Best Horror Movie List of All Time (and one TV Series :P )
NOTE1: I shall be updating the list as I find more time to finish it and more decent horror movies to add to the list :)
NOTE2: This is the list of the "best of the best". THEY ARE NOT RANKED!( for example, movie on spot 20 may be better than some of the earlier ones) it's just a list, which I update when I find next good horror movie. Horror genre is massive and full of fun movies, but these are my personal best, which I liked and enjoyed watching the most. Maybe I will later do "O.K./Fun Horror Movie List" :)
So, I know that opinions vary, and that horror films are subjective matter, but I'm probably not the only one who gets cancer every time someone puts "Insidious" and "Sinister" on "best" horror list. If you are old school and measure every modern horror by gems like Halloween and Friday the 13th, you came to the right place :D I am primarily "slashers" fan, but the list will contain other sub genres as well. Enjoy! ;)
NOTE2: This is the list of the "best of the best". THEY ARE NOT RANKED!( for example, movie on spot 20 may be better than some of the earlier ones) it's just a list, which I update when I find next good horror movie. Horror genre is massive and full of fun movies, but these are my personal best, which I liked and enjoyed watching the most. Maybe I will later do "O.K./Fun Horror Movie List" :)
So, I know that opinions vary, and that horror films are subjective matter, but I'm probably not the only one who gets cancer every time someone puts "Insidious" and "Sinister" on "best" horror list. If you are old school and measure every modern horror by gems like Halloween and Friday the 13th, you came to the right place :D I am primarily "slashers" fan, but the list will contain other sub genres as well. Enjoy! ;)
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- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.The classic... The legend! With this movie, John Carpenter scared us AND invented a formula that movies will follow to this day (horny people die, bad people die, only innocent girl which we call "final girl" can survive and beat the killer etc.) Movie is focused more on creeping the viewer than outright scaring him. It has great atmosphere and it's one of the first GOOD horror movies I watched. In order to enjoy and start treating horror movies like fun, you need to watch 5 movies! This is the first one. Should you watch it? Hey, if you didn't do it yet, why are you here at all? :P
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald PleasenceCharles CyphersWhile Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.The sequel brought us more gore (which many disliked), more suspense and more fun. Sure it threw logic out of the windows, but we couldn't care less. It is last good Halloween movie made to this day, and it's the second one in your initiation as a horror watcher, from the ultimate 5! Go! Watch it!
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsBetsy PalmerAdrienne KingJeannine TaylorA group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.Quickly trying to cash in on "Halloween" induced horror movie craze, we got this movie... While I personally don't think it's the best, it further embraced the Carpenters formula, and it is actually it's sequel that we all love. Don't get me wrong, this movie is also good, but Jason is Jason. This movie is full of gore and suspense, but it's a cult classic and is the third on your initiation list, of the ultimate 5! Go on, watch it, and learn some horror history boy :D
- DirectorSteve MinerStarsBetsy PalmerAmy SteelJohn FureyFive years after the events of the first film, a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open, but the legend of Jason is weighing heavy on the proceedings.Movie which gave us Jason! It is fast, scary and thrilling. It represents what a good horror/slasher should be. It is fourth on your initiation list, of the ultimate 5! Common, you are almost through!
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.And the last on your initiation list, of the ultimate 5! Killer who kills you in your sleep. Need I say more? This is the one and only movie in this series that is good, creepy and worth watching. If you watched this 5 movies; congratulations! You are officially numb, and ready to enjoy horror movies as fun, and not only as something to be frightened of :D
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteA year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.While this is more recent film in comparison to the classics, you should still watch it, as it explains the meta of the horror genre :D It has a cool killer, cool chase scenes, and some thrilling scenes. Its sequels are also good, but some old school fans might hate this being on the list, so I won't provoke them :P I personally think it's very much worth watching. Enjoy! ;)
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsOlivia HusseyKeir DulleaMargot KidderDuring their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.You should definitely watch this one! It's slasher prototype, and "Halloween" itself picked up some tricks from this bad boy here. It's creepy and thrilling ride from the very beginning to it's disturbing end. Also, if I'm not mistaken, it is the very first movie to use first person view for the killer, which is cool (EDIT: "Peeping Tom" from 1960 was the first!). This is cult classic. If you like horror movies, you need to watch this one!
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.Another more recent movie, but very smart and thrilling. It has some gore, but it gets the job done. It has one of the best plot twists in history! It's sequels are shit, but at least second part is still O.K. Everything after that is a mess. Watch it, it's necessary for you to learn how horror movies work.
