The 100 Best Horror Films of All Time From Best-Horror-Movies.com
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Archives of Past Lists:
100 Best Horror Movies (2006)
Top 100 Horror Movies (2007)
100 Greatest Horror Movies (2008)
100 Top Horror Movies (2009)
Best-Horror-Movies.com presents the 100 Best Horror Films of all time, updated for 2010!
Welcome to the Fifth Annual comprehensive list of the best in horror, continuing to get better and more complete with each passing annum. The List for 2010 has Big Studio, Low-Budget Independent, Classic Creatures, Foreign Horror, Art Films - Even Silent Films - only the Best for Discerning Horror Freaks.
How you use this, the world's most complete collection of the 100 Best Horror Films, is up to you. We do, however, have some suggestions based on your placement on the path to horror movie expert:
The Horror Novice:
This is the 100 Best Horror Films of all time, so getting right to it
from number 100 and watching all the way down to the number 1 is a
reasonable plan... but if you are a true novice then we recommend the Horror Beginner's Shelf.
This will expose you to all of the major horror sub-genres as well as
creature features and foreign horror and create a solid horror
foundation. Once you graduate from this indoctrination move on to the
next phase of horror freakdom with:
Horror Aficionado:
There will be many films among the 100 Best Horror Films that you have
seen already - possibly many times. Most of them deserve multiple
viewings though, so you may just want to print the list
and start at 100 working downward. With proper timing and focus you
should be in the top 20 in time for the days leading to Halloween.
Horror Addict:
The Top 100 Horror Movies are perfect for an extended Netflix queue, and you can be set for horror all year long. Populate your queue with the Top 100 Horror Movies and then visit the Confessions of a Horror Movie Addict to share your story.
Horror Expert:
There will certainly be questions (along with rants and raves) about
this list of the 100 Best Horror Films. Before you email me, be armed
with the thought process behind the rankings... Read the Rating Methodology.
Browse the *100 Best Horror Films
* on Amazon if you like the hard part done for you! We have done the searches, assembled the reviews and found the prices. Take a Look!
So, onward Horror Freaks to the 100 Best Horror Films of all time, updated and expanded for 2010!
100. They Live (1988, Directed by John Carpenter)
99. Hostel (2005, Written and Directed by Eli Roth)
98. Scream (1996, Directed by Wes Craven)
97. The Amityville Horror (1979, Directed by Stuart Rosenberg)
96. Frankenstein (1931, Directed by James Whale)
No Peaceful Slumber allowed in 'Horror of Dracula'
The 100 Best Horror Films begins with the bottom of the list, and works toward the number one horror film. The bottom five starts right in with classics by John Carpenter (They Live (1988)), Eli Roth's Hostel (2005), and great films by Rosenberg, Craven and James Whale. Hard to believe the 100 Best Horror Films get better from here...
95. Horror of Dracula (1958, Terence Fisher)
94. The Mummy (1932, Directed by Karl Freund)
93. Darkness Falls (2003, Directed by Jonathan Liebesman)
92. Dog Soldiers (2002, Written and Directed by Neil Marshall)
Jacob's Ladder (1990) skirts the line between horror and thriller
Lots of Creature Features coming up in the 100 Best Horror Films now with Werewolves, Vampires and Mummys accounted for. Creatures and Monsters are a mainstay in the horror genre and each unnatural villian has taken on their own subgenres full of lore and detail. The tooth fairy in Darkness Falls is just hanging out for good measure, but this one plays on every childhood fear of the dark imaginable and is one of our personal favorites.
91. Jacobs' Ladder (1990, Directed by Adrian Lyne)
90. The Wolfman (1941, Directed by George Waggner)
89. Pet Sematary (1989, Directed by Mary Lambert)
This girl from Dawn of the Dead (2004) had a rough time at the orthodontist.
88. Dawn of the Dead (2004, Directed by Zack Snyder)
87. Child's Play (1988, Directed by Tom Holland)
86. Army of Darkness (1992, Directed by Sam Raimi)
85. The Ring (2002, Directed by Gore Verbinski)
84. Nosferatu (1922, Directed by F.W. Murnau)
Naked Men in Pods become Human Flys. Well, in 'The Fly (1986)' anyway.
Lots going on here with the 100 Best Horror Films including the psychological chest-ripper Jacob's Ladder and the de facto Werewolf movie The Wolf Man (1941). The straight-ahead remake Dawn of the Dead (2004) makes a showing too as well as the 'Asian to English Language' remake The Ring (2002) because they are just that good. Nosferatu (1922), the then-illegal adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, rounds out the group as we press onwared through the 100 Best Horror Films for 2010.
