Horror Movies, Ranked

Selected for the US National Film Registry in 1992 and ranked the No. 1 film on AFI's '100 Years...100 Thrills'; holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and earned four Oscar nominations including Best Director.

The first horror film ever nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (10 nominations, 2 wins for Adapted Screenplay and Sound) and added to the National Film Registry in 2010; ranked No. 3 on AFI's 100 Thrills.

Routinely topping critics' scariest-films polls; entered the National Film Registry in 2018 and holds an 83% Rotten Tomatoes rating that has risen with reappraisal over the decades.

Ari Aster's 2018 debut is widely considered one of the defining horror films of its era, praised for Toni Collette's ferocious performance, its unbearable dread, and a shattering third-act turn. It anchors the modern 'elevated horror' movement and sits comfortably alongside genre landmarks.

John Carpenter's 1982 remake is a masterclass in paranoia and practical effects, with Rob Bottin's creature work still unmatched. Initially dismissed, it is now revered as one of the greatest horror and sci-fi films ever made.

John Carpenter's 1978 film essentially codified the American slasher: the unstoppable masked killer, the final girl, the iconic score. Made for almost nothing, it became one of the most influential horror movies of all time.

Won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2002 as a genre-defining sci-fi horror landmark (No. 6 on AFI's 100 Thrills).

Won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture; certified Fresh at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the highest-rated horror films of the century.

Selected by the Museum of Modern Art for its permanent collection and holds an 88% Rotten Tomatoes score; widely cited as the film that launched the modern slasher template.

Roman Polanski's 1968 adaptation is a slow-burn masterpiece of psychological and supernatural dread, with Mia Farrow's mounting helplessness making its satanic paranoia unforgettable. A cornerstone of prestige horror.

George A. Romero's 1968 landmark invented the modern zombie and smuggled in sharp social commentary. Its grainy, relentless siege and bleak ending reshaped horror and spawned an entire subgenre.

Launched a blockbuster franchise and made Freddy Krueger a cultural icon; the original holds a strong 94% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Anchor of the highest-grossing horror franchise ever (over $2 billion worldwide) and certified Fresh at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Revived the slasher genre in the 1990s, grossed $173 million worldwide on a modest budget, and holds an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score as a self-aware genre milestone.

David Robert Mitchell's 2014 film turns a simple, dread-soaked premise into one of the smartest recent horror concepts, backed by a superb synth score and eerie suburban atmosphere. A strong, well-known modern entry that stops just short of the very top.

Grossed nearly $250 million on a shoestring budget and popularized found-footage horror, though its high critic score sits well above a divided C-range CinemaScore audience grade.

A drive-in classic and Steve McQueen's first lead that holds a solid 68% Rotten Tomatoes score, but is widely regarded as campy B-movie fare rather than a genre great.

Widely panned at just 17% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned Mark Wahlberg a Razzie nomination; frequently cited as an unintentionally comic eco-horror misfire.

Holds a dismal 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and became a meme-tier disaster; Nicolas Cage's 'not the bees!' scene is routinely listed among the worst horror remakes ever made.