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camusunder's Top 50 Horror Movies of All Time

Horror, when done well, is probably my favorite genre of film. Wide swathes of horror films and subgenres are often derided as "low-brow" by critics, while in fact, horror films that are intelligent and meticulously made aren't actually that uncommon.. Of course, acting, scripts and plotting all vary wildly across the genre, but there are definite highlights and standouts in this regard. In all honesty, in the end, I can't precisely pinpoint why horror is important and cathartic for me. Maybe being scared makes me feel alive, and that's something. Feelings of disquiet are an essential part of being human.

There's still a ton I need to explore, especially older horror movies, so I'd love suggestions!

Here are my favorites.


50. Spring  ||  Dir. Justin Benson / Aaron Moorhead  ||  2014  ||  Romance, Low Fantasy, Body Horror  ||  8/10

49. The Cabin in the Woods  ||  Dir. Drew Goddard  ||  2011  ||  Supernatural Horror, Black Comedy, Satire, Horror Comedy, Postmodernism  ||  8/10

48. Dawn of the Dead  ||  Dir. George A. Romero  ||  1978  ||  Zombie, Splatter, Horror, Siege Film  ||  8/10

47. Invasion of the Body Snatchers  ||  Dir. Philip Kaufman  ||  1978  ||  Psychological Horror, Science Fiction, New Hollywood, Alien Invasion, Body Horror  ||  8/10

46. Dead Ringers  ||  Dir. David Cronenberg  ||  1988  ||  Psychological Thriller, Psychological Horror, Body Horror  ||  8/10

45. 28 Days Later...  ||  Dir. Danny Boyle  ||  2002  ||  Post-Apocalyptic, Zombie, Horror, Epidemic  ||  8/10

44. Shaun of the Dead  ||  Dir. Edgar Wright  ||  2004  ||  Zombie, Black Comedy, Horror Comedy, Parody, Comedy  ||  8/10

43. Rosemary's Baby  ||  Dir. Roman Polański  ||  1968  ||  Mystery, Psychological Horror, New Hollywood, Psychological Thriller  ||  8/10

42. Ringu  ||  Dir. 中田秀夫 [Hideo Nakata]  ||  1998  ||  J-Horror, Mystery, Digital Horror, Techno-Horror  ||  8/10

41. The Girl With All the Gifts  ||  Dir. Colm McCarthy  ||  2016  ||  Post-Apocalyptic, Zombie, Thriller, Drama, Dystopian, Horror  ||  7.5/10

40. Lake Mungo  ||  Dir. Joel Anderson  ||  2008  ||  Mockumentary, Mystery, Horror  ||  8/10

39. The Mist  ||  Dir. Frank Darabont  ||  2007  ||  Cosmic Horror, Psychological Thriller, Horror, Siege Film  ||  8/10

38. The Wicker Man  ||  Dir. Robin Hardy  ||  1973  ||  Mystery, Folk Horror  ||  8/10

37. American Psycho  ||  Dir. Mary Harron  ||  2000  ||  Black Comedy, Satire, Slasher, Psychological Thriller, Crime  ||  8/10

36. Carrie  ||  Dir. Brian De Palma  ||  1976  ||  Supernatural Horror, Drama, New Hollywood  ||  8/10

35. Silent Hill  ||  Dir. Christophe Gans  ||  2006  ||  Supernatural Horror, Mystery, Folk Horror  ||  8/10

34. Midsommar  ||  Dir. Ari Aster  ||  2019  ||  Folk Horror, Psychological Drama  ||  8/10

33. Prince of Darkness  ||  Dir. John Carpenter  ||  1987  ||  Cosmic Horror, Science Fiction, Supernatural Horror, Siege Film  ||  8/10

32. Opera  ||  Dir. Dario Argento  ||  1987  ||  Giallo, Horror  ||  8/10

31. Re-Animator  ||  Dir. Stuart Gordon  ||  1985  ||  Splatter, Body Horror, Zombie, Science Fiction, Black Comedy, Horror Comedy  ||  8/10

30. Suspiria  ||  Dir. Luca Guadagnino  ||  2018  ||  Supernatural Horror  ||  8/10

29. Eraserhead  ||  Dir. David Lynch  ||  1977  ||  Surrealism, Psychological Horror, Body Horror, Experimental  ||  8/10

