1966’s ‘This is a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.’
Halloween is here again and in between wearing costumes and eating candy, you might want to sit back and watch a spooky movie!
Moviefone has put together a list of the 25 scariest movies ever made to help you celebrate All Hallows’ Eve!
Let’s get started!
25. ‘Seeing’ (2004)
Lion Gate
Have you seen what Jigsaw looks like? Enough said.
Saw
“Live or die. Make your choice.”
74
1 hour 43 minutesOctober 29, 2004
most important
The ’90s sci-fi space film “Event Horizon” may not immediately come to mind when you think of horror films — but it’s horrifying. Don’t write it down. This is a truly gruesome portrait of an astronaut who literally went through hell.
Event Horizon
“Infinite Space – Infinite Terror”
65
1 hour 36 minutesAugust 15, 1997
23. ‘Dangerous’ (2011)
Film District
The haunted house thing has been done a million times. “Insidious” manages to elevate the concept through slow suspense and sneaky fear. No bloody corpses or violent maniacs required.
dangerous
“Not the Haunted House.”
69
1 hour 43 minutesApril 1, 2011
Sandrew Metronome
A bullied boy befriending a mysterious vampire girl sounds like a cute children’s story, so don’t be fooled by the synopsis. While the camaraderie at the heart of this dark Swedish film provides narrative depth, there’s no shortage of shocking imagery and a chillingly grim tone that will give you goosebumps.
Let the Right One Come in
“Eli is 12 years old. He’s been 12 for over 200 years and he just moved into the house next door.”
75
1 hour 55 minutesOctober 24, 2008
Fox Spotlight
Just another zombie movie, you say? Not like that. Danny Boyle’s performance of a post-apocalyptic nightmare featuring several half-dead people on a rampage is a modern classic.
28 days later
“His fear begins when he wakes up alone. His terror begins when he realizes that he is not alone.”
72
1 hour 53 minutes27 June 2003
Dream job
To be honest, the VHS in the middle of the film is pretty scary. They could have just let go without explanation and I’m still shaking in my chair.
Ring
“Before you die, you see…”
66
1 hour 55 minutesOctober 18, 2002
Craftsman
Make fun of all you want now, you KNOW you freaked out the first time you watched this. That last shot? It still messes with us and puts money in our therapist’s wallet.
RADIUS-TWC
Being followed by a supernatural evil after sex sounds like an eye-catching concept, but the execution of the unique premise takes “It Follows” to a thrilling new level for the horror genre.
It follows
“Don’t think, don’t feel, don’t give up.”
66
1 hour 41 minutes27 March 2015
Path distribution.
Stranded in a cave is quite a claustrophobic experience to center a horror film on. Add a flesh-eating creepy crawler to the mix? Good grief.
Descendants
“Scream your last breath.”
69
1 hour 39 minutesAugust 4, 2006
Warner Bros.
Hollywood may put out installments in the “Conjuring” franchise until they’re pretty much haunted by any contingency on screen, but the first entry into the franchise was downright sinister and managed to defy the clichés of the paranormal investigation genre.
The Conjuring
“Based on the actual case files from the Warrens”
75
1 hour 52 minutesJuly 19, 2013
15. ‘Scream’ (1996)
Dimensional Film
A film that revitalized the genre, launched a new one (a self-referential, super self-aware teen horror film), and inspired too many imitators, Wes Craven’s inspired endeavor was one of the best films of the ’90s. 22 years later, Sidney Prescott vs. Ghostface is still (mostly) surviving in the jumpscare department.
Shout
“Someone has taken their love of scary movies one step too far.”
74
1 hour 52 minutesDecember 20, 1996
MGM
“Poltergeist” has become so quoted, copied, and parodied over the years that I always thought it wouldn’t be as scary as I thought it would be. And then I looked back at it and remembered it’s actually the kind of movie that makes you want to check your closet for evil spirits every night before bed.
Ghost
“He knows what scares you.”
71
1 hour 54 minutesJune 4, 1982
New Line Cinema
You think closing your eyes is a safe activity? Think again. Freddy Krueger is here to ruin your sleep forever in this hit from Wes Craven. Absolutely terrifying, despite the outmoded 80s production values.