- DirectorRobin HardyStarsEdward WoodwardChristopher LeeDiane CilentoA puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.Moving away from slashers, we have "The Wicker Man". While it isn't my personal favorite, it sure justifies it's place on this list, as it's very disturbing and creepy. Plus, it has Christopher Lee in it, so if that didn't convince you to watch this, I sure won't :P
- DirectorJean-Baptiste AndreaFabrice CanepaStarsRay WiseLin ShayeMick CainChristmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.Lesser known horror movie, with great theme song, good actors, creepy setting and good premise. It plays with your brain constantly. Don't expect buckets of blood, nasty killings, fast paced chase scenes and plot. Expect a good atmosphere and characters you care for. Believe me, it's worth watching :)
- DirectorGregory JacobsStarsEmily BluntAshton HolmesMartin DonovanTwo college students share a ride home for the holidays, but when they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they are preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there.If you liked "Dead End", you will like this. Don't be scared by it's rating, if you like everything mentioned in my previous note. It's not a slasher, it's a movie driven by the talking of 2 people stuck in a car, on some God forgotten road, where something weird is going on, and all that while the snowstorm is raging out. Watch it and enjoy, it's good, believe me :D
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.The classic... I don't feel like I need to talk much. Watch it. It's a piece of horror history. You won't be disappointed, even if you know the plot. Sequels are fine too :)
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsAdrienne BarbeauJamie Lee CurtisJanet LeighAn unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters.Carpenters third entry on this list, "The Fog" is my first GOOD horror movie I watched, which is fun, seems the good guy Carpenter drew me in the genre. It's creepy and second half of the movie will have you on the edge of your seat :)
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.Why not continue with the man's good work. John Carpenter brings us another masterpiece. I personally don't like Sci-Fi horror movies, but this one is a classic and is so creepy and full of suspense you will enjoy and appreciate every second of it, after you are done with it. Even the slow start. This is a must watch :D
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie HarrisClaire BloomRichard JohnsonHill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has assembled a team of people who he thinks will prove whether or not the house is haunted.Horror movie from the time when horror movies were primarily work of love and passion. This haunted house movie is creepy and disturbing from the start. It may seem nothing is really happening in this movie, but if you look closely, it is. Very good horror movie, just don't expect slasher or something else from it. Enjoy :D
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsDeborah KerrPeter WyngardeMegs JenkinsA young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.Movie in theme very similar to the previous title "The Haunting", this one is also very much worth watching. It's creepy atmosphere and story is unsurpassed to this day.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsDavid HemmingsDaria NicolodiGabriele LaviaA jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.The giallo... Italian horrors. Very cheesy, gory, and very thrilling. They are more crime stories than horrors, but they can still be viewed as such. And this one is the best of the best. Dario Argento did some amazing stuff back in the day.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróPaco PlazaStarsManuela VelascoFerran TerrazaJorge-Yamam SerranoA television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.Yes, I know what you are thinking. Found footage horror movies are trash, "Blair Witch Project" sucked (actually, it did, can tell that from the trailer) :P But this one is good... Really good. It's not often we see a Spanish horror movie, and good one at that. It's fast, scary and tense, and you will enjoy it to the last second. It's sequel is also good.
- DirectorJohn Erick DowdleStarsPerdita WeeksBen FeldmanEdwin HodgeWhen a team of explorers venture into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.Another found footage horror movie. While I have fond memories of this movie, as I went to movie theater to see it, I can't really say it's very scary, as much as it's creepy and fast. Nice idea and presentation, nothing really special, but still worth a watch, compared to shit they call horror these days.
- DirectorTom DeSimoneStarsLinda BlairVincent Van PattenPeter BartonFour college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion, where they are stalked by the monstrous survivor of a family massacre years earlier.This is a classic slasher. Don't expect anything more than that. It has gore, it has likeable characters, good and creepy setting, and one of the best final girls the screen has ever saw. It's fun, cheesy, and a little scary, so what are you waiting for :D
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.We can't deny the cult following this movie has. I personally didn't like it that much, but it's a good horror movie, has some of the best chase scenes ever made and its atmosphere is great.
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDuane JonesJudith O'DeaKarl HardmanA ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.Ahh... Birth of zombie movies. Great, thrill inducing horror movie. It's more a movie about desperation and surviving than it's about killing zombies. But it's good movie never the less, and classic one at it. Must watch for horror movie fans :D
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDavid EmgeKen ForeeScott H. ReinigerDuring an escalating zombie epidemic, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his TV executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.The sequel to previous entry, it is more ambitious and bigger in scale than the first one. I won't say it's better, it all depends on what you like more, rural house setting, or an urban shopping mall, but it sure is worth a watch, as it's good horror movie.
- CreatorSteven DoddStarsJohn KassirRoy BrocksmithMiguel Ferrer"Tales from the Crypt" was a 1989 horror story anthology series based on the gruesome E.C. comic books of the 1950s presented by the legendary "Crypt Keeper", a sinister ghoul obsessed with gallows humor and horrific puns.Yes, this is TV Series on a movie list, but it's quality is same as if you would watch a movie. Some really disturbing stories are packed in here, and while all aren't so good, there are more good than bad. It's stylish, the host is cool, and presentation is even better :)
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsHal HolbrookLeslie NielsenAdrienne Barbeau"Creepshow" is a 1982 movie that tells five grisly tales from a children's comic book: a murdered father rising from his grave, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.Cool anthology :D Some very creepy and classic tales which are needed if you are to call yourself a horror fan. It's cheesy, but it's enjoyable and fun :)
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Whilst I don't find it that much scary, as much as creepy, it's a classic, and has a great atmosphere :) Oh, and it has Bruce Campbell, so, yeah... Watch it and have fun :) It's a good horror movie. Sequels are legendary, though not really scary, so I won't put them on this list.
