The 50 Best Anthology Horror Films
by nauru-1 | created - 30 Jan 2011 | updated - 8 months ago | PublicUsing a combination of critical acclaim, impact, and personal bias, I've constructed a list of what I might consider the best anthology horror films. For those who don't know, this involves horror movies that are segmented with several stories, often with a wraparound to connect them.
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1. Tales from the Crypt (1972)
PG | 92 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Five strangers get lost in a crypt and, after meeting the mysterious Crypt Keeper, receive visions of how they will die.
Director: Freddie Francis | Stars: Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Ralph Richardson, Geoffrey Bayldon
Votes: 13,015 | Gross: $1.70M
Favourite Segment: Poetic Justice
2. Dead of Night (1945)
Approved | 77 min | Drama, Horror
Guests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.
Directors: Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer | Stars: Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland Culver, Mary Merrall
Votes: 14,212
Favourite Segment: Ventriloquist's Dummy
3. Black Sabbath (1963)
Approved | 97 min | Horror
Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.
Director: Mario Bava | Stars: Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon
Votes: 13,907
Favourite Segment: The Drop of Water
4. Kwaidan (1964)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Votes: 19,984
Favourite Segment: The Woman of the Snow
5. Creepshow (1982)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
"Creepshow" is a 1982 movie that tells five grisly tales from a children's comic book: a murdered father rising from his grave, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, E.G. Marshall
Votes: 53,233 | Gross: $21.03M
Favourite Segment: Something to Tide You Over
6. Asylum (I) (1972)
PG | 88 min | Horror
In order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Barbara Parkins, Richard Todd, Sylvia Syms, Peter Cushing
Votes: 8,179
Favourite Segment: Frozen Fear
7. Tales of Terror (1962)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Vincent Price, Maggie Pierce, Leona Gage, Peter Lorre
Votes: 8,380
Favourite Segment: The Black Cat
8. The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An anthology of four horror stories revolving around a mysterious rental house in the U.K.
Director: Peter Duffell | Stars: John Bryans, John Bennett, Denholm Elliott, Peter Cushing
Votes: 7,503
Favourite Segment: Sweets to the Sweet
9. Twice-Told Tales (1963)
Approved | 120 min | Horror, Mystery, Romance
Three horror stories based on the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the first story titled "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", Heidegger attempts to restore the youth of himself, his fiancee ... See full summary »
Director: Sidney Salkow | Stars: Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Brett Halsey, Beverly Garland
Votes: 3,565
Favourite Segment: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
10. Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)
Approved | 98 min | Horror
Aboard a British train, mysterious fortune teller Dr. Schreck uses tarot cards to read the futures of five fellow passengers.
Director: Freddie Francis | Stars: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Neil McCallum, Ursula Howells
Votes: 7,499
Favourite Segment: Disembodied Hand
11. From Beyond the Grave (1974)
PG | 97 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An anthology of four short horror stories revolving around a mysterious antique shop owner and his antique pieces, each of which hides a deadly secret.
Director: Kevin Connor | Stars: Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen, Ian Carmichael, Diana Dors
Votes: 5,293
Favourite Segment: The Gatecrasher
12. Trick 'r Treat (2007)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Horror
Five interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: an everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband; and a mean old man meets his match with a demonic, supernatural trick-or-treater.
Director: Michael Dougherty | Stars: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes
Votes: 104,623
Favourite Segment: The School Bus Massacre Revisited
13. Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
PG | 101 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Four horror and science fiction segments, directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series.
Directors: Joe Dante, John Landis, George Miller, Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Doug McGrath
Votes: 41,183 | Gross: $29.50M
Favourite Segment: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
14.
Night Gallery (1969–1973)
Episode:
Pilot
(1969)
Unrated | 98 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A seemingly haunted painting drives a greedy man insane. A rich blind woman gets a new pair of eyes that allow her to see for only one brief ironic moment. An idyllic painting gives a Nazi war criminal in hiding some fleeting comfort.
Directors: Boris Sagal, Barry Shear, Steven Spielberg | Stars: Joan Crawford, Ossie Davis, Richard Kiley, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 2,040
Favourite Segment: The Cemetery
15. The Vault of Horror (1973)
R | 87 min | Horror, Thriller
An anthology of five horror stories shared by five men trapped in the basement of an office building.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Curd Jürgens, Terry-Thomas, Tom Baker, Dawn Addams
Votes: 6,256
Favourite Segment: Drawn and Quartered
16. Three... Extremes (2004)
R | 125 min | Horror
An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike | Stars: Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Votes: 20,869 | Gross: $0.08M
Favourite Segment: Box
17. Spirits of the Dead (1968)
R | 121 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A trio of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a cruel countess haunted by her cousin's stallion, a sadistic soldier haunted by his doppelgänger, and an alcoholic actor haunted by the Devil.
Directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim | Stars: Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp
Votes: 6,944
Favourite Segment: Toby Dammit
18. Trilogy of Terror (1975 TV Movie)
Unrated | 72 min | Horror, Thriller
Three bizarre horror stories, all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing four tormented women.
Director: Dan Curtis | Stars: Robert Burton, John Karlen, George Gaynes, Jim Storm
Votes: 8,712
Favourite Segment: Amelia
19. V/H/S/2 (2013)
R | 96 min | Horror, Thriller
Searching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his house and find collection of VHS tapes. Viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be dark motives behind the student's disappearance.
Directors: Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sánchez, Timo Tjahjanto, Adam Wingard | Stars: Lawrence Michael Levine, Kelsy Abbott, Adam Wingard, Hannah Hughes
Votes: 43,980 | Gross: $0.02M
Favourite Segment: Safe Haven
20. Torture Garden (1967)
Not Rated | 93 min | Fantasy, Horror
An anthology of four short horror stories about people who visit Dr. Diabolo's fairground haunted-house attraction show.
Director: Freddie Francis | Stars: Jack Palance, Burgess Meredith, Beverly Adams, Peter Cushing
Votes: 3,351
Favourite Segment: The Man Who Collected Poe
21. Flesh and Fantasy (1943)
Approved | 94 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
An anthology of three loosely connected occult tales, with ironic and romantic twists.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Field
Votes: 1,151
Favourite Segment: Second Story
22. V/H/S (2012)
R | 116 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
When a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, Chad Villella, Ti West, Adam Wingard | Stars: Calvin Lee Reeder, Lane Hughes, Adam Wingard, Hannah Fierman
Votes: 68,350 | Gross: $0.10M
Favourte Segment: 10/31/98
23. Waxworks (1924)
Not Rated | 107 min | Fantasy, Horror
A wax museum hires a writer to give the sculptures stories. The writer imagines himself and the museum owner's daughter in the stories.
Directors: Leo Birinsky, Paul Leni | Stars: Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, William Dieterle
Votes: 2,309
Favourite Segment: Ivan the Terrible
24. Cat's Eye (1985)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A stray cat is the linking element of three tales of suspense and horror.
Director: Lewis Teague | Stars: Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan
Votes: 28,166 | Gross: $13.09M
Favourite Segment: Quitters Inc.
25. The Monster Club (1981)
Unrated | 104 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
A writer of horror stories is invited to a "monster club" by a mysterious old gentleman. There, three gruesome stories are told to him; between each story some musicians play their songs.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Vincent Price, John Carradine, Anthony Steel, Roger Sloman
Votes: 4,530
Favourite Segment: The Ghouls
26. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
To stall a witch plotting to eat him, a boy reads her horror tales dealing with a collegian's resurrection of a mummy, a murderous cat, and an artist's pact with a gargoyle.
Director: John Harrison | Stars: Debbie Harry, Matthew Lawrence, Christian Slater, David Forrester
Votes: 19,360 | Gross: $16.32M
Favourite Segment: Lover's Vow
27. Dead of Night (1977 TV Movie)
76 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Three horror stories about a vintage car that transports its driver back to 1926, the mistress of an old Victorian mansion who is scared of a vampire and a mother tormented by her dead son who she has brought back to life.
Director: Dan Curtis | Stars: Ed Begley Jr., E.J. André, Ann Doran, Christina Hart
Votes: 1,625
Favourite Segment: Bobby
28. Creepshow 2 (1987)
R | 92 min | Fantasy, Horror
Three macabre tales from the latest issue of a boy's favorite comic book, dealing with a vengeful wooden Native American, a monstrous blob in a lake, and an undying hitchhiker.
Director: Michael Gornick | Stars: George Kennedy, Lois Chiles, Domenick John, Tom Savini
Votes: 28,354 | Gross: $14.00M
Favourite Segment: The Raft
29. Ghost Stories (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama, Horror
After receiving a file with details of three unexplained cases of apparitions, skeptical professor Phillip Goodman embarks on a terrifying trip.
