History of Movies
My Library

The Best Horror Movies of All Time

A century of screen fear, measured: the horror canon ranked by our composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls.

Horror is cinema's id, and its history is a relay of national scenes: German Expressionism built the haunted house (Nosferatu, Caligari), Universal gave it monsters, Hitchcock's Psycho moved the monster indoors, and the 1968–82 golden age — Romero, Polanski, Friedkin, Carpenter, Cronenberg — made it the genre where American anxieties get processed first. Its canon standing keeps rising: Get Out and The Shining now sit on the same lists as the prestige classics they once haunted from below.

Apocalypse Now (1979) leads with a composite score of 6.84. Top 100 of 345 films in our library.

By decade: 1980s

Masters of the genre

  1. 1
    Apocalypse Now1979 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · war, action, drama
    6.84

    Palme d'Or winner 1979 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #18 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #19

  2. 2
    Mulholland Drive2001 · David Lynch · United States · mystery, thriller, crime
    4.61

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2001 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2001 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #8

  3. 3
    The Silence of the Lambs1991 · Jonathan Demme · United States · thriller, horror, crime
    4.23

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1991 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #2 · AFI 100 (2007) #74

  4. 4
    Psycho1960 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · thriller, horror, mystery
    4.01

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #31 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · AFI 100 (2007) #14

  5. 5
    Jaws1975 · Steven Spielberg · United States · thriller, horror, adventure
    3.52

    Empire 500 (2008) #5 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  6. 6
    Blue Velvet1986 · David Lynch · United States · mystery, thriller, drama
    3.13

    Hoberman's annual top 10 1986 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #85

  7. 7
    The Birds1963 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · adventure, horror, mystery
    2.58

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1963 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1963 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #4

  8. 8
    Get Out2017 · Jordan Peele · United States / Japan · horror, mystery, comedy
    2.21

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #95 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2017 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2017 #4

  9. 9
    Don't Look Now1973 · Nicolas Roeg · United Kingdom / Italy · horror, drama
    2.06

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · BFI Top 100 British films #8 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #114

  10. 10
    Gravity2013 · Alfonso Cuarón · United States / United Kingdom · drama, thriller, adventure
    1.96

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2013 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2013 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2013 #4

  11. 11
    The Exorcist1973 · William Friedkin · United States · horror, mystery, drama
    1.87

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1973 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #10 · Siskel's annual top 10 1973 #3

  12. 12
    Zigeunerweisen1980 · Seijun Suzuki · Japan · horror
    1.75

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1980 #1 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1981

  13. 13
    King Kong1933 · Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack · United States · adventure, horror, fantasy
    1.74

    AFI 100 (2007) #41 · AFI 100 (1998) #43 · TIME All-TIME 100

  14. 14
    Titane2021 · Julia Ducournau · France / Belgium · drama, horror
    1.73

    Palme d'Or winner 2021 · Film Comment year-end poll 2021 #20

  15. 15
    Under the Skin2013 · Jonathan Glazer · United Kingdom / Switzerland · sci-fi, drama, horror
    1.67

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2014 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169 · Film Comment year-end poll 2014 #5

  16. 16
    The Shining1980 · Stanley Kubrick · United Kingdom / United States · horror, drama, mystery
    1.59

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #88 · Empire 500 (2008) #52 · National Film Registry (inducted 2018)

  17. 17
    The Sixth Sense1999 · M. Night Shyamalan · United States · horror, thriller, drama
    1.48

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1999 · AFI 100 (2007) #89 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #10

  18. 18
    Dead Ringers1988 · David Cronenberg · Canada · drama, horror, thriller
    1.41

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #3 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1988 #3 · Kehr's annual top 10 1988 #4

  19. 19
    Rosemary's Baby1968 · Roman Polanski · United States · horror, drama, thriller
    1.40

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #78 · National Film Registry (inducted 2014)

  20. 20
    Shin Godzilla2016 · Hideaki Anno · Japan / United States · sci-fi, action, drama
    1.38

    Japan Academy Prize winner 2017 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 2016 #2

  21. 21
    Alien1979 · Ridley Scott · United States / United Kingdom · horror, sci-fi, thriller
    1.37

