Best Horror Movies of All Time: The Ultimate Top 100 List 🎬👻

Horror is one of cinema’s most powerful genres. At its best, it doesn’t just scare us—it lingers, unsettles, and reflects our deepest fears. From gothic classics and psychological nightmares to modern elevated horror and splatter-filled slashers, the genre has evolved dramatically over the decades.

In this definitive guide, we rank the 100 best horror movies of all time, covering every era, subgenre, and style. Whether you love slow-burn dread, supernatural terror, or pure visceral chaos, this list has something for every horror fan.

Let’s dive into the best horror movies of all time, ranked and celebrated.

What Makes a Horror Movie One of the Best?

Before we jump in, here’s what we considered:

• Cultural impact and legacy
  
  

• Atmosphere and tension
  
  

• Storytelling and originality
  
  

• Rewatch value
  
  

• Influence on future horror films
  
  

Now… turn off the lights.

The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time

1. The Exorcist (1973)

Often cited as the scariest film ever made, The Exorcist blends religious terror with raw human emotion, creating a timeless masterpiece.

2. Halloween (1978)

John Carpenter’s minimalist slasher redefined fear with Michael Myers and launched an entire genre.

3. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s psychological horror is chilling, surreal, and endlessly analyzed decades later.

4. Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock shattered expectations and invented modern horror storytelling.

5. Hereditary (2018)

A modern classic that proves grief can be the most terrifying monster of all.

6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Raw, grimy, and disturbingly real—this film feels like a nightmare caught on tape.

7. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero’s zombie classic changed horror forever.

8. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Paranoia, pregnancy, and satanic dread combine into one of the best horror movies of all time.

9. Alien (1979)

A perfect blend of sci-fi and horror, featuring one of cinema’s greatest monsters.

10. Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielberg made the ocean terrifying—and created the summer blockbuster.

11. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Psychological horror meets crime thriller with Hannibal Lecter’s unforgettable menace.

12. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Freddy Krueger turned dreams into deadly traps.

13. The Thing (1982)

Paranoia and body horror collide in this cult-favorite masterpiece.

14. Get Out (2017)

Social commentary and horror fused flawlessly in Jordan Peele’s debut.

15. Scream (1996)

Meta, funny, and scary—Scream revived the slasher genre.

16. The Witch (2015)

A slow-burn descent into religious paranoia and dread.

17. Carrie (1976)

Stephen King’s tragic tale of bullying and telekinetic revenge.

18. The Omen (1976)

Evil children have never been more unsettling.

19. It Follows (2014)

A haunting metaphor wrapped in relentless supernatural tension.

20. Sinister (2012)

Found footage done right—with some of the most disturbing imagery ever filmed.

21. Poltergeist (1982)

Suburban America meets supernatural chaos.

22. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

A low-budget phenomenon that redefined found footage horror.

23. The Ring (2002)

J-horror remade into a mainstream nightmare.

24. Evil Dead II (1987)

Equal parts horror and comedy, splatter and slapstick.

25. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Zombies in a mall—satire never looked so bleak.

26. The Babadook (2014)

Grief manifests as a terrifying presence.

27. Hellraiser (1987)

Clive Barker’s sadistic vision is unforgettable.

28. The Conjuring (2013)

A modern haunted house classic.

29. The Fly (1986)

Body horror with emotional depth.

30. Don’t Look Now (1973)

Atmospheric and devastating psychological horror.

31. The Descent (2005)

Claustrophobia meets creatures in pitch-black terror.

32. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Minimalism and tension redefine fear.

33. Saw (2004)

A twisted moral puzzle that launched a franchise.

34. The Wicker Man (1973)

Folk horror at its most disturbing.

35. Midsommar (2019)

Sunlit horror that feels emotionally brutal.

36. Martyrs (2008)

Extreme, philosophical, and deeply unsettling.

37. Nosferatu (1922)

Silent-era horror still haunting today.

38. Candyman (1992)

Urban legend horror with social commentary.

39. Black Swan (2010)

Psychological horror disguised as a ballet film.

