100 Best Horror Movies, According To Critics

What makes a truly great horror film? Is it a jumping scare and a bucket of blood? A strong voice director? Creation? Authenticity? A deeper level of meaning? This is a question critics can ask themselves when analyzing the genre from an analytical perspective. And as they soon discovered, their conclusions didn't always live up to audience expectations. Still, the critically acclaimed horror is unique in one way or another and worth watching as such. After all, there are only a limited number of common formulas and common clichés to choose from, right?

This list of rated horror movies has quite a few and then some. Movies like "La Llorona" and "Under the Shadow" combine supernatural horror with real horror. In contrast, films like "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" let the slasher subgenre speak for itself. "Alien" combines elements of science fiction, while "The Babadook" and "Rosemary's Baby" are psychological exercises. Meanwhile, horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Little Shop of Horrors have garnered critical acclaim and loyal followings.

Stacker collected data on Metacritic's top rated horror films of all time for September 2022 to celebrate the genre in all its forms and possibilities. They are displayed in order of their meta scores from lowest to highest. Metascores are only published in whole numbers, but the correlation is broken down to decimal numbers by Metacritic. Expect some surprises, and not just because audiences don't always agree with critical reviews. Here are the best horror movies from critics.

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Simultaneous Movie

#100 What We Do In The Shadows (2015)

- Directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Meta Score: 76
- Duration: 86 minutes

Horror genre tropes are given a comedic twist in this popular New Zealand satire. It follows a group of ancient and modern vampires struggling with a modern and relatively non-violent way of life. Also acclaimed TV series adaptation in 2019.

picture above

#99 10 Kinds of Clovers (2016)

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Meta Score: 76
- Duration: 104 minutes

The second part of the Cloverfield franchise is far from its previous creative releases. When a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up after a car accident, she is being held captive by a man with questionable motives (John Goodman). Like the first film, it benefited from a misguided marketing campaign.

Deceptive images

#98 Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Director: Edgar Wright
Meta Score: 76
- Duration: 99 minutes

Edgar Wright has found his brand of horror comedy with this British cult hit. It tells the story of Sean (Simon Pegg) who proves himself in vain in a zombie apocalypse. The film is part of Wright's Coretto Three Flavors Trilogy, which also includes Hot Fudge and World's End.

Newline cinema

#97 A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Director: Wes Craven
Meta Score: 76
- Duration: 91 minutes

Armed with a razor blade, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) embarks on a teenage nightmare. It also happened by chance to conquer a new spy market and start a franchise. Several sequels or reboots have captured the humor and horror of Wes Craven's original work.

laurel ribbon and film

#96 Amusement Park (1975)

Directed by George A Romero
Meta Score: 77
- Duration: 54 minutes

Selected as an educational film on parental abuse, Romero's essay remains unpublished 46 years later. The story follows an old man (Lincoln Mazeel) at an amusement park and his growing mental state. It might be a favorite, but its 46% views on Rotten Tomatoes aren't many.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

#95 The Cursed City (1960)

Directed by Wolf Rilla
Meta Score: 77
- Duration: 77 minutes

Based on the novel, this British horror film welcomes viewers to the small town of Midwich. After a mysterious event, local children began exhibiting supernatural behavior. It's happened in sequels and remakes, even The Simpsons.

recorder movie

#94 Legacy (2020)

Director: Natalie Erica James
Meta Score: 77
- Duration: 89 minutes

Set in a remote country house, this Aussie horror film follows a unique diagnosis of dementia. A woman (Emily Mortimer) and her daughter (Bella Heathcote) have a nightmare when a grandfather (Robin Nevin) moves in. Irish Times critic Tara Brady called it "an entry of the year and a nightmare".

Les Films du Warsaw

#93 Evolution (2016)

Directed by Lucille Hadzihalilovich
Meta Score: 77
- Duration: 81 minutes

This French horror drama takes place in a small coastal town where only women and boys live. When young Nicholas discovers a dead body at sea, he reinvestigates its surroundings and mysterious habits. Director Lucille Hadzihalilovich's sense of style wowed critics, but the pacing was a little off-putting to some viewers.

Alcatraz the movies

#92 High Life (2019)

Directed by Claire Denis
Meta Score: 77
Duration: 113 minutes

French author Claire Denis takes to outer space for this epic fusion of science fiction and horror. A group of death row inmates embark on a dangerous mission as part of an interstellar experiment. Critics loved the film's rich atmosphere and willingness to defy convention.