83. The Fly (1986, Directed by David Cronenberg)
82. Salem's Lot (1979, Directed by Tobe Hooper)
81. The Host (2006, directed by Joon-ho Bong)
80. The Omen (1976, Director by Richard Donner)
79. The Legend of Hell House (1973, Directed by John Hough)
The Legend of Hell House (1973) is about as perfect a Haunted House movie as there can be.
78. Phantasm (1979, Written and Directed by Don Coscarelli)
77. Return of the Living Dead (1985, Written and Directed by Dan O'Bannon)
76. The Wicker Man (1973, Directed by Robin Hardy)
The Last House on the Left (1972) mixed exploitation with horror and unheard of (for the time) sex and gore.
We are getting to several long-time favorites of Horror Freaks in this part of the 100 Best Horror Films, including Salem's Lot (1972), Phantasm (1979) and Dan O-Bannon's Return of the Living Dead (1985). The Wicker Man (1973) tried a modern resurgence starring Nick Cage, but the original is the one to watch if you are so inclined... stick with those included in the 100 Best Horror Films and you can't go wrong.
75. The Last House on the Left (1972, Written and Directed by Wes Craven)
74. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992, Directed by Francis Ford Coppola)
73. IT (1990, Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace)
72. Feast (2005, Directed by John Gulager)
The Frighteners (1996) is another great horror film from the "pre-Ring" days of Peter Jackson. Horror/comedy.
71. The Frighteners (1996, Directed by Peter Jackson)
70. Night of the Comet (1984, Written and Directed by Thom Eberhardt)
69. The Birds (1963, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)
Poltergeist (1982) PROVED what I suspected all along... those toy
clowns actually do come alive when you're sleeping and try to kill you.
68. Poltergeist (1982, Directed by Tobe Hooper)
67. Halloween 2 (1981, Directed by Rick Rosenthal)
66. Event Horizon (1997, Directed by Paul Anderson)
65. Re-Animator (1985, Directed by Stuart Gordon)
64. Misery (1990, Directed by Rob Reiner)
The Mist (2007) has, uh, mist... and it's full of monsters.
63. The Mist (2007, Directed by Frank Darabont)
62. Audition (1999, Directed by Takashi Miike)
61. Tale of Two Sisters (2003, Written and Directed by Ji-woon Kim)
60. Village of the Damned (1960, Directed by Wolf Rilla)
59. Day of the Dead (1985, Written and Directed by George A. Romero)
Busy busy here in the 100 Best Horror Films with a whole lot going on. IT (1990) is responsible for many of the clown-phobias enjoyed by adult Horror Freaks and we see an appearance by the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock with The Birds (1963) Halloween 2 (1981) is a sequel that made the list on it's own merits, not to be confused with the Rob Zombie remake that took a few too many liberties with Sheri Moon in ghostly white. Foreign, mainstream, zombies and space-fear all have entries as well. Sounds like a great long weekend.
Cemetery Man (1994), Or Dellamorte Dellamore, will make you flip your lid.
58. Cemetery Man (1994, Directed by michele Soavi)
57. Three... Extremes (2004, Directed by Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park)
56. The Eye (2002, Directed by The Pang Brothers)
55. The Body Snatcher (1945, Directed by Robert Wise)
54. Rose Red (2002, Directed by Craig R. Baxley)
High Tension (2005) aka Haute Tension. The French just can't STAND a dirty automobile.
53. High Tension (2005, Directed by Alexandre Aja)
52. Don't Look Now (1973, Directed by Nicolas Roeg)
51. Rosemary's Baby (1968, Directed by Roman Polanski)
The 50 Best Horror Films 2010:
50. [REC] (2007, Written and Directed by Jaume Balagueró)
49. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Directed by Robert Wiene)
48. Bride of Frankenstein (1935, Directed by James Whale)
There are some great foreign offerings in this segment of the 100 Best Horror Films with Three... Extremes (2004) and The Eye (2002) on the Asian front and High Tension (2005) checking in from France. The made-for-TV Rose Red (2002) is a surprisingly good horror offering and Don't Look Now is considered by many to be the best horror movie ever made. Watch it, along with the rest of the 100 Best Horror Films, and decide for yourself.
The Saw (2004) series continues on with reducing quality, but Amanda beating the trap will live on.
47. Saw (2004, Directed by James Wan)
46. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, Directed by Terence Fisher)
45. Storm of the Century (1999, Directed by Craig R. Baxley)
Dorian Gray has looked better. Maybe he needs some infomercial miracle skin cream. Too bad they didn't have that back then.
44. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945, Directed by Albert Lewin)
43. White Zombie (1932, Directed by Victor Halperin)
42. Ginger Snaps (2000, Directed by John Fawcett)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) shares a tender moment with his lovely assistant.
