Creepy Movies to Curl Up to on a Stormy Night
by raze893 | created - 02 Aug 2012 | updated - 2 weeks ago | PublicThis list is meant for any newcomers to the horror genre and veterans alike that would like a fright on those dark and stormy nights. I tried to concentrate on movies that are creepy, atmospheric, and suspenseful as opposed outright gore-fests. At this time they are in no real order of importance. Hope you enjoy these films as much as I have. -AJC
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1. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,291
Unflinchingly brutal, shockingly bizarre, and disturbingly realistic....this Takashi Miike breakout is not for the weak of heart.
2. Spiral (2000)
90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.
Director: Higuchinsky | Stars: Eriko Hatsune, Fhi Fan, Hinako Saeki, Shin Eun-kyung
Votes: 8,994
Bizarre Japanese possession film for the video game age of horror.
3. High Tension (2003)
R | 91 min | Horror
Best friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.
Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun
Votes: 77,891 | Gross: $3.68M
The premise of Texas Chainsaw Massacre has become one of the most overused and cliched; High Tension, however, takes this story to the next level. Beautiful and brutal visuals and multiple twists and turns in the plot will keep you glued to your seat until the very end.
4. Martyrs (2008)
R | 99 min | Horror
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
Director: Pascal Laugier | Stars: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Robert Toupin
Votes: 106,516
The deluge of French horror films lately has brought with it many films built only on shock value and American horror cliches-such as Sheitan and Frontier(s)- Martyrs, however, is not one of these. While it may be slow at points, it possibly one of the most original, artistic, and unflinchingly disturbing horror films to come out in the last few years. Definitely a must see for any genre fan.
5. The Exorcist (1973)
R | 122 min | Horror
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 455,231 | Gross: $232.91M
It's easy to dismiss classics like this and watch newer versions with similar premises. There is no replacement for this film though; it burns horrific images into your mind's eye that will haunt you every time your eyes close. You can usually judge a film by its imitators, and The Exorcist didn't just warrant a few copycats, it spawned a whole new sub-genre of possession films. So, if you're just getting into horror or have only watched recent films: SEE THIS NOW! You won't regret it.
6. Suspiria (1977)
R | 92 min | Horror
An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé
Votes: 105,501
This established Dario Argento as the master of the macabre that he is today. This film about a ballet student who travels to a private school in the Black Forest region of Germany to continue her studies. As she arrives, the monstrous secrets of the school begin to seep out. The from here on the story is a suspenseful, gory, and ingenious take on a fairy tale that I'm sure the Grimm brothers would have been proud of.
7. Deep Red (1975)
R | 127 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril
Votes: 42,669
As popular as Suspiria made Argento, I'd argue that Deep Red is a better film. This giallo follows a jazz pianist living in Italy who is witness to a murder and becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the identity of the murderer-an identity hidden in his own memory. While this doesn't have the supernatural allure that Suspiria does, its plot twists and dramatic kill scenes will definitely interest anyone that is into more modern slasher flicks. Also, for fans of Saw, look for a doll that is very similar to Jigsaw's puppet towards the middle of the film-coincidence, I think not.
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,761 | Gross: $30.86M
Wrong Turn, High Tension, House of 1000 Corpses, Wolf Creek, and numerous other hillbilly horror films owe their success to this gritty masterpiece. It's grainy footage and true-to-life characters make you believe, as the intro claims, that this is a true story. And, really this is based very loosely on the "mass murderer" Ed Gein who was also the basis for Norman Bates and Buffalo Bill.
9. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Thriller
A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman
Votes: 139,204 | Gross: $0.09M
The reason that Night of the Living Dead shows up on so many horror fans' top ten list isn't because it is the first zombie movie-White Zombie with Bela Lugosi predates it by over 30 years. The reason is because it melds science fiction and horror while exploring the brutality inherent in human nature. As horrifying as Romero's zombies are-even today the blood and gore is disturbing-it's humans that are the real monsters. So, if you love the deluge of zombie films and movies that have come out recently and have yet to see this, be sure to set aside an hour and a half to pay tribute to this horror legend.
