The 50 Best Anthology Horror Films
Using a combination of critical acclaim, impact, and personal bias, I've constructed a list of what I might consider the best anthology horror films. For those who don't know, this involves horror movies that are segmented with several stories, often with a wraparound to connect them.
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- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJoan CollinsPeter CushingRalph RichardsonFive strangers get lost in a crypt and, after meeting the mysterious Crypt Keeper, receive visions of how they will die.Favourite Segment: Poetic Justice
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsMervyn JohnsMichael RedgraveRoland CulverGuests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.Favourite Segment: Ventriloquist's Dummy
- DirectorMario BavaStarsMichèle MercierLidia AlfonsiBoris KarloffBoris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.Favourite Segment: The Drop of Water
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsRentarô MikuniMichiyo AratamaMisako WatanabeA collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.Favourite Segment: The Woman of the Snow
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsHal HolbrookLeslie NielsenAdrienne Barbeau"Creepshow" is a 1982 movie that tells five grisly tales from a children's comic book: a murdered father rising from his grave, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.Favourite Segment: Something to Tide You Over
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsBarbara ParkinsRichard ToddSylvia SymsIn order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.Favourite Segment: Frozen Fear
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsVincent PriceMaggie PierceLeona GageThree tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.Favourite Segment: The Black Cat
- DirectorPeter DuffellStarsJohn BryansJohn BennettDenholm ElliottAn anthology of four horror stories revolving around a mysterious rental house in the U.K.Favourite Segment: Sweets to the Sweet
- DirectorSidney SalkowStarsVincent PriceSebastian CabotBrett HalseyThree horror stories based on the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the first story titled "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", Heidegger attempts to restore the youth of himself, his fiancee and his best friend. In "Rappaccini's Daughter", Vincent Price plays a demented father inoculating his daughter with poison so she may never leave her garden of poisonous plants. In the final story "The House of the Seven Gables", the Pyncheon family suffers from a hundred year old curse and the Pyncheon brother returns to his home to search for a hidden vault.Favourite Segment: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsChristopher LeePeter CushingNeil McCallumAboard a British train, mysterious fortune teller Dr. Schreck uses tarot cards to read the futures of five fellow passengers.Favourite Segment: Disembodied Hand
- DirectorKevin ConnorStarsPeter CushingIan BannenIan CarmichaelAn anthology of four short horror stories revolving around a mysterious antique shop owner and his antique pieces, each of which hides a deadly secret.Favourite Segment: The Gatecrasher
- DirectorMichael DoughertyStarsAnna PaquinBrian CoxDylan BakerFive interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: an everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband; and a mean old man meets his match with a demonic, supernatural trick-or-treater.Favourite Segment: The School Bus Massacre Revisited
- DirectorJoe DanteJohn LandisGeorge MillerStarsDan AykroydAlbert BrooksVic MorrowFour horror and science fiction segments, directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series.Favourite Segment: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- DirectorBoris SagalBarry ShearSteven SpielbergStarsJoan CrawfordOssie DavisRichard KileyA seemingly haunted painting drives a greedy man insane. A rich blind woman gets a new pair of eyes that allow her to see for only one brief ironic moment. An idyllic painting gives a Nazi war criminal in hiding some fleeting comfort.Favourite Segment: The Cemetery
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsCurd JürgensTerry-ThomasTom BakerAn anthology of five horror stories shared by five men trapped in the basement of an office building.Favourite Segment: Drawn and Quartered
- DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.Favourite Segment: Box
- DirectorFederico FelliniLouis MalleRoger VadimStarsJane FondaBrigitte BardotAlain DelonA trio of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a cruel countess haunted by her cousin's stallion, a sadistic soldier haunted by his doppelgänger, and an alcoholic actor haunted by the Devil.Favourite Segment: Toby Dammit
