Horror cinema goes back more than a century, with the existence of early pre-sound films likeThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligariand the originalNosferatushowing that for as long as there have been movies, people have wanted to be scared by movies. The horror genre evolved when sound came along, of course, and it’s never really slowed down since, because great works of horror can be found in every decade from the 1920s onward.
Picking out the scariest, though? That’s a little different from picking out the best, and it’s also probably more subjective. You may not find these scary, or you might. There’s really no guarantee here, but what can be said is there was an attempt at picking out undisputed classics alongside uniquely unsettling lesser-known movies, there’s a range of horror films release date-wise, and there’s also an assortment from across the globe (not just American flicks), to emphasize how we can all be united through a shared experience of simultaneous pants-s**ting. We are the world. We are the soiled.
10’The Thing' (1982)
Directed by John Carpenter
The thing aboutThe Thingis that it’s timelessly unsettling, thanks to a simple premise andspecial effects that are still astoundingly great. It’san unpredictable movie thanks to that straightforward premise, which might sound paradoxical, but no; the whole film is about an alien lifeform that can mimic those it comes into contact with, which makes paranoia run high when it targets a team of researchers in Antarctica.
Since it involves an alien, it’s also ascience fiction movie, and an all-timerwhen judged as one of those, too. ButThe Thingkeeps the level sufficiently high enough to feel persistently like a horror film, and it does a lot with seemingly just a little. Andyet for as great as it is, there’s arguably one other John Carpenter movie that’s both simpler and scarier… more on that one in a bit.
9’Faust' (1926)
Directed by F. W. Murnau
In the interest of going back pretty much 100 years and shouting out something that’s still quite unsettling, here’sFaust. At the time of writing, it’s 99, so it just fits within the last century of horror. And it’s a fantasy horror film that brings to life the legendary tale ofFaust, which involves forces of good and evil making a wager regarding whether a righteous man can be corrupted.
Even all this time later, few movies about “making a deal with the Devil” are quite asgrand and visually spectacular asFaust, not to mention genuinely eerie. If you find silent cinema inherently not scary, maybeFaustwon’t get to you all that much,but the imagery here is so striking and ahead of its time that it does ultimately feel like it could well be the scariest pre-talkie horror movie.
8’Tetsuo: The Iron Man' (1989)
Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
Though it’s another black-and-white horror movie,Tetsuo: The Iron Manis not going to be confused withFaustby anyone, seeing as it’s one of the loudest movies ever made; in other words, far from silent. It clangs, rattles, and might well cause tinnitus, being aggressive in sound and music while also being an assault on another sense: sight.
It’s almost too effective as a work of body horror, and the lo-fi nature of the film and the grainy visuals really don’t date it.
This is becauseTetsuo: The Iron Manisa pretty disgusting-looking movie, but by design, given the premise hereinvolves a man finding various parts of his body slowly turning into metal. It’s almost too effective as a work of body horror, and the lo-fi nature of the film and the grainy visuals don’t date it, as they instead actually work to hide many of the technical limitations that might’ve otherwise been visible, keepingthe impact of the horror surprisingly high.
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
7’Black Swan' (2010)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofskyisno stranger to making intense movies, withBlack Swanbeing his most relentless work within the horror genre (even if his most intense film overall is probablyRequiem for a Dream).Black Swanis all about the dangers of pursuing perfection, focusing on a ballerina who becomes distressingly dedicated to performing the lead role in a production of Swan Lake.
It’s apsychological horror/thriller movie through and through, and it mixes in a ton of disturbing imagery that often passes by in a flash, with the scariest moments here being almost subliminal.Black Swanalso benefits from having a dedicated central performance thanks toNatalie Portman, playinga character who is dedicated to giving a central performance. The sense of madness and overwhelming passion for one’s craftshines through unnervingly well.
Black Swan
6’Noroi: The Curse' (2005)
Directed by Koji Shiraishi
There’s another found footage movie that might be more commonly brought up as the scariest ever made (some project about a witch or something?), butNoroi: The Cursemightactually be the most frightening. It understands exceptionally well how to use the format to make things feel scarier and more believable, with the premise here involving a filmmaker trying to connect various incidents to a single demonic entity.
