For over 100 years, the movie industry has continuously pushed the boundaries of what is likely to scare audiences with horror movies. From the depiction of eerie supernatural forces, demonic possession, cults, and masked killers, the best horror movies have the unique ability to terrify, unnerve, and linger in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll. The experimentation with fear in these movies is 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 by looking at how scary these movies are by contemporary standards (as some 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.
20 The Babadook (2014)
Director: Jennifer Kent
The Babadook is a 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 after The Babadook‘s horrifying ending.
While not as bone-chilling as some of the other movies on this list, The Babadook stands 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 makes The Babadook such a scary movie.
19 Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott’s Alien is 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.
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.
Alien simply 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 is Alien‘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.
18 Saw (2004)
Director: James Wan
The first installment in the Saw franchise was an unprecedented feat of sadism and horror when it first released. Of course, every Saw movie since the original has been gorier than the last, but there is something truly bone-chilling about the first. It tells the story of the 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 is Saw‘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, make 2004’s Saw and its twist ending a visceral, horrifying addition to the genre.
17 Longlegs (2024)
Director: Oz Perkins
While the well-reviewed Longlegs is 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.
Longlegs is 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 is how 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 as The Conjuring. The brutality of the killings, and the deeply unsettling fear of the Devil combine to make Longlegs a masterclass in how to scare an audience.
16 Threads (1984)
Director: Mick Jackson
While not a horror movie in the traditional sense of the word, the horrifying impact that Threads had on the British public when it first released is still being felt today. Threads is a harrowing portrayal of Sheffield, England, as its citizens have their lives torn apart by nuclear war. The movie is beyond bleak in its 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 (via The Independent).
The movie is beyond bleak in its 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.
The context in which Threads was 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 in how 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.
15 The Zone Of Interest (2023)
Director: Jonathan Glazer
The Zone Of Interest is 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 through The Zone of Interest‘s ending, makes it one of the most compelling and horrifying movies ever made.
Of course, much of the fear surrounding The Zone of Interest comes from the fact that it is based on true events. The horrors of the Holocaust should never be trivialized or sensationalized on screen, and The Zone of Interest adheres to these roles exceptionally well. 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.
14 Ringu (1998)
Director: Hideo Nakata
When Ringu was released in 1998, it was a watershed moment for the horror genre. Not only did Ringu spawn a successful franchise, including the famous 2002 movie, The Ring, but it also popularized the concept of cursed media in movies. Ringu tells the story of a journalist who watches a cursed videotape and begins to investigate deaths linked to it, before she becomes the next victim.
Ringu is 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, and Ringu manages to convey this superbly, easily making it one of the scariest movies of all time.
13 The Shining (1980)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Potentially the most famous horror movie of all time, The Shining earns this title for a reason. It is truly bone-chilling. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s work is 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.
While The 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.
12 The Omen (1976)
Director: Richard Donner
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, but The Omen uses 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 Omen is also relentless in its building of tension and 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.
11 Hereditary (2018)
Director: Ari Aster
Ari Aster’s Hereditary changed 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, and Toni Collette’s performance of Annie is truly haunting.
The brutal realism that Collette brings to the role, particularly the intensity of her grief, makes Hereditary one 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, as Hereditary is able to weaponize this rather relatable scenario in its exploration of malevolent forces. Hereditary‘s ending scene is haunting enough to keep even the deepest sleeper awake at night, and plays a major role in earning the movie’s spot here.
10 The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Director: James Wan
The Conjuring 2 is undoubtedly the scariest movie from the Conjuring Universe. It follows the story of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they look into the Enfield Haunting in London. What makes this movie particularly bone-chilling is that it blends a moderate use of jump-scares with a hefty dose of off-screen creaks and dark shadows.
The atmosphere of prolonged horror and dread is unlike anything from the other movies, and truly allows
The Conjuring 2
to shine as one of the scariest movies ever made.
