Top 10 Horror Movies of All Time

Top 10 Horror Movies of All Time

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Oh the horror, the horror! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 horror movies of all time. This is a part of a series of videos spanning the decades of horror cinema from the 1920s to the 2000s.

#10: “Friday the 13th” (1980)

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What kicked off the longest-running horror franchise of all time, this cheaply made sleeper hit was developed as a response to the success of “Halloween,” and other holiday-themed horror flicks. Sean S. Cunningham created something unstoppable though; what started off as a revenge thriller about a killer stalking sex-crazed teens at Camp Crystal Lake turned into one of the most iconic masked faces in horror, and which also spawned sequels, spinoffs, a TV series, books, comics, video games, you name it. Jason has been to hell and back, many times, and it seems like nothing is going to stop him.

Having already given us the shocking and disturbing “Repulsion” and the horror-comedy “The Fearless Vampire Killers” earlier in the 1960s, no one expected Roman Polanski to top it all off with his greatest masterpiece in 1968. One of the most atmospheric and poetically haunting horror films of all time, “Rosemary’s Baby” plays on a mother’s paranoia during her pregnancy. The Oscar-winning film follows Mia Farrow with these probing questions: Can I trust my neighbors? Is my husband out to get me? Will I give birth to a demon child? Questions every mother has asked herself … right?

#8: “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)

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The early ‘70s were a time of cinematic experimentation, and horror directors were doing their best to push the limits of what they could show on screen. Professor-turned-rogue-filmmaker Tobe Hooper had no studio telling him what to do, just a camera, a couple of friends and the hot Texan sun. What they created is one of the most unrelenting and visceral projects, whose story of a family of cannibals who attack an unsuspecting group of teens was inspired by the killings of a real-life murderer. Nightmare-inducing, gritty and way too realistic, this one should only be seen on an empty stomach.

#7: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

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Director Wes Craven was inspired by the true story of a group of people who actually died while they were dreaming, and created the man of your nightmares. Putting a twist on the whole slasher craze, this dark fantasy series follows the demented and unrelenting Freddy Krueger, a demonic child-killer, and king of one-liners, who is able to enter your dreams and use creative ways to end your life. Something as innocent as a nap can mean death for the kids of Elm Street, try as they might to stay awake. Twelve years later, he would help rejuvenate the horror genre with the slasher classic “Scream.”

#6: “Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

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The little film that could; this indie masterpiece, with its do-it-yourself horror aesthetic, inspired the likes of Sam Raimi and countless other future back-yard home-movie filmmakers. And it also gave birth to a little something we call the modern zombie. With its deep social commentary and an original storyline that we’ve now heard hundreds of times, this sci-fi horror film sees the re-animated dead begin roaming the earth, looking to eat the flesh of the living. The main story revolves around a group of poor unfortunate souls that get trapped in a small farmhouse and are soon surrounded by the undead. Lock up tight.

#5: “Dracula” (1931)

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One of the most iconic big screen portrayals of one of the most iconic villains of all time makes the top 5 of our horror movies of all time list. “Nosferatu” was taking over the world, and Universal Studios decided to adapt the play that already had Bela Lugosi in the lead. While the studio also released the equally iconic “Frankenstein” film that same year, there’s no ignoring the fact that there have been hundreds of Draculas that have graced our screens in the last 100 years and people today will still do a Bela Lugosi impression when pretending to be the king of vampires. Although Christopher Lee’s reimagining, starting with 1958’s “Horror of Dracula,” is a close second, Lugosi’s eerie gaze and hypnotizing voice will never be forgotten.

#4: “Halloween” (1978)

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Masked killers were big in the ‘70s. Audiences demanded more blood and gore, and they needed faceless monsters they couldn’t empathize with. Enter John Carpenter’s stroke of genius: “Halloween.” What later became the prototype for every slasher film since, and is today considered a dark masterpiece, started out as an idea for a cheapo film about a psychotic murderer stalking babysitters. But in the brilliant hands of Carpenter and Debra Hill, where we follow Michael Myers returning to Haddonfield to finish up his murder spree, you get one of the most profitable indie films ever made.

#3: “The Shining” (1980)

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Master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick has successfully turned every genre into cinematic art: comedy, drama, war film, sci-fi, historical epic. Which is why people anxiously awaited to see what he would do with horror. He took another master’s source material, and turned Stephen King’s already-classic novel into what was hailed as “a masterpiece in modern horror.” Unforgettable performances, iconic imagery and dialogue, stunning locations, ominous camerawork; Jack Nicholson’s descent into insanity boils ever so slowly below the surface that people can only stare in stunned terror and pray it never happens to them.

#2: “The Exorcist” (1973)

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What an excellent day for an exorcism. Take a brilliant director and cast, amazing source material, experts in sound, editing, lighting and unforgettable special effects, and what do you get? The most iconic images in horror cinema, an exercise in terror that dares you to keep watching, and a film that had audience members throwing up and passing out. Meet little Regan who shouldn’t be playing with Ouija boards. She’s just a kid. Who now has a demon inside her. Get ready to never sleep again. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions: - “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) - “Jaws” (1975) - “Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn” (1987) - “Saw” (2004) - “The Thing” (1982)

#1: “Psycho” (1960)

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This is a prime example of an established director taking on disturbing macabre material and turning it into gold. How does one follow up brilliant thrillers such as “Vertigo” and “North by Northwest”? Give the audience the shock of their lives. A stunning vision of unrelenting terror, Hitchcock went full-on horror for this twisted tale of mommy issues, brutality, abusive insanity and sexual violence, and yet it was all done with such style and grace. Checking in to Norman Bates’ Motel would be the most fatal mistake of your life; but it’s a must-watch horror film. And while he’d also give us the terrifying and suspenseful “The Birds” three years later, there’s no denying the impact and influence of this psychological thriller on the horror and slasher genres today. Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the best horror movie of all time? For more horror-ific top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.