It’s not so much what it’s about but the execution that makesNoroi: The Cursefeel special.It aims to get under your skin, and if you’re particularly unsettled by this kind of horror, it’ll likely succeed and then some. Perhaps the only other found footage movie from around this time that comes close isLake Mungo, which is also a bit underrated, at least compared to bigger hits likeThe Blair Witch ProjectandParanormal Activity.
Noroi: The Curse
5’Eyes Without a Face' (1960)
Directed by Georges Franju
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this was made well over six decades ago:Eyes Without a Faceis truly unsettling stuff, living up to that ominous title in spades. It’s also quite effective as a bleak drama, being about a doctor driven mad with guilt because an accident he caused disfigured the face of his daughter. The horror element comes in because he kidnaps other young women and keeps trying to remove their faces to repair/replace his daughter’s.
It shows a ton ofgruesome sights for a movie of its age, and it’s also dripping in atmosphere and dread, providing more than just nightmare fuel for the squeamish.Eyes Without a Facehas a good chance ofbeing nightmare fuel for the non-squeamish, too, and it’s admirable how uniquely disturbing it is.
Eyes Without a Face
4’Halloween' (1978)
It would be pretty disappointing if a movie with the guts to call itselfHalloweenwasn’t appropriately scary, but you don’t have to worry about that so long as you’re watching 1978’sHalloween.The other movies calledHalloweenare more divisive, but John Carpenter’s 1978 original isabout as classic as horror films get, and the whole thing is very direct. It’s about a killer on the loose, following a group of teenagers who get targeted by him.
It’sstandard slasher movie stuff in hindsight, but it perfected the sub-genre quite early in the overall scheme of things.Halloweenis minimalist and, for the most part, effective because it’s grounded. Michael Myers does seem inhuman, and more so in later films, but he rides a perfectly uncanny line here between being grounded and almost otherworldly, and it’s understandable why he’s gone onto be an all-time iconic screen villain.
3’Angst' (1983)
Directed by Gerald Kargl
Angstis primarily acrime movie that gets so darkit also works as a horror film. It’s genuinely twisted and almost too dedicated to being uncompromising, with the whole thing really just being about a serial killer breaking into a home, and targeting the people who live there. It’s all drawn out, building up immense amounts of dread, and then not holding back when it comes to showing the inevitable violence.
It’s also the cinematography ofAngstthat has to be brought up and celebrated… or scorned. Or something in between; “celebrated” is not the right word, even if it’s visually so impressive and nauseating.Angstis very difficult to watch, and it’sthe kind of horror movie that horrifies because so much of it comes across as genuinely realistic. Even those who are used to most kinds of horror films might have a bad time with this one.
2’The Shining' (1980)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
While not a perfect adaptation,The Shiningis aperfect movie based on aStephen Kingnovel… well, yeah, maybe loosely based. It shakes a lot of things up in a way that some people don’t like (King included), but if you approach it on its own terms, it’s remarkable as a horror movie, and it can be appreciated alongsidethe still brilliant source material. you’re able to’t go wrong with either, or both, if you’re okay with acknowledging the differences.
The Shiningis a film about isolation and madness, and it stays scary by having constant tension between what might be psychological, and what might be genuinely supernatural. It is another horror film thatworks because it taps into a sense of things being uncanny, and the whole “generally off” nature of the film is subtly frighteningin a way that’s hard to put into words.
The Shining
1’The Exorcist' (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
Just like it’s safe and maybe a bit boring to highlight something likeCitizen Kaneas the #1 drama of the last 100 years, or of all time, so too can one seeThe Exorcistcalled the scariest movie ever and maybe be tempted to roll one’s eyes. And that’s allowed, if you feel that way. Again, not everyone is going to be scared by the same things, and there’s been so much hyperbole aroundThe Exorcistover the decades that some might approach it and come away potentially disappointed.
It’sthe ultimate demonic possession movie, though, and hard to look past if you want to talk aboutgroundbreaking and historically important horror movies.The Exorcisthasdread, in-your-face horror, characters you care about and fear for, and an unwavering sense of tension throughout. It’s the full package, as far as the horror genre goes, and yeah, it might well live up to its reputation as the scariest movie of all time.