10. Lost Highway (1997)
R | 134 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Anonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, John Roselius, Louis Eppolito
Votes: 153,272 | Gross: $3.80M
Watching Lost Highway reminds me of The Talking Heads because this really is a road to nowhere but man what a ride. This surrealistic film mixes genres such as drama, film noir, horror, and romance and will leave you questioning your own existence by the end. While this isn't a horror film per se, it has more than enough atmosphere, creepy characters, and scares to keep a die hard fan interested. However, if you need a story with a story line that you can make sense of at the end, look elsewhere: after years of watching this over and over again I'm still trying to make sense of this one.
11. The Gravedancers (2006)
R | 95 min | Horror
After a night of drunken exploits, Allison, Harris, and Kira are chased and terrorized by the ghosts of a child pyromaniac, an ax murderer, and a rapist.
Director: Mike Mendez | Stars: Dominic Purcell, Clare Kramer, Josie Maran, Marcus Thomas
Votes: 10,020
I first saw this movie in 2006 at the 8 Movies to Die For horror festival and was blown away. Not only does this successfully use cliches of American horror films, it is also legitimately scary. It's about three friends who reunite at a funeral of their long time friend. They drink too much, and, to celebrate their friend's life, they dance in the graveyard. This leads to them being haunted by an unsavory band of ghosts whose graves they disturbed. If you're a fan of 50's horror like The House on Haunted Hill or The Haunting or even more modern ghost stories like Insidious and Paranormal Activity check this out; I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
12. Dead Silence (2007)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After his wife meets a grisly end, Jamie Ashen returns to his hometown of Ravens Fair to find answers. His investigation leads him to the ghost of a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw who seems to have ties to his entire family tree
Director: James Wan | Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Amber Valletta, Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Fairman
Votes: 101,898 | Gross: $16.81M
I feel like this is a commonly overlooked horror film by the writer and director of Saw and Insidious. Honestly, I think Dead Silence is scarier than both of their other films, but I seem to be in the minority. Anyway, if you've seen Wan and Whannell's more popular filmsand enjoyed them, you should definitely check this one out too.
13. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Approved | 75 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife.
Director: William Castle | Stars: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal
Votes: 30,849
This is one of my all time favorites: Vincent Price, haunted house, and floating heads on a black screen coupled with all manner of William Castle gimmickry. Now if only I could get an Emergo rig set up in my house for each time I watch this, I could die happy.
14. Insidious (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye
Votes: 339,169 | Gross: $54.01M
If you possession films like The Exorcist and Poltergeist, you'll love Insidious. While the story isn't all that original-it is basically a remake of Poltergeist-the plot twists, atmosphere, and scares in this film will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. It's not for the faint of heart, however: my wife still refuses to re-watch it with me since it gave her nightmares for a week the first time she saw it.
15. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
R | 106 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
After Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve
Votes: 71,029 | Gross: $0.75M
This is a really well made, eerie Spanish ghost movie by Guillermo del Toro, director of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. Left in an orphanage in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, a young boy will only survive the horrors of the war if he can first survive a ghost haunting the bowels of his new home. But, is it really the ghost that he should be worried about?
16. Halloween (1978)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
Votes: 306,930 | Gross: $47.00M
This is the movie that really started it all for me. Maybe it is because the town I grew up in is so similar to Haddonfield, maybe it is the killer who is more of a force than a human, or maybe it was Carpenter's iconic theme music. Whatever it is, Halloween can not be overestimated in terms of horror films then or now. Also, I would argue that as a whole the quality of the Halloween sequels far surpasses that of all of the other horror franchises of the time such as Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., Child's Play, etc..
17. Black Sabbath (1963)
Approved | 97 min | Horror
Boris 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.
