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    All 223 Horror Movies I've Seen, Ranked

    Don't worry, I won't talk about every movie in depth. Spoilers and sensitive topics ahead.

    Scott Marshall
    by Scott Marshall

    Community Contributor

    223. Lights Out

    Teresa Palmer holding a candle.
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via IMDb

    Lights Out isn’t particularly interesting and its messy script makes it seem strangely pro-suicide. This one should have just stayed a short film.

    222. Raw

    Garance Miller and Rabah Nait Oufella wearing blood-stained lab coats.
    Focus Features / Via IMDb

    Raw is beloved but I’ve never understood the hype. It is mean-spirited, pretentious, and the one gay character suddenly turns straight an hour into the runtime. In a better film this could be an interesting exploration of how confusing sexuality can be, but here it just comes off as a twist for a twist’s sake.

    221. The Haunting in Connecticut

    220. Friday the 13th Part III

    219. When a Stranger Calls (1979)

    Carol Kane holding a landline phone.
    Columbia Pictures / Via IMDb

    Snooze.

    218. Gretel and Hansel

    217. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

    216. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

    215. The Funhouse

    214. Creep (2004)

    213. Fear Street: 1994

    Julia Rehwald using a lighter and aerosol can to fashion a homemade flamethrower.
    Nextflix / Via Yahoo

    This R. L. Stine adaptation comes off like a really violent episode of Goosebumps. Even if reaching a younger audience was its intention, it’s too childish to be interesting.

    212. The Houses October Built

    211. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

    The Pale Lady standing in a hospital hallway.
    Lionsgate / Via Bloody Disgusting

    Stephen Gammell’s illustrations come to life with some outstanding creature effects, but the production design is not enough to save an uninspired plot.

    210. Starry Eyes

    209. Velvet Buzzsaw

    208. In Fabric

    Marianne Jean-Baptiste trying on a red dress in front of multiple mirrors.
    A24 / Via IMDb

    The first two thirds of the movie are really stylish and weird in the best way, but it overstays its welcome by introducing a bunch of new plot lines right when it should be wrapping up.

    207. The Killing of a Scared Deer

    Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell holding a rifle.
    A24 / Via IMDb

    I like unlikeable characters. Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite novels. But the characters in this movie are so damn slimy that you spend the whole time rooting for them to die, and not enough of them do.

    206. The Void

    205. Honeymoon

    204. I Know What You Did Last Summer

    203. It Chapter Two

    James McAvoy standing on a street.
    Warner Bros Pictures / Via IMDb

    The second half of the modern It adaptation could not live up to the quality of its first entry, a problem also faced by the 1990 miniseries. When will someone make an It movie that does the adult Losers Club justice?

    202. Antlers

    Keri Russell confronting a monster.
    Searchlight Pictures / Via YouTube

    That. Is. Not. A. Wendigo.

    201. Halloween (2018)

    200. Blair Witch

    199. Last Night in Soho

    198. In the Tall Grass

    197. Bird Box

    Sandra Bullock rowing a dinghy while blindfolded.
    Netflix / Via BBC

    Why was this movie so popular again?

    196. The Grudge (2004)

    195. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

    194. Scream 3

    193. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

    Danielle Harris with a bloody forehead.
    Galaxy Releasing / Via ScreenGeek

    The laundry chute scene is terrifying. The rest of the movie is not.

    192. Don’t Look Now

    191. Frozen (2010)

    190. Grave Encounters

    189. The Neon Demon

    Abby Lee posing for a fashion photo shoot.
    Amazon Studios / Via IMDb

    This is supposed to be a movie about how shallow and exploitative the fashion industry can be, which is ironic considering how shallow and exploitative the movie itself is. It looks really cool though.

    188. Insidious

    187. As Above, So Below

    186. The Borderlands

    185. Trick ‘r Treat

    184. Eden Lake

    Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender drinking beers.
    StudioCanal / Via IMDb

    Is this a critique of permissive parenting? Is it an offensive caricature of the working class? I don’t know and it seems like the movie doesn’t know either.

    183. The Fourth Kind

    182. The Perfection

    181. Doctor Sleep

    180. Relic

    179. The Serpent and the Rainbow

    Bill Pullman kissing a snake as it emerges from the mouth of a skeleton in a white dress.
    Universal Pictures / Via MUBI

    Just watch an Indiana Jones movie instead.