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsRobert BurtonJohn KarlenGeorge GaynesThree bizarre horror stories, all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing four tormented women.Favourite Segment: Amelia
- DirectorSimon BarrettJason EisenerGareth EvansStarsLawrence Michael LevineKelsy AbbottAdam WingardSearching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his house and find collection of VHS tapes. Viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be dark motives behind the student's disappearance.Favourite Segment: Safe Haven
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJack PalanceBurgess MeredithBeverly AdamsAn anthology of four short horror stories about people who visit Dr. Diabolo's fairground haunted-house attraction show.Favourite Segment: The Man Who Collected Poe
- DirectorJulien DuvivierStarsEdward G. RobinsonCharles BoyerBarbara StanwyckAn anthology of three loosely connected occult tales, with ironic and romantic twists.Favourite Segment: Second Story
- DirectorMatt Bettinelli-OlpinDavid BrucknerTyler GillettStarsCalvin Lee ReederLane HughesAdam WingardWhen a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for.Favourte Segment: 10/31/98
- DirectorLeo BirinskyPaul LeniStarsEmil JanningsConrad VeidtWerner KraussA wax museum hires a writer to give the sculptures stories. The writer imagines himself and the museum owner's daughter in the stories.Favourite Segment: Ivan the Terrible
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsDrew BarrymoreJames WoodsAlan KingA stray cat is the linking element of three tales of suspense and horror.Favourite Segment: Quitters Inc.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsVincent PriceJohn CarradineAnthony SteelA writer of horror stories is invited to a "monster club" by a mysterious old gentleman. There, three gruesome stories are told to him; between each story some musicians play their songs.Favourite Segment: The Ghouls
- DirectorJohn HarrisonStarsDebbie HarryMatthew LawrenceChristian SlaterTo stall a witch plotting to eat him, a boy reads her horror tales dealing with a collegian's resurrection of a mummy, a murderous cat, and an artist's pact with a gargoyle.Favourite Segment: Lover's Vow
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsEd Begley Jr.E.J. AndréAnn DoranThree horror stories about a vintage car that transports its driver back to 1926, the mistress of an old Victorian mansion who is scared of a vampire and a mother tormented by her dead son who she has brought back to life.Favourite Segment: Bobby
- DirectorMichael GornickStarsGeorge KennedyLois ChilesDomenick JohnThree macabre tales from the latest issue of a boy's favorite comic book, dealing with a vengeful wooden Native American, a monstrous blob in a lake, and an undying hitchhiker.Favourite Segment: The Raft
- DirectorJeremy DysonAndy NymanStarsSamuel BottomleyDeborah WastellAmy DoyleAfter receiving a file with details of three unexplained cases of apparitions, skeptical professor Phillip Goodman embarks on a terrifying trip.
- DirectorMatteo GarroneStarsSalma HayekVincent CasselToby JonesFrom the bitter quest of the Queen of Longtrellis, to two mysterious sisters who provoke the passion of a king, to the King of Highhills obsessed with a giant Flea, these tales are inspired by the fairytales by Giambattista Basile.
- DirectorBlutchCharles BurnsMarie CaillouStarsAure AtikaGuillaume DepardieuNicole GarciaSeveral scary black-and-white animated segments in different styles appeal to our fear(s) of the dark.
- DirectorDavid EadyGeorge More O'FerrallWendy ToyeStarsOrson WellesJohn GregsonElizabeth SellarsA trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.
- DirectorRoxanne BenjaminMatt Bettinelli-OlpinDavid BrucknerStarsChad VillellaMatt Bettinelli-OlpinKristina PesicFive interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares - and darkest secrets - over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.
- DirectorDario ArgentoGeorge A. RomeroStarsAdrienne BarbeauHarvey KeitelRamy ZadaA duo of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a greedy wife's attempt to embezzle her dying husband's fortune, and a sleazy reporter's adoption of a strange black cat.
- DirectorBanjong PisanthanakunPaween PurijitpanyaYongyoot ThongkongtoonStarsManeerat Kham-uanWitawat SinglampongApinya Sakuljaroensuk4BIA is a Horror Anthology. The first segment, "Happiness" is about a lonely girl who corresponded with a stranger over hand phone text messaging and soon discovered something strange about this new stranger that she is attracted to. "Tit For Tat" spun a tale of black magic and vengeance for a school kid that had been bullied by a school gang. "In The Middle" - a group of friends faced one of their worst camping trip after water kayaking accident. The final segment "Last Fright" takes horror to new heights with a psychological thriller that involves a stewardess flying solo in a cabin with a dead body.
