The 27 Best Horror Movies Of All Time

Orson Welles once said, “The cinema has no boundary, it is a ribbon of dream.” So, if cinema is a dream, we can definitely say horror is the waking nightmare. This very nightmare is what horror fanatics thrive on. It is the thrill, the heart-racing, and the feeling of a chill running down your spine that makes the essence of this genre.

But wait, if you think horror is one complete category, you need to ask a true fan, and they’ll hand down a list of sub-genres. Be it uncomfortable body horror, psychological mind-bending horror, blood-filled slashers, or supernatural paranormalities, the possibilities are endless.

Horror as a genre has this uncanny ability to lure us back in. It’s the curiosity to know the unknown, the guilty pleasure to peek through your fingers, and the sudden jump scares. No wonder it remains one of the most addictive genres.

Hence, while compiling a list of the Top 27 Horror Movies of All Time, we kept everything in mind. It’s said that in 1895, audiences crawled in fear when they witnessed the train scene in the Lumière brothers’ early actuality film. Of course, we don’t consider that as horror. But our list will include movies dating back to the 60s and as recent as 2025. So, let’s dive in.

Top 27 Must-Watch Scary Films That Will Keep You Up at Night

Are you a fan of classic horror or body horror? Maybe you are addicted to horror films that bring you to the edge of your seat. Don’t worry, our carefully curated list covers the best horror movies for you.

27. Repulsion (1965)

Roman Polanski’s second feature, Repulsion, has everything the 60s horror movies had: an unsettling home, eerie events, and a blonde. However, Catherine Deneuve’s Carol is not your typical heroine; yes, she does stay alone in London, but she is not the disposable victim. Audiences get an insight into Carol’s psyche, almost living her experiences.

The house she lives in seems to be crawling into her; she feels unsafe, and the walls crack, everything visualized through her horrifying eyes. The first shock comes when Carol closes the window and sees the shadow of a man reflected in the mirror. Later, Carol imagines the same man assaulting her. It’s more than a horror movie; we witness a psychological shift in the protagonist’s mind. This cinematic theme has been used in modern horror films like The Black Swan as well.

26. The Haunting (1963)

Before the binge-worthy Netflix version of the popular 1959 novel “The Haunting of Hill House,” by Shirley Jackson, hit your small screens, there was The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise. The slow-burning, almost unsettling horror film is based on a group of people brought together by a paranormal experiment. The film’s gothic themes prick your skin! The film does not conform to the stereotypical ways of horror filmmaking; it is unsophisticated and ‘no jump scares.’

Rather, it’s filled with sinister voices, uncanny shadows, and a sense of an unseen evil force. Julie Harris’s mentally failing Eleanor and Claire Bloom’s Theo hold the premise of the film. The film also deserves applause for featuring Theo as a queer character, definitely ahead of its time. ‘The Haunting’ is undoubtedly an icon in the supernatural horror genre.

25. What Lies Beneath (2000)

Is it the ghost or the ghost of the past, is it the demons or the demons of our life? Robert Zemeckis’s What Lies Beneath asks complicated questions through a horror thriller starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford. At first glance, the film may come across as a marital story of a ‘not fit for each other’ couple. But what unfolds later in the film is the unexpected.

Be it the exquisitely shot visuals to perfectly timed scenes, the film offers everything a good horror thriller needs to. The film uses the paranormal to portray the blankness of two people who have been together for years. And how can we possibly not reflect on the extraordinary performances of the actors?

24. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Talking about the best horror films must include a slasher, and what’s better than the iconic Freddy Krueger? Robert Englund’s Freddy in A Nightmare on Elm Street is the personification of the word ‘nightmare.’ He has burn marks, metal claws, and an old, stripped jacket.

The scary scenes of fearful teens shouting at blank ceilings as they get tortured by Freddy are almost a guilty treat to watch. It’s gory, blood-soaked, and weirdly haunting. Freddy has made a mark in pop culture that still infiltrates our dreams.

23. Insidious (2013)

Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) Lambert, who pick up where the first Insidious movie left off, think they have defeated the haunting that possessed their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and are looking to get back to their normal lives. They quickly discover, however, that their ghostly nightmare is far from ended.

They quickly discover that Dalton isn’t the only Lambert family member who has experienced evil spirit possession after temporarily moving in with Josh’s mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey). As they battle the demons attempting to destroy them, this terrifying follow-up delves into their family’s past.