    178. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

    177. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

    176. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

    175. The Omen (1976)

    174. The Last House on the Left (1972)

    Sandra Peabody screaming in a lake.
    American International Pictures / Via IMDb

    I can appreciate the importance of this movie in horror history. That being said, it is still a rape and revenge exploitation film from the 1970s (so, you know, really gross).

    173. Don’t Breathe

    172. The Ritual

    171. The Autopsy of Jane Doe

    Olwen Kelly being examined on an embalming table.
    IFC Films / Via IMDb

    This movie starts as an engaging and creepy mystery, but the solution to the mystery is stupid. A Salem Witch, really?

    170. Annihilation

    169. Fire in the Sky

    168. Hell House LLC

    167. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

    166. Circle

    165. Gremlins

    Zach Galligan fighting a gremlin.
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via IMDb

    For some reason I prefer the sequel, a movie so goofy that it didn’t even make this list.

    164. Saint Maud

    163. PG: Psycho Goreman

    162. The Platform

    161. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

    Katharine Levy appearing blindfolded in a cracked mirror.
    Walt Disney / Via BigHorrorGuide

    This is a child-friendly film with some decent spooks. It isn't pefect but it's a great one to show kids on Halloween.

    160. Bodies Bodies Bodies

    Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova peering over a railing.
    A24 / Via Slash Film

    Bodies Bodies Bodies is this low in the ranking only because I guessed the twist ending before it was revealed. I like to be surprised by a whodunnit, what can I say?

    159. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

    158. Slash/Back

    An alien wearing a human skinsuit.
    Shudder / Via 411 Mania

    I watched this movie because I am obsessed with the Arctic and I was hyped that it was filmed in Nunavut. The pacing is admittedly kind of rough but there are some interesting themes. I also thought that Chelsea Prusky was great, especially for an unknown child actor.

    157. Mandy

    156. 1408

    155. The Mist

    154. Shaun of the Dead

    153. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

    Alan Tudyk bending over while Joseph Allan Sutherland dives into a wood chipper.
    Magnolia Pictures / Via IMDb

    Because of this movie, my friends and I have had many long discussions about whether or not we are “half-hillbilly.” I can’t say it isn’t memorable.

    152. The Feast

    Annes Elwy examining drinking glasses.
    Picturehouse Entertainment / Via Letterboxd

    Mae dau cwestiwn gyda fi: Is this my favorite movie ever? Na. Was it fun to have it as a teaching tool while learning Welsh? Ie.

    151. Hausu

    150. The Stuff

    149. Candyman (2021)

    148. Escape Room

    Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Jay Ellis, and Tyler Labine entering an escape room shaped like an upside-down billiards bar.
    Sony Pictures / Via Roger Ebert

    A fun, light entry in the annals of PG-13 horror.

    147. The Lighthouse

    146. Under the Skin

    145. Triangle

    144. Cam

    143. Ready or Not

    142. Braid

    Imogen Waterhouse bleeding from a shaving cut.
    Blue Fox Entertainment / Via The New York Times

    I think the word “nightmarish” is overused when describing horror movies, but it fits here. Although the film has some silly moments, it is more dream-like and disorienting than anything else I have ever seen.

    141. Scream 4

    140. Saw

    139. An American Werewolf in London

    138. Friday the 13th Part 2

    137. Pet Sematary (1989)

    Miko Hughes brandishing a scalpel.
    Paramount Pictures / Via IMDb

    Sometimes, the book is better. Ayuh.

    136. Ju-On: The Grudge

    135. Jason X

    134. Final Destination

    133. Scream 2

    132. Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

    131. The Fog (1980)

    A ghost approaching Hal Holbrook from behind.
    Embassy Pictures / Via Bloody Disgusting!

    An ok movie with a banging soundtrack.

    130. Children of the Corn (1984)

    John Franklin being crucified on a cross made of corn.
    New World Pictures / Via IMDb

    A “cult” classic. A “popcorn” film. Other puns.

    129. The Changeling

    A woman wearing an argyle sweater.
    Cineplex Odeon Films / Via Tumblr

    This movie earns its spot purely for its late-1970s/early-1980s costume design. Looks were served.

