Horror movies have been a part of cinema since 1896, when the film Le Manoir Du Diable (The House of the Devil) came out. While that movie was only three minutes long, it invoked a feeling of fear in the audience. Since then, there have been over thousands of movies that are considered part of the genre, as people enjoy the feeling of fear on the big screen. But what are the best horror movies of all time?
Each year, there are dozens of horror movies released--and even more during Halloween season. Whether it be a murderous monster, a spooky ghost, psychological elements, or grounded, scary moments, audiences love feeling fear because it's exciting.
So looking through the history of horror movies, which ones are the among the greatest the genre has ever seen? What have audiences and critics found to be the best of all time? Don't worry, we have you covered. Whether it be the undead, a slashing murderer, or a mad scientist, there are plenty of iconic films to discuss. Using GameSpot's sister site, Metacritic, we found the top 20 horror movies of all time. Starting with number 20, here are the most critically acclaimed horror films in history.
20. Hereditary (2018)
Following the death of a mentally ill mother, Hereditary follows a daughter and her two children as they deal with the trauma of this incident. They learn about their heritage and mental illness, before encountering the supernatural.
Hereditary was Ari Aster's first feature-length film, with Midsommar releasing one year later. He is one of the few directors that changed the course of modern horror, focusing more on atmosphere and a slow build to a terrifying climax. It's a mixture of subgenres, taking elements of gothic, body, psychological, and folklore horror to create something that feels familiar and new at the same time.
Where to watch: Kanopy
19. Eraserhead (1978)
Eraserhead is a complicated film to sum up. At its core, it's about a man caring for his child. The film follows Henry Spencer in a surrealist, body horror, psychological film. Some of the moments in the film include Spencer carving a living chicken for dinner, having to care for his snake-looking child, and watching the world blow up.
While director David Lynch already had a few films under his belt, it was Eraserhead that put his name on the map. All of Lynch's films have this experimental, surrealist feel, but Eraserhead best exemplifies those qualities. It is an exceptionally unsettling movie filled with imagery you can never get out of your head. However, so much of the movie conjures up a debate regarding the meaning of this imagery and conversations about this piece of art.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
18. The Invisible Man (1933)
best exemplifies those qualities
The Universal Monsters are a big part of American horror films. While they primarily focus on actual monsters, The Invisible Man is a brilliant combination of horror and science fiction. The plot revolves around the Invisible Man attempting to take over the world after a few murders, which gives the film higher stakes, and it's pretty fun by today's standards. Notable, this is the movie that introduced the Invisible Man imagery people still think of today; a man covered in bandages so he can be visible.
Where to watch: Indieflix
17. The Innocents (1961)
An uncle hires a governess to raise his niece and nephew at his estate. Upon the governess's arrival, she realizes the estate is haunted, and spirits are possessing the two children, making her want to exorcize them.
The Innocents cements itself as one of the great films of British gothic horror. It combines the supernatural, elements of suspense, and a film-noir aesthetic. Like many other gothic horror films, it's adapted from a novel. While the subgenre is one that has been around for 100 years, this is one of the best examples of it, and it fueled a lot of the gothic horror movies that followed it.
Where to buy/rent: Apple TV+
16. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
A group of survivors attempt to escape slow-moving undead humans that have the ability to turn the living into the walking dead.
The concept of modern zombie films starts with Night of the Living Dead, with the movie being inspired by its Haitian/Vodou roots, like the movie White Zombie. George A. Romero's film takes that base and makes it a biological disease rather than a concept based on control and magic, and Romero's undead become the standard for future movies, TV, video games, and more in that subgenre of horror. What makes this film even more important is that it's a look at the Civil rights movement, marginalized communities, and racism.
Where to watch: FuboTV, Max, Peacock, AMC+, Starz, The Criterion Channel, MGM+, Shudder, Fandor, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Crackle, Pluto TV, Plex
15. Alien (1979)
A commercial spacecraft investigates a transmission from space, and they pick up a murderous alien by accident.
Science-fiction and horror are two genres that combine perfectly. Alien is a film that does that seamlessly. It's about confinement, isolation, and fear of the unknown--and space is filled with the unknown. Sigourney Weaver's performance as Ripley is one of the driving forces of this film, which serves as the introduction to the Xenomorph, one of the most iconic beings in all of horror.