Director: Mario Bava | Stars: Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon
Votes: 13,919
18. Parasite Eve (1997)
120 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
A scientist realizes his dead wife is an organization of mitochondria bent on making a new species that will wipe out humanity.
Director: Masayuki Ochiai | Stars: Hiroshi Mikami, Riona Hazuki, Tomoko Nakajima, Ayako Ômura
Votes: 1,230
19. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,537
The film that began the Japanese horror craze. And it is still one of the hardest hitting, unique ghost stories out there.
20. The Ring (2002)
PG-13 | 115 min | Horror, Mystery
A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman
Votes: 375,196 | Gross: $129.13M
This American version of this groundbreaking Japanese ghost story delivers good acting, a creepy atmosphere, and scares just as intense as the original. So, if you're not a fan of subtitles or you just love the original and want to see a different take on the same story, you'll want to check this out.
21. Anaza hevun (2000)
R | 132 min | Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi
A pair of hard-boiled Tokyo cops are investigating a gruesome murder: after killing the victim, the murderer cut his skull open and cooked his brain in a stew. As they try to track down the... See full summary »
Director: Jôji Iida | Stars: Yôsuke Eguchi, Miwako Ichikawa, Takashi Kashiwabara, Yukiko Okamoto
Votes: 873
This is one of my favorite Japanese horror flicks of the late 90's and early 2000's. It has a very similar premise to The Fallen with Denzel Washington, but with over-exaggerated violence, gore, and characters it's like watching a live-action anime, and I mean that in the best possible way.
22. Thesis (1996)
R | 125 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
While doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...
Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Ana Torrent, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega, Xabier Elorriaga
Votes: 42,490
23. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,107,403 | Gross: $44.02M
24. The Haunting (1963)
G | 112 min | Horror
Hill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has assembled a team of people who he thinks will prove whether or not the house is haunted.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 42,503 | Gross: $2.62M
25. Freaks (1932)
Not Rated | 64 min | Drama, Horror
A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates
Votes: 50,630 | Gross: $0.63M
Todd Browning made this right after Dracula with Bela Lugosi. And, apparently it was too much for some people since it was reportedly banned in England, Browning's home, for 30 years. While the story is slow and moralistic for modern audiences, the use of real circus "freaks" and the climax are shocking even today.
26. Dagon (2001)
R | 98 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A boating accident runs a young man and woman ashore in a decrepit Spanish fishing town which they discover is in the grips of an ancient sea god and its monstrous half human offspring.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal, Raquel Meroño, Macarena Gómez
Votes: 21,054
27. Dog Soldiers (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham
Votes: 65,666
This is definitely a different take on a werewolf movie. While on a training exercise in Scotland, English soldiers are attacked by werewolves and forced to take shelter in a nearby cottage. While the setting and monsters are like something out of a dark fairytale, the pacing of the film is fast, witty, and action packed. This is definitely one of the most fun films on this list.
28. Nosferatu (1922)
Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Votes: 105,494
F.W. Murnau literally stole Bram Stoker's Dracula and turned it into his own nightmarish vision replete with medieval castles, monstrous shadows, and the most grotesque vampire to ever grace the silver screen. This is a must for hardcore horror fans, especially if you like vampire films; however, this is a silent film, so if you're not a fan of black and white and subtitles, you may want to check out the 1979 remake by Werner Herzog. This version has sound and color, but still remains faithful to the original film.
29. Vampyr (1932)
Not Rated | 75 min | Fantasy, Horror
A drifter obsessed with the supernatural stumbles upon an inn where a severely ill adolescent girl is slowly becoming a vampire.
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer | Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz
Votes: 20,528
For the longest time I considered this to be my favorite movie and with good reason. It is so eerie and nightmarish, you are often left wondering where reality ends and the dream sequences begin. The visuals, especially Dreyer's use of shadow, are amazing. I feel that is probably one of the most under-appreciated early vampire films of this time period. It definitely holds its own against the likes of Dracula and Nosferatu, and, in my opinion, it far surpasses both in terms of originality.
