Spooky Film Marathon: The 100 Best Halloween Movies OF All Time (1922-2022)
Spooky season is finally here.
When the first night of October hits, the fall ambiance equates to a spooky movie season. Each evening, we’re usually glued to our TVs, faces partially hidden behind a blanket, braving a disturbing offering. With so many flicks offering across a multitude of streaming platforms, it’s easy to get lost in mediocrity. More often than not, the genre is met with shrugs instead of startles; eye-rolls instead of closed eyes; groans instead of gasps.
Fear not (or fear a lot)! Because, we have compiled the absolute greatest horror movies over the last 100 years, perfect for your Halloween binge. You’ve been warned: these movies are guaranteed to keep you up at night, starting at every shadow, and checking under your bed… just in case:
Honorable mentions:
Predator, The Village, Nosferatu, Zombieland, The Host, Frighteners, Mothman Prophecies, Carrie, Final Destination 2, Prisoners, Ravenous, Halloween (2018), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Troll 2, The Invitation, The Nightmare, Rare Exports, Ghostbusters.
100. The Vanishing (1988)
Slow, methodical, and grimy, we mention it here because it has one of the greatest endings all-time.
99. Kill List (2011)
See The Vanishing. Starting as a hitman confessional, the film suddenly switches gears into cultish terrifying initiation halfway through.
98. Frankenweenie (2012)
So many stop-motion flicks could have gone here, including Paranorman, Corpse Bride, and Coraline. We like Tim Burton’s black-and-white passion project the best. And no, Nightmare Before Christmas doesn’t count. That’s a Xmas movie. So is Gremlins. Otherwise, this list would be much longer.
97. Hereditary (2018)
Talk about a crazy family…
96. I Saw The Devil (2010)
This South Korean import ranks in the top 5 most disturbing movie all-time.
95. Saw (2004)
Loses several points for all the unwatchable sequels that followed.
94. Conjuring 2 (2016)
Second best The Exorcist tribute.
93. A Quiet Place 2 (2020)
A worthy and minimalistic successor to the original.
92. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Might be the best seasonal movie, from a nostalgic standpoint. Just skip the dreadful sequel.
91. Gonjiam: The Haunted Asylum (2018)
Don’t watch this found footage alone. And if you do, send the gifs to your friends, without context.
90. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
You’ll never want to have children of your own.
89. Near Dark (1987)
The better version of the Twilight series. We also think this is the better version of The Lost Boys.
88. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Bruce Campbell appreciation post 1/4. This criminally underrated horror film stars Campbell as an old Elvis. Don’t worry, Evil Dead is still to come.
87. The Cell (2000)
J. Lo should do more horror movies. Shoutout to Vincent D’Onofrio’s absolutely chilling performance.
86. The Descent (2005)
Nope, spelunking ain’t for us. We’ll stay above ground, thanks.
85. The Mist (2007)
The fifth best Stephen King horror adaptation on this list.
84. Hush (2016)
Mike Flanagan is the filmmaker version of Stephen King.
83. The Devil All The Time (2020)
So much backwoods tension, we’re throwing it on here just because.
82. Diabolique (1955)
One of the OG plot twists.
81. The Adventures Of Ichabod Crane & Mr. Toad (1949)
Gotta show ‘em the classics young. We still prefer Mr. Toad, but stay for Ichabod for those holiday haunts.
80. The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Horror in b&w is an aesthetic.
79. Suspiria (2018)
We still don’t know why Tilda Swinton is in old man makeup. The ending genocidal ballet still resonates, though.
78. Contagion (2011)
A bit too realistic after the recent global pandemic.
77. The Fly (1986)
We’re still in love with Jeff Goldblum. Who isn’t?
76. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Still the best adaptation of the classic (minus all the random Kenneth Branagh close-ups).
75. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Still the best adaptation of the classic (minus Keanu Reeves’ acting/accent).
74. Army Of Darkness (1992)
Bruce Campbell appreciation post 2/4.
73. Get Out (2017)
Promising beginnings by one of this generation’s best filmmakers.
72. Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
Willem Dafoe deserved more accolades as Max Schreck. Arguably the best take on Nosferatu. Balls now in Robert Eggers’ court, when he tackles the vampire in an upcoming adaptation.
71. From Hell (2001)
Best Jack the Ripper adaption ever made.
70. Open Water (2003)
Dope low-budget thrills. Still not the scariest shark feature though… More on that later.
69. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
The broadway play is better, but credit Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Co. for trying their best.
68. Lake Mungo (2008)
This Australian import has one of the scariest jump scares of all-time. Worse, you can’t even prepare yourself for it.
67. Mulholland Drive (2001)
Like Lake Mungo, director David Lynch’s masterpiece has a moment that will make you sh*t your pants.
66. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
A kidnapping thriller that stupidly has to be involved in the middling Cloverfield franchise. Without the sci-fi ending, it’s taught suspense is led by John Goodman’s against-type performance.
65. mother! (2017)
David Aronofsky likes to disturb us Pt. 1.
64. Girl With All The Gifts (2016)
A surprisingly original zombie movie, when there are so little original zombie ideas left.
63. Gerald’s Game (2017)
The fourth best Stephen King horror adaptation on this list. Also, to reiterate, Mike Flanagan is the filmmaker version of Stephen King.
62. Let Me In (2010)
Usually, American horror remakes suck. Not this one.
61. Hellraiser (1987)
“No tears please. It’s a waste of good suffering.”