Alta Vista Products

#91 The Red Death (1964)

Directed by Roger Corman
Meta Score: 77
- Duration: 89 minutes

This Roger Corman Outing is an adaptation of Executive Director and Producer Edgar Allan Poe. Vincent Price plays the tragic prince Prospero in medieval Italy, who is plagued by a deadly epidemic. As he attempts to eradicate the infection from the castle walls, the prince soon learns that no one is above his death.

Blumhouse productions

#90 Presents (2015)

Directed by Joel Edgerton
Meta Score: 77
Duration: 108 minutes

Joel Edgerton wrote, directed and starred in this epic Blumhouse thriller. When a businessman (Jason Bateman) meets an old school friend (Edgerton), he begins some dangerous mind games. The psychological tension in this film is more prevalent than most horror tropes.

Public Pictures

#89 No (2022)

Director: Jordan Peele
Meta Score: 77
Duration: 135 minutes

Jordan Peele's third film offers a mixture of science fiction, horror, comedy and social commentary. When random objects fall from the sky, the residents of Agua Dulce try to find a possible UFO. Pele hinted that he might revisit the story in a future film.

Maybe a story

#88 I'm Thinking About The End (2020)

Directed by Charlie Kaufman
Meta Score: 78
Duration: 134 minutes

Based on the novel by Ian Read, this psychological thriller puts a real twist on existing themes and classic genre tropes. A young woman (Jesse Buckley) follows her boyfriend's parents to a remote farm for a fantasy vacation. It's scary because only someone like Charlie Kaufman can deliver it.

Dweck production

#87 We're All Going to the World's Fair (2022)

Directed by Jane Schoenbrunn
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 86 minutes

Anna Cobb plays Casey, a lonely teenager, in this offbeat horror film. What starts as a viral internet challenge turns into a nightmare as the story progresses. Overall, moviegoers were far more receptive than critics, leading the film to only get a 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Alta Vista Products

#86 Pete and the Pendulum (1961)

Directed by Roger Corman
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 80 minutes

Roger Corman and Vincent Price have teamed up for another Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, while Richard Matheson returns as screenwriter. While investigating the death of his sister in 19th-century Spain, a man (John Kerr) makes a shocking discovery. Despite its deliberate exploitation, the film retains an authentic atmosphere.

this cow

#85 Hello (2022)

Directed by Jean-Luc Herbulot
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 84 minutes

This Senegalese thriller was released in 2011. It is set against the backdrop of a brutal military coup in Guinea-Bissau in 2003. After a dangerous mission, three mercenaries embark on a mission of revenge. Director Jean-Luc Herbulot "looks like an old genre - like a flashlight in a dark room - making a fresh comeback," wrote Glenn Kenny for Roger Ebert.

The desire

#84 Spine of the Devil (2001)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 106 minutes

After losing his father in the Spanish Civil War, a boy is sent to a troubled orphanage. Amongst del Toro's most famous work, this man embraces humanity, history and fear. Bloody's is number 18 on our list of the best films of the 2000s.

rounded

Watch #83 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).

Directed by Tobe Hooper
Meta Score: 78
Duration: 83 minutes

It's a raw and insightful experience that brings to life the real Tobe Hooper in one of the best horror movies of all time. While visiting a Texas cemetery, five people meet a sad family of cannibals. Despite the relative lack of gore and gore, this film manages to instill a sense of dread.

animal kingdom

#82 It Comes at Night (2017)

Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 91 minutes

Critics and audiences will not be at odds in this epic thriller set in a zombie-like plague. Deep in the woods, a paranoid man (Joel Edgerton) and his family encounter a suspicious new guest. Instead of a thriller feeling, director Trey Edward Schultz opted for a slow burn and a surprising ending.

Lorimer film entertainment

#81 The Witches (1990)

Directed by Nikolaus Rogg
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 91 minutes

A boy crosses paths with a real-life wizard in this adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic novel. Directed by Nicolas Roeg, the film's tone and visuals are far darker than its PG rating would suggest. Executive producer Jim Henson (creator of The Muppets) died shortly before its UK release.