Where to watch: Hulu
14. Deep Red (1976)
A famous psychic is brutally murdered, with the only witness being a pianist. He teams up with a journalist, and the duo investigate the crime in order to find out who committed it, all while there is someone trying to kill them.
Dario Argento, who directed the film, is Italy's master of horror. Throughout the '70s and '80s, Argento was directing some incredibly haunting films. With Deep Red, Argento focuses on suspense, immersive storytelling, and the occasional jump scare. Argento combines art and filmmaking within Deep Red, leaving an unsettling feeling in those who watch it.
Where to watch: AMC+, Shudder, ScreamBox
13. Eyes Without a Face (1960)
A surgeon's accident causes his daughter to be disfigured. In order to fix his mistake, he abducts and performs surgery on women, using their skin in an attempt to repair the damage done to his daughter's face.
Eyes Without a Face was released during a time when drive-in theaters were obsessed with creature features. Director Georges Franju delivered a story that is very distinct from what audiences were used to and helped elevate the French and Italian horror genre, which would have a huge cult following in the years to follow. Eyes Without a Face is a departure from the status quo, but what it does exceptionally well is bring the viewer into the story and delivers moment after moment of unsettling scenes.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
12. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
Writer/director Don Hertzfeldt tells the story of Bill, a character who attempts to put together his shattered psyche.
It's Such a Beautiful Day is a feature-length adaptation of Hertzfeldt's trilogy of animated shorts: Everything Will Be Ok, I Am So Proud of You, and It's Such a Beautiful Day. Using a peephole perspective, the film has this voyeuristic viewpoint. The content itself deals with the fragility of life, our mental state of being, various emotional responses we have to specific moments in life, and how we all struggle to grasp these concepts. While the animation may seem crude to some, the realistic ideals are what make this such an unnerving movie.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
11. The Birds (1963)
The Alfred Hitchcock classic made many people terrified of birds. A woman and a potential suitor head to a small California town, and while staying there, all types of birds begin attacking humans.
The Birds is Hitchcock's second-most notable horror movie, and what makes this such a great horror movie is that the threat is real. Sure, birds coming together to attack humans may be a bit far-fetched, but there are plenty of birds that have aggressive tendencies like hawks, eagles, cassowaries, and magpies. Tippi Hedren's role as Melanie is exceptionally powerful and contains one of the most unforgettable moments in horror: the terrifying show ofMelanie trapped in a phonebooth as it's attacked by the titular birds.
Where to buy/rent: Prime Video, Apple TV+, Microsoft Store
10. Halloween (1978)
Michael Myers escapes a mental institution years after murdering his sister, and goes on a rampage terrorizing a small town in Illinois, killing everyone he comes across.
It's a simple story that was the blueprint for a whole subgenre. While other movies before it--like Texas Chainsaw Massacre--had a similar story with a killer on the loose, this slasher film set up a lot of tropes for the genre: If you have sex, you die. If you drink or do drugs, you die. Halloween helped establish this idea, with the masked murderer Michael Myers killing off people, one by one. It's one of the movies that helps establish the rules for a slasher film. Additionally, Jamie Lee Curtis has a stellar performance as Laurie, which inspired many actors in following slasher movies.
Where to watch: FuboTV, AMC+, Shudder, Indieflix, Cultpix
9. Repulsion (1965)
A young woman is left alone in her London flat after her sister goes on vacation. She slowly loses her mind and starts seeing ghosts which may or may not be in her own head.
Repulsion is considered one of Roman Polanki's better films. It resonates so well with audiences due to a feeling of isolation or loneliness that those watching can often identify with. Repulsion hits a nerve with many audiences whether they realize it or not.
Where to watch: Prime Video, FuboTV, Plex, Crackle, The Roku Channel
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
This movie follows a group of friends heading to one of their grandfather's graves in rural Texas. They come across what seems to be an abandoned house and find a group of psychopaths called the Sawyer family living there and eating people--one of those family members is a chainsaw wielding maniac lovingly named Leatherface. Why Leatherface? Because he stretches the skin of his victim's faces over his own, wearing them like masks.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is terrifying, gruesome, and contains numerous moments of imagery burned into the brain of anyone who's seen it. The movie is also one of the first examples of the "final girl" trope in horror movies, with Sally Hardesty being one of the most memorable early examples of a horror final girl.