30. The Fog (1980)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
An unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman
Votes: 83,049 | Gross: $21.38M
A ghost story from the director of Halloween...need I say more?
31. Salem's Lot (1979)
PG | 100 min | Horror
A novelist and a young horror fan attempt to save a small New England town which has been invaded by vampires.
Stars: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia
Votes: 27,496
Tobe Hooper, director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, puts his gritty twist on Stephen King's brooding vampire tale about a writer returning to his childhood home to write his newest novel. He gets more than he asks for when a all of his hidden fears about the house he's researching for his novel come true in ways he never could have predicted when he's forced to fight for survival against a vampire that is seeking to overrun the town. This movie was the reason that I slept with the covers wrapped tightly around my throat as a child, and, as an adult, I still think that it's one of the scariest vampire films out there.
32. The Wicker Man (1973)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.
Director: Robin Hardy | Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland
Votes: 92,367 | Gross: $0.06M
The Wicker Man is a British horror-musical-yes, I said horror musical-with Christopher Lee that is actually more a mystery movie than a horror. While this may not be incredibly scary by today's standards, it's beautifully shot and acted, and it will keep you guessing up to the very end. I highly recommend this to any film lover, not just horror fans.
33. Friday the 13th (1980)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
Director: Sean S. Cunningham | Stars: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan
Votes: 157,523 | Gross: $39.75M
34. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
R | 91 min | Horror
Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, John Saxon
Votes: 262,647 | Gross: $25.50M
35. What Lies Beneath (2000)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
The wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost - or that she is losing her mind.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Katharine Towne, Miranda Otto
Votes: 135,778 | Gross: $155.46M
36. Pet Sematary (1989)
R | 103 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.
Director: Mary Lambert | Stars: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Fred Gwynne, Brad Greenquist
Votes: 115,100 | Gross: $57.47M
37. The Evil Dead (1981)
NC-17 | 85 min | Horror
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker
Votes: 232,497 | Gross: $2.40M
Advertised as "The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror" Evil Dead is one of my all time favorites; it's gritty low budget horror goodness with everything you'd expect from this type of film: bad acting, cheesy dialogue, and buckets of blood. What you don't expect, however, is that underneath this campy patina lies a really amazing horror flick. The bad acting makes the characters seem more true to life. The story uses tons or horror cliches, but still comes off as very original. And, the shooting is excellent and helps to the create the film's disturbingly suspenseful atmosphere. Overall, it's just a really fun horror experience that no one should miss.
38. Evil Dead II (1987)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Horror
Ash Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva
Votes: 182,005 | Gross: $5.92M
Evil Dead II is a much more self-aware horror film than the original Evil Dead. Actually, if you haven't seen the original Evil Dead and want to check this one out, no worries because there is an almost complete recap of the original in the first 1/2 hour or so of this film. Basically, where the original film was trying to be a serious horror film, this is more of a slapstick horror comedy that sets up the main character, Ash played by Bruce Campbell, as a shotgun wielding, chainsaw armed anti-hero that is never short on catch phrases. Overall, is just a "groovy" flick that has a lot of good, dark laughs along with most of the monsters, gore and excellent camera work that made the first Evil Dead the cult movie it is.
39. Carrie (1976)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery
Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, John Travolta
Votes: 206,790 | Gross: $33.80M
40. Christine (1983)
R | 110 min | Horror, Thriller
A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky
Votes: 92,499 | Gross: $21.20M
41. Three... Extremes (2004)
R | 125 min | Horror
An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike | Stars: Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Votes: 20,875 | Gross: $0.08M
42. Wolf Creek (2005)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.
Director: Greg McLean | Stars: Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, John Jarratt
Votes: 78,386 | Gross: $16.19M
Wolf Creek, as are many of its Australian horror contemporaries, is just a modern take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nonetheless, this is still a shocking, gritty, and disturbing re-imagining of a horror classic-what more can you ask for?
