Actually Scary Horror Movies

by jdeisenr | created - 31 Oct 2013 | updated - 08 Nov 2013 | Public

Some of the movies I've watched, and were actually scared, or disturbed by. I recently went through many scary movies just to find out which ones were worth this list. I made this because of how many people put movies like Paranormal Activity and Twilight onto horror movie lists. Paranormal is more of a satire, and not scary, and Twilight is just a drama with vampires.

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1. Sinister (I) (2012)

R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

53 Metascore

A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

Director: Scott Derrickson | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Fred Thompson

Votes: 279,772 | Gross: $48.09M

This movie was actually pretty good. I was working at the theater when this came out, and one of my male friends wouldn't even go into the theater with me to put in a trash can. I enjoyed it immensely.

2. The Conjuring (2013)

R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

68 Metascore

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Director: James Wan | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

Votes: 554,193 | Gross: $137.40M

I recently just watched this with my fiance, and the fact that it is actually a true story makes it a little scarier. I loved the fact that they had the same guy who played the father in Insidious in it. He is a great horror actor.

3. Insidious (I) (2010)

PG-13 | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

52 Metascore

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: 338,688 | Gross: $54.01M

Insidious was one of the first scary movies I was actually nervous to see again. It was one of the first that scared me in a very long time. It was great acting, and the demonic thing that was holding onto the child was greatly done. Highly recommend.

4. Psycho (1998)

R | 105 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

47 Metascore

A young female embezzler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.

Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen

Votes: 50,684 | Gross: $21.46M

This movie was more disturbing than scary. It made me think twice about guys with mommy issues. The fact that Norman Bates dressed up like his mom and killed any woman who he started to like was very mentally disturbing. Another great watch.

5. Carrie (1976)

R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery

86 Metascore

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: 206,426 | Gross: $33.80M

Carrie is just the average girl who is picked on every day, but there's a twist. She has telekinesis. Her mother is completely insane, and thinks that she is the devils child. This movie is very good, and creepy. Its more of a disturbing movie, like Psycho, but it kept my attention, unlike so many other horror movies.

6. Stay Alive (2006)

PG-13 | 85 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

24 Metascore

For a group of teens, the answer to the mysterious death of their old friend lies within the world of an online video game based on the true story of an ancient noblewoman known as the Blood Countess.

Director: William Brent Bell | Stars: Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong, Frankie Muniz, Jimmi Simpson

Votes: 34,006 | Gross: $23.09M

7. The Exorcist (1973)

R | 122 min | Horror

83 Metascore

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: 454,394 | Gross: $232.91M

The original Exorcist was extremely well made. It actually scared me a little. Although the graphics aren't great, you can't expect them to be when it was made in the 70s. They did a great job with everything, and I think it deffinately beats the Last Exorcism and the Last Exorcism pt. 2.

8. Apartment 143 (2011)

R | 80 min | Horror, Thriller

A team of parapsychologists try to figure out a strange phenomenon occurring in an apartment building.

Director: Carles Torrens | Stars: Kai Lennox, Gia Mantegna, Michael O'Keefe, Fiona Glascott

Votes: 11,760 | Gross: $0.00M

In this movie, scientists who specialize in hauntings and matters like hauntings are called in to help a family who's just suffered a loss. Weird things start happening, and it turns out that the daughter is the cause. It is really cool how they have everything happen, and the end there's a twist. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

9. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical

65 Metascore

A newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.

Director: Jim Sharman | Stars: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien

Votes: 166,735 | Gross: $139.88M

I know this movie isn't scary, but it is creepy. It is a great movie, and I couldn't leave it off of this list. It is pretty amazing for a 1975 movie, and I could watch this one over and over.

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

R | 91 min | Horror

76 Metascore

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: 262,116 | Gross: $25.50M

This movie is a classic. I think everyone has at least heard of it. If you haven't seen it, watch it. Even as they continued to make movies after this, they were still good. I haven't seen the remake, but usually those aren't as good. Make sure you watch the original Nightmare on Elm made in 1984, and you won't be disappointed.

11. Mirrors (I) (2008)

R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery

35 Metascore

An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.

Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Cameron Boyce

Votes: 113,674 | Gross: $30.69M

This movie is all together freaky. I loved it. The plot is about there being an opposite world in mirrors, and a demon is stuck in an alternate universe because of mirrors. Kiefer Sutherland does an amazing job. I highly recommend this one.

12. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery

49 Metascore

A brother and sister driving home through isolated countryside for spring break encounter a flesh-eating creature which is in the midst of its ritualistic eating spree.

Director: Victor Salva | Stars: Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan Breck, Patricia Belcher

Votes: 142,387 | Gross: $37.90M

This movie is incredibly creepy all around. I don't really know what to say about it. Everything I have to say will ruin the movie. I just know that it is a definite horror movie, and a great watch for Halloween, or any time of the year.

13. Child's Play (1988)

R | 87 min | Horror, Thriller

58 Metascore

A struggling single mother unknowingly gifts her son a doll imbued with a serial killer's consciousness.

Director: Tom Holland | Stars: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif

Votes: 116,568 | Gross: $33.24M

I don't think anyone hasn't heard of "Chucky". This movie was the start of the franchise.