A24
As a mother facing indescribable loss – and the creeping influence of her late mother’s mysterious machinations – Toni Collette delivers one of the soul-stirring shows of the year in a film that resonates with absolute terror and humanity. Alex Wolff’s slump as the son of his character offers his own remarkable anchor for terrifying images and ideas in Ari Aster’s meticulous writing, and later, in his masterful direction of this terrifying tale.
Hereditary
“Every family tree hides a secret.”
73
2 hours 8 minutes8 June 2018
20th Century Fox
Damien is still the son of the most legendary cinematic demon. All other imitators of the Anti-Christ beware.
Sign
“This is the greatest mystery of all because no human being will ever solve it.”
74
1 hour 51 minutesJune 25, 1976
10. ‘Psycho’ (1960)
Universal
Janet Leigh’s iconic shower scene in this Hitchcock classic is hard to accept, but the true horror unfolds once audiences get to know Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).
psycho
“A whole new—and totally different—screen fun!”
84
1 hour 49 minutesSeptember 8, 1960
Cheater
No demons. No ghosts. No curse. Just a bunch of guys trying to kill someone else on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.
Foreigners
“Lock the door. Pretend you’re safe.”
61
1 hour 26 minutesMay 30, 2008
International Compass Images
Chalk to that grisly soundtrack, Jamie Lee Curtis’ terrified face, or the petrified idea that a masked man is out to kill a high school nanny on a quiet suburban street, John Carpenter’s original “Halloween” is the ultimate slasher film. Michael Meyers is truly one of the most iconic and terrifying villains in the genre.
Halloween
“The Night He Comes Home!”
76
1 hour 31 minutesOctober 25, 1978
most important
Speaking of demon children… “Rosemary’s Baby” is just as anxious as the movies get. Rosemary’s fear was clear. The suspense of the unknown (or what you may know and don’t want to believe) is what makes the whole that brings demonic creatures that much harder to watch.
6. ‘Aliens’ (1979)
20th Century Fox
“In outer space, no one can hear you scream.”
Foreign
“In outer space no one can hear you scream.”
81
1 hour 57 minutesJune 21, 1979
Orion
Horror films can also be Oscar winners. The psychological thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” received massive critical acclaim, but it also gave viewers a healthy scare about everything from anagrams to fava beans.
Silence of the Lamb
“To enter the mind of an assassin, he must challenge the mind of a madman.”
83
1 hour 59 minutesFebruary 14, 1991
Universal Image
I mean, come on — just look at the picture. “Scary AF” barely covers this John Carpenter masterpiece, which centers on the crew of an Antarctic research station struggling to survive the threat of a shapeshifting alien. The slow-burn plot, coupled with inventive set pieces driven by Rob Bottin’s revolutionary makeup effects make “The Thing” the perfect classic.
Thing
“Humans are the Warmest Place to Hide.”
80
1 hour 49 minutesJune 25, 1982
Warner Bros.
The elevator was flooded with blood. Scary twins. “All work and no play makes Jack a boring kid.” We could name all the reasons why Stanley Kubrick’s masterful “The Shining” continues to do a number of things to us on every rerun, but we’ll be here all day.
Light
“He came as a guard, but this hotel has its own guard – who has been there for a long time”
82
2 hours 24 minutesJune 13, 1980
Bryanston Distribution Company
Terrifying and gruesome, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is a chair-grabbing group of every possible worst-case scenario. Chainsaw, crazy assailant, and a guy named Leatherface? You’re pretty much guaranteed to cover at least one eye the entire time you’re watching.
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Warner Bros.
No wonder the 1973 theater audience fainted when they saw Regan’s (Linda Blair) possessed body. The levitation scene will go down in history as one of the scariest moments in the entire film.
The Exorcist
“Something almost beyond comprehension is happening to a girl on this street, in this house . . . and a man has been sent as a last resort. This man is The Exorcist.”
77
2 hours 2 minutesDecember 26, 1973