Essential Horror Movies
This list is one filled with classics and absolute must sees from the horror genre.
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- DirectorJohn FawcettStarsEmily PerkinsKatharine IsabelleKris LemcheTwo death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.Love this movie. One of the earliest watches in my horror movie watching. It's one of my favorite Canadian films of all time. I loved how it changed the way many thought about the werewolf subgenre of horror. I was also quite pleased how they didn't pander to women or girls. They used their symbolism very well in this amazing classic.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA 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.The introduction of the slasher subgenre. A classic in its own right, this film started a massive subgenre with building suspense in a way that had never been seen before. And doing all that without ever actually showing the iconic stabbing is quite the feat.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRod TaylorTippi HedrenJessica TandyA wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.The Birds. One of the most suspenseful movies of all time. My family's absolute classic horror movie. It was the first one reccomended to me by my mom and uncle. My aunt is still horrified by this film and still refuses to be around open fireplaces to this day. I saw this one at the age of 13, in black and white. Being my first Hitchcock movie, first black and white movie and being recommended by family, it holds a special place in my heart. And the intensity of the stillness in this movie has yet to be beaten for me. And it's probably one of, if not the, best creature feature movies of all time. Highly recommended
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager 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.What's more scary than not being able to escape your nightmares? Not a whole lot. The most terrifying concept to me is the one from this film. Your murderer shows up in your sleep, your dreams, your nightmares and haunts you while your awake. This was the first horror movie I saw with my mom when I started getting into horror. She was so wonderful at recommending horror movies when I was starting out to get my building blocks, as I call them. And what a winner this was. The atmosphere in this movie was absolutely perfect. I had never seen a film like this and even today after seeing it at least 50 times, I can say it's well deserving of its place in history. It's magic in a bottle.
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsBetsy PalmerAdrienne KingJeannine TaylorA 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.This one is a classic that a lot of people seem to forget the twist for, which kind of baffles me with how much it airs and how many superfans there are of the franchise. I love this movie, but I've never forgotten the twist and the ending after the twist. It has always stuck in my mind. Most of the sequels are quite forgettable to me. I still have 4 more sequels to see, but I'm not in any hurry to see them. But this one, the original, is so well done. The directing and cinematography is exquisite and nothing like this had been done before.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive 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.The first of my "Based on True Events" horror movies. So much gore and screaming and the hooks have always stuck with me. John Laroquette's voice at the end narration with the photos of Ed Gein's house just puts this movie into the horror movie classics. And there is absolutely nothing like this film before 1974. I seldom rewatch this one, but I own 4 seperate copies. I absolutely love this gem and couldn't wait to tell my one friend who loved horror movies, when I first saw this one, that I had seen it and he needed to see it. We were 12 and he had already seen it, and asked me about what I thought about his dance at the end. I realized I didn't even notice that and this became my first horror movie rewatch. If your looking for a good gory movie, this classic doesn't disappoint.
- DirectorDaniel MyrickEduardo SánchezStarsHeather DonahueMichael C. WilliamsJoshua LeonardThree film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.Going into my first watch of this one, I had no idea if this was actually real or not. I hadn't seen it until the Blu-Ray release. Watching it with my mom, within the first 20 minutes I noticed one person in the background who later on became a bit part actor, so I knew it was acting, it wasn't actually happening. Even with that knowledge, this movie took me away. I still felt like the Blair Witch was real, even though I knew for most of the film that it wasn't. No other movie has done that with me before and only two have done that since. This movie feels so real and is one of the best found footage movies out there. I love that this movie is considered a classic as it so rightly deserves
- DirectorOren PeliStarsKatie FeatherstonMicah SloatMark FredrichsAfter moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.I was very late to the game on this one. I first watched this movie within the last year (2020/21). I did not expect it to be as effective as it was with building that suspense. Not knowing if it's real or not. To me, this on the same level as The Blair Witch Project. I couldn't stop at just this one. I needed to keep going and see where the storywould take me. Within a week, I watched every sequel. Something that I haven't done since I was just getting into horror and renting 7 vhs tapes a week for $1. This was crazy addicting, and the franchise as a whole is probably my favorite possession movie(s).
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.Late to this party too. I watched Saw for the first time in 2019. I've never wanted to watch it but felt I needed to start watching them based on a recommendation from my boyfriend who is also a horror fanatic. So I gave it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised with the cop drama aspect of this film and the whole concept of Jigsaw. It was such a wonderful recommendation for a film that I thought I knew what it was, but what I knew was only a small aspect. I never thought I would be a fan of these films, but I'm glad I was able to put my preconceived notitions aside so I could enjoy these movies
- DirectorEli RothStarsJay HernandezDerek RichardsonEythor GudjonssonThree backpackers head to a Slovak city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.I wanted to watch this movie for 15 years before I had the chance to see this one. I always wanted to see this gory masterpiece right from the time I saw the trailer for the first time when I was 14. This is what I expected to see for Saw. But even back then at 14, I knew this one would deliver the "torture porn" style film that I wanted to see. This film delivers on everything. From the cinematography, the score, the acting, the gore, the kills. My favorite kill in the franchise is from the second one, but this is the standout one. Can't recommend this one enough for anyone looking for a massively gorey movie done extremely well.
