Across 145 films, and spanning over a century of filmmaking, this list traces horror in all its forms: the slashers and the slow burns, the supernatural and the existential, the bodily grotesque and the baroque gothic, the high‑style Grand Guignol, the psycho-biddies, the found-footage and the unnerving psychological chamber pieces. Some hover in those liminal fantasy-horror and thriller–horror spaces, but each one earns its place through sheer, pulse‑tightening power.
Directors George A. Romero and James Whale each appear four times in the ranking. Tod Browning, Robert Eggers, Roman Polanski and Ken Russell each appear three times. Thirteen directors are represented twice: Ari Aster, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Zach Cregger, David Cronenberg, Brian De Palma, Coralie Fargeat, Alfred Hitchcock, Tobe Hooper, Jordan Peele, Steven Spielberg, Jacques Tourneur and Robert Wise. Fargeat is one of five female directors on the list and the only one to be represented twice. The others are fellow French director Julia Ducoumau, British director Rose Glass and American filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow and Karyn Kusama.
Be afraid! Be very afraid!
1.
Psycho A+
(Alfred Hitchcock)
(1960)
2.
Midsommar A+
(Ari Aster)
(2019)
3.
The Exorcist A+
(William Friedkin)
(1973)
4.
The Shining A+
(Stanley Kubrick)
(1980)
5.
Alien A+
(Ridley Scott)
(1979)
6.
The Road A+
(John Hillcoat)
(2009)
7.
Dead Ringers A+
(David Cronenberg)
(1988)
8.
Take Shelter A+
(Jeff Nichols)
(2011)
9.
Under the Skin A+
(Jonathan Glazer)
(2014)
10.
Carrie A+
(Brian De Palma)
(1976)
11.
Halloween A+
(John Carpenter)
(1978)
12.
Rosemary’s Baby A+
(Roman Polanski)
(1968)
13.
The Substance A+
(Coralie Fargeat)
(2024)
14.
Hereditary A+
(Ari Aster)
(2018)
15.
Don’t Look Now A+
(Nicholas Roeg)
(1973)
16.
The Innocents A+
(Jack Clayton)
(1961)
17.
The Night of the Hunter A+
(Charles Laughton)
(1955)
18.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula A+
(Francis Ford Coppola)
(1982)
19.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? A+
(Robert Aldrich)
(1962)
20.
Get Out A+
(Jordan Peel)
(2017)
21.
Carnival of Souls A+
(Herk Harvey)
(1962)
22.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror A+
(F.W. Murnau)
(1922)
23.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers A+
(Philip Kaufman)
(1978)
24.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers A+
(Don Siegel)
(1956)
25.
The Thing A+
(John Carpenter)
(1982)
26.
The Ugly Stepsister A+
(Emile Blichfeldt)
(2025)
27.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari A+
(Robert Wiene)
(1920)
28.
Picnic at Hanging Rock A+
(Peter Weir)
(1975)
29.
Dawn of the Dead A+
(George A. Romero)
(1978)
30.
The Mask of the Red Death A+
(Roger Corman)
(1964)
31.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre A+
(Tobe Hooper)
(1974)
32.
Duel A+
(Steven Spielberg)
(1971)
33.
The Night of the Living Dead A+
(George A. Romero)
(1968)
34.
The Descent A+
(Neil Marshall)
(2005)
35.
The Lighthouse A+
(Robert Eggers)
(2019)
36.
Jaws A+
(Steven Spielberg)
(1975)
37.
Lost Highway A+
(David Lynch)
(1997)
38.
A Quiet Place A+
(John Krasinski)
(2018)
39.
The Spirit of the Beehive A+
(Victor Erice)
(1973)
40.
The Evil Dead A+
(Sam Raimi)
(1981)
41.
The Sixth Sense A+
(M. Night Shyamalan)
(1999)
42.
Weapons A+
(Zach Cregger)
(2025)
43.
Pan’s Labyrinth A+
(Guillermo del Toro)
(2006)
44.