14. Prom Night (1980)

R | 92 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

45 Metascore

At a high-school senior prom, a masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a classmate six years previously.

Director: Paul Lynch | Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens, Anne-Marie Martin

Votes: 20,889 | Gross: $14.80M

The original Prom Night with Jamie Lee Curtis. I think this is much better than the remake. In this movie the killer is no where near who the killer in the remake is. I love this must see horror film.

15. Scream (1996)

R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery

66 Metascore

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: 387,957 | Gross: $103.05M

Although I don't find the Scream movies to be extremely scary, I do enjoy them a lot. Every Scream there's a new ghost face. Its fun trying to figure out who it is in each movie. There's definitely an element of suspense. I highly recommend Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 3. The fourth movie wasn't as good, but I enjoyed it.

16. The Ring (2002)

PG-13 | 115 min | Horror, Mystery

57 Metascore

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: 374,639 | Gross: $129.13M

I think The Ring is a great scary movie. It has a great element of suspense, and has an amazing story line.

17. Ginger Snaps (2000)

Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

70 Metascore

Two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.

Director: John Fawcett | Stars: Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Kris Lemche, Mimi Rogers

Votes: 52,244 | Gross: $0.00M

A story about an outsider teen girl turned werewolf and her sister. Has a great story line. Its just extremely interesting to watch all around.

18. Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)

R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller

Ginger's sister Brigitte, now a werewolf herself, must try to find a cure for her blood lust before the next full moon while hiding out in a rehab clinic from a relentless werewolf.

Director: Brett Sullivan | Stars: Emily Perkins, Brendan Fletcher, Katharine Isabelle, Tatiana Maslany

Votes: 15,193

Bridget has to fight to keep the wolf at bay. She ends up in a insane asylum for drug use because of it. She has to find a way to get out before the full moon, because she's scared of what might happen if she doesn't

19. Cabin Fever (2002)

R | 93 min | Horror

56 Metascore

Five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals.

Director: Eli Roth | Stars: Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent

Votes: 83,630 | Gross: $21.16M

"A group of five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals." I couldn't think of a better way to put it. Although many horror movies have the same basic idea, this has a great twist.

20. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

R | 101 min | Action, Horror

59 Metascore

A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.

Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, Jake Weber

Votes: 272,140 | Gross: $59.02M

Pretty much everyone has heard or seen Dawn of the Dead. Its about the zombie apocalypse. A group of people end up holding up in a shopping mall, and try to figure out a way to safety.

21. Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)

R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

16 Metascore

When her adoptive father disappears, Sharon Da Silva is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.

Director: M.J. Bassett | Stars: Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington, Sean Bean, Carrie-Anne Moss

Votes: 66,664 | Gross: $17.53M

This movie is all kinds of messed up. I saw this before Silent Hill because my friends wanted to see it in theaters. I couldn't believe all the odd creatures in it. I definitely recommend both Silent Hill movies.

22. Resident Evil (2002)

R | 100 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

35 Metascore

A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Ryan McCluskey, Oscar Pearce

Votes: 288,113 | Gross: $40.12M

At first, I had no idea what this movie was about. Only after about 15-20 minutes into it did I realize that it was a zombie movie. It was amazing how they had an entire corporation underground. I completely love these movies.

23. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

R | 94 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

36 Metascore

Alice wakes up in the Raccoon City hospital after the area has been overrun by zombies, and must now make it out of the city before a nuclear bomb is dropped.

Director: Alexander Witt | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Eric Mabius, Oded Fehr

Votes: 209,806 | Gross: $51.20M

The second Resident Evil was the first I saw. I completely loved it. It might not be completely a horror movie, but it is really good, and has a great plot line. I recommend watching all of these movies.

24. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

R | 94 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

41 Metascore

Survivors of the Raccoon City catastrophe travel across the Nevada desert, hoping to make it to Alaska. Alice joins the caravan and their fight against the evil Umbrella Corp.

Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, Iain Glen

Votes: 205,365 | Gross: $50.65M

Usually, sequels aren't as good as the original, but this is one exception.

25. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

R | 96 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

37 Metascore

While still out to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation, Alice joins a group of survivors living in a prison surrounded by the infected who also want to relocate to the mysterious but supposedly unharmed safe haven known only as Arcadia.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Kim Coates

Votes: 179,079 | Gross: $60.13M

I really thought that after 3 movies, they wouldn't have anything more to make more movies on, but I was completely proved wrong.

26. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

R | 95 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

39 Metascore

Alice fights alongside a resistance movement to regain her freedom from an Umbrella Corporation testing facility.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Aryana Engineer

Votes: 149,998 | Gross: $42.35M

I went into this movie with extremely high expectations due to how amazing the other movies were. I was not disappointed whatsoever. I think that the Resident Evil films have just gotten better each time. I can't wait for the next one!

27. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

R | 116 min | Drama, Horror, Musical

83 Metascore

The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.

Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall

Votes: 386,705 | Gross: $52.90M

This is a musical about a barber who was shunned from his home town and life. He was forced to leave. He comes back years later, unrecognized, and befriends a pie maker. They then take revenge on those who took part in his absence.



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