For over 100 years, the movie industry has continuously pushed the boundaries of what is likely to scare audiences with horror movies. Fromthe depiction of eerie supernatural forces, demonic possession, cults, and masked killers,the best horror movieshave the unique ability to terrify, unnerve, and linger in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll. Theexperimentation with fear in these moviesis what makes them so compelling, and has contributed to them being cemented in cinematic history.
What makes these movies so scary is not just the use of blood, gore, and violence, but the deeply unsettling atmosphere that they can create. Through sound design and dark visuals, a movie may be able to create a greater atmosphere of fear than the goriest of movies. This list has been compiled bylooking at how scary these movies are by contemporary standards(assome controversial movies in their time are considered tame today), and how scary they were when they were first released. Many of these movies were unprecedentedly horrifying in their era, and all of them deserve a spot in the pantheon of scariest of all time.
The Babadook
Cast
The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, explores the struggles of a single mother grieving her husband’s death while confronting her son’s fear of a lurking monster. As they contend with this unseen entity, the sinister presence grows increasingly pervasive in their lives.
The Babadookisa truly chilling tale about parenthood and grief, while a sinister demonic entity lurks in the shadows. Amelia, a single mother, is struggling to raise her troubled son, Samuel, who becomes more and more obsessed with a pop-up book about a creature called the Babadook.
The film takes a horrifying turn when the creature begins to manifest itself into their lives, with both Amelia and Samuel being seemingly helpless to stop it. It’s an incredibly tense exploration of unresolved trauma that builds a sense of dread likely to linger on in the hearts of any who watch it, long afterThe Babadook’s horrifying ending.
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While not as bone-chilling as some of the other movies on this list,The Babadookstands out in other ways as a staple of horror movie history.Essie Davis' incredible portrayal of Amelia as she faces the Babadooks wrath is a particular highlight, bringing such emotion to a genre where the scares are normally the priority. It is Davis' performance, along with the omnipresent feeling of dread in the movie, that makesThe Babadooksuch a scary movie.
Alien
Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is a science fiction horror film that follows the crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo. Upon investigating a distress signal on a distant moon, they discover a deadly extraterrestrial lifeform. The film stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and became a seminal work in both the sci-fi and horror genres, known for its atmospheric tension and groundbreaking visual effects.
Ridley Scott’sAlienis a true titan of sci-fi horror. The movie follows the crew of the spaceship Nostromo as they encounter a terrifying extra-terrestrial creature that begins to hunt them down one by one.Alien’s deaths are gruesome, from the iconic and gruesome “chest-burster” scene, to Ripley’s final standoff with the Xenomorph.The 1979 classic is as scary to watch now as it was when it first released.
Aliensimply has to feature on any list ranking scary movies. Not only was the “chest-burster” scene an unprecedented depiction of gore and violence, but it isAlien’s very atmosphere that elevates the scare factor. The movie is a true masterclass in how to build a sense of hopeless tension - the audience knows that nobody can stop the Xenomorph, and that no help is coming.After all,in space, no one can hear you scream.
Saw
Saw is the first installment in the horror franchise directed by James Wan. Released in 2004, the film follows two men who awake shackled in a derelict bathroom, discovering they are part of a sadistic game orchestrated by the enigmatic Jigsaw, requiring them to follow cryptic instructions to survive.
The first installment in theSawfranchise was an unprecedented feat of sadism and horror when it first released. Of course, everySawmovie since the original has been gorier than the last, but there is something truly bone-chilling about the first. It tells the story ofthe Jigsaw Killer as he traps two men in a dilapidated bathroom, forcing them to inflict great pain upon themselves in order to escape.
The obvious source of much of Saw’s scares comes from the gore on display. In particular, the scene where Dr. Gordon has to saw off his own foot to escape stands out as an extremely gruesome highlight. While it is less psychologically scarring than some of the higher movies on this list,it isSaw’s sheer brutality that earns its place here.The grim, claustrophobic setting of the bathroom, as well as the intense scenes of body horror and blood, make2004’sSawand its twist endinga visceral, horrifying addition to the genre.
Longlegs
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
While thewell-reviewedLonglegsis a recent movie, it still earns its spot as one of the scariest movies of all time. It follows a detective who is attempting to track down the titular serial killer, following a series of satanic clues as she does so.Nicolas Cage as Longlegs is the true highlight here, as he gives one of the most unsettling performances of his career.
Longlegsis a movie that knows it doesn’t have to rely on cheap jumpscares to strike fear into the heart of its audience, as just the presence of the killer is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
Longlegsis a movie that knows it doesn’t have to rely on cheap jumpscares to strike fear into the heart of its audience, as just the presence of the killer is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. What makes it so scary ishow it explores religion and faith(two concepts often used in horror movies) through a serial killer story, rather than a more typical supernatural horror movie such asThe Conjuring. The brutality of the killings, and the deeply unsettling fear of the Devil combine to makeLonglegsa masterclass in how to scare an audience.
Threads
Threads is a British television film directed by Mick Jackson, depicting the impact of a nuclear war on the city of Sheffield and its residents. Released in 1984, the film follows the lives of two families as they grapple with the immediate and long-term effects of the catastrophic event. The narrative offers a stark and realistic portrayal of the societal breakdown and human suffering caused by nuclear conflict.
While not a horror movie in the traditional sense of the word, the horrifying impact thatThreadshad on the British public when it first released is still being felt today.Threadsis a harrowing portrayal of Sheffield, England, as its citizens have their lives torn apart by nuclear war. The movie is beyond bleak inits depiction of life in a nuclear winter, and has only been shown by the BBC four times in 40 years as a result of this horror (viaThe Independent).