These long, drawn-out sequences are masterful in building suspense for audiences, all adding to a growing sense of unease before the demonic forces behind the haunting are finally revealed. The Conjuring Universe is well known for building tension in this way, but in no movie is it better executed than in The Conjuring 2. The atmosphere of prolonged horror and dread is unlike anything from the other movies, and truly allows The Conjuring 2 to shine as one of the scariest movies ever made.
9 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Director: Tobe Hooper
When it first released in 1974, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, inspired by a true story, was an unprecedentedly violent and gruesome horror movie. It follows the story of a group of friends who encounter a family of terrifying cannibals during a trip through Texas. They begin to be hunted down in a series of brutal killings and body horror that, even by 2024 standards, are pretty uncomfortable to watch. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre also introduced the character of Leatherface to the world, a man who has become one of the most famous slashers of all time.
Leatherface’s hulking presence is a major source of the fear that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is able to create. While other slashers, such as Jason Vorhees, are just as dominant on screen, it is Leatherface’s senseless killing that makes him so threatening to audiences. Combining this horror with the unsettling depictions of cannibalism easily gives The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a spot as one of the scariest movies ever made.
8 Psycho (1960)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho may be well over 60 years old, but that doesn’t stop it from earning its place as one of the scariest movies of all time. Of course, when it first released, Psycho was like nothing experienced before at the cinema – a masterfully constructed, skin-crawling look at the violent implications of Norman Bates’ split personality. The shower scene is iconic, but it is the underlying themes of dread, sanity, and darkness that make Psycho one of the more psychologically terrifying movies.
Hitchcock certainly didn’t earn his nickname of the “Master of Suspense” for nothing, and Psycho is the truest manifestation of this. From the ear-piercing and iconic score to the masterful use of shadows and darkness, Psycho’s very atmosphere is dripping with tension from the outset. As one of the first movies to truly look at the psychotic potential of humanity, Psycho‘s scares are as timeless as they are horrifying, and makes it not just one of the scariest, but one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
7 Paranormal Activity (2007)
Director: Oren Peli
Paranormal Activity is one of the most impressive horror movies of all time, with the first Paranormal Activity‘s budget being only $15,000. From this, the movie has cemented itself as one of the most iconic and terrifying horror movies ever made. The plot centers on a young couple as they set up cameras around their house to document strange occurrences that have been happening. This paranormal activity eventually becomes more violent and malevolent, and the found-footage style truly adds to the sense of foreboding.
Common domestic fears are used effectively to tap into the hearts of audiences here. It makes them question the safety of their own home, a thought that is likely to linger on in their minds long after the credits roll.
Of all the movies on this list, Paranormal Activity is likely the one that is most relatable to audiences. Common domestic fears are used effectively to tap into the hearts of audiences here. It makes them question the safety of their own home, a thought that is likely to linger on in their minds long after the credits roll. Grounded and personal, Paranormal Activity is proof that it doesn’t take a lot of money to make something that can surely be considered one of the most unsettling and scary movies ever made.
6 Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Nosferatu is one of the earliest horror movies ever made, a silent masterpiece that introduced the world to Count Orlok, a vampire who survives off the blood of the living. As an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nosferatu is heavily influenced by gothic horror, particularly in its use of shadows, architecture, and, of course, the vampire himself. The silence of Nosferatu only adds to the haunting visuals, allowing them to take center stage as the tension builds.
For a movie made over a century ago, Nosferatu still holds up incredibly well, especially in terms of its scare factor. The Count remains one of horror’s most bone-chilling antagonists, with his ominous presence being amplified by the silence of the movie. Its influence over the genre is unmatched, and it still remains one of the scariest movies of all time, certainly earning its spot on this list.
5 The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Director: Wes Craven
Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes is a brutal and unrelenting horror movie about survival. It follows the Carter family, who, after becoming stranded in the Nevada desert, encounter a group of cannibals, causing them to have to fight for their lives. The Hills Have Eyes doesn’t shy away from graphic violence or brutality, making audiences feel every moment of the Carters’ torment, and the desert setting adds to the atmosphere of helplessness that the family are feeling.
