a traumatic past, the duo uncover a harrowing truth, plunging them into a nightmarish world of cruelty and existential horror.
91’X' (2022)
Directed by Ti West
Ti Westwas already a name in horror circles in light of earlier critical successes likeThe House of the Devil, butX,still arguably the very best and freshest horror movie of the 2020s, saw his reputation rise to that of bona fide genre auteur.Mia Gothstuns in dual performances in the atmospheric, ’70s-set and homage-heavy slasher about an adult movie crew who make the fatal mistake of setting up shop in the guest house of a homicidally bitter and resentful elderly couple.
Filmed in secret and set in WWI-era Texas, West’s prequelPearlwas a further acting showcase for Goth, and in some ways even more confident and impressive thanX. 2024’s trilogy capperMaXXXinestumbled a bit in its plotting, but as a technical exercise and artistically vibrant tribute to ’80s slashers, it ruled. Together, West’s magnum opus isquite possibly the best horror trilogy of all time.— Samuel R. Murrian
In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
