Happy Halloween, everyone! As we all celebrate one of the best holidays of all time, I thought it would be fun to deliver a new list of the best scary movies of all time. So here they are… the best, the scariest, the most gruesome, and the ones that creep you out for days (and nights). It was hard to limit myself to only 100ish, but I’ve listed them here, alphabetically, for your perusal. Get your queues ready. Get your screens prepped. And don’t forget to lock your doors and turn out the lights. Enjoy!
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Se7en (1995)
- 28 Days Later (2003)
- Absentia (2011)
- Alien (1979) / Aliens (1986)
- Altitude (2010)
- American Psycho (2000)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981) / An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
- Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
- Army of the Dead (2021)
- ATM (2012)
- Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
- The Birds (1963)
- Black Christmas (1974)
- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
- Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
- The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
- Carnival of Souls (1962)
- Carrie (1976)
- The Cell (2000)
- The Changeling (1980)
- Cloverfield (2008) / 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
- The Conjuring (2013) / The Conjuring 2 (2016)
- Crawl (2019)
- Cujo (1981)
- Darkness Falls (2003)
- Dead Silence (2007)
- The Dead Zone (1983)
- The Descent (2006)
- The Devil’s Backbone (2002)
- Dracula (1931)
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
- Drag Me to Hell (2009)
- Dressed to Kill (1980)
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Frailty (2002)
- Frankenstein (1931) / Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- The Exorcist (1973) / The Exorcist III (1990)
- Fright Night (1985)
- Gerald’s Game (2017)
- The Grudge (2004) / The Grudge 2 (2006)
- Halloween (1978) / Halloween II (1981) / Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) / Halloween (2018)
- Hell Fest (2018)
- Hereditary (2018)
- High Tension (2003)
- The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
- The House of the Devil (2009)
- House on Haunted Hill (1959)
- House on Haunted Hill (1999)
- The Hunt (2019)
- Hush (2016)
- I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
- The Innkeepers (2011)
- Insidious (2008) / Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
- Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
- The Invisible Man (2020)
- IT (2017) / IT Chapter Two (2019)
- It Follows (2015)
- The Last House on the Left (1972)
- Let the Right One In (2008)
- Let Me In (2010)
- Little Monsters (1989)
- The Lost Boys (1987)
- Lovely Molly (2011)
- Malignant (2021)
- May (2002)
- Midsommar (2019)
- Misery (1990)
- The Mist (2007)
- Near Dark (1987)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Nosferatu (1922)
- The Orphanage (2007)
- Pacific Heights (1990)
- Pet Sematary (1989)
- Pet Sematary (2019)
- Play Misty for Me (1971)
- Psycho (1960)
- Red State (2011)
- The Sacrament (2015)
- Saw (2004)
- Scream (1996) / Scream 2 (1997) / Scream 3 (2000) / Scream 4 (2011)
- The Shining (1980) / Doctor Sleep (2019)
- Signs (2002)
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- The Skin I Live In (2011)
- The Strangers (2008) / The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
- Tales from the Hood (1995)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
- There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021)
- Trick ‘R Treat (2007)
- Tusk (2014)
- V/H/S (2012)
- The Visit (2015)
- The Watcher (2000)
- White Noise (2005)
- When a Stranger Calls (1979) / When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
- Wolf Creek (2005)
- You’re Next (2013)
So… What did I leave out? Any of your favorites not make the cut? Anything new you hadn’t seen before show up on the list? We’d love to hear from you. Hit us up on social media with your suggestions, your questions, and your thoughts. Happy Halloween!
*UPDATED to include some new films from 2021!*