60. Pearl (2022)
Best genre movie of 2022.
59. Rec 2 (2009)
Do NOT watch this with a good sound system.
58. My Friend Dahmer (2017)
The Netflix show gets all the hype. This remains the best/most digestible version of the horrific serial killer.
57. Red Dragon (2002)
Honorable prequel to a top 10 horror movie.
56. Frequency (2000)
Criminally underrated time-travel serial killer mystery. Pre-Jesus Jim Caviezel is excellent.
55. Identity (2003)
Best Hitchcock that’s not actually directed by Hitchcock. Might be the best script on the list.
54. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Ashton Kutcher never attained these heights again.
53. Cape Fear (1991)
Robert De Niro is an awesome villain.
52. Misery (1990)
The third best Stephen King horror adaptation on this list.
51. Ex-Machina (2014)
Sci-fi horror is just as important as genre horror.
50. Sinister (2012)
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
49. The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter’s second best movie.
48. Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s best movie.
47. Suspiria (1977)
The best of Italian horror.
46. The Conjuring (2013)
The best The Exorcist tribute ever.
45. Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
… never sleep again.
44. Us (2019)
The premise is like an elongated Twilight Zone episode. That’s never a bad thing.
43. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Guillermo del Toro is the master.
42. Signs (2002)
Loses some points involving aliens allergic to water… trying to invade a planet made primarily of water. Pre-scandal Mel Gibson is still great, as is that insanely creepy extraterrestrial news scene.
41. It (2017)
The second best Stephen King horror adaptation. Bill Skarsgård had mighty big clown shoes to fill, following Tim Curry’s rendition. He does.
40. Evil Dead (1981)
Bruce Campbell appreciation post 3/4.
39. Annihilation (2018)
Specifically for the ending dance sequence.
38. A Quiet Place (2018)
Who knew Jim Halpert had it in him.
37. Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
The best movie in the Universal Monsters catalog.
36. Babadook (2014)
Postpartum depression has never been so disturbing.
35. The Others (2001)
Mike Flanagan eventually stole the Nathaniel Hawthorne inspiration from this Y2K masterpiece.
34. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Bruce Campbell appreciation post 4/4. Best of the original trilogy.
33. Aliens (1986)
More action movie than scary, it’s a good marathon watch with the slightly superior original.
32. Freaks (1932)
One of the most banned films in history also has an absolute insane ending. Especially when you realize the movie is 90 years old. No wonder the controversy…
31. Black Swan (2010)
Darren Aronofsky likes to disturb us Pt. 2.
30. Shutter Island (2010)
Martin Scorsese does psychological horror right.
29. Beetlejuice (1988)
The best Tim Burton Halloween movie. Again, Nightmare Before Christmas is an Xmas movie!
28. Häxan (1922)
Can’t believe this movie is 100 years old.
27. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Like The Ring, this loses points for all the terrible found footage movies to follow.
26. Rec (2007)
The best found footage movie in history.
25. Nope (2022)
Unpopular opinion: the latest Jordan Peele offering is his best.
24. Rear Window (1954)
Shia LaBeouf almost lost his career ripping off this Hitchcock classic in Suburbia.
23. The Ring (2002)
Loses a few points for all the awful J-Horror remakes to follow.
22. Let The Right One In (2008)
Probably the best vampire film of all-time.
21. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
These zombies staggered around for the rest to follow.
20. Requiem For A Dream (2000)
Darren Aronofsky likes to disturb us Pt. 3.
19. Donnie Darko (2001)
Kind of cheating, since none of it is really spooky. But, major plot points are set during a Halloween costume party. Plus, Frank The Bunny remains a popular holiday fit.
18. Rosemary’s Baby (1969)
The book may be better, and parts are definitely dated, but there’s no denying the sinister malevolence in this one.
17. The Exorcist (1973)
See Rosemary’s Baby.
16. Audition (1999)
The scariest movie to come out of Japan. You won’t want to go on a date after, that’s for sure.
15. A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003)
The scariest movie to come out of South Korea.
14. The Sixth Sense (1999)
The twist has been parodied countless times by now, but it remains one of the biggest turns in cinema history.
13. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Leatherface is the best of all Hollywood boogiemen.
12. Memories Of Murder (2003)
Apologies to Parasite, but this is Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s best offering.
11. The VVitch (2015)
Black Phillip is a pain in the a**.
10. Zodiac (2007)
The Dahmer series is getting all the hype right now, but David Fincher’s second best serial killer flick is the best based on real, macabre events.
9. Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s offering is better than James Cameron’s sequel. But, just barely. Coupled with H.R. Giger brilliantly morbid design, this haunted house in space is timeless.
8. Jaws (1975)
It redefined the summer blockbuster. It also redefined how spooked we feel in the ocean.
7. Midsommar (2019)
Easily the most horrific break-up film ever.
6. 28 Days Later (2002)
It’s the best (and most realistic) zombie movie all-time.
5. Se7en (1995)
It’s the best serial killer movie in history. Period.
4. Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Anthony Hopkins delivers the best villain performance, rivaled only by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
3. Psycho (1960)
Roughly 72 years later, Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece is still beyond intense.
2. American Psycho (2000)
Christian Bale’s masterpiece has it all: social satire, gory humor, and enough self-seriousness to elevate this slasher/think piece into the upper echelons of the genre.
1. The Shining (1980)
The very best Stephen King adaptation. All work and no play makes us all dull boys.