Toho Film (Iga) Co. SL

#80 Godzilla (2004)

Directed by Ishiro Honda
Meta Score: 78
- Duration: 98 minutes

1954

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#79 28 (2007)

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#78 (2022)

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: 79
-: 117

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#77 (1977)

Directed by Dario Argentino
: 79
-: 98

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#76 (2010)

Directed by Matt Reeves
: 79
-: 116

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-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

#75 (1982)

Directed by Tobe Hooper
: 79
-: 114

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#74 (2014)

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: 79
-: 123

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#73 (2016)

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#72 (2022)

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: 79
-: 102

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No. 71 (2020)

Directed by Jairo Bustamante
: 79
-: 96

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Werner Herzog

Number 70 (1979)

: Werner Herzog
: 79
: 107

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street cinema

#69 (2022)

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: 79
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#68 (2018)

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: 79
: 115

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SLM product group

#67 (1986)

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-: 96

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#66X (2022)

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: 79
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#65 (2014)

:
80
: 108

Thanks to images of human bodies and deadpan faces, the foreign con artist (Scarlett Johansson) travels to Scotland in search of new victims. Spectators expecting regular fares will likely be disappointed.

சிய்புத்திட்டை

#64 endless (2018)

- Directed by Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
Meta score: 80
- Running time: 111 minutes

Two brothers believe they left a mysterious UFO death cult, but now a mysterious VHS tape has gotten them inside. The film relies on talent and creative energy while avoiding the noticeable strain of its tiny budget. The more you know about it, the better.

Telewizja Polska

#63 Ghost (2016)

Director: Marcin Wrona
Meta score: 80
- Running time: 94 minutes

This Jewish folklore inspired horror drama hails from Poland and is set during a wedding. The unruly spirit hides in the groom and continues to disrupt the system. The main part of the film is the story and the story of revenge.

Tippett Studio

#62 Mad God (2022)

Directed by Phil Tippett
Meta score: 80
Running time: 83 minutes

Visual effects expert Phil Tippett has spent 30 years bringing this stop-motion horror story to life. The masked killer welcomes viewers into a brutal and utterly familiar world and begins his ultimate mission. The project would have been shelved forever were it not for a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $124,000 in funding.

flash movies

#61 Berber Recording Studio (2013)

Directed by Peter Strickland
Meta score: 80
- Running time: 92 minutes

Director Peter Strickland celebrates the Italian giallo horror films of the 1970s with this psychological fantasy. It tells the story of a British sound effects engineer (Toby Jones) whose latest work shakes the power of reality. Distorted text and haunting visual style combine to create a dreamlike beauty.

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Rustic Movies

#60 Quality (2013)

- Directed by Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
Meta score: 80
- Running time: 93 minutes

Budgeted at $20,000, this friendship-themed horror film begins with an intervention story. This very heavy storyline, as it expands, gives way to a series of mysterious events. For viewers, this is all from the same film crew behind The Endless.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

#59 Freaks (1932)

Director: Todd Browning
Meta score: 80
Running time: 64 minutes

Director Todd Browning for this unique and interesting attempt at bringing real life to the stage. Hoping to inherit a fortune, a trapeze artist tries to seduce carnival dancers. Riddled with strange diseases, his work shows sincerity in exploitation.

Maljack production

#58 Henry: The Serial Killer (1986)

Directed by John McNaughton
Meta score: 80
Running time: 83 minutes

Follow a creep (Michael Rooker) as he commits a series of murders in this disturbing cult classic. The film's shocking authenticity, cleanly executed and completely intact, is one of its best qualities. It was one of the first films to receive an NC-17 rating.

Nicolas Astiarraga PC

#57 Arebato (1979)

Directed by Ivan Zulueta
Meta score: 80
Running time: 105 minutes

This newly restored home film from the Spanish artist is waiting to be rediscovered by cult horror lovers. It follows drug addiction as he tries to capture its treacherous state on celluloid. Roger Ebert, the critic Carlos Aguilar, wrote that "Cinema is like part of another world and mind-altering substances that enter the bloodstream are addictive and destructive."

Ulrich Seidl Film Production GmbH

#56 Good Night Mom (2015)

- Director: Severin Fiala, Veronica Franz
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 99 minutes

Things are not what they seem in this Austrian psychodrama. When their mother has cosmetic surgery, the twins will surely be replaced by someone else. The National Review Board named it "Goodnight Mommy" as one of the best foreign films of 2015.

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Hackson films

#55 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

- Direction: Daniel Mairik, Edwardo Sanchez
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 81 minutes

The resulting footage might not have been available without this landmark indie film. In the search for a magical witch in the forest, the following documentation follows. It preceded one of the first viral marketing campaigns and became a critical and commercial disruptor.

Warner Bros.