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #146 · Empire 500 (2008) #33 · National Film Registry (inducted 2002)

  22. 22
    The Host2006 · Bong Joon-ho · South Korea · horror, sci-fi, comedy
    1.35

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2006 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2006 #3 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #71

  23. 23
    Eraserhead1977 · David Lynch · United States · horror, thriller, drama
    1.33

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · National Film Registry (inducted 2004) · Empire 500 (2008) #192

  24. 24
    District 92009 · Neill Blomkamp · South Africa / United States / New Zealand · thriller, sci-fi, action
    1.25

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2010 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2009 · Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #41

  25. 25
    Inland Empire2006 · David Lynch · France / United States / Poland · horror, mystery, thriller
    1.23

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2007 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #10 · Criterion Collection spine #1175

  26. 26
    White Dog1982 · Samuel Fuller · United States · drama, horror
    1.20

    Hoberman's annual top 10 1991 #1 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1982 #4 · Criterion Collection spine #455

  27. 27
    Black Swan2010 · Darren Aronofsky · United States · thriller, horror, drama
    1.20

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 2010 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2011 #5 · Ebert's annual top 10 2010 #3

  28. 28
    Nosferatu1922 · F. W. Murnau · Germany · silent, horror, drama
    1.20

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #196 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films · Vatican film list

  29. 29
    The Thing1982 · John Carpenter · United States / Canada · horror, sci-fi, mystery
    1.18

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #118 · National Film Registry (inducted 2025) · Letterboxd Top 250 #109

  30. 30
    Blood Simple1984 · Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · United States · crime, film-noir, drama
    1.17

    Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 1985 · Criterion Collection spine #834 · Ebert's annual top 10 1985 #10

  31. 31
    Halloween1978 · John Carpenter · United States · horror, drama, thriller
    1.14

    National Film Registry (inducted 2006) · Empire 500 (2008) #461 · Ebert's annual top 10 1978 #7

  32. 32
    Un Chien Andalou1929 · Luis Buñuel · France · silent, horror, fantasy
    1.11

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169 · Empire 500 (2008) #354 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films

  33. 33
    Memento2000 · Christopher Nolan · United States · film-noir, mystery, crime
    1.08

    Film Comment year-end poll 2001 #11 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #54 · National Film Registry (inducted 2017)

  34. 34
    Godzilla Minus One2023 · Takashi Yamazaki · Japan / United States · action, sci-fi, adventure
    1.07

    Japan Academy Prize winner 2024 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 2023 #8

  35. 35
    Seven1995 · David Fincher · United States · crime, horror, mystery
    1.04

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1996 #6 · Letterboxd Top 250 #89 · Empire 500 (2008) #134

  36. 36
    Bride of Frankenstein1935 · James Whale · United States · horror, sci-fi
    1.04

    TIME All-TIME 100 · National Film Registry (inducted 1998) · Empire 500 (2008) #204

  37. 37
    Crimes of the Future2022 · David Cronenberg · Canada / Greece / France · sci-fi, horror, thriller
    1.00

    Film Comment year-end poll 2022 #1

  38. 38
    Kwaidan1964 · Masaki Kobayashi · Japan · horror, fantasy
    0.98

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1964 #2 · Letterboxd Top 250 #243 · Criterion Collection spine #90

  39. 39
    What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?1962 · Robert Aldrich · United States · drama, horror, thriller
    0.97

    National Film Registry (inducted 2021) · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  40. 40
    The Texas Chain Saw Massacre1974 · Tobe Hooper · United States · horror, crime, mystery
    0.97

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #118 · National Film Registry (inducted 2024) · Empire 500 (2008) #199

  41. 41
    Nanny2022 · Nikyatu Jusu · United States · horror
    0.91

    Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 2022 · Criterion Collection spine #1196

  42. 42
    The Shout1978 · Jerzy Skolimowski · United Kingdom / Australia · horror, drama
    0.89

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1978 · Sarris's annual top 10 1979 #12

  43. 43
    Aliens1986 · James Cameron · United States · action, horror, thriller
    0.88

    Empire 500 (2008) #30 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #9 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  44. 44
    Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me1992 · David Lynch · United States / France · horror, mystery, drama
    0.88