Directors: Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman | Stars: Samuel Bottomley, Deborah Wastell, Amy Doyle, Daniel Hill
Votes: 36,945 | Gross: $0.14M
30. Tale of Tales (2015)
R | 134 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
From the bitter quest of the Queen of Longtrellis, to two mysterious sisters who provoke the passion of a king, to the King of Highhills obsessed with a giant Flea, these tales are inspired by the fairytales by Giambattista Basile.
Director: Matteo Garrone | Stars: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, John C. Reilly
Votes: 31,202 | Gross: $0.08M
31. Fear(s) of the Dark (2007)
Unrated | 83 min | Animation, Horror, Mystery
Several scary black-and-white animated segments in different styles appeal to our fear(s) of the dark.
Directors: Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire | Stars: Aure Atika, Guillaume Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Gil Alma
Votes: 3,232 | Gross: $0.08M
32. Three Cases of Murder (1954)
99 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A trilogy of fantastic stories involving murder and the supernatural.
Directors: David Eady, George More O'Ferrall, Wendy Toye, Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, John Gregson, Elizabeth Sellars, Emrys Jones
Votes: 1,131
33. Southbound (2015)
R | 89 min | Horror
Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares - and darkest secrets - over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.
Directors: Roxanne Benjamin, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Tyler Gillett, Patrick Horvath, Justin Martinez, Radio Silence, Chad Villella | Stars: Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic, Fabianne Therese
Votes: 21,403 | Gross: $0.01M
34. Two Evil Eyes (1990)
R | 120 min | Horror
A duo of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a greedy wife's attempt to embezzle her dying husband's fortune, and a sleazy reporter's adoption of a strange black cat.
Directors: Dario Argento, George A. Romero | Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Harvey Keitel, Ramy Zada, Bingo O'Malley
Votes: 8,140 | Gross: $0.35M
35. Phobia (2008)
240 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
4BIA is a Horror Anthology. The first segment, "Happiness" is about a lonely girl who corresponded with a stranger over hand phone text messaging and soon discovered something strange about... See full summary »
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Paween Purijitpanya, Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Maneerat Kham-uan, Witawat Singlampong, Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Chon Wachananon
Votes: 3,661
36. The Illustrated Man (1969)
PG | 103 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In 1930s, a psychotic drifter who's after the mystery woman who covered his whole body in illustrations that foresee distant future shows three of them (The Veldt, The Long Rain and The Last Night of the World) to a mesmerized traveler.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Robert Drivas, Don Dubbins
Votes: 3,463
37. From a Whisper to a Scream (1987)
R | 99 min | Action, Drama, Horror
In a small Tennessee town, a historian relates four horror stories to a reporter.
Director: Jeff Burr | Stars: Vincent Price, Clu Gulager, Terry Kiser, Harry Caesar
Votes: 2,983 | Gross: $1.36M
38. Body Bags (1993 TV Movie)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Three short stories in the horror genre: the first about a serial killer, the second about a hair transplant gone wrong, and the third about a baseball player.
Directors: John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Larry Sulkis | Stars: John Carpenter, Tom Arnold, Tobe Hooper, Robert Carradine
Votes: 12,608
39. Eerie Tales (1919)
112 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A demon, a reaper, and the ghost of a prostitute read gothic short stories and act them out.
Director: Richard Oswald | Stars: Anita Berber, Conrad Veidt, Reinhold Schünzel, Hugo Döblin
Votes: 658
40. The Mortuary Collection (2019)
Not Rated | 108 min | Fantasy, Horror
An eccentric mortician recounts several macabre and phantasmagorical tales that he's encountered in his distinguished career.
Director: Ryan Spindell | Stars: Tristan Byon, Eden Campbell, Hannah R. Loyd, Clancy Brown
Votes: 14,572
41. The Strange World of Coffin Joe (1968)
80 min | Horror
Three episodes: A dollmaker whose dolls are eerily human, a tale of necrophilia, and a doctor proves love is dead.
Director: José Mojica Marins | Stars: Luiz Sérgio Person, Vany Miller, Mário Lima, Verônica Krimann
Votes: 752
42. Poison (1991)
R | 85 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
A boy shoots his father and flies out the window. A man falls in love with a fellow inmate in prison. A doctor accidentally ingests his experimental sex serum, wreaking havoc on the community.
