Horror is one of the most iconic genres because there’s a film for every type of fan. It can blend other genres like comedy and drama, leaving room for a compelling scare. Fans can find something for almost everyone to get satisfying thrills among horror's different subgenres.

With more than a century of horror movie masterpieces, there's no shortage of choices for horror fans. From slashers to ghost stories to found footage movies, each subgenre has created some of the most horrific moments in film history. So, while there are numerous horror films for everyone, a select few movies stand above the rest.

Updated November 13, 2023, by Anthony Jeanetta. With the box office success of Five Nights at Freddy’s and the highly-anticipated release of Thanksgiving, horror movies are as popular and successful as ever. This list is updated to include more of the scariest and best horror films ever made.

30 Talk To Me Utilizes Old Tropes For A New Generation

Talk to Me is an extraordinary feature-length debut for brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. The film portrays a group of buddies, led by best friends Mia and Jade, who get their hands on the latest party craze: a severed and embalmed hand capable of opening a gate to a supernatural realm.

In Talk to Me, like many other modern horror movies, the primary protagonists are haunted not just by ghosts and demons but by their trauma, too. This grief motivates the characters to continue to use the haunted hand, even when it becomes clear the strings attached to it cost much more than it is worth. While the story is well-trod territory thematically, Talk to Me more than makes up for it through expertly crafted horror setpieces.

29 The Babadook Is As Scary As Single Parenthood

The Babadook opens with an obviously troubled woman struggling to handle her difficult child, Sam. Audiences soon learn this distressed mother, Amelia, is a widower whose husband died in a tragic accident. As a single mother, she must deal with her son’s increasingly erratic behavior while battling insomnia herself.

All the issues facing Amelia in The Babadook come to a head when, one night, Sam asks Amelia to read him a pop-up book called Mister Babadook, which describes the titular figure. Afterward, stranger and stranger events occur in their house, leaving both Sam and Ameilia terrified. By building tension through its characters, The Babadook is equally emotionally affecting and spine-chilling and one of the best contemporary horror films by a woman.

28 Don’t Breathe Is A Taut Home Invasion Gone Wrong Thriller

Like many of the best horror movies, Don’t Breathe takes a simple premise and wrings every possible drop of terror from it. The film, set in Detroit, depicts the lives of three friends who make their living robbing wealthy homeowners while they’re away. When they get a tip about an older, blind man living with a significant stash of cash, they believe they have an easy next victim.

Unfortunately for the troika of malcontents in Don’t Breathe, their heist isn’t the walk in the park they believe it will be. Although blind, the man they rob is a formidable opponent harboring a dark secret he’ll kill to keep. Apropos of the title, Don’t Breathe leaves audiences holding their breath through large stretches of time out of sheer dread.

27 The Wailing Is A Supernatural Horror Epic

With a runtime of over 2.5 hours, The Wailing is an anomaly in the typically tight horror genre. Still, there's a massive payoff for fans who brave the film's duration. The Wailing is an epic South Korean horror film by Na Hong-jin portraying the investigation of a series of strange murders in the small village of Goksung.

The Wailing tracks police officer Jong-Goo as he searches for the cause of these killings, traversing the rural town in search of answers. Things get personal when Jong-Goo's daughter, Hyo-jin, becomes ill, and she appears to be the next victim of whatever malevolent spirit is haunting the countryside. The Wailing rewards viewers who make it through to the end with a final act that's chock-full of top-quality supernatural thrills.

26 Let The Right One In Is A Violent Yet Optimistic Vampire Flick

For fans of vampire movies who are exhausted with the tween versions like in Twilight or those with a comedic bent, like What We Do in the Shadows or Renfield, Let the Right One In is the perfect panacea. From Swedish director Tomas Alfredson, Let the Right One In is an atmospheric vampire horror flick that matches its chilly setting.

Let the Right One In takes place in 1982's Stockholm, where viewers meet Oskar, a target of consistent and increasingly violent bullying. Oskar eventually meets Eli, who recently moved into a nearby apartment with her father. Unknown to Oskar, Eli is a vampire who requires a steady blood supply. The two gradually become close friends, divulging their respective secrets and forging a bond through violence. In addition to its sinister atmosphere, outstanding performances, and deft direction, Let the Right One In is worth the price of admission for its shocking ending alone.

25 Paranormal Activity Proves Simplicity Can Produce The Best Scares

While it may seem strange to current-day audiences, when the first Paranormal Activity debuted, it made waves for its unique and terrifying approach to a ghost story. Now seven movies into the franchise, the initial entry made almost immediate waves for its lo-fi yet effective scares.

Paranormal Activity uses a found-footage format to tell the story of partners Katie and Micah, who quickly discover they’re not alone in their new house. Katie admits to a paranormal encounter as a child and becomes worried this spirit has followed her. So, the couple places recording equipment throughout their home to catch the ghost on video. The results are a riveting haunt that patiently builds tension until a hair-raising finale.