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #211 · Letterboxd Top 250 #123 · Criterion Collection spine #898

  45. 45
    The Fly1986 · David Cronenberg · United States / Canada · horror, sci-fi, drama
    0.87

    TIME All-TIME 100 · Kehr's annual top 10 1986 #5 · Sarris's annual top 10 1986 #8

  46. 46
    Night of the Living Dead1968 · George A. Romero · United States · horror, sci-fi, mystery
    0.84

    National Film Registry (inducted 1999) · Empire 500 (2008) #397 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  47. 47
    The Substance2024 · Coralie Fargeat · United Kingdom / France / United States · horror, sci-fi, drama
    0.84

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 2024 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2025 #5

  48. 48
    Videodrome1983 · David Cronenberg · Canada / United States · horror, sci-fi, fantasy
    0.82

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #243 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #248

  49. 49
    Nope2022 · Jordan Peele · United States / Japan / Canada · horror, thriller, mystery
    0.82

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2022 #3 · Film Comment year-end poll 2022 #8

  50. 50
    Naked Lunch1991 · David Cronenberg · Canada / United Kingdom / Japan · drama, horror, sci-fi
    0.81

    Kehr's annual top 10 1992 #5 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1991 #6 · Sarris's annual top 10 1991 #7

  51. 51
    Lost Highway1997 · David Lynch · United States / France · film-noir, mystery, thriller
    0.77

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1997 #3 · Criterion Collection spine #1152 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  52. 52
    Family Plot1976 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · crime, mystery, comedy
    0.76

    Kehr's annual top 10 1976 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1976 #9 · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

  53. 53
    Donnie Darko2001 · Richard Kelly · United States · comedy, drama, fantasy
    0.76

    Empire 500 (2008) #53 · Film Comment year-end poll 2001 #18 · Hoberman's annual top 10 2001 #9

  54. 54
    Peeping Tom1960 · Michael Powell · United Kingdom · horror, thriller, crime
    0.76

    BFI Top 100 British films #78 · Criterion Collection spine #58 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  55. 55
    Frenzy1972 · Alfred Hitchcock · United Kingdom · thriller, crime, horror
    0.75

    Sarris's annual top 10 1972 #2 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Siskel's annual top 10 1972 #8

  56. 56
    They Have Changed Their Face1971 · Corrado Farina · Italy · horror
    0.75

    Locarno Golden Leopard winner 1971

  57. 57
    Poison1991 · Todd Haynes · United States · horror, sci-fi, drama
    0.75

    Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 1991

  58. 58
    Nightsiren2022 · Tereza Nvotová · Slovakia / Czech Republic · drama, horror, mystery
    0.75

    Locarno Golden Leopard winner 2022

  59. 59
    Cure1997 · Kiyoshi Kurosawa · Japan · horror
    0.75

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1998 #5 · Letterboxd Top 250 #194 · Criterion Collection spine #1155

  60. 60
    Cat People1942 · Jacques Tourneur · United States · horror, fantasy, film-noir
    0.74

    National Film Registry (inducted 1993) · Criterion Collection spine #833 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  61. 61
    Frankenstein1931 · James Whale · United States · horror, sci-fi
    0.74

    AFI 100 (1998) #87 · National Film Registry (inducted 1991) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  62. 62
    The Phantom of the Opera1925 · Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Edward Sedgwick · United States · horror, drama, silent
    0.71

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1925 #6 · National Film Registry (inducted 1998) · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  63. 63
    Invasion of the Body Snatchers1956 · Don Siegel · United States · sci-fi, horror, mystery
    0.71

    TIME All-TIME 100 · National Film Registry (inducted 1994) · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  64. 64
    A Nightmare on Elm Street1984 · Wes Craven · United States · horror, thriller, crime
    0.71

    National Film Registry (inducted 2021) · Empire 500 (2008) #162 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  65. 65
    Dawn of the Dead1978 · George A. Romero · United States / Italy · horror, sci-fi, action
    0.70

    Kehr's annual top 10 1979 #3 · Empire 500 (2008) #415 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  66. 66
    Vampyr1932 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · France / Germany · horror
    0.69