    128. Freaks

    127. Phantasm

    126. Night Tide

    Marjorie Cameron wearing a black veil.
    Amazon MGM Studios / Via IMDb

    This movie is weird and imperfect and not very good. I love it anyway. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s about a sideshow performer who believes she's a mermaid. In the current era of Hollywood remakes, I can only hope that this film gets remade too.

    125. Halloween II (1981)

    124. Alice, Sweet Alice

    123. Deep Red

    122. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

    Vincent Price holding a puppet shaped like a human skeleton
    Allied Artists / Via IMDb

    Classic cheese from William Castle. A good time, just not very serious.

    121. The Innocents

    120. The Last Broadcast

    A fictionalized version of Rein Clabbers lying dead on the ground.
    Wavelength Releasing / Via IMDb

    This movie would be way higher on the list if it did not have such a colossally stupid final five minutes. Way to not stick the landing.

    119. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

    118. Ringu

    Nanako Matsushima staring at television static.
    Toho / Via Rotten Tomatoes

    Ringu is not bad, but it is a rare example of a film whose American remake improves upon the original.

    117. The Lost Boys

    116. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

    115. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

    114. It (1990)

    113. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

    112. The Conjuring

    Lili Taylor holding a lit match.
    Warner Bros .Pictures / Via The New York Times

    I tend to be a snob about horror movies which rely on jump scares. This is the exception, as The Conjuring has some really clever scares which help elevate its so-so script.

    111. Train to Busan

    110. A Quiet Place

    109. The Boy

    108. Happy Death Day

    107. Halloween III: Season of the Witch

    Brad Schacter struggling to remove a pumpkin mask from his head.
    Universal Pictures / Via IMDb

    ♫ Eight more days to Halloween, SILVER SHAMROCK ♫

    106. Hush

    105. The Slumber Party Massacre

    104. X

    103. May

    Angela Bettis standing alone in an elevator.
    Lionsgate / Via Medium

    This one is good but it's more sad than scary.

    102. The Menu

    101. Better Watch Out

    100. Bram Stoker’s Dracula

    Sadie Frost baring her teeth at a crucifix.
    Columbia Pictures / Via The Final Girls

    Here is another movie with iconic costume design. RIP Eiko Ishioka.

    99. Funny Games (2007)

    98. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

    97. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

    96. Creepshow

    95. Inferno

    Ania Pieroni holding a cat.
    20th Century Fox / Via Criterion

    In one scene, a woman has to swim through a flooded ballroom and is attacked by a floating corpse. In another scene, a man tries to drown a bag of cats and gets eaten by rats. What I’m trying to say is that this is a weird, ridiculous, over-the-top movie.

    94. Scanners

    93. M3GAN

    92. Mulholland Drive

    91. The Lodge

    Riley Keough approaching a cross-shaped building buried in snow.
    NEON / Via IMDb

    If you can look past the somewhat far-fetched plot, there is a lot to be scared of in this wintry flick.

    90. Revenge

    Matilda Lutz wearing pink star-shaped earrings in the desert.
    Rezo Films / Via IMDb

    Revenge is a better rape-and-revenge movie than The Last House on the Left and a better New French Extremity movie than Raw. If you can handle its graphic violence, check it out.

    89. The Orphanage

    88. We Need to Talk About Kevin

    87. The Others

    86. Orphan

    Peter Sarsgaard examining black light paintings.
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via Chris Sanchez

    This movie is fun, silly, and has a great plot twist. It’s the perfect watch if you like horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

    85. Session 9

    84. Event Horizon

    83. Hard Candy

    82. Troll 2

    Goblins eating green human remains.
    Epic Productions / Via IMDb

    An absolute classic in the so-bad-it's-good canon. OH MY GOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDD.

    81. Talk to Me

    80. The Sixth Sense

    79. The Love Witch

    Samantha Robinson sitting for tea.
    Oscilloscope Laboratories / Via Elle

    I feel like it takes a PhD in gender studies to fully understand this movie and I would not have it any other way. Here is proof that horror can be intelligent.

    78. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday

    Kane Hodder wielding a machete.
    New Line Cinema / Via Bloody Disgusting!

    I do not care if this movie has no reason to exist. I will defend it with all my heart because it is an absolute wild ride of nonsense in a way that few other things dare to be.

    77. The Babadook

    76. The Invisible Man (2020)

    75. The Invitation

    74. The Cabin in the Woods

    73. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

    72. Creep (2014)

    Mark Duplass wearing a wolf mask.
    Netflix / Via IMDb

    Don't be tricked into watching the 2004 movie of the same name.