Where to watch: Peacock, Screambox, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Plex, Freevee
7. Frankenstein (1931)
Based on the Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein follows a scientist who collects dead bodies' parts, connects them together, and reanimates the creation to become a monster who is shunned and hunted by villagers.
Frankenstein is, at its core, a story about feeling like an outcast, the fear of acceptance, and the fear of death. Yes, it's a classic monster movie, but it's much more layered than what some would expect that to entail. If you're a fan of classic horror, then you know one of the highlights of this movie is Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster. It's an iconic role for him. Of course, the most memorable moment comes from Colin Clive's Dr. Frankenstein, as he reanimates his monster, shouting,, "It's alive! Alive!"
Where to watch: Classix
6. King Kong (1933)
Beginning on an exotic island, a film crew finds a gigantic gorilla, captures it, and brings it back to New York City to show the world. It escapes and climbs the city's skyscrapers, wreaking havoc.
King Kong is ingrained in pop culture. Without King Kong, we wouldn't have the current run of King Kong/Godzilla crossover movies, the Rampage video game franchise (which, itself, has a film adaptation), and the line "King Kong ain't got nothing on me," from the Denzel Washington movie Training Day. The 1930s were a very different time for filmmaking, relying more on visual aspects over dialogue to drive the story, and while this may not be considered horror by today's standards, it certainly was for its time.
Where to watch: Max
5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
This is the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, not the 1978 version starring Donald Sutherland. The film takes place in a small town in California where alien plant spores land and grow into pods. The pods have the ability to replicate people that enter them, slowly replacing the residents of the town.
The mixture of science fiction and horror with a noir look in Invasion of the Body Snatchers was ideal for the drive-in years of horror. It's a giant hit of nostalgia and shows how each generation looks at horror in different ways. It may be 70 years later, but this is still a spooky movie. Of note, this is the film that introduced the idea of "pod people."
Where to watch: FuboTV, The Roku Channel
4. Don't Look Now (1973)
A husband and wife lose their child in a drowning. To deal with their grief, the two head to Venice to help restore a church. A woman who claims to be psychic offers them help to communicate with their deceased child. From there, the couple finds themselves wrapped in a web of murder, mysterious figures, and forces from the unknown.
The movie is obviously great, hence the high rating. However, this is one of the small handful of horror movies Donald Sutherland appeared in during his career, and one of his best movies, overall--and this is an actor who has appeared in nearly 100 films over the course of his career. His performance is emotional, terrifying, and filled with dread. Julie Christie's portrayal of the mother Laura Baxter truly drives the performance of this movie. She portrays grief, trauma, and fear in a way we hadn't seen in horror films in the past, keeping this story as grounded and relatable as possible.
Where to watch: Kanopy
3. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Set right after the events of the original Frankenstein film, The Bride of Frankenstein reveals that The Monster is alive and well. Dr. Frankenstein is found clinging to life and is nursed back to health by a woman named Elizabeth. Once he's well, the doctor then creates a bride for his monster.
Typically, as horror movies become franchises and continue with sequels, their quality declines, in most cases. This is not the case with The Bride of Frankenstein, which is considered to be even better than the original film.
Where to rent/buy: Apple TV+, Microsoft Store, Amazon, Spectrum
2. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
In 1968, Rosemary's Baby took the world by storm. Directed by Roman Polanski, the horror film follows a young couple who moves to an apartment complex in New York City. Mia Farrow stars as Rosemary, who wakes up after a nightmare in which she was sexually assaulted, to find she's now pregnant. Slowly, Rosemary begins to realize there's something else happening in her apartment complex that involves the occult--and that she might actually be pregnant with the antichrist.
Rosemary's Baby is a psychological horror film, with a slow burn to the end when the horrors of this reality are revealed to the audience. It won two Academy Awards, and while it didn't have huge numbers at the box office, those awards piqued the interest of mainstream audiences. The style of the movie is something we see in contemporary horror with films like The Witch and Midsommar. Rosemary's Baby is an inspiration for the current atmospheric subgenre of horror.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+, FuboTV
1. Psycho (1960)
The best horror movie of all time is none other than the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho. The film follows Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a secretary who is fleeing her job after embezzling money. She finds herself at a California hotel, which is owned by a man and his mysterious mother.
Psycho is one of the most influential films in all of horror. Even 60 years later, the film still has major impact on the genre. Leigh is considered one of the earliest and greatest examples of a "scream queen" in horror.
Where to buy or rent: Prime Video, Apple TV+