43. Storm Warning (2007)
R | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
A yuppie couple lost in a thick, brush-filled marsh seek refuge at an isolated farmhouse only to discover they've jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
Director: Jamie Blanks | Stars: Nadia Farès, Robert Taylor, David Lyons, Mathew Wilkinson
Votes: 7,519
As with Wolf Creek, the story is very similar to TCM, but the climax-no pun intended-is what sets this apart from other backwoods killer flicks.
44. Trick 'r Treat (2007)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Horror
Five 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.
Director: Michael Dougherty | Stars: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes
Votes: 104,651
45. Scream (1996)
R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich
Votes: 388,666 | Gross: $103.05M
In this 90's slasher revival Wes Craven plays on all of the horror cliches that helped to make his career successful. Many people have criticized this film for lacking a solid plot, but, as slasher movies go, the acting is excellent, the story is solid and keeps you guessing until the end, and the meta-horror angle is a nice touch. Overall, this isn't a movie to miss.
46. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 718,677 | Gross: $32.00M
47. Re-Animator (1985)
Unrated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Votes: 71,538 | Gross: $2.02M
48. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
R | 128 min | Fantasy, Horror, Romance
The centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker's fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves
Votes: 238,555 | Gross: $82.52M
49. Dracula (1931)
Passed | 75 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.
Directors: Tod Browning, Karl Freund | Stars: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye
Votes: 58,658
50. The Wolf Man (1941)
Passed | 70 min | Horror, Mystery, Romance
Larry Talbot returns to his father's castle in Wales and meets a beautiful woman. One fateful night, Talbot escorts her to a local carnival where they meet a mysterious gypsy fortune teller.
Director: George Waggner | Stars: Claude Rains, Warren William, Lon Chaney Jr., Ralph Bellamy
Votes: 30,730
51. Frankenstein (1931)
Passed | 70 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Dr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles
Votes: 79,742
52. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Not Rated | 75 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Baron Henry Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson
Votes: 53,279 | Gross: $4.36M
53. House (1977)
Not Rated | 88 min | Comedy, Horror
A schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ôba, Ai Matsubara
Votes: 33,749
If you were to mix a Scooby Doo episode with Evil Dead, you'd almost have this twisted Japanese horror. In House a group of Japanese school girls take a trip to the country to visit their friends' aunt whose house turns out to be haunted. If the premise of this film sounds like a standard horror, nothing else about this film is. From kung fu fighting school girls, floating decapitated heads, and people being transformed into fruit, this film will leave you asking, "What the %#&* did I just watch," in the best possible way.
54. Carnival of Souls (1962)
Approved | 78 min | Horror, Mystery
After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.
Director: Herk Harvey | Stars: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison
Votes: 27,833
If I were to make a top 10 horror list, this film would definitely make the cut. While the story is a little slow, the dark foreboding atmosphere more than compensates for it, and visuals, especially in the climax, will leave you with a very unsettling feeling. Overall, this is a classic ghost story that is a must see for all horror fans especially if you enjoy black and white horror like the MGM monster movies, House on Haunted Hill, or Night of the Living Dead.
55. The Blob (1958)
Approved | 86 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
An alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.
Directors: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr., Russell S. Doughten Jr. | Stars: Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howland
Votes: 29,395
56. The Thing (1982)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Votes: 466,973 | Gross: $13.78M
57. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
R | 87 min | Horror, Thriller
Six years after Michael Myers last terrorized Haddonfield, he returns there in pursuit of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, who has escaped with her newborn child, for which Michael and a mysterious cult have sinister plans.
Director: Joe Chappelle | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Paul Rudd, Marianne Hagan, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 42,064 | Gross: $15.12M
58. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
R | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
Laurie Strode, now the dean of a Northern California private school with an assumed name, must battle the Shape one last time, as the life of her own son hangs in the balance.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams
Votes: 82,068 | Gross: $55.04M
59. Horror of Dracula (1958)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama, Horror
When Jonathan Harker rouses the ire of Count Dracula for accepting a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses, his friend Dr. Van Helsing pursues the predatory villain.