22. The Babadook (2014)

Jennifer Kent, the Australian filmmaker, keeps a frustrated mother tired of tending to her difficult child, the protagonist of her film The Babadook. The film is set in their home and is mostly dark, showcasing the current status of their life. The story explores the themes of loss, grief, and mental health in a brilliant manner.

One night, while reading him a bedtime story, she ends up with the book titled “Mister Babadook.” Here begins a haunting series of events as Amelia’s home is attacked by this entity. A tired, deranged mother then starts doing everything possible to make it go away.

21. Carrie (1976)

A Stephen King adaptation never goes wrong, and Brian De Palma directed Carrie isn’t an exception. Carrie, played by Sissy Spacek, is a typical high school cringe who suffers from PTSD because of her mother. Piper Laurie, who plays the psycho mother, is nothing less than a ‘The Glass Menagerie’ style visual.

The climax scene at the prom is infused with bloodbath and gore, as Carrie’s kinetic vengeance takes center stage. The ultimate shock comes in the very end and is still considered the scariest outro of horror movies.

20. Veronica (2017)

When a film says “Based on a true story” and ends with horrifying details from the real case, we know it’s a banger. The 2017 Spanish film Veronica is based on a real story of an 18-year-old girl who experienced seizures and hallucinations after a seance in her school.

The film skillfully explores what happens after a demonic possession. We witness Veronica unable to eat, seeing shadows lurking around her home, and multiple demons. The anxiety seeps through the screen as we see Veronica trying hard to correct her mistakes and failing. The climax scenes of Veronica’s contorted body, with her mouth and eyes wide open, leave us terrified. We bet one sleeps with their lights on after watching the film!

19. Kwaidan (1964)

A horror film looks a certain way: it’s dark, ominous, and we barely see the light of day. Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan doesn’t take the stereotypical approach for his 3-hour-long collection of four classic ghost stories. His film is extraordinarily beautiful, picturesque, and dreamlike.

However, the cinematic beauty of the film doesn’t take away from its sinister plotline. The anthology even won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It uses deliberate pacing, music, and aesthetic set to evoke the supernatural.

18. Run Rabbit Run (2023)

A month after the highly anticipated conclusion of HBO’s Succession, Sarah Snook returned with yet another outstanding performance. She portrays a fertility specialist named Mia in Run Rabbit Run, whose 7-year-old daughter (Lily LaTorre) starts to exhibit paranormal obsessions and asserts that she is, in fact, the sister Mia lost as a child.

The film is set in a gloomy part of Australia, and as Sarah’s emotional state worsens, the setting becomes more frightening. It’s amazing to see Snook in a role this fragile after years of watching her portray a heartless shark on television.

17. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

The Taking of Debora Logan by Adam Robitel stands apart from the already crowded horror genre. The strong performance by Jill Larson and deep storytelling keep the audience on the edge of their seat. The plot resonates with the audience and is emotionally charged. We deeply empathize with the characters, especially the mother and daughter duo.

The nuanced portrayal of aging and dementia is explored so well that it feels relatable. The film does not rely on cheap thrills or jump scares but approaches the horror with sensitivity. In a genre where sensationalism often takes precedence, this movie stands as a testament to the power of storytelling that respects its subject matter.

16. The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

A spooky spirit is definitely a good trope for a horror movie, but what makes it excel is balance. A perfect balance of a good script, good cast, and good visual effects. The Curse of La Llorona starts a few hundred years back and shows how our demonic spirit came into being. A caseworker, Ana, investigates the home of a woman whose kids have stopped attending school. What unravels later is an evil and sinister force.

The film has also been criticized for being predictable and having a plot similar to that of Conjuring. But as horror fans, what makes us shiver is the atmosphere of the film. Excellent foreshadowing, dark visuals, and scenes devoid of dialogue are the strengths of the film.

15. Hostel Part II (2007)

A movie so real it makes the skin crawl, that’s what we can say about Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part II. The ultraviolet thriller excels in both premise and execution, a perfect movie night choice for all the slasher horror fans.

Somewhere in Slovakia exists a giant warehouse where a dungeon hides. This place is exactly where victims are kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured. Wealthy psychos pay ransom money to indulge in excruciating murders.