#54 The Outcast (1973)

Director: William Fredkin
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 122 minutes

Audiences aren't ready for this benchmark blockbuster horror just yet - that's not stopping them from joining the ride. It shows the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl (Linda មាាាមា) and the two priests trying to save her. The two-Oscar-winning film remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time (adjusted for inflation).

20th century fox

#53 Waiting (2016)

Director: Na Hong-jin
Meta score: 81
Running time: 156 minutes

The shocks come from South Korea and Hong-Jin's favorite horror movie. Set in a small village, the arrival of strangers coincides with a series of disturbing events. Don't be afraid of the 156-minute running time as the story moves at a fast pace.

Monkeypaw Products

#52 us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 116 minutes

Director Jordan Peele followed "Out" with social commentary and occasional comic relief. The story takes place in Santa Cruz, where a vacationing family lives with their doubles. With Lupita Nyong'o's highly acclaimed dual role, the film ends at the end of the day.

Say अह प्रोडाक्ष्णी

#51 A Girl Goes Home Alone at Night (2014)

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 99 minutes

Dubbed “The First Iranian Vampire,” Anna Lily Amirpour's character is the first release in the all-Indian spirit. It takes place in Bad City and follows the walking vampire (शिला वांड). The unique beauty and killer soundtrack covers all of the track's flaws.

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Rook Movies

#50 in Cloth (2019)

Directed by Peter Strickland
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 118 minutes

From the Director of Berberian Sound Studio comes another real fantasy in Gilo ក្រ្រ. At the center of the story is a cursed red dress that inspires terror when passed from one husband to another. Equal parts funny and disturbing, the film evokes modern capitalism.

Geffen Company

#49 The Little Shop (1986)

Director: Frank Oz
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 94 minutes

In a category of its own, this horror musical never loses its theatrical or comedic edge. የእሱን ባዕድ ተክል ለማርካት (በሌዊ ኦፍ ዘ ፎር ቶፕስ የተሰማው), ብቸኛ የአበባ ሻጭ (ሪክ ሞራኒስ) ወደ ገዳይ ይሄዳል. Steve Martin's performance as the hapless dentist is unmissable.

MES products

#48 Revenge (2018)

Directed by Coralie Fargeat
Meta score: 81
Running time: 108 minutes

Featured by Vogue as a #MeToo Age of Thriller Film, this iconic event also serves as an example of femininity. A Dead Woman Attacked (Матилда Лутз) rides a blood-soaked war road. Director Coralie Farget turns every knob to the limit.

little movie

#47 Raw (2017)

Directed by Julia Ducournau
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 99 minutes

A keen vegetarian (Garán Marillier) develops a taste for meat and turns cannibalistic in this French horror drama. With flawless graphics, the film offers many subtexts about purity and experience. As critic Kate Muer has said, it sticks with the audience "long after a well-trained animal snack has been seen on a student's severed finger".

Warner Bros.

#46 Wait Until Dark (1967)

Directed by Terence Jung
Meta score: 81
Running time: 108 minutes

Audrey Hepburn delivers an Oscar-winning performance in this amazing thriller. As Susie Hendrix, the undercover housewife, she must battle three brutal robbers who are searching her home for drugs. Alan Arkin co-stars and gives his own acclaimed performance.

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SpectreVision

#45 Mandy (2018)

- Directed by Panos Cosmatos, Chris "Casper" Kelly
Meta score: 81
- Running time: 121 minutes

Dark opening music and a dense visual palette set the tone for this epic saga. ሬድ ሚለር (ኒኮላስ ኬጅ) ፍቅር በአደገኛ የአምልኮ ሥርዓት በማጣቱ እጅግ በጣም በጣም ኃይለኛ አውጥቷል አውጥቷል ለ Cage ያልተቋረጠ አፈጻጸም ይምጡ፣ ለሳይኬደሊክ ትርኢቶች ሕብረቁምፊ ይቆዩ።

አና ቢለር ፕሮዳክሽን

#44. የፍቅር ጠንቋይ (2016)

ዳይሬክተር: አና Biller
ሜታስኮር፡ 82
- የአሂድ ጊዜ: 120 ደቂቃዎች

በሬትሮ ቴክኒኮል የቀረበው የጎቲክ አስፈሪ ኮሜዲ ኮሜዲ (ሳማንታ ሮቢንሰን) በምትባል ጠንቋይ ላይ ላይ ያተኩራል ኢሌን የወንዶችን ሰንሰለት ለማታለል የፍቅር ድግምት ስትጠቀም ያልታሰበ ዘደልም ያልታሰበ ዘዣል ከቆሻሻ ሽፋን ማንጠልጠያ እና ድርብ ደረጃዎችን በብልሃት ማሰስ ነው።

ኢኤፍቲአይ

#43. ትክክለኛው በ 2008 (እ.ኤ.አ.)