24 Last Shift Is A Claustrophobic Fright Fest

Last Shift, which director Anthony DiBlasi reimagined this year under the title Malum, is one of the best and scariest hidden-gem horror movies. The film is a low-budget masterpiece that uses its confined setting to claustrophobic and horrifying results.

Last Shift follows rookie police officer Jessica Loren (Julianna Harkavy) on her first day, coincidentally the old station's last day in operation. Although her sergeant informs her it should be a slow, unremarkable night, Jessica soon discovers something sinister haunts the station's grounds. Using stellar directing and sound design, Last Shift is an atmospheric, supernatural thriller that remains one of the best horror movies.

23 Barbarian Is A Twisted Thrill Ride

Barbarian is a gruesome horror flick with more on its mind than its pop sensibilities suggest. The movie, a genre debut for former The Whitest Kids You Know member Zach Cregger, contains bits of comedy, social commentary, and absolute terror all wrapped up into one.

Barbarian opens on Tess, who's renting an Airbnb in Detroit, for a job interview the next day. The trip begins on the wrong foot when Tess arrives to discover the owner double-booked, and she must share the rental with a strange man, Keith (Bill Skarsgård). Unfortunately for Tess, Keith is the least of her worries as the Airbnb holds a bloodcurdling secret. Although Barbarian touches on subjects like sexual impropriety, the cowardice of men in power, and urban decay, it has enough well-crafted scares to be as entertaining as it is intelligent.

22 The Descent Is One Of The Scariest Creature Features

The Descent, from the twisted mind of writer-director Neil Marshall, is one of the most frightening creature features ever made. Whereas other creature features can verge into camp or action movie territory, The Descent is a legitimately harrowing tale of survival against unearthly odds.

In The Descent, a group of friends, one of whom (Sarah) is dealing with the recent death of her husband and daughter, go spelunking in the Appalachian Mountains. Sarah’s best friend Juno organized the trip to get Sarah out of her depressive, isolated state. When the group escapes a tunnel collapse in the caves, they must search for a new way out while avoiding a group of bloodthirsty, subterranean monsters. With a quality script, solid performances, and a cave full of scares, The Descent remains one of the best horror films of the 21st century.

21 It Follows Is A Suspense Filled Ode To John Carpenter's Horror Films

Although it borrows heavily from earlier horror masterpieces like Halloween, It Follows manages to blaze its own distressing trail. The film portrays the life of a young woman, Jay (Maika Monroe), who finds herself relentlessly pursued by a supernatural force after having sex.

Serving as an allegory about the heightened fear of sexual diseases our culture imbues in teens, It Follows wrests every possible scare out of its simple premise. Despite its lack of subtlety, It Follows is nonetheless effective thanks to palpable dread throughout, harrowing setpieces, and a fantastic Carpenteresque synth score. The movie proves that filmmakers don't need a significant budget to create the best scary movies.

20 The Conjuring Was So Scary It Spawned A Cinematic Universe

With the newly released The Nun II, The Conjuring sparked a horror behemoth that spans nine films, including two direct sequels. Behind expertly crafted set pieces from genre icon James Wan, The Conjuring rapidly became one of the standard-bearers for horror movies.

The Conjuring follows renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who help the Perron family after they move into a Rhode Island farmhouse and discover something evil has already made it their home. Hopefully, for fans, The Nun II can capture some of the magic of the original entry and become one of the best horror movies in 2023.

19 REC Utilizes The Found-Footage Format To Perfection

Eight years after The Blair Witch Project, REC immediately ascended as one of the best found-footage horror movies. This Spanish movie begins with a television reporter, Ángela, and her cameraman, Pablo, covering the night shift of one of Barcelona’s fire stations. When the firemen respond to a call to rescue a woman trapped in her apartment, they must seal off the building after the woman bites a police officer, leaving Ángela and Pablo trapped inside.

Like Blair Witch, REC utilizes its found-footage format to create teeth-clenching tension. Writer and director Jaume Balagueró knows that the most terrifying thing isn’t a zombie or ghost but the audience’s imagination. Through tight handheld cinematography, Balagueró keeps the scariest parts of the movie just outside the frame or briefly flashing across it, leaving fans guessing and terrified until the end.

18 The Witch Is A Masterpiece Of Slow Burn Horror

The Witch, Robert Egger's directorial debut, is a paragon of slow-burn terror. Eggers creates an atmosphere thick with dread throughout the film, which centers on a pious family in 1630s England. While The Witch lacks the jump scares of most modern horror films, it more than makes up for it with an anxiety-inducing setting that gradually gets more frightening.

The Witch's tension kicks into high gear when the family's newborn, Samuel, mysteriously disappears. As more calamities happen, like their crops failing, the family turns on one another. The family's patriarch, William, blames his daughter Thomasin, claiming she's a witch. As the final third of The Witch crystallizes, it serves as a clear metaphor for the control God-fearing men have exerted over women since the beginning of time. Ultimately, The Witch is as poignant as it is hair-raising, making it a strong contender for the best horror movie.