    71. Eyes Without a Face

    70. The Hitcher (1986)

    C. Thomas Howell being threatened with a knife.
    Tri-Star Pictures / Via This Island Rod

    I watched this movie with a friend and we were shocked to discover that it is super gay. Like, gayer than rainbows, penguins, and drag queens put together. Slay.

    69. Poltergeist (1982)

    68. The Evil Dead

    67. Ganja and Hess

    Marlene Clark relaxing at the breakfast table.
    Kino Lorber / Via Tumblr

    Some people may be put off by this movie’s slow, subtle storytelling. I can respect that. But few other movies are this artful and thought-provoking, and no other movie has a role as iconic as Marlene Clark’s.

    66. Nope

    65. Skinamarink

    An anthropomorphic toy telephone hidden in the dark.
    Shudder / Via The New York Times

    Honestly, Skinamarink bored me a little with its long stretches of nothingness. It also terrified me more than most of the other films on this list. If director Kyle Edward Ball ever re-edits Skinamarink and cuts out some of the excess, he could have something perfect.

    64. Child’s Play

    63. Nosferatu

    62. Eraserhead

    61. Videodrome

    60. Creature from the Black Lagoon

    The Gill-man attacking Julie Addams.
    Universal Pictures / Via Bloody Disgusting!

    I need to go back and watch the rest of the Universal Monster movies because this one is a ton of fun.

    59. Misery

    58. The Birds

    57. 28 Days Later

    56. Let the Right One In

    A fire burning in a hospital bed.
    Sandrew Metronome / Via Quarter to Three

    I love to shop the Klarna. I go to my friends Hannah and Shelby and we shop together. Four easy installments. Swedish people, we do not like to pay all at once. What we like, we like the four payments. We pay the once, the twice, the three times, and on the fourth one, we say 'Okay, I am finished.'

    55. Get Out

    54. You’re Next

    53. Paranormal Activity

    52. Mother!

    Jennifer Lawrence standing on the front porch of a large house.
    Paramount Pictures / Via Film Matters Magazine

    Mother! might be the most stressful movie of all time. Seriously, my heart rate goes up just thinking about it.

    51. Rosemary’s Baby

    50. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

    49. Carnival of Souls (1962)

    Candace Hilligoss walking through a funhouse tunnel.
    Herts-Lion International / Via Criterion

    Carnival of Souls is special to me because I visited the spot on the Great Salt Lake where its ending was filmed. It’s in the public domain too, so you can watch it right now.

    48. My Bloody Valentine (1981)

    A man in coal mining gear holding a pickaxe.
    Paramount Pictures / Via Talk Film Society

    Here is another schlocky B-movie that I love to defend. Even if you never watch it, please go listen to its kick-ass theme song.

    47. The Strangers

    Liv Tyler being stalked by a man in a mask.
    Universal Pictures / Via Film School Rejects

    The kitchen scene is just… *shudders*

    46. Alien

    45. Psycho (1960)

    44. The Thing (1982)

    43. American Psycho

    42. Cube

    Nicole de Boer, David Hewlett, and Andrew Miller staring into a beam of light.
    Trimark Pictures / Via The Austin Chronicle

    Like Saw, but in a cube.

    41. Evil Dead II

    40. Dark Water (2002)

    Hitomi Kuroki and Rio Kanno holding hands in the rain.
    Toho / Via MUBI

    Some hokey special effects are the only thing bringing down this otherwise excellent ghost story.

    39. Sleepaway Camp

    Desiree Gould with a string tied around her finger.
    United Film Distribution Company / Via IMDb

    It’s camp.

    38. Sinister

    A chihuahua in a dark room.
    Lionsgate / Via Reddit

    I accidentally saw a trailer for this movie as a kid and it gave me nightmares. When I watched it years later, it lived up to expectations. Talk about terrifying.

    37. The Haunting (1963)

    Julie Harris sitting on a chaise lounge.
    Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Via Goddess of Hellfire

    I am a huge Shirley Jackson fan, and while this movie is not as good as her iconic novel, it is still great in its own right.

    36. Scream

    35. The Wicker Man (1973)

    34. The Silence of the Lambs

    33. Ginger Snaps

    A snarling werewolf.
    Motion International / Via SyFy

    As heightened as this movie is, it still manages to feel real, especially when it focuses on the main sibling relationship. Pair the film with Jennifer’s Body for a perfect double feature.