ዳይሬክተር: Tomas Alfredson
ሜታስኮር፡ 82
የአሂድ ጊዜ: 115 ደቂቃዎች

ጉልበተኛ ወንድ እና በዚህ አስፈሪ አስፈሪ ፊልም ላይ የሆነ የሆነ ትስስር ይህም 2010 በእንግሊዝኛ ቋንቋ ፍቀድልኝ ፍቀድልኝ ፍቀድልኝ ፍቀድልኝ የሚለውን አነሳስቷል አነሳስቷል Dripping with atmosphere, it punctuates humane drama with sequences of grotesque violence. Those who don't mind subtitles can skip the American version and go straight to the source.

Mistik Jade Films

#42. Sator (2021)

– Director: Jordan Graham
– Meta score: 82
– Run time: 85 minutes

Critics went gaga for this low-budget horror film, in which a supernatural entity tries to possess a small family. An audience score of 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb rating of 5.2 suggests that general moviegoers were far less impressed. It's drawn comparisons to “The Blair Witch Project” and “The Witch.”

Emmepi Cinematografica

#41. Black Sabbath (1964)

– Director: Mario Bava
– Meta score: 82
– Run time: 92 minutes

Boris Karloff presents a trilogy of featurettes from director Mario Bava, with notable differences between the Italian and American versions. The expressionistic use of color and steamy overtones are defining stalwarts of the giallo subgenre. A certain heavy metal band derived its name from this very film.

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Paramount Pictures

#40. A Quiet Place (2018)

– Director: John Krasinski
– Meta score: 82
– Run time: 90 minutes

This unexpected blockbuster takes place in the wake of a catastrophic alien invasion by creatures who hunt by sound. In order to survive, a family must remain completely quiet at all times. The sequel arrived in 2020 to similarly strong reviews.

DreamWorks

#39. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

- Director: Tim Burton
– Meta score: 83
– Run time: 116 minutes

Director Tim Burton reunited with Johnny Depp for this adaptation of the Broadway horror musical. It tells the story of widowed barber Sweeney Todd (Depp), whose business is a front for a bloody revenge scheme. Depp's work, along with Helena Bonham Carter's performance as Sweeney's cohort Mrs. Lovett, brought in rave reviews.

Northern Lights Films

#38. It Follows (2015)

– Director: David Robert Mitchell
– Meta score: 83
– Run time: 100 minutes

With its nightmarish premise and synth score, this indie horror classic draws upon the works of John Carpenter. The “it” that follows is a sexually transmitted entity, which takes the form of deadly human stalkers. Shot on a budget of under $2 million, the film debuted at Cannes and later earned a loyal cult following.

Escape Plan Productions

#37. Saint Maud (2021)

– Director: Rose Glass
– Meta score: 83
– Run time: 84 minutes

The feature debut from director Rose Glass, this psychological horror film tells the story of a hospice nurse named Maud (Morfydd Clark). Going to religious extremes, Maud tries to save the soul of an afflicted patient. In his review for IndieWire, critic David Ehrlich described it as a “cross between 'First Reformed' and 'The Exorcist.'”

Amour Fou Vienna

#36. Taxidermia (2009)

– Director: György Pálfi
– Meta score: 83
– Run time: 91 minutes

With a name like “Taxidermia,” graphic body horror is all but guaranteed. Hungarian director György Pálfi also brings plenty of dark comedy to this surrealist yarn, which spans three generations of idiosyncratic men. It's best watched on an empty stomach.

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Universal Pictures

#35. Drag Me to Hell (2009)

- Director: Sam Raimi
– Meta score: 83
– Run time: 99 minutes

“Evil Dead” helmer Sam Raimi returned to his horror roots with this supernatural tale. The victim of a deadly curse, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) has just a few days to save her soul from damnation. Raimi's hyperkinetic style and comic sensibilities lend the film a signature aesthetic.