14. The Ring (2002)

Gore Verbinski’s The Ring is an exceptional case of a film that surpasses the original Japanese film Ringu. The creepy set pieces, unsettling visuals, and extraordinary performances keep you hooked and make you shudder. The scenes are uneasy, sometimes even irritating to watch.

After multiple mysterious murders, an investigative journalist goes on a spree to watch an eerie videotape. A haunted videotape that kills you in just seven days. The visuals of the video include a palm tree, a man painting a phone box on a farm, wet noodles, a mirror, in short, it’s weird. The phone rings when the video ends, and a voice says, “7 days.”

13. Incantation (2022)

Directed by Kevin Ko, Incantation is considered one of the best horror films of 2022. The style used is “found footage,” but what makes the movie unique is the interactive approach. From the very beginning of the film, the protagonist Li Ruo-nan comes on a videotape and asks the viewers to chant with her. A chant along with hand mudras that will help to protect her and her daughter.

As a reflex action, audiences imitate the chant and gestures only to learn later what it actually means. The film uses elements from Chinese religion and folklore to progress the story of Ruo-nan. The premise of the film also includes the story of Mother Buddha, satanic cults, and old-school horror fare. If you are tired of watching exorcisms and Catholic churches, a folklore horror could be a perfect getaway.

12. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The 90s were filled with slasher horror to an extent that audiences were drained of the genre. That is when Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez’s psychological horror The Blair Witch Project introduced a sub-genre, the ‘found-footage’ movie.

However, this movie is a rollercoaster of tension and annoyance. Like the protagonists, we are jittery because we can hardly see past the next tree. The movie’s website was visited by 11% of all internet users in 1999, and Heather Donahue’s monologue quickly became a meme. However, her improvised portrayal became one of the best performances in horror.

11. Talk to Me (2022)

Directed by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, a group of teenagers learn they may use a mysterious embalmed hand to summon spirits. Sophie Wilde’s 17-year-old Mia, who is searching for any means to escape her grief as the second anniversary of her mother’s passing draws near, discovers a new party fad that involves taking turns conversing with the deceased.

Lured by the videos, Mia forces her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) to accompany her to one of these events. She and her friends then decide to play the hand alternately. Even though the laws of possession and conjuring are straightforward, they are crucial. That is where they mess up, and one mistake turns into horrifying repercussions.

10. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Roman Polanski’s masterful, unsettling thriller Rosemary’s Baby is sympathetic to the very women it gives nightmares to. The terrifying vision of pregnancy is the heart of the film. However, it also makes fun of a civilization that is getting ready for the end of the world. The film’s portrayal of Satan feels almost personal.

Mia Farrow plays Rosemary, the naive wife of an ambitious stage actor (John Cassavetes) who strikes a bargain with the devil worshippers next door. He will receive the job he desires, and they will call upon Satan to conceive Rosemary. The movie creates such intense tension and paranoia that it is considered one of the last great works of classical filmmaking. Ruth Gordon, as the devil’s noodge who assigns herself to take care of Rosemary, personifies the banality of evil.

9. Audition (1999)

We instantly fall in love with a film that has a strong femme fatale character, and Takashi Miike’s ultraviolent horror Audition is a must-watch. The film forces us to sympathize with Ryo Ishibashi’s Shigeharu, a widower looking for a wife. When he meets Eihi Shiina’s Asami through a mock audition, he thinks he’s found his soulmate. But Asami is not the geisha wife you judge instantly.

Our femme fatale is a victim who’s on a mission to torture men. The opera-like setting, yellowish hues, and painful inferno make the horror film magical. It’s not a body-horror or a slasher; the movie does incorporate violence, but the objective is not to induce gore. It’s a cathartic tale of women, gender, and the dark side of humans.

8. The Silence of The Lambs (1991)

The incredibly talented filmmaker Jonathan Demme created a gripping psychological thriller about a disturbing American obsession: serial killing. Based on the best-selling book by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs garnered several Academy Awards and remains a cultural benchmark.

Jodie Foster challenges traditional gender roles in one of her most notable roles as FBI trainee Clarice Starling. She seeks the assistance of notorious Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter to learn more about the thoughts of another murderer. Yes, the film doesn’t feature the typical paranormal events, demons, or ghosts, but it deals with something even more sinister: when humanity goes terribly wrong.