Director: Terence Fisher | Stars: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling
Votes: 27,986
60. The Living Dead Girl (1982)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror
A toxic spill revives a beautiful, dead heiress who, with the help of her childhood friend, must quench her insatiable thirst for blood.
Director: Jean Rollin | Stars: Marina Pierro, Françoise Blanchard, Mike Marshall, Carina Barone
Votes: 2,568
61. Baba Yaga (1973)
Unrated | 89 min | Horror
A photographer finds herself falling under the spell of a witch.
Director: Corrado Farina | Stars: Carroll Baker, George Eastman, Isabelle De Funès, Ely Galleani
Votes: 2,244
62. The Dead Zone (1983)
R | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom
Votes: 77,358 | Gross: $20.77M
63. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,051,822 | Gross: $293.51M
64. Stir of Echoes (1999)
R | 99 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around him.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Zachary David Cope, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas
Votes: 87,542 | Gross: $21.13M
65. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,669 | Gross: $76.61M
66. Anatomy (2000)
R | 103 min | Horror, Thriller
A cute med student starts a summer course at Heidelberg University. David's on her dissection table. She met him the day before on the train. Something's wrong.
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky | Stars: Franka Potente, Benno Fürmann, Anna Loos, Sebastian Blomberg
Votes: 14,035 | Gross: $0.01M
67. 13 Ghosts (1960)
Not Rated | 85 min | Horror, Mystery
A family inherits what proves to be a haunted house, but a special pair of goggles allows them to see their ghostly tormentors.
Director: William Castle | Stars: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary DeCamp
Votes: 7,282 | Gross: $3.27M
68. Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
R | 91 min | Fantasy, Horror
When Cyrus Kriticos, a very rich collector of unique things, dies, he leaves his house, fortune, and his prized collection of ghosts.
Director: Steve Beck | Stars: Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard
Votes: 93,859 | Gross: $41.87M
69. Lord of Illusions (1995)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective gets more than he bargains for when he encounters Philip Swan, a performer whose amazing illusions captivate the world, but they are not really what everyone thinks.
Director: Clive Barker | Stars: Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O'Connor, J. Trevor Edmond, Daniel von Bargen
Votes: 19,281 | Gross: $13.29M
70. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Sam Neill, Jürgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen, David Warner
Votes: 79,375 | Gross: $8.95M
71. Kwaidan (1964)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Votes: 20,003
72. Onibaba (1964)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Votes: 21,882
73. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
Not Rated | 80 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, Luana Anders
Votes: 16,406 | Gross: $4.36M
74. House of Usher (1960)
Approved | 79 min | Drama, Horror
Upon entering his fiancée's family mansion, a man discovers a savage family curse and fears that his future brother-in-law has entombed his bride-to-be prematurely.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Harry Ellerbe
Votes: 15,450 | Gross: $3.16M
75. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,549,096 | Gross: $130.74M
76. Red Dragon (2002)
R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel
Votes: 291,016 | Gross: $93.15M
77. Manhunter (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Former FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
Votes: 80,977 | Gross: $8.62M
78. Dead Snow (2009)
Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.
Director: Tommy Wirkola | Stars: Jeppe Beck Laursen, Charlotte Frogner, Jenny Skavlan, Geir Vegar Hoel
Votes: 70,037 | Gross: $0.04M
79. Antibodies (2005)
Not Rated | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Wanted for a long time, serial killer Gabriel Engel gets arrested in a spectacular police raid. Small town cop Michael Martens travels to the big city to interrogate him and finds out more than he is looking for.
Director: Christian Alvart | Stars: Norman Reedus, Christian von Aster, André Hennicke, Waltraud Witte
Votes: 9,041
80. The Other (1972)
PG | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A series of gruesome accidents plague a small American farming community in the summer of 1935, encircling two identical twin brothers and their family.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky
Votes: 6,984 | Gross: $0.48M
81. Frailty (2001)
R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mysterious man arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood: how his religious fanatic father received visions telling him to destroy people who were in fact "demons."