Sigma Cinematografica Roma

#34. Tenebrae (1984)

- Director: Dario Argento
– Meta score: 83
– Run time: 101 minutes

Italian director Dario Argento returned to the giallo subgenre he helped popularize with this subversive slasher. The story takes place in Rome and puts a horror writer in the crosshairs of a twisted killer. Originally censored and reedited for theatrical distribution in the US, it was critically reappraised decades later after being released in uncut form.

A24

#33. The Lighthouse (2019)

– Director: Robert Eggers
– Metascore: 83
– Runtime: 109 minutes

Mental torment is its own kind of horror in this black-and-white psychodrama. Set off the coast of New England in the late 19th century, it chronicles the contentious relationship between two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe). Playing to his strengths, director Robert Eggers effectively transports the viewer to another time.

Parts and Labor

#32. The Witch (2016)

– Director: Robert Eggers
– Metascore: 83
– Runtime: 92 minutes

Before “The Lighthouse,” Robert Eggers churned out this slow-burn supernatural folktale for his feature film debut. Taking place in 17th-century New England, it depicts a devout Christian family on their farm while evil forces lurk in the wilderness nearby. Rendered with impeccable authenticity, Eggers made his mark as a detail-oriented director by employing Early Modern English for the film's dialogue.

Wigwam Films

#31. Under the Shadow (2016)

– Director: Babak Anvari
– Metascore: 83
– Runtime: 84 minutes

Babak Anvari's feature directorial debut takes place in 1980s Tehran during the War of the Cities. Grappling with real terror outside their door, a mother and daughter face a new enemy from within. Even at its most supernatural, the story retains a theme of war-torn peril.

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Vonnie Von Helmolt Film

#30. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2003)

– Director: Guy Maddin
– Metascore: 84
– Runtime: 73 minutes

A technical triumph, this ballet version of Bram Stoker's “Dracula” employs silent-era paradigms. As wild as it may sound, the film is actually quite faithful to the source material. Roger Ebert credited its fragmented style with imparting “the sensation of glimpsing snatches of a dream.”

Red Bank Films

#29. Carrie (1976)

– Director: Brian De Palma
– Metascore: 85
– Runtime: 98 minutes

Stephen King's debut novel paved the way for this seminal horror flick, starring Sissy Spacek in the title role. Constantly harassed by her peers, Carrie unleashes her telekinetic power. It all builds toward one of the most legendary climaxes in horror movie history.

Chungeorahm Film

#28. The Host (2007)

– Director: Bong Joon-ho
– Metascore: 85
– Runtime: 119 minutes

Long before “Parasite,” director Bong Joon-ho enraptured global audiences with this South Korean monster movie. Loosely inspired by an actual event, it generates a vicious sea creature out of 200 bottles of dumped formaldehyde. At the time, it was the highest-grossing film in South Korea.

Universal Pictures

#27. Get Out (2017)

– Director: Jordan Peele
– Metascore: 85
– Runtime: 104 minutes

A film that's become only more prescient with time, Jordan Peele's directorial debut combines social satire with gripping terror. While visiting his girlfriend's well-heeled parents, a young Black man (Daniel Kaluuya) finds himself the target of a diabolical scheme. Rarely do various tonal elements harmonize as seamlessly as they do in this Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay.

ENBU Seminar

#26. One Cut of the Dead (2019)

– Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda
– Metascore: 86
– Runtime: 96 minutes

Working on a reported budget of around $25,000, Japan's Shin'ichirô Ueda squeezed new life into the zombie subgenre. Equal parts clever and gruesome, the story follows a hack filmmaker and his crew as they try to make a horror movie on the cheap. That's when the real zombies come out to play.

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Screen Australia

#25. The Babadook (2014)

– Director: Jennifer Kent
– Metascore: 86
– Runtime: 93 minutes

A visual tour de force, Jennifer Kent's feature debut walks the fine line between supernatural and psychological terror. It tells the story of a creepy children's book character, who leaps off the page and not just in a figurative sense. Is the Babadook real or is it a shared delusion between a widowed mother and her son?

Diluvio

#24. The Wolf House (2020)

– Directors: Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña
– Metascore: 86
– Runtime: 75 minutes

According to IndieWire, this “grimmer-than-Grimm fairy tale” is “one of the darkest animated movies ever.” After escaping from a Nazi-run colony in the middle of Chile, a young woman enters a new house of horrors. The filmmakers use a full spectrum of styles and moods to examine the nature of trauma.