28. The Exorcist  ||  Dir. William Friedkin  ||  1973  ||  Supernatural Horror, New Hollywood  ||  8/10

27. Get Out  ||  Dir. Jordan Peele  ||  2017  ||  Psychological Horror, Satire  ||  8.5/10

26. Hereditary  ||  Dir. Ari Aster  ||  2018  ||  Supernatural Horror, Psychological Horror, Psychological Drama, Family Drama  ||  8.5/10

25. The Empty Man  ||  Dir. David Prior  ||  2020  ||  Mystery, Cosmic Horror, Psychological Thriller  ||  8.5/10

24. The Outwaters  ||  Dir. Robbie Banfitch  ||  2022  ||  Found Footage Horror, Surrealism, Cosmic Horror, Experimental  ||  8.5/10

23. Jacob's Ladder  ||  Dir. Adrian Lyne  ||  1990  ||  Psychological Horror, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Drama  ||  8.5/10

22. Black Christmas  ||  Dir. Bob Clark  ||  1974  ||  Slasher, Christmas, Canuxploitation  ||  8.5/10

21. The Evil Dead  ||  Dir. Sam Raimi  ||  1981  ||  Supernatural Horror, Splatter  ||  8.5/10

20. The Blackcoat's Daughter  ||  Dir. Osgood Perkins  ||  2015  ||  Supernatural Horror, Psychological Horror, Psychological Drama  ||  8.5/10

19. Evil Dead 2  ||  Dir. Sam Raimi  ||  1987  ||  Black Comedy, Splatter, Haunted House, Supernatural Horror, Horror Comedy  ||  8.5/10

18. Nope  ||  Dir. Jordan Peele  ||  2022  ||  Giant Monster, Alien Invasion, Horror  ||  9/10

17. Psycho  ||  Dir. Alfred Hitchcock  ||  Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Horror  ||  9/10

16. Annihilation  ||  Dir. Alex Garland  ||  2018  ||  Science Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Cosmic Horror  ||  9/10

15. The Silence of the Lambs  ||  Dir. Jonathan Demme  ||  1991  ||  Psychological Thriller, Police Procedural, Crime, Horror  ||  9/10

14. Le locataire [The Tenant]  ||  Dir. Roman Polański  ||  1976  ||  Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Horror  ||  9/10

13. Mad God  ||  Dir. Phil Tippet  ||  2021  ||  Stop-Motion, Body Horror, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Surrealism, Cosmic Horror  ||  9/10

12. Under the Skin  ||  Dir. Jonathan Glazer  ||  2013  ||  Psychological Drama, Science Fiction, Extraterrestrial, Psychological Horror, Surrealism  ||  9/10

11. The Shining  ||  Dir. Stanley Kubrick  ||  1980  ||  Psychological Horror, Haunted House  ||  9.5/10

10. The Fly  ||  Dir. David Cronenberg  ||  1986  ||  Body Horror, Science Fiction, Psychological Drama  ||  9.5/10

9. House  ||  Dir. 大林宣彦 [Nobuhiko Obayashi]  ||  1977  ||  Haunted House, Absurdist Comedy, Surrealism, Horror Comedy  ||  9.5/10

8. Grave [Raw]  ||  Dir. Julia Ducournau  ||  2016  ||  Coming-of-Age, Cannibal, Body Horror, New French Extremity  ||  9.5/10

7. Alien  ||  Dir. Ridley Scott  ||  1979  ||  Horror, Science Fiction, Extraterrestrial  ||  9.5/10

6. Martyrs  ||  Dir.  Pascal Laugier  ||  2008  ||  Sadistic Horror, New French Extremity, Psychological Horror  ||  9.5/10

5. Videodrome  ||  Dir. David Cronenberg  ||  1983  ||  Body Horror, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Satire, Digital Horror, Surrealism  ||  9.5/10

4. オーディション [Audition]  ||  Dir. 三池崇史 [Takashi Miike]  ||  1999  ||  Psychological Horror, Drama  ||  10/10

3. Låt den rätte komma in [Let the Right One In]  ||  Dir. Tomas Alfredson  ||  2008  ||  Vampire, Drama, Romance, Coming-of-Age, Horror  ||  10/10

2. In the Mouth of Madness  ||  Dir. John Carpenter  ||  1994  ||  Psychological Horror, Cosmic Horror, Supernatural Horror, Postmodernism  ||  10/10

1. The Thing  ||  Dir. John Carpenter  ||  1982  ||  Body Horror, Psychological Horror, Science Fiction, Alien Invasion, Cosmic Horror  ||  10/10

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