- DirectorEli RothStarsJordan LaddRider StrongJames DeBelloFive 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.My first "Cabin in the Woods" style horror movie. Being Canadian, I've been in these kind of cabins and this struck a nerve with me early on. The atmosphere in this movie fit with what Eli Roth was going for. The beginning being a party movie and suddenly something happens where you can't leave the horror. It follows you wherever you go. No doctors can help you. You're doomed. Such a unique way to portray a nihilistic feeling
- DirectorTom HollandStarsCatherine HicksChris SarandonAlex VincentA struggling single mother unknowingly gifts her son a doll imbued with a serial killer's consciousness.The original classic, based on a Twilight Zone episode. Growing up watching Toy Story, for whatever reason, I was terrified of leaving my toys alone after seeing that movie for the first time. By the time I saw Child's Play when I was 12 or 13, that fear was realized watching this movie. When your toys are possessed and start killing your family members and others close to you, nothing is more terrifying when you're a child... except for maybe what Freddy Krueger did, but that's a whole other story. I absolutely love the character of Charless Lee Ray aka "Chucky". He's misogynistic, he's demeaning, vile and has the best sense of humor, making him come up with wonderful quips left, right and centre. For intents and purposes, this my least favorite of the franchise. I think it's because of the pacing, but don't get me wrong. I still love this movie, it's just the one I don't go back to as often. And favoritism us just opinion. This is still an absolute classic and it very well should be.
- DirectorRonny YuStarsJennifer TillyBrad DourifKatherine HeiglChucky, the doll possessed by a serial killer, discovers the perfect mate to kill and revive into the body of another doll.I highly recommend this movie for anyone wanting to see a good "Bonnie and Clyde" style horror movie. This is by far, my favorite horror movie. And quite frankly, you don't need to see the 3 movies that come before it, really, to get the full perspective of this entry into the franchise. Jennifer Tilly was perfectly cast to go toe to toe against Chucky with the kills and quick wit. She brings her own style which is a refreshing change as they don't pander to the wife and kids type of sequel. Katherine Heigl and John Ritter also shine in their roles. It may not be perfect, but it's a wonderful romantic horror movie
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampRobert EnglundJf DavisA demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather Langenkamp play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?This one is such a surreal horror movie and the first real meta movie I can really think of until Being John Malkovich came out. I loved the concept of bringing the fictional characters in the real world, being played by the original actors and having them deal with what they created in such an original way. If you want something different, this one is a must watch.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartGrace KellyWendell CoreyA wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsJohn Gallagher Jr.Tony GoldwynAdria ArjonaIn a twisted social experiment, eighty Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogotá, Colombia, and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeff GoldblumGeena DavisJohn GetzA brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsJoBeth WilliamsHeather O'RourkeCraig T. NelsonA family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJessica HarperStefania CasiniFlavio BucciAn 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.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsSandra PeabodyLucy GranthamDavid HessTwo teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteA 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.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsBrandon Quintin AdamsEverett McGillWendy RobieTwo adults and a juvenile break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children. There, they must fight for their lives.
- DirectorBernard RoseStarsVirginia MadsenXander BerkeleyTony ToddThe Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDuane JonesJudith O'DeaKarl HardmanA 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.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsSarah PolleyVing RhamesMekhi PhiferA 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.
- DirectorTony MaylamStarsBrian MatthewsLeah AyresBrian BackerA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
- DirectorRob ZombieStarsSid HaigKaren BlackBill MoseleyTwo young couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of murder end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen 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.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsDavid NaughtonJenny AgutterJoe BelcherTwo American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
- DirectorJoe CornishStarsJohn BoyegaJodie WhittakerAlex EsmailA teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian CoxA journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsMegumi OkinaMisaki ItôMisa UeharaA mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
- DirectorYeon Sang-hoStarsGong YooJung Yu-miMa Dong-seokWhile a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
- DirectorSteven KostanskiStarsNita-Josée HannaOwen MyreMatthew NinaberAfter unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.
- DirectorMary HarronStarsChristian BaleJustin TherouxJosh LucasA wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.
- DirectorDrew GoddardStarsKristen ConnollyChris HemsworthAnna HutchisonFive college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
- 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.
- DirectorKaryn KusamaStarsMegan FoxAmanda SeyfriedAdam BrodyA newly-possessed high-school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsOlivia HusseyKeir DulleaMargot KidderDuring their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.
- DirectorFred WaltonStarsDeborah ForemanGriffin O'NealClayton RohnerNine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's Day weekend, but nothing is as it seems.
- DirectorJames WanStarsAnnabelle WallisMaddie HassonGeorge YoungMadison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.Highly reccomended. I recommend going in knowing nothing. I feel like this one could change up the genre for psychological horror. Very well done.