The context in whichThreadswas released is crucial when looking at how scary the movie truly was. Released in 1984, with tensions rising between East and West,Threads’depiction of nuclear war has literally scarred people for life over the past 40 years.Threads' true horror doesn’t lie in the fictional story it tells, but inhow realistic the movie feels in its analysis of society’s fragility.It may be one of the lesser known movies on this list, but this by no means harms its case for being here.
The Zone of Interest
The Zone of Interest examines the lives of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife, Hedwig, as they attempt to cultivate a dream life for their family in a house and garden adjacent to the camp. The film delves into the juxtaposition of their domestic existence against the backdrop of the Holocaust.
The Zone Of Interestis another movie that eschews the traditional tropes of the horror genre, focusing on what audiences can’t see, rather than what they can.The movie follows Rudolf Höss, the commander of Auschwitz, and his family as they try and build the “perfect” life in a house just outside the walls of the death camp.
This unique premise,right throughThe Zone of Interest’s ending, makes it one of the most compelling and horrifying movies ever made. Of course, much of the fear surroundingThe Zone of Interestcomes from the fact that it is based on true events. The horrors of the Holocaust should never be trivialized or sensationalized on screen, andThe Zone of Interestadheres to these roles exceptionally well.
The movie earned five Oscar nominations in 2024, and won the award for Best International Feature Film.
And ultimately, it is this banal look at evil that earns its spot on this list.True evil, the kind that affects real life and real history, doesn’t necessarily come from supernatural malevolent forces, but from some deep-seated cruelty within humanity itself. And that is probably more terrifying than the premise of any scary movie.
Ringu
Based on the Japanese horror novel by Koji Suzuki, Ringu is a supernatural horror film directed by Hideo Nakata and was released in 1998. Reporter Reiko Asakawa is prompted to investigate a strange videotape that supposedly led to the death of her niece and her friends. However, after Reiko finds and views the tape, she too becomes cursed and must solve the case behind the tape within a week before meeting her fate.
WhenRinguwas released in 1998, it was a watershed moment for the horror genre. Not only didRinguspawn a successful franchise, including the famous 2002 movie,The Ring, but it alsopopularized the concept of cursed media in movies.Ringutells the story of a journalist who watches a cursed videotape and begins to investigate deaths linked to it, before she becomes the next victim.
Ringuis a terrifying masterpiece of horror, building upon a perpetual atmosphere of creeping dread in the form of the movie’s antagonist, Sadako, who has since become one of horror’s biggest icons. The movie manages to make audiences well aware that, while the curse can be lifted, Sadako herself can not be overcome. Hopelessness is one of the scariest parts of any horror movies, andRingumanages to convey this superbly, easily making it one of the scariest movies of all time.
Potentially the most famous horror movie of all time,The Shiningearns this title for a reason. It is truly bone-chilling.Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s workis widely considered one of the best movies of all time, a title that it shares along with its dedication to terrifying the audience. It follows the story of a writer and his family who looks after the remote Overlook Hotel during the winter, and depicts his slow descent into madness as a result of the hotel’s malevolent demons.
WhileThe Shining’s story itself is terrifying enough on its own, it is Kubrick’s direction that adds the movie to a true pantheon of fear. From unsettling symmetrical scenes to the iconic one-shot of Danny riding on his tricycle,every camera shot was meticulously crafted to make the movie as scary as possible, and it certainly achieves this. Combining Jack’s descent into madness with this unnerving direction is a true masterclass in how to instill fear in the hearts of any audience.
The Omen (1976)
The Omen’s story centers on an American diplomat and his wife, who unknowingly adopt the Antichrist, a child they name Damien. As Damien grows, a series of gruesome and mysterious deaths begin to happen all around him, prompting his father to investigate his son’s heritage. The tension is suffocating as the diplomat grapples with the moral dilemma -does he kill the Antichrist, even though it is his son?
Religious iconography has become a staple of the horror genre, butThe Omenuses this particularly effectively to build fear and tension and earn itself a spot on this list. Damien’s convulsions whenever he comes near a church is a particular highlight here, with his writhing being incredibly unsettling to watch.
The Omenis also relentless in its building of tensionand consistently lets audiences know that the Antichrist is always there. To make things even spookier,The Omen’s production was rumored to be cursed, with numerous real-life incidents occurring that were similar to the deaths presented in the movie.
Hereditary
The feature film debut of writer-director Ari Aster, Hereditary tells the story of the unwittingly cursed Graham family. Annie Graham (Toni Collette) lives with her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and their children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). After the death of Annie’s mother, the family is beset by disaster and stalked by a supernatural entity that dredges up a past that Annie had spent her life trying to overlook.
Ari Aster’sHereditarychanged the horror genre when it was released in 2018. It follows the Graham family, particularly the mother, Annie, as they cope with the loss of her mother. Strange events begin to unfold in the wake of her death, leading Annie to discover disturbing facts about her ancestry, forcing her to confront demonic forces out of her control. The buildup of tension and dread is truly agonizing, andToni Collette’s performance of Annie is truly haunting.
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The brutal realism that Collette brings to the role, particularly the intensity of her grief, makesHereditaryone of the scariest movies of all time. Indeed, the movie’s premise of a family trying to keep themselves together is an ideal way to build fear, asHereditaryis able to weaponize this rather relatable scenario in its exploration of malevolent forces.Hereditary’s ending sceneishaunting enough to keep even the deepest sleeper awake at night, and plays a major role in earning the movie’s spot here.