Double Dare You (DDY)

#23. The Shape of Water (2017)

– Director: Guillermo del Toro
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 123 minutes

Straddling multiple genres, this Best Picture winner depicts the unlikely romance between a janitor (Sally Hawkins) and humanistic sea creature (Doug Jones). Set during the height of the Cold War, the fairy tale unfolds against a noirish backdrop. A notable technical element of the film is the Amphibian Man was brought to life by Jones performing in a carefully designed costume rather than through CGI and motion capture.

British Lion Film Corporation

#22. The Wicker Man (1974)

– Director: Robin Hardy
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 88 minutes

Not to be confused with the terrible remake, this cult classic set an early template for the folk horror subgenre. It follows a police sergeant to a remote Scottish island village with strong pagan ties. The film's influence looms so large that director Ari Aster had to consciously avoid it when making “Midsommar,” which features similar themes.

A24

#21. Hereditary (2018)

– Director: Ari Aster
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 127 minutes

This unique blend of domestic drama and supernatural terror announced Ari Aster as a new voice in cinema. When a family matriarch passes away, she leaves more than just her genetics behind. Toni Collette's powerhouse performance is the foundational glue holding multiple threads together.

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Zanuck/Brown Productions

#20. Jaws (1975)

– Director: Steven Spielberg
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 124 minutes

More than a critical and commercial smash, “Jaws” redefined the entire concept of blockbuster cinema. Various production issues forced Spielberg to show less of the shark during earlier scenes, which only made the film that much more terrifying. To this day, the movie continues to make swimmers afraid of the ocean.

American Film Institute (AFI)

#19. Eraserhead (1978)

– Director: David Lynch
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 89 minutes

A true labor of love, David Lynch's feature debut capitalized off of midnight screenings and a loyal cult following. It channels various moods and fears into the story of Henry Spencer (Jack Nance), who grapples with the birth of a mutant child. Story takes a backseat to industrial textures and experimental dirges in what remains a completely singular work.

Compass International Pictures

#18. Halloween (1978)

– Director: John Carpenter
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 91 minutes

Before the endless string of sequels and reboots, there was John Carpenter's original classic. Its synth-heavy score and masked murderer would become fixtures of the up-and-coming slasher subgenre. Even today, the film's influence persists on screens both big and small.

Universal Pictures

#17. The Invisible Man (1933)

– Director: James Whale
– Metascore: 87
– Runtime: 71 minutes

With great invisibility comes great insanity in this HG Wells adaptation. Director James Whale balances tension and comedy while introducing a number of groundbreaking (for its time) special effects. A 2020 remake starring Elisabeth Moss earned its own share of rave reviews.

Twentieth Century Fox

#16. The Innocents (1961)

– Director: Jack Clayton
– Metascore: 88
– Runtime: 100 minutes

This adaptation of a Henry James novella stars Deborah Kerr as a governess named Miss Giddens. After moving into a new estate, Giddens is haunted by the spirits of two former employees … or is she? The movie is beloved by critics and filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, who put it at #10 on his list of scariest horror movies.

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Image Ten

#15. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

– Director: George A. Romero
– Metascore: 89
– Runtime: 96 minutes

Ground zero for an entire subgenre, George Romero's low-budget horror flick never once uses the word “zombie.” It nevertheless establishes a number of important paradigms, pitting small-town folk against the walking dead. Controversial upon its release, the movie garnered critical acclaim over time.

Brandywine Productions

#14. Alien (1979)

– Director: Ridley Scott
– Metascore: 89
– Runtime: 117 minutes

A benchmark in modern filmmaking, Ridley Scott's masterpiece follows the crew of spaceship Nostromo. What starts as slow burn sci-fi descends into the stuff of nightmares, as alien cargo picks off the crew one by one. In 2003, a director's cut was released theatrically to its own rapturous reviews.

Rizzoli Film

#13. Deep Red (1976)

– Director: Dario Argento
– Metascore: 89
– Runtime: 126 minutes

The blood flows red and deep indeed, courtesy of Italian horror legend Dario Argento. His most-acclaimed work sends a hapless pianist on the trail of a savvy serial killer. Despite some “nonsensical qualities,” critic Keith Phipps heralded the film's “hallucinatory images and unforgettable setpieces.”

Champs-Élysées Productions

#12. Eyes Without a Face (1960)

– Director: Georges Franju
– Metascore: 90
– Runtime: 88 minutes

In this French horror drama, a guilt-ridden surgeon tries to give his daughter a new face. With its poetic style and unsparing depictions of surgery, the film was influential for both its decade and decades to come. Critics to this day are still hashing out its hidden meanings and themes.