The Others A+
(Alejandro Amenabar)
(2001)
45.
Dressed to Kill (A)
Brian De Palma
(1980)
46.
Altered States (A)
Ken Russell
1980
47.
Suspiria (A)
(Dario Argento)
(1977)
48.
The Bride of Frankenstein (A)
(James Whale)
(1935)
49.
Thelma (A)
(Joachim Trier)
(2017)
50.
The Haunting (A)
(Robert Wise)
(1963)
51.
Ringu (A)
(Hideo Nakata)
(1998)
52.
The Vanishing (A)
(George Sluizer)
(1988)
53.
The Fly (A)
(David Cronenberg)
(1986)
54.
Nosferatu (A)
(Robert Eggers)
(2024)
55.
Vampyr (A)
(Carl Theodor Dreyer)
(1932)
56.
Martin (A)
(George A. Romero)
(1977)
57.
The Wicker Man (A)
(Robin Hardy)
(1974)
58.
The Witch (A)
(Robert Eggers)
(2015)
59.
Hour of the Wolf (A)
(Ingmar Bergman)
(1968)
60.
Obsession (A)
(Curry Barker)
(2026)
61.
Dead of Night (A)
(Dearden/Hamer/Crichton/Cavalcanti)
(1945)
62.
An American Werewolf in London (A)
(John Landis)
(1981)
63.
Kwaidan (A)
(Masaki Kobayashi)
(1965)
64.
28 Days Later… (A)
(Danny Boyle)
(2002)
65.
28 Weeks Later... (A)
(Carlo Fresnadillo)
(2007)
66.
The Mummy (A)
(Karl Freund)
(1932)
67.
Eyes Without a Face (A)
(Georges Franju)
(1960)
68.
The Omen (A)
(Richard Donner)
(1976)
69.
Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice (A)
(Lee H. Katzin)
(1969)
70.
Repulsion (A)
(Roman Polanski)
(1965)
71.
Nosferatu the Vampyr (A)
(Werner Herzog)
(1979)
72.
The Bad Seed A-
(Mervyn LeRoy)
(1956)
73.
Jacob’s Ladder A-
(Adrian Lyne)
(1990)
74.
Bodies Bodies Bodies A-
(Halina Reijn)
(2022)
75.
Quatermass and the Pitt A-
(Roy Ward Baker)
(1967)
76.
Frankenstein A-
(James Whale)
(1931)
77.
Les Diaboliques A-
(Henri-Georges Clouzot)
(1955)
78.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde A-
(Rouben Mamoulian)
(1931-1932)
79.
Shaun of the Dead A-
(Edgar Wright)
(2004)
80.
Audition A-
(Takaski Miike)
(1999)
81.
Freaks A-
(Tod Browning)
(1932)
82.
The Birds A-
(Alfred Hitchcock)
(1963)
83.
US A-
(Jordan Peele)
(2019)
84.
Pearl A-
(Ty West)
(2023)
85.
The Appointment A-
(Lindsey C. Vickers)
(1982)
86.
The Howling A-
(Joe Dante)
(1981)
87.
Scream A-
(Wes Craven)
(1996)
88.
Poltergeist A-
(Tobe Hooper)
(1982)
89.
Village of the Damned A-
(Wolf Rilla)
(1960)
90.
Immaculate A-
(Michael Mohan)
(2024)
91.
Sinners A-
(Ryan Coogler)
(2025)
92.
Braindead (Dead Alive) A-
(Peter Jackson)
(1992)
93.
The Phantom of the Opera A-
(Rupert Julian)
1925
94.
The Spiral Staircase A-
(Robert Siodmak)
(1946)
95.
The Rental A-
(Dave Franco)
(2020)
96.
1408 A-
(Mikael Hafstrom)
(2007)
97.
Last Train to Busan A-
(Yeon Dang-ho)
(2016)
98.
Near Dark A-
(Kathryn Bigelow)
(1987)
99.
Dracula B+
(Tod Browning )
1931
100.
Cat People B+
(Jacques Tourneur)
(1942)
101.