40. The Others (2001)

Atmospheric ghost story with a brilliant twist.

41. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Savage and relentless survival horror.

42. REC (2007)

One of the most intense found footage films ever.

43. Let the Right One In (2008)

A hauntingly beautiful vampire story.

44. The Changeling (1980)

Classic haunted house perfection.

45. Train to Busan (2016)

Emotional, fast-paced zombie horror.

46. Friday the 13th (1980)

Camp Crystal Lake becomes iconic.

47. The Fog (1980)

Atmospheric ghostly revenge.

48. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

A love letter and satire of horror tropes.

49. The Orphanage (2007)

Emotionally devastating supernatural horror.

50. The Strangers (2008)

Home invasion horror at its bleakest.

51. Audition (1999)

Slow burn that explodes into pure terror.

52. Suspiria (1977)

Stylized, surreal, and unforgettable.

53. The Innocents (1961)

Psychological ambiguity at its finest.

54. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)

Brutal, nihilistic horror.

55. Videodrome (1983)

Cronenberg’s disturbing media nightmare.

56. 28 Days Later (2002)

Fast zombies and post-apocalyptic dread.

57. The Omen (2006)

A solid modern reinterpretation.

58. Host (2020)

Pandemic-era horror done right.

59. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

One location, escalating terror.

60. The House of the Devil (2009)

Retro slow-burn horror perfection.

61. The Mist (2007)

One of the most shocking endings ever.

62. The Purge (2013)

Social horror with chilling implications.

63. Wolf Creek (2005)

Outback terror inspired by true crime.

64. The Invitation (2015)

Tension so thick it hurts.

65. The Ritual (2017)

Ancient folklore meets survival horror.

66. Dead Alive (1992)

Absurd, gory, and hilarious.

67. Insidious (2010)

A modern supernatural standout.

68. The Evil Dead (1981)

Raw, inventive, and relentless.

69. House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Stylized grindhouse madness.

70. Saint Maud (2019)

Faith-driven psychological horror.

71. The Lighthouse (2019)

Madness, mythology, and isolation.

72. The Grudge (2004)

A curse that never rests.

73. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

Found footage meets possession horror.

74. Session 9 (2001)

Atmospheric psychological decay.

75. The Beyond (1981)

Italian horror surrealism at its peak.

76. Maniac (1980)

Uncomfortable and disturbing.

77. Eraserhead (1977)

Nightmarish surreal horror.

78. Funny Games (1997)

A brutal critique of violence.

79. The Void (2016)

Lovecraftian cosmic horror.

80. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Infamous and unforgettable ending.

81. The Last House on the Left (1972)

Controversial and shocking.

82. The Devil Rides Out (1968)

Occult horror classic.

83. Creep (2014)

Intimate, unsettling found footage.

84. The Omen III (1981)

Damien’s rise continues.

85. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Courtroom drama meets possession.

86. The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Disturbingly realistic horror.

87. The Entity (1982)

Terrifying and intense.

88. The Sadness (2021)

Extreme, violent zombie horror.

89. The Night House (2020)

Grief-driven supernatural terror.

90. The Vanishing (1988)

Pure psychological horror.

91. The Dead Zone (1983)

Stephen King with chilling realism.

92. The Burning (1981)

Classic summer slasher.

93. The Exorcist III (1990)

One of horror’s best jump scares.

94. The Frighteners (1996)

Fun, spooky, and underrated.

95. The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Supernatural thriller with horror elements.

96. The Borderlands (2013)

Folk horror with a shocking finale.

97. The Crazies (2010)

Paranoia and infection done well.

98. The Omen (1976)

Biblical horror perfection.

99. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Faith, fear, and possession.

100. The Last Exorcism (2010)

A smart, unsettling found footage finale.

Final Thoughts on the Best Horror Movies of All Time

The beauty of horror lies in its diversity. What terrifies one person might not scare another—but the films on this list have endured because they tap into something universal: fear, loss, paranoia, and the unknown.

Whether you’re new to the genre or a lifelong horror fan, this list of the best horror movies of all time offers a roadmap through decades of cinematic terror.