RKO Radio Pictures

#11. King Kong (1933)

– Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper
– Metascore: 90
– Runtime: 100 minutes

A living legacy began with this 1933 adventure and its groundbreaking use of stop-motion animation. At the behest of a film crew, actor Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) travels to Skull Island and catches the eye of a monolithic ape. The rest is cinematic history.

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Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions

#10. The Birds (1963)

– Director: Alfred Hitchcock
– Metascore: 90
– Runtime: 119 minutes

Chaos visits the town of Bodega Bay in the form of relentless birds, who attack for no apparent reason. Hitchcock revels in the buildup, pivoting from romantic dramedy to horror with suddenness and precision. The same artistic choices that initially befuddled critics are now viewed as masterstrokes.

Compton Films

#9. Repulsion (1965)

– Director: Roman Polanski
– Metascore: 91
– Runtime: 105 minutes

Alone in her London apartment, a hypersensitive woman (Catherine Deneuve) slowly descends into madness. Polanski cultivates a claustrophobic sense of space to express the character's mindset. This was the first film in the director's unofficial “Apartment Trilogy.”

Universal Pictures

#8. Frankenstein (1931)

– Director: James Whale
– Metascore: 91
– Runtime: 70 minutes

With help from his assistant Igor, a mad scientist reanimates lifeless body parts. This epoch-making adaptation introduces Boris Karloff as the legendary monster. Writing for the Village Voice, Elliot Stein calls it the “most influential horror film ever made.”

Laokoon Filmgroup

#7. Son of Saul (2015)

– Director: László Nemes
– Metascore: 91
– Runtime: 107 minutes

The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp provides its own brand of horror in this Hungarian World War II drama. Tasked with exterminating dead bodies, prisoner Saul Ausländer (Géza Röhrig) seeks proper burial for a young boy. The movie won a host of major awards, including the Grand Prix at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

13 Productions

#6. Werckmeister Harmonies (2001)

– Directors: Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky
– Metascore: 92
– Runtime: 145 minutes

Mystery permeates every minute of this cinéma vérité-style nightmare, which consists of just 39 shots. When the circus rolls into a small Hungarian village, it sparks hysteria and rebellion among the locals. Director Béla Tarr claims the story is as simple as it appears, but most critics point to its philosophical underpinnings.

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Solofilm

#5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

– Director: Don Siegel
– Metascore: 92
– Runtime: 80 minutes

Rife with subtext, this sci-fi horror classic touches down on humanity's deepest fears. Aliens are slowly replacing humans with emotionless body doubles and almost no one's the wiser. The film's own producer swears it's all just entertainment, but the sociopolitical allegory resonates nonetheless.

Casey Productions

#4. Don't Look Now (1973)

– Director: Nicolas Roeg
– Metascore: 95
– Runtime: 110 minutes

Director Nicolas Roeg's giallo-like adaptation of a Gothic short story doubles as a meditation on grief and obsession. Tormented by their daughter's death, a married couple (Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland) encounters a series of inexplicable phenomena during a trip to Venice. It all builds toward a horrific and shocking conclusion.

Universal Pictures

#3. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

– Director: James Whale
– Metascore: 95
– Runtime: 75 minutes

Director James Whale arguably topped himself with this nuanced follow-up to 1931's “Frankenstein.” To stay ahead of the competition, the famed mad scientist builds his monster a suitable mate. A TV Guide Magazine review dubbed the movie “one of the greatest films of its genre” that “remains a lasting tribute to the unique genius of director Whale.”

William Castle Productions

#2. Rosemary's Baby (1968)

– Director: Roman Polanski
– Metascore: 96
– Runtime: 137 minutes

A woman (Mia Farrow) thinks she's pregnant with devil spawn in this gothic masterpiece. Steering clear of excessive violence and gore, Polanski inflicts psychological terror upon the audience. Farrow's pitch-perfect performance likewise generates tangible despair.

Bettmann // Getty Images

#1. Psycho (1960)

– Director: Alfred Hitchcock
– Metascore: 97
– Runtime: 109 minutes

On the lam and stuck in the rain, a woman (Janet Leigh) pulls into Bates Motel to crash for the night. Her subsequent murder at the hand of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) was the scene heard 'round the world. Reviews were mixed upon the film's initial release, but critics eventually caught up to Hitchcock and his game-changing vision.

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The 100 Best Horror Films: #99