7. Nosferatu (1922 & 2024)

The 1922 Nosferatu by F.W. Murnau is to watch the vampire film before it truly saw itself. This is Dracula’s story before it was buried with jokes, cliches, TV skits, cartoons, and over 30 other movies. The film’s material is astounding. It appears to have a strong belief in vampires.

A hauntingly beautiful retelling of the classic story is the 2024 Nosferatu by Robert Eggers. It is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece that transcends genre boundaries and stays with you long after the credits have rolled. The film, which was skillfully directed, is a visceral and emotional experience that skillfully combines breathtaking images, stirring music, and outstanding performances into a single, unified piece of art.

6. The Wailing (2016)

Na Hong-jin’s superiority as a director is clearly visible as she introduces a nameless and indefinable virus to a rural village that is otherwise peaceful in The Wailing. The film depicts the horrifying way new diseases function in the real world, in which sick people are forced to kill others around them. Uncertainty, superstition, and conflicting beliefs fill the premise of the film.

While a shaman claims to have a solution to a string of violent killings in the movie, his rituals only worsen the situation.

5. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s book opened to mixed reactions, but since its debut, the film has emerged as a classic. The film The Shining is deranged and dense, giving birth to thousands of conspiracy theories. Jack Torrance and his wife, Wendy, are responsible for taking care of the haunted Overlook Hotel.

Jack soon begins to lose his mind over eerie events, ghost encounters, and terrifying corridors. The real star of the film is, however, the Overlook Hotel. The hotel is filled with terror peeping from every corner, like the elevator, the spooky twins, and the dead guest. Every frame of the film is a visual treat, almost suffocating to watch.

4. The Exorcist (1973)

On-screen possession might seem like the go-to theme for most horror movies lately, but what made the mark is William Friedkin’s 1973 film The Exorcist. A child, demonic possession, the catholic church, a perfect concoction for a great horror film premise.

Audiences witness Linda Blair’s Regan getting dragged even deeper into the dark side, and her mom going into parental panic. Elle Burstyn is the personification of what audiences feel while watching the film. The constant debate between rational explanations and otherworldly entities holds the premise. There are multiple bed-lifting, head-rotating, and demonic shenanigans. How can we possibly forget the traumatic scene of Regan’s vomiting?

3. Get Out (2017)

A black man madly in love with his rich white girlfriend meets her family for the first time, and simple is the premise of Jordan Peele’s Get Out. What seems like a ‘just another drama’ film turns out to be the story of race and identity in America. It is bold, unapologetic, and filled with dark humor.

It’s only after the interval that all the good vibes melt away, and what we witness is an evil force. Slowly, audiences learn it’s not just a satire on race but a creep show with monsters, who, unfortunately, are humans.

2. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Scott Derrickson-directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose is not your typical horror film; it is a horror legal drama. The Jennifer Carpenter-starrer horror film doesn’t just introduce you to demonic possession but makes you question your beliefs. What makes the film even impactful is “Based on a true story” coming on the screen. The film is said to be loosely inspired by the real life of Anneliese Michel.

The interrogation of Emily’s alleged death or murder takes us through questions we all have in our minds. Whether it’s the work of a demon or mental instability, is it the satanic forces or mere psychosis? A simple story of a teenage girl, a concerned Father, and a failed exorcism is made into an intriguing and perplexing film.

In 2006, the Chicago Film Critics Association listed the film in their Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made at #86. The weird contortions made by Jennifer Carpenter were achieved through visual effects. The film won “Best Frightened Performance” at the MTV Movie Awards in 2006. At the 32nd Saturn Awards, the film won the award for Best Horror Film.

1. Hereditary (2018)

In the past few years, psychological horror has emerged as one of the most popular sub-genres in horror. Ari Aster’s Hereditary can be called one of the best in recent times. The film follows a similar trope, a dysfunctional family torn apart by sinister forces, but it goes beyond that. Of course, seances are being performed, and mutilated bodies with ants crawling hit the screen, but it’s the climax where audiences lose their minds.

What looks like an uncomfortable, anxious horror movie reveals its true intentions through Alex Wolff’s Peter. We are quickly made accustomed to the tale of the afterlife and evil cult practices. We couldn’t help but go bonkers over Toni Collette’s extraordinary performance as a paranoid, anguished mother.