- DirectorJohn HoughStarsRoddy McDowallGayle HunnicuttPamela FranklinA physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927, along with most of a team of paranormal investigators that was sent in the early 1950s.This one is pretty chilling. It's pretty fast, and plays on the safe haunted house movie rules with sexually repressed women, objects which move by themselves etc. It is creepy to the maximum, and never boring.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsGeorge C. ScottTrish Van DevereMelvyn DouglasAfter the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash, a music professor staying at a long-vacant Seattle mansion is dragged into a decades-old mystery by an inexplicable presence in the mansion's attic.Changeling isn't a very scary movie, at least not to me. There are some creepy scenes, but that's about it. So why is it here? Well... Some of you may find it appealing. And it's a good movie! So it deserves a place on my list... Give it a try, you might like it :)
- DirectorDan O'BannonStarsClu GulagerJames KarenDon CalfaWhen two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.This is more a horror comedy than a real horror, but it's fun, creepy, well acted, and like most good horror movies, constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy it, because it's really something you sit down and enjoy with all that 80-s vibe! :D
- DirectorDavid SchmoellerStarsChuck ConnorsJocelyn JonesJon Van NessA group of young friends stranded at a secluded roadside museum are stalked by a masked assailant who uses his telekinetic powers to control the attraction's mannequins.A good horror movie with a lot of creepy scenes and tense moments. A good final girl and a great atmosphere. It's just a horror movie made with love and style and you got to love it :)
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsKaren BlackOliver ReedBurgess MeredithA family moves into a large old mansion in the countryside which seems to have a mysterious and sinister power over its new residents.Another movie about a haunted house and another gem at that. It's creepy, well acted, it fills you with dread and you constantly feel that something is not right. Basically, it does everything you would want from a haunted house movie and more!
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsMelissa Sue AndersonGlenn FordLawrence DaneAt the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia's group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.This movie, while not particularly scary, deserves a place on this list, because it's, surprise, a good movie! It isn't your standard slasher, has a good story, cute main character, is masterfully shot and has some creepy and unsettling scenes. Oh, and let's not forget the song that plays while the credits roll. It's amazing!
- DirectorUbaldo RagonaSidney SalkowStarsVincent PriceFranca BettoiaEmma DanieliWhen a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.While this movie won't scare the living soul out of your body, it is perfect example of a good black and white horror movie, perfect for a watch on a rainy night. It sure is creepy, first part of the movie especially!
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCristina RainesAva GardnerChris SarandonA young woman moves into an apartment in a building which houses a sinister evil.Another old movie about a haunted house. They sure don't make them like they used to. This one features a bit more shocking imagery, but don't let that and it's mediocre user score fool you. "The Sentinel" is a very creepy and disturbing horror movie which in my opinion falls apart at the end and loses it's tension, but big part of it is so good that I just had to add it to my list. If you like old horror movies with abandoned houses (and the other ones from my list), this one's for you!
- DirectorFrank De FelittaStarsCharles DurningRobert F. LyonsClaude Earl JonesIn a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious "accidents" begin to kill them off one by one.A TV Movie made with passion and love. Don't expect a slasher or to soil your pants from being scared. Expect a great creepy atmosphere, good acting and a movie that feels like someone made a tale from "Tales from the Crypt" into a movie.
- DirectorStuart GordonStarsIan Patrick WilliamsCarolyn Purdy-GordonCarrie LorraineA dysfunctional family of three stop by a mansion during a storm -- father, stepmother, and child. The child discovers that the elderly owners are magical toy makers and have a haunted collection of dolls.Sometimes horror movies should be watched not because they are scary but because they have a beautiful message. "Dolls" is one of those horror movies and at times resembles a family or black comedy movie far more than a pure horror one. I recommend it wholeheartedly, even if just for the chemistry between the two main characters. It reminds us of importance of keeping the child in ourselves alive and that's why I think it deserves the place on this list.
- DirectorGary ShermanStarsJames FarentinoMelody AndersonJack AlbertsonSheriff Dan Gillis investigates eerie deaths in a sleepy coastal town.While not as known as some other movies from this list, "Dead & Buried" is very cosy and creepy movie that resembles EC horror tales of old and reminds me a lot of Carpenter's "The Fog". This one is a real hidden gem, so don't let the score scare you away!
- DirectorDanny SteinmannStarsBarbara BachSydney LassickLelia GoldoniThree female reporters find themselves staying overnight in a house occupied by a hostile being that lurks in the basement."The Unseen" isn't a slasher and you shouldn't expect one under any circumstance. It's a quite creepy, tragic and disturbing commentary on family, love, need for others and pain. It's a well made and acted movie that knows very well what to show to the viewer and when to show it. It's different from its contemporary horror movies and it's different from current horror movies. It's relatively unknown and if you are a true horror movie fan, you will find a lot to praise here. Just don't let the low user rating scare you away.