    32. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

    Al Strobel wearing a green and gold ring.
    New Line Cinema / Via Twin Peaks Blog

    Putting Fire Walk With Me here is kind of cheating since it’s just an extra long episode of Twin Peaks. But Twin Peaks is a great show and this is its best episode.

    31. Pearl

    30. The Craft

    29. Hellraiser (1987)

    28. Black Swan

    Natalie Portman wearing dance makeup.
    20th Century Fox / Via SyFy

    Black Swan answers the question, What if there was a live action version of Perfect Blue that had Winona Ryder in it?

    27. Us

    26. Pan’s Labyrinth

    25. Midsommar

    24. Gerald’s Game

    Carla Gugino handcuffed to a bed.
    Netflix / Via IMDb

    In my humble opinion, the Moonlight Man is the most terrifying villain in cinema history.

    23. It (2017)

    22. A Tale of Two Sisters

    Lee Seung-bi having a seizure.
    Cineclick / Via TimeOut

    This movie’s plot twist is a little confusing, but everything else is perfect. It looks beautiful, the acting is great, and there are plenty of scares.

    21. It Follows

    20. The VVitch

    19. Coraline

    Two monstrous women made of taffy.
    Focus Features / Via WordPress

    Does this count as a horror movie? I don’t know and I don’t care. It rules.

    18. Hereditary

    A statue made out of wood and a decomposing human head.
    A24 / Via Bloody Disgusting!

    Talk about terrifying. My initial watch of Hereditary was the most a movie has ever scared me.

    17. The Descent

    Shauna Macdonald gasping for air in the forest.
    Pathe / Via Roger Ebert

    We don’t talk about the American cut of the ending.

    16. Suspiria (2018)

    15. The Stepford Wives (1975)

    14. The Exorcist

    13. Jennifer’s Body

    12. Suspiria (1977)

    11. Battle Royale

    Ko Shibasaki making scary flashlight face.
    Toei Company / Via IMDb

    This movie manages to be both a pulpy action splatterfest and a thoughtful meditation on generation gaps. Sidenote: I am sick of this movie being compared to The Hunger Games. Two things can be good!

    10. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

    9. Friday the 13th (1980)

    Adrienne King dipping her hands into a lake while canoeing.
    Paramount Pictures / Via IMDb

    The first movie in this iconic franchise makes the most of its low budget. Whether or not you like it, there is no denying it drips with atmosphere, from its woodsy setting to its iconic scares.

    8. Candyman (1992)

    Virginia Madsen emerging from the mouth of a painting of Tony Todd's face.
    TriStar Pictures / Via Arts Council of Greater New Haven

    Not only is Candyman a perfect gothic romance, it does such a good job analyzing and retelling urban legends that its villain became an urban legend in real life. Two hook hands up.

    7. The Shining

    6. The Ring

    5. Halloween (1978)

    4. Black Christmas (1974)

    Olivia Hussey answering the phone in front of a Christmas tree.
    Ambassador Film Distributors / Via IMDb

    This is a proto-slasher with great scares and feminist themes that remain relevant to this day. It earns bonus points for being so damn Christmassy, full of cozy string lights and references to the titular holiday.

    3. Lake Mungo

    Three people participating in Victorian age spirit photography.
    After Dark Films / Via Horror Obsessive

    Here is a movie to watch if you like feeling like shit, because it is BLEAK. Its portrayals of abuse, grief, and depression are all terrifying and poetic. As someone who experienced similar trauma to the film’s central character, I needed Lake Mungo to help me express emotions that I could not put into words.

    2. Carrie (1976)

    Sissy Spacek dressed in a high school gym uniform.
    United Artists / Via IMDb

    The scene where Carrie comes home to a house full of candles is my favorite moment in all of cinema. If that scene was not enough to earn the movie a second place spot, the rest of the movie is just as fantastic.

    1. The Blair Witch Project

    Heather Donahue covering her mouth with her hand.
    Artisan Entertainment / Via IMDb

    Here she is. My favorite horror movie of all time. The mythology behind the Blair Witch is terrifying and easy to understand. The mockumentary style is utilized perfectly, balancing out the horror with subtle presentation. No movie will ever usurp The Blair Witch Project. She is my spooky queen.

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