While The Hills Have Eyes eventually spawned a franchise and a reboot, it is the 1977 original that remains the most unsettling and scary of the lot. Bleak, violent, and brutal, Craven’s horror masterpiece leaves very little to the imagination, allowing audiences to fully immerse themselves in the Carters’ horrific situation. It is this groundbreaking immersion in the story that truly allows The Hills Have Eyes to earn its spot as the fifth scariest movie ever made.
4 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Directors: Eduardo Sánchez And Daniel Myrick
The Blair Witch Project is one of the most influential horror movies of all time, changing the landscape of the genre by demonstrating just how effective found-footage can be at conveying terror. It follows three film students who venture into the woods to document the legend of the Blair Witch. However, things go wrong when strange occurrences lead them to believe that the Blair Witch may not just be a legend after all.
It’s a small-scale, visceral, realistic masterpiece that perfectly captures the grounded terror of the film students, with its raw and unpolished style only adding to this. Like Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project relies heavily on grounded, relatable experiences to terrify its audiences, and the setting of the woods at night is a perfect way to execute this. It is this realism that makes The Blair Witch Project undoubtedly one of the most terrifying movies ever made.
3 Sinister (2012)
Director: Scott Derrickson
Sinister is a deeply unsettling horror movie that blends the terror of the supernatural with the grittiness of true crime. The story follows Ellison Oswalt, a true-crime writer who moves his family into a house where a series of gruesome murders took place. However, when he discovers a series of snuff films that show different murders happening, his family is placed in terrifying danger as a malevolent entity is slowly revealed.
The movies themselves are deeply unsettling, but it is how Ellison slowly realizes what’s happening to his family that truly makes Sinister a terrifying movie. A study also showed that Sinister was the horror movie most likely to raise its audiences’ heart rates, therefore making it the scariest movie ever by scientific metrics (via IGN). However, while it is deeply disturbing and more than worthy of third place, Sinister lacks the lingering terrifying legacy of the movies above it on this list to rank it any higher.
2 The Wicker Man (1973)
Director: Robin Hardy
The Wicker Man is a folk horror classic, following the story of a devout Christian police officer who travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate a young girl’s disappearance. There, masked by the lush landscape and cheerful townsfolk, he uncovers the presence of a pagan society that practices human sacrifice. The Wicker Man is horrifying and unsettling, with the unique ability to keep viewers hooked on what’s on screen, as well as leaving a lasting impression on them.
Unlike the movies below it on this list, The Wicker Man does not need to rely on sudden scares to terrify its audience, making it all the more impressive. It is the haunting nature of the police investigation, and the complicity of the townsfolk, that makes The Wicker Man so scary. This is embodied in the final scene, which has since gone down as one of the most iconic, and uncomfortable, shots in horror history, and is the cherry on top ofThe Wicker Man‘s placement as the second-scariest movie of all time.
1 The Exorcist (1973)
Director: William Friedkin
As horrifying today as it was when it came out over 50 years ago, The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. It follows the story of a young girl who becomes possessed by a malevolent demon and the two priests who are tasked with exorcising the spirit and saving the girl’s soul. What begins just as erratic, strange behavior, quickly turns into full-blown demonic possession. What makes The Exorcist so scary is that the possessed victim is a child rather than an adult, and its exploration of the themes of faith and redemption only add to the weight of terror on display here.
When
The Exorcist
was released in 1973, there were numerous cases of audiences fainting and vomiting out of sheer terror at what they were witnessing, with there also being unverified reports of heart attacks, and even a miscarriage.
When The Exorcist was released in 1973, there were numerous cases of audiences fainting and vomiting out of sheer terror at what they were witnessing, with there also being unverified reports of heart attacks, and even a miscarriage (via Syfy). While reactions to it may not be as severe by contemporary standards, it is truly impossible to deny the cultural legacy of how scary The Exorcist truly is. Demonic possession has since become one of the most terrifying and popular tropes in supernatural horror, but no movie can truly ever live up to how well The Exorcist was able to depict this.
Sources: The Independent, IGN, Syfy.