Kill List B+
(Ben Wheatley)
(2011)
102.
The Invisible Man B+
(James Whale)
(1933)
103.
The Invitation B+
(Karyn Kusama)
(2015)
104.
A Nightmare on Elm Street B+
(Wes Craven)
(1984)
105.
What’s the Matter with Helen B+
(Curtis Harrington)
(1971)
106.
The Body Snatcher B+
(Robert Wise)
(1945)
107.
Talk to Me B+
(Michael Philippou, Danny Philippou)
(2022)
108.
The Tenant B+
(Roman Polanski)
(1976)
109.
The Wolf Man B+
(Curt Siodmak)
(1941)
110.
And Soon the Darkness B+
(Robert Fuest)
(1970)
111.
Companion B+
(Drew Hancock)
(2025)
112.
Ginger Snaps B+
(John Fawcett)
(2000)
113.
Final Destination B+
(James Wong)
(2000)
114.
Raw B+
(Julia Ducoumau)
(2016)
115.
Tales from the Crypt B+
(Freddie Francis)
(1972)
116.
The Black Cat B+
(Edgar G. Ulmer)
(1934)
117.
Backrooms B+
(Kane Parsons)
(2026)
118.
Together B+
(Michael Shanks)
(2025)
119.
It Follows B+
(David Robert Mitchell)
(2014)
120.
Don’t Move B+
(Adam Schindler and Brian Netto)
(2024)
121.
Revenge B+
(Coralie Fargeat)
(2017)
122.
Wolfen B+
(Michael Wadleigh)
(1982)
123.
The Devil Doll (B)
(Tod Browning)
(1936)
124.
Lake Mungo (B)
Joel Anderson
(2008)
125.
Rec (B)
(Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza)
(2007)
126.
Saint Maud (B)
(Rose Glass)
(2020)
127.
Candyman (B)
(Bernard Rose)
(1992)
128.
The Day of the Triffids (B)
(Steve Sekely)
(1962)
129.
Possession (B)
(Andrzej Zulawski)
(1981)
130.
Martyrs (B)
(Pascal Laugier)
(2008)
131.
Evil Dead II B-
(Sam Raimi)
(1987)
132.
The Uninvited B-
(Lewis Allen)
(1944)
133.
House of Wax B-
(Andre de Toth)
(1953)
134.
The Hound of the Baskervilles B-
(Sidney Lanfield)
(1939)
135.
The Lair of the White Worm B-
(Ken Russell)
(1988)
136.
Night of the Demon B-
(Jacques Tourneur)
(1957)
137.
The Devils B-
(Ken Russell)
(1971)
138.
The Hunger B-
(Adrian Lyne)
(1987)
139.
Dracula B-
(Terence Fisher)
(1958)
140.
Barbarian B-
(Zach Cregger)
(2022)
141.
The Old Dark House B-
(James Whale)
(1932)
142.
Day of the Dead B-
(George A. Romero)
(1985)
143.
Peeping Tom B-
(Michael Powell)
(1960)
144.
The Reflecting Skin B-
(Philip Ridley)
(1990)
145.
Black Sheep B-
(Jonathan King)
(2006)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Film Review A- TheBrownees
Cat People (1942) Queer Film B+: A Critical Review – TheBrownees
https://thebrownees.net/les-diaboliques-1955-queer-film/
Psycho (1960) Film Review A+ – TheBrownee
Whatever Happened Baby Jane? (1962) Film Review A+ – TheBrownees
The Haunting (1963) Film Review A- – TheBrownees
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Film Review A+ TheBrownees
Carrie (1976) Film Review A+ – TheBrownees
https://thebrownees.net/suspiria-1977-dario-argentos-cabal-of-lesbian-witches/
https://thebrownees.net/dressed-to-kill-1980-queer-film/
https://thebrownees.net/take-shelter-2011-horror-masterpiece/
Under The Skin (2014) Film Review A+ – TheBrownees
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022) Film Review A- TheBrownees
The Ugly Stepsister (2025) Queer Film A+ – TheBrownees