Director: Bill Paxton | Stars: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary
Votes: 91,412 | Gross: $13.10M
82. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
R | 101 min | Horror, Mystery
Four young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.
Director: Jim Gillespie | Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Heche, Ryan Phillippe
Votes: 158,177 | Gross: $72.59M
83. The Host (2006)
R | 120 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona
Votes: 132,808 | Gross: $2.20M
84. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Approved | 137 min | Drama, Horror
A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer
Votes: 235,323
85. Needful Things (1993)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
Director: Fraser C. Heston | Stars: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer
Votes: 27,519 | Gross: $15.19M
86. Paranormal Activity (2007)
R | 86 min | Horror, Mystery
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.
Director: Oren Peli | Stars: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong
Votes: 256,300 | Gross: $107.92M
87. It (1990)
TV-14 | 96 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
In 1960, seven pre-teen outcasts fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.
Stars: Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Annette O'Toole, Harry Anderson
Votes: 140,922
It made generations of people afraid of clowns....it's a keeper.
88. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery
Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.
Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffin
Votes: 285,745 | Gross: $140.54M
Although some people may scoff at this film, it was a new and unique idea when it came out and definitely delivers some scares.
89. Darkness Falls (2003)
PG-13 | 86 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A vengeful spirit has taken the form of the Tooth Fairy to exact vengeance on the town that lynched her 150 years earlier. Her only opposition is the only child, now grown up, who has survived her before.
Director: Jonathan Liebesman | Stars: Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield Ford, Antony Burrows, Lee Cormie
Votes: 33,394 | Gross: $32.55M
90. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Votes: 703,271 | Gross: $37.63M
91. The Orphanage (2007)
R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera
Votes: 163,656 | Gross: $7.16M
92. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
PG-13 | 99 min | Horror
A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier, Lorna Raver
Votes: 217,573 | Gross: $42.10M
93. Curse of the Demon (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
American professor John Holden arrives in London for a parapsychology conference, only to find himself investigating the mysterious actions of Devil-worshipper Julian Karswell.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham
Votes: 15,516
94. Village of the Damned (1960)
Not Rated | 77 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
In the English village of Midwich, the blonde-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.
Director: Wolf Rilla | Stars: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens, Michael Gwynn
Votes: 19,144
Think there is something lurking beneath the surface of those overly polite and polished children you meet? Apparently so did this director. The kids aren't alright....enjoy. There is also a John Carpenter remake of this if you can't get into the black and white format.
95. The Changeling (1980)
R | 107 min | Horror, Mystery
After the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash, a music professor staying at a long-vacant Seattle mansion is dragged into a decades-old mystery by an inexplicable presence in the mansion's attic.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, Jean Marsh
Votes: 40,041
96. Ghost Story (1981)
R | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two generations of men find themselves haunted by the presence of a spectral woman. When the son of one of the elderly men returns to his hometown after his brother's mysterious death, they attempt to unravel her story.
Director: John Irvin | Stars: Craig Wasson, Alice Krige, Fred Astaire, John Houseman
Votes: 9,878 | Gross: $23.37M
97. Storm of the Century (1999)
PG-13 | 86 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires.
Stars: Tim Daly, Colm Feore, Debrah Farentino, Jeffrey DeMunn
Votes: 24,400
98. Blue Velvet (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern
Votes: 215,819 | Gross: $8.55M
99. House of Wax (1953)
GP | 88 min | Horror
An associate burns down a wax museum with the owner inside, but he survives only to become vengeful and murderous.
Director: André De Toth | Stars: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones
Votes: 20,267 | Gross: $23.75M
100. The Omen (1976)
R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery
Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens, David Warner
Votes: 132,681 | Gross: $4.27M
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