Director: Todd Haynes | Stars: Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Norman, Millie White
Votes: 5,033 | Gross: $0.61M
43. 3 Extremes II (2002)
R | 140 min | Horror, Mystery
An anthology consisting of three horror shorts from different Asian directors: Memories by Kim Jee-woon, The Wheel by Nonzee Nimibutr, and Going Home by Peter Chan.
Directors: Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Jee-woon Kim, Nonzee Nimibutr | Stars: Leon Lai, Kim Hye-su, Jeong Bo-seok, Suwinit Panjamawat
Votes: 3,917
44. Tales from the Hood (1995)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A funeral director tells four strange tales of horror with an African American focus to three drug dealers he traps in his place of business.
Director: Rusty Cundieff | Stars: Clarence Williams III, Corbin Bernsen, Joe Torry, De'aundre Bonds
Votes: 9,602 | Gross: $11.80M
45. Terror Tract (2000)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Horror, Romance
A real estate agent terrifies a couple with the grim fates of the previous owners of a house they're looking at.
Directors: Lance W. Dreesen, Clint Hutchison | Stars: John Ritter, David DeLuise, Allison Smith, Kim Correll
Votes: 1,912
46. Campfire Tales (1997)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery
Teens entertain one another by telling an anthology of famous urban legends with a modern twist; including makeout-point, monsters, psychopaths, and ghosts.
Directors: Matt Cooper, Martin Kunert, David Semel | Stars: James Marsden, Amy Smart, Frederick Lawrence, Christopher Masterson
Votes: 4,478
47. Tales That Witness Madness (1973)
R | 90 min | Horror
A psychiatrist tells stories of four special cases to a colleague.
Director: Freddie Francis | Stars: Jack Hawkins, Donald Pleasence, Georgia Brown, Donald Houston
Votes: 2,148
48. The Uncanny (1977)
Not Rated | 89 min | Horror
Wilbur Gray, a horror writer, has stumbled upon a terrible secret, that cats are supernatural creatures who really call the shots. In a desperate attempt to get others to believe him, Wilbur spews three tales of feline horror.
Director: Denis Héroux | Stars: Peter Cushing, Ray Milland, Joan Greenwood, Roland Culver
Votes: 2,197
49. Necronomicon: Book of Dead (1993)
R | 96 min | Horror
Lovecraft visualizes 3 stories in Necronomicon: The Drowned, The Cold and Whispers, about bringing a dead wife and child back to life, extending life and aliens.
Directors: Christophe Gans, Shûsuke Kaneko, Brian Yuzna | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Tony Azito, Juan Fernández, Brian Yuzna
Votes: 6,953
50. Phobia 2 (2009)
125 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Horror anthology consisting of five segments by acclaimed Thai directors. Segments involve a criminal seeking refuge, a haunted hospital, haunted truck passengers, a car dealer's dark discovery, and an ill actress portraying a ghost.
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Visute Poolvoralaks, Paween Purijitpanya, Songyos Sugmakanan, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Jirayu La-ongmanee, Ray MacDonald, Chumphorn Thepphithak, Apasiri Nitibhon
Votes: 2,824
51. Ranpo jigoku (2005)
134 min | Fantasy, Horror
This four-part anthology takes its cue from the short fiction of legendary horror writer Edogawa Rampo.
Directors: Akio Jissôji, Atsushi Kaneko, Hisayasu Satô, Suguru Takeuchi | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Yûko Daike, Chisako Hara, Masami Horiuchi
Votes: 1,195
52. Nightmares (1983)
R | 99 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Anthology of four horror tales with a supernatural twist based on urban legends.
Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: Cristina Raines, Joe Lambie, Anthony James, Clare Torao
Votes: 3,696 | Gross: $6.67M
53. After Midnight (1989)
R | 93 min | Horror, Thriller
A college class, Psychology of Fear, has a new teacher who believes that you have to feel fear to understand it. A group of students convene at the teacher's house, where scary stories are told.
Directors: Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat | Stars: Jillian McWhirter, Pamela Adlon, Ramy Zada, Judie Aronson
Votes: 2,389 | Gross: $0.08M
54. Strange Frequency (2001 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 83 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A Rock 'n Roll version of the Twilight Zone, with stories featuring a talent agent with an ironic curse, a homicidal hippie and the Disco Club from Hell.
Directors: Mary Lambert, Bryan Spicer | Stars: Martin Cummins, Christopher Masterson, Brandy Ledford, Danny Masterson
Votes: 633
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