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #146 · Criterion Collection spine #437 · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

  67. 67
    Suspiria1977 · Dario Argento · Italy · horror, mystery, thriller
    0.68

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #211 · Empire 500 (2008) #312 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  68. 68
    Young Frankenstein1974 · Mel Brooks · United States · horror, comedy, sci-fi
    0.66

    National Film Registry (inducted 2003) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Sarris's annual top 10 1974 #8

  69. 69
    Empire of Passion1978 · Nagisa Ōshima · France / Japan · drama, horror
    0.66

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1978 #3 · Criterion Collection spine #467

  70. 70
    Personal Shopper2016 · Olivier Assayas · France / Belgium / Czech Republic · thriller, drama, mystery
    0.66

    Film Comment year-end poll 2017 #3 · Criterion Collection spine #899

  71. 71
    Dracula1931 · Tod Browning, Karl Freund · United States · horror, drama
    0.64

    National Film Registry (inducted 2000) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  72. 72
    Dark City1998 · Alex Proyas · Australia / United States · film-noir, sci-fi, thriller
    0.63

    Ebert's annual top 10 1998 #1 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  73. 73
    The Village2004 · M. Night Shyamalan · United States · drama, horror, thriller
    0.63

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2004 #2

  74. 74
    Death Proof2007 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · horror, action, drama
    0.63

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2007 #2

  75. 75
    Existenz1999 · David Cronenberg · Canada / United Kingdom / France · horror, sci-fi, thriller
    0.62

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1999 #4 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1999 #5

  76. 76
    28 Days Later2002 · Danny Boyle · United Kingdom · horror, sci-fi, action
    0.62

    Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #53 · Film Comment year-end poll 2003 #35 · Empire 500 (2008) #456

  77. 77
    Nightmare Alley2021 · Guillermo del Toro · United States / Mexico · thriller, drama, horror
    0.61

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 2021 · Criterion Collection spine #1286

  78. 78
    Repulsion1965 · Roman Polanski · United Kingdom · horror, thriller, comedy
    0.61

    NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Sarris's annual top 10 1965 #7 · Criterion Collection spine #483

  79. 79
    Les Visiteurs du Soir1942 · Marcel Carné · France · fantasy, horror, drama
    0.61

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1948 #7 · Criterion Collection spine #626 · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

  80. 80
    Santa Sangre1989 · Alejandro Jodorowsky · Mexico · horror, drama
    0.59

    Ebert's annual top 10 1990 #6 · Empire 500 (2008) #476 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  81. 81
    The Devil's Backbone2001 · Guillermo del Toro · Spain / Mexico · horror, fantasy, drama
    0.59

    Sarris's annual top 10 2001 #2 · Criterion Collection spine #666 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  82. 82
    Dressed to Kill1980 · Brian De Palma · United States · film-noir, horror, thriller
    0.58

    NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #770 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1980 #10

  83. 83
    Scream1996 · Wes Craven · United States · horror, comedy, mystery
    0.58

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1997 #9 · Empire 500 (2008) #482 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  84. 84
    Carrie1976 · Brian De Palma · United States · horror, thriller, drama
    0.57

    Empire 500 (2008) #86 · National Film Registry (inducted 2022) · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  85. 85
    Spirits of the Dead1968 · Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, Federico Fellini · France / Italy · horror, drama
    0.54

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1968 #4 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  86. 86
    Ghostbusters1984 · Ivan Reitman · United States · fantasy, horror, comedy
    0.54

    National Film Registry (inducted 2015) · Empire 500 (2008) #189 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  87. 87
    The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari1920 · Robert Wiene · Germany · silent, horror, crime
    0.53

    Kurosawa's 100 favorite films · Roger Ebert's Great Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  88. 88
    The Terminator1984 · James Cameron · United States / United Kingdom · action, sci-fi, thriller
    0.52

    National Film Registry (inducted 2008) · Empire 500 (2008) #308 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  89. 89
    The Wicker Man1973 · Robin Hardy · United Kingdom · horror, mystery, drama
    0.51