- DirectorJack SmightStarsRod SteigerClaire BloomRobert DrivasIn 1930s, a psychotic drifter who's after the mystery woman who covered his whole body in illustrations that foresee distant future shows three of them (The Veldt, The Long Rain and The Last Night of the World) to a mesmerized traveler.
- DirectorJeff BurrStarsVincent PriceClu GulagerTerry KiserIn a small Tennessee town, a historian relates four horror stories to a reporter.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterTobe HooperLarry SulkisStarsJohn CarpenterTom ArnoldTobe HooperThree short stories in the horror genre: the first about a serial killer, the second about a hair transplant gone wrong, and the third about a baseball player.
- DirectorRichard OswaldStarsAnita BerberConrad VeidtReinhold SchünzelA demon, a reaper, and the ghost of a prostitute read gothic short stories and act them out.
- DirectorRyan SpindellStarsTristan ByonEden CampbellHannah R. LoydAn eccentric mortician recounts several macabre and phantasmagorical tales that he's encountered in his distinguished career.
- DirectorJosé Mojica MarinsStarsLuiz Sérgio PersonVany MillerMário LimaThree episodes: A dollmaker whose dolls are eerily human, a tale of necrophilia, and a doctor proves love is dead.
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsEdith MeeksLarry MaxwellSusan NormanA boy shoots his father and flies out the window. A man falls in love with a fellow inmate in prison. A doctor accidentally ingests his experimental sex serum, wreaking havoc on the community.
- DirectorPeter Ho-Sun ChanJee-woon KimNonzee NimibutrStarsLeon LaiKim Hye-suJeong Bo-seokAn anthology consisting of three horror shorts from different Asian directors: Memories by Kim Jee-woon, The Wheel by Nonzee Nimibutr, and Going Home by Peter Chan.
- DirectorRusty CundieffStarsClarence Williams IIICorbin BernsenJoe TorryA funeral director tells four strange tales of horror with an African American focus to three drug dealers he traps in his place of business.
- DirectorLance W. DreesenClint HutchisonStarsJohn RitterDavid DeLuiseAllison SmithA real estate agent terrifies a couple with the grim fates of the previous owners of a house they're looking at.
- DirectorMatt CooperMartin KunertDavid SemelStarsJames MarsdenAmy SmartFrederick LawrenceTeens entertain one another by telling an anthology of famous urban legends with a modern twist; including makeout-point, monsters, psychopaths, and ghosts.
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJack HawkinsDonald PleasenceGeorgia BrownA psychiatrist tells stories of four special cases to a colleague.
- DirectorDenis HérouxStarsPeter CushingRay MillandJoan GreenwoodWilbur Gray, a horror writer, has stumbled upon a terrible secret, that cats are supernatural creatures who really call the shots. In a desperate attempt to get others to believe him, Wilbur spews three tales of feline horror.
- DirectorChristophe GansShûsuke KanekoBrian YuznaStarsJeffrey CombsTony AzitoJuan FernándezLovecraft visualizes 3 stories in Necronomicon: The Drowned, The Cold and Whispers, about bringing a dead wife and child back to life, extending life and aliens.
- DirectorBanjong PisanthanakunVisute PoolvoralaksPaween PurijitpanyaStarsJirayu La-ongmaneeRay MacDonaldChumphorn ThepphithakHorror anthology consisting of five segments by acclaimed Thai directors. Segments involve a criminal seeking refuge, a haunted hospital, haunted truck passengers, a car dealer's dark discovery, and an ill actress portraying a ghost.
- DirectorAkio JissôjiAtsushi KanekoHisayasu SatôStarsTadanobu AsanoYûko DaikeChisako HaraThis four-part anthology takes its cue from the short fiction of legendary horror writer Edogawa Rampo.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsCristina RainesJoe LambieAnthony JamesAnthology of four horror tales with a supernatural twist based on urban legends.
- DirectorJim WheatKen WheatStarsJillian McWhirterPamela AdlonRamy ZadaA college class, Psychology of Fear, has a new teacher who believes that you have to feel fear to understand it. A group of students convene at the teacher's house, where scary stories are told.
- DirectorMary LambertBryan SpicerStarsMartin CumminsChristopher MastersonBrandy LedfordA Rock 'n Roll version of the Twilight Zone, with stories featuring a talent agent with an ironic curse, a homicidal hippie and the Disco Club from Hell.