What a contrast we've got here in the 100 Best Horror Films for 2010 - A new horror villain with staying-power is introduced with Saw (2004) and Hammer shows gumption with The Curses of Frankenstein (1957) We've also got classic horror from the 30s and 40s along with hot young Werewolves. Such shenanigans.
41. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971, Directed by Robert Fuest)
40. Hellraiser (1987, Directed by Clive Barker)
39. The Ruins (2008, Directed by Carter Smith)
38. Wolf Creek (2005, Written and Directed by Greg Mclean)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) is some scary Voo Doo mumbo jumbo. Mama Jama, if you will...
37. Serpent and the Rainbow (1988, Directed by Wes Craven)
36. The Orphanage (2007, Directed by J.A. Bayona)
35. The Blair Witch Project (1999, Written and Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez)
34. Shaun of the Dead (2004, Directed by Edgar Wright)
Valuable lesson from 28 Days Later (2002) - if the zombie
(not-a-zombie zombie, that is) is on fire, run faster. And bring your
underwear.
33. 28 Days Later (2002, Directed by Danny Boyle)
32. Black Christmas (1974, Directed by Bob Clark)
31. Planet Terror (2007, Written and Directed by Robert Rodriquez)
30. Let the Right One In (2008, Directed by Tomas Alfredson)
The Uninvited (1944) is an atmospheric ghost story from a simpler time... before CGI.
29. The Uninvited (1944, Directed by Lewis Allen)
28. Silence of the Lambs (1991, Directed by Jonathan Demme)
27. The Thing (1982, Directed by John Carpenter)
26. May (2002, Written and Directed by Lucky McKee)
The 25 Best Horror Films:
25. Aliens (1986, Directed by James Cameron)
24. Suspiria (1977, Directed by Dario Argento)
23. Jaws (1975, Directed by Steven Spielberg)
22. Zombi 2 (1980, Directed by Lucio Fulci)
The top 25 of the 100 Best Horror Films is approached with the classic The Uninvited (1944), the blockbuster The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Carpenter's The Thing (1982), along with the Independent masterpiece May (2002) by Lucky McGee. All of these represent the "gray area" between the best of the best, so it is advisable that you check out the Rating Methodology before going all postal on us.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Was over the top for it's day in terms
of violence and gore. The remake takes that even a step further.
21. The Hills Have Eyes (1977, Written and Directed by Wes Craven)
20. Interview With The Vampire (1994, Directed by Neil Jordan)
19. Frailty (2001, Directed by Bill Paxton)
18. Dead Alive (1992, Directed by Peter Jackson)
17. The Howling (1981, Directed by Joe Dante)
The Descent (2005) has monsters, sure... but it's the close quarters of the caves that makes me squirm.
16. The Descent (2005, Directed by Neil Marshall)
15. Ju-On (2000, Written and Directed by Takashi Shimizu)
14. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, Directed by Tobe Hooper)
13. Carrie (1976, Directed by Brian De Palma)
12. Ringu (1998, Directed by Hideo Nakata)
11. An American Werewolf in London (1981, Written and Directed by John Landis)
And Now, The Moment You've Read This Far to Reach:
The 10 Best Horror Films 2010!
10. Friday the 13th (1980, Directed by Sean S. Cunningham)
9. The Evil Dead (1981, Directed by Sam Raimi)
8. Psycho (1960, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, Directed by Wes Craven)
6. The Shining (1980, Directed by Stanley Kubrick)
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968, Directed by Dean Lachiusa & George Romero)
4. Halloween (1978, Directed by John Carpenter)
3. Dawn of the Dead (1978, Written and Directed by George A. Romero)
2. Alien (1979, Directed by Ridley Scott)
1. The Exorcist (1973, Directed by William Freidkin)
And there you have it Horror Freaks, the 100 Best Horror Films for 2010. As usual, it is anticipated that the aficianados in our midst already have most of these films either in a Netflix queue or in the coveted collection. For those of you who are newer to the genre it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the many sub-genres with The Beginner's Shelf, a primer for the emerging Horror Freak. If you fall somewhere between expert and novice you can REST ASSURED that this list of the 100 Best Horror Films of all time will be just what you need to cement your appreciation. Not only is this list the PERFECT Netflix queue, but...
Browse the *100 Best Horror Films
* on Amazon if you like the hard part done for you! We have done the searches, assembled the reviews and found the prices. Take a Look!
Also check out the Honorable Mention List for those great horror movies that either just missed making the list or deserve mention for some other reason... you know those films. Not great, maybe not even good, but still notable.
Comments or Questions about the 100 Best Horror Films list, Discuss it on The Ossuary Forums!
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