17 Speak No Evil Dispenses Its Philosophy Through Unblinking Brutality

Speak No Evil, by Danish director Christian Tafdrup, is hands down one of the best new horror movies. The film opens with two couples from Denmark (Bjørn and Louise) and Holland (Patrick and Karin), who become friends while on an Italian vacation. Later, when Bjørn and Louise receive an invitation for a visit from their vacation friends, the family – including daughter Agnes – go to Holland.

This benign beginning to Speak No Evil slowly degenerates into a wild and disturbing series of events. Serving as an allegory for the potential harms of strictly abiding by social conventions, the movie combines slow-burn atmospheric tension building and weighty, topical themes. With a devastatingly brutal ending, Speak No Evil is also sure to leave a lasting mark on even the most hardened fans of the genre.

16 Sinister Has A Scientific Claim As One Of The Scariest Movies Ever

While Sinister isn’t the most well-known or well-regarded horror movie, it has a unique claim as one of the scariest movies ever. A 2020 study by Broadband Choices measured the resting heart rates of individuals while they watched scary movies and found that Sinister raised the average viewer’s heart rate more than any other film.

Sinister tracks Ellison Oswalt, a true crime writer who becomes obsessed with a serial killer whose murders date back to the 1960s. After moving his family into a house that was the site of one of these murders, he finds a box of home movies that are recordings of these killings. The consequences of Oswalt digging through the past eventually catch up to him and his family, leading to some of the most frightening jump scares and sequences in the genre’s twisted history.

15 Host Is An Oustanding Depiction Of COVID-Era Anxieties

Host is an excellent example of a movie borne out of creative restrictions that perfectly met the world's conditions during its release. Released in 2020, Host came out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this pandemic, more people than ever were meeting with their friends and family on web-based video calls, like Zoom.

Host uses the Zoom platform as a storytelling device, following six friends who hire a medium to hold a séance with them online during the COVID lockdown. Unfortunately for this friend group, they soon learn an evil presence has invaded each of their homes through their ghostly ritual. Also, like Sinister, Host was the scariest movie in Broadband Choices's 2022 study of the best scary movies.

14 Night Of The Living Dead Popularized Zombie Horror Films

Night of the Living Dead is as notable for its atmospheric setting and ahead-of-its-time ending as it is for creating an entire subgenre as popular today as any other horror subgenre. While director George A. Romero didn’t invent zombies, he did popularize them through this movie, which introduced these shambling monsters to a broad audience.

On top of being the first modern zombie movie, Night of the Living Dead made history by starring Duane Jones as one of the first Black leads in a horror movie. Jones’ presence and performance make Night of the Living Dead as effective a thriller as it is a piercing condemnation of segregation and racial discrimination. This groundbreaking plot combines with Romero’s masterclass in budget filmmaking to make an all-time great horror movie.

13 The Fly Is A Disturbing Body Horror Classic

David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly remains a standard of the body horror subgenre today. Cronenberg, who has mastered creating long-lasting images of nightmarish body horror, did arguably his best work with The Fly. The movie centers on Seth Brundle, a brilliant but eccentric scientist whose latest fixation is a teleporter.

The Fly kicks off when a housefly inadvertently enters the teleporter with Brundle during one of Brundle's tests. Although Brundle emerges from the test seemingly unscathed, he quickly begins to change, eventually realizing his DNA has merged with the fly’s. What follows is some of the grossest yet most engaging body horror ever put on screen. The Fly remains one of Cronenberg's best in a filmography full of great films in the body horror subgenre.

12 Get Out Kicked Off The Boom Of Modern Social Horror Movies

Get Out is a groundbreaking movie in several respects. It's the directorial debut of comedian-turned-auteur Jordan Peele and serves as one of the most searing, socially-conscious horror films ever. The movie was so successful this subgenre has boomed since its release. Today, studios release several movies yearly that use their spooky setting to explore relevant cultural issues.

Get Out follows Chris, a young Black man who travels with his white girlfriend, Rose, to meet her parents and family for the first time. Chris soon realizes something far more insidious than microaggressions and racially motivated awkwardness is happening on the family's compound. Few other horror movies have as seamlessly blended this level of cultural criticism with genuinely chilling frights. It's not just one of the greatest Black horror films ever but one of the best horror movies, period.

11 Hereditary Announced A New Maestro Of The Genre

Although it's a relatively new film, Hereditary is a masterclass of blending compelling characters with a simple story and plenty of hair-raising scares, especially for a feature-length directorial debut. Hereditary follows the Graham family as they struggle through their collective pain and grief following the death of their maternal grandmother. The movie slowly reveals the extent of the mother's childhood trauma and how she may have passed it down to her children, too.

Hereditary's plot looms over the cast, using mental anguish from its multiple tragedies to exponentially escalate the horror that the Grahams – and viewers – experience through horrific visuals and a dark secret looming over the family. As the movie draws the characters further into a profoundly unsettling supernatural horror, it illuminates the family's struggles as much more sinister than your average familial trauma. With great visuals, a reliable story, and some of the best performances in any movie, Hereditary deserves its place among the top horror films.