    BFI Top 100 British films #96 · Empire 500 (2008) #485 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  90. 90
    The Day the Earth Stood Still1951 · Robert Wise · United States · sci-fi, horror, drama
    0.50

    National Film Registry (inducted 1995) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

  91. 91
    The Discarnates1988 · Nobuhiko Obayashi · Japan · horror
    0.50

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1988 #3

  92. 92
    Cold Fish2010 · Sion Sono · Japan · horror, thriller, drama
    0.50

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 2011 #3

  93. 93
    Twixt2011 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · horror, drama
    0.50

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2012 #3

  94. 94
    The Neon Demon2016 · Nicolas Winding Refn · United States / Denmark / France · horror, drama, mystery
    0.50

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2016 #3

  95. 95
    Super 82011 · J. J. Abrams · United States · thriller, horror, sci-fi
    0.50

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2011 #8 · Film Comment year-end poll 2011 #42

  96. 96
    The Incredible Shrinking Man1957 · Jack Arnold · United States · sci-fi, drama, horror
    0.50

    National Film Registry (inducted 2009) · Criterion Collection spine #1100 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  97. 97
    The Innocents1961 · Jack Clayton · United Kingdom · horror
    0.48

    Empire 500 (2008) #153 · Criterion Collection spine #727 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  98. 98
    Beyond the Valley of the Dolls1970 · Russ Meyer · United States · musical, drama, horror
    0.47

    Empire 500 (2008) #181 · Criterion Collection spine #836 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  99. 99
    Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1931 · Rouben Mamoulian · United States · horror, sci-fi
    0.46

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1932 #10 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  100. 100
    Godzilla1954 · Ishirō Honda · Japan · horror, sci-fi, action
    0.45

    Kurosawa's 100 favorite films · Criterion Collection spine #594 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

Horror is the genre criticism spent a century apologizing for, and the one whose grammar everybody else quietly borrowed — the looming shadow, the cut that arrives too early, the house that knows more than its tenants. Its slasher wing was derided by contemporary critics even while it was reliably profitable, and a ranking of the best horror movies assembled from the canon's own records — polls, registries, awards — therefore tells a double story: what the genre invented, and how long the institutions took to admit it mattered.

From fairground trick to American id

Horror is nearly as old as the medium — an 1896 devil picture, Le Manoir du diable, is sometimes called the first horror film — but it only hardened into a named genre after Dracula (1931), whose box-office success sent Universal and its rivals chasing monsters well into the 1940s. The visual vocabulary came earlier, from Weimar Germany: Nosferatu (1922) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) built the shadow-play the genre still lives in — the whole story is on our German Expressionism page. The decisive modern turn is Psycho (1960), which put a plausible human where the make-up monster had been. From there horror became the place American anxieties get processed first: Night of the Living Dead (1968) put the country's racial dread on screen, The Exorcist (1973) staged the demonic panic of its decade, and Halloween (1978) supplied the postmodern monster who is only ever temporarily defeated.

The masters, by our count

F. W. Murnau and Alfred Hitchcock anchor the genre's prehistory and its modern pivot — Hitchcock places four films on this page. The 1968–82 golden age belongs to George A. Romero, Roman Polanski, William Friedkin and John Carpenter; body horror, which emerged in the 1970s, has its house director in David Cronenberg, who lands six entries here, from Videodrome (1983) to Crimes of the Future (2022). David Lynch matches that six with dread of a more oneiric kind, and Jordan Peele's Get Out (2017) is the clearest sign of the genre's rising canonical standing.

How to read our list

The order is our composite score — canonical weight accumulated across the lists, awards and polls we track — and membership is a matter of record, not editorial taste: a film appears here because the structured film data our pipeline ingests carries a horror genre claim for it, folded into our coarse genre buckets. That is why the page opens with Apocalypse Now (1979), which bears a horror tag at the source and, at a score of 6.84, ranks fifth in our entire library, followed by Mulholland Drive (2001) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — read those as the genre's fingerprints on prestige cinema. The purist's canon starts lower down: Jaws (1975), The Shining (1980), The Exorcist, Halloween, and eventually Nosferatu and Caligari, whose modest scores measure surviving canonical weight, not historical importance — the same gap our German Expressionism page documents.