My favourite horror films - top 20
by pontus-jernstrom | created - 18 Aug 2012 | updated - 21 Aug 2013 | PublicThese are the best horror movies of all time, in my opinion. I have not watched all movies that exist, so the list is being updated...
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1. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,105,053 | Gross: $44.02M
This masterpiece of true horror bulids up an atmosphere that no movie has ever even been close to. The actors make an outstanding performance. "Here's Johnny..."
2. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 717,517 | Gross: $32.00M
Not the scariest film made, but exactly as The Shining, this is a masterpiece. The truth behind Anthony Perkins is shocking. Great story directed by Mr. Hitchcook.
3. Shutter (II) (2004)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young photographer and his girlfriend discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after a tragic accident. They soon learn that you can not escape your past.
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool
Votes: 49,104
Total horror. The scariest *beep*
4. The Exorcist (1973)
R | 122 min | Horror
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 454,388 | Gross: $232.91M
It is scary as hell. It has a great plot. Simply great.
5. Candyman (1992)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Kasi Lemmons
Votes: 100,065 | Gross: $25.79M
Extremely underrated movie, which gave me several mini heart attacks.
6. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,364 | Gross: $76.61M
Poltergeist is an enthraling, surprising and original haunted house movie. Underrated.
7. The Hitcher (1986)
R | 97 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
A young man who escapes the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes.
Director: Robert Harmon | Stars: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey DeMunn
Votes: 52,452 | Gross: $5.84M
Well, after watching this, you won't pick up hitchhikers anymore.
8. The Descent (2005)
R | 99 min | Adventure, Horror, Thriller
A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder
Votes: 246,632 | Gross: $26.02M
Scary creatures in a claustrophobic setting. Great horror.
9. The Grudge (2004)
PG-13 | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall, William Mapother
Votes: 150,781 | Gross: $110.36M
This hart attack lasted for 92 minutes, and is the second scariest movie I have ever watched. If The Grudge also had a good plot, it would be higher on this list.
10. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
R | 107 min | Horror, Thriller
A traveling family falls victim to a group of mutated cannibals in a desert far away from civilization.
Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, Dan Byrd, Emilie de Ravin
Votes: 183,093 | Gross: $41.78M
The best remake ever, actually far better than Wes Craven's original from 1977. Very thrilling. It's a brutal movie, but also one of my absolute favourites.
11. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz
Votes: 450,200 | Gross: $42.07M
The most surprising movie I have ever watched. I knew nothing about this film before watching it, and that made The Cabin in the Woods a fantastic experience. A great adventure for horror fans.
12. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery
Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.
Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffin
Votes: 285,081 | Gross: $140.54M
This movie is amazing, because you don't actually see anything in the entire film that should be able to scare you, but still it does.
13. Pumpkinhead (1988)
R | 86 min | Fantasy, Horror
After a tragic accident, a man conjures up a towering, vengeful demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy a group of unsuspecting teenagers.
Director: Stan Winston | Stars: Lance Henriksen, Jeff East, John D'Aquino, Kimberly Ross
Votes: 27,763 | Gross: $4.39M
The atmosphere is so nice, and the monster will scare you. Pumpkinhead is underrated.
14. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,320 | Gross: $30.86M
15. Jaws (1975)
PG | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
Votes: 658,691 | Gross: $260.00M
Even if the special effects don't look as good as they did in the 1970's, Jaws is still a great movie.
16. The Mist (2007)
R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Votes: 339,863 | Gross: $25.59M
A great (and very sad) story with characters who makes you both angry and gets your sympathy. Me and my friends cheered out loud when the idiotic christian lady got killed.
17. Friday the 13th (1980)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
Director: Sean S. Cunningham | Stars: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan
Votes: 157,268 | Gross: $39.75M
Probably one the most famous horror movies. This first film is the best in the franchise, with Pamela Vorheels as the creepy murderer.
18. Scream (1996)
R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich
Votes: 387,953 | Gross: $103.05M
Scream will probably not make you scream, but it will surprise and entertain you.
19. Pet Sematary (1989)
R | 103 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.
Director: Mary Lambert | Stars: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Fred Gwynne, Brad Greenquist
Votes: 114,901 | Gross: $57.47M
The idea of transform a little cute boy into a cold-hearted murderer is great. But avoid the sequel, it's worthless.
20. Husk (2011)
R | 83 min | Horror, Thriller
A group of friends stranded near a desolate cornfield find shelter in an old farmhouse, though they soon discover the dwelling is the center of a supernatural ritual.
Director: Brett Simmons | Stars: Devon Graye, Wes Chatham, C.J. Thomason, Tammin Sursok
Votes: 10,671
And here is a real surprise on the list. I really liked this B-movie, because it's creepy and got me scared. It has something more than just some yougsters running around and get killed (even if that is also a part of this movie).
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