These are the most popular Horror movies ranked by adrenaline junkies worldwide. Anyone can vote on this CrowdRanked list of these famous horror movies. Ghosts, zombies, monsters, or maybe just the quiet guy down the street who straps on a hockey mask for kicks; these are the films that scare the pants off you will be the highest rated horror movie? What are the greatest horror films ever made? And how many of these popular horror movies have you actually seen? No matter the answer, you'll find that this list goes way beyond the top 100 horror films of all time.
Great horror films have a long and storied history in cinema. From the earliest horror movies like 1922's Nosferatu, to modern favorites like the Saw series, scary movies have always had a special place in the collective, twisted hearts of moviegoers. Each year, new good horror movies come out that are designed to terrify, with evil characters bent on death and destruction. Will they all wind up on a list of the scariest horror movies ever made? Probably not, but not for a lack of trying.
Many of the best horror films are haunted house movies, relying on the setting as a huge, spooky selling factor. Other excellent horror films rely on nausea-inducing tactics, making us recoil in terror, totally disturbed by whatever we're watching on screen. Start with all of the ones on this list, and of course, feel free to add any top horror movies that might be missing.
Enjoy this list of great horror films, and remember: You can rerank this list in any order you like. Boo!
1
15,7064,463The Exorcist
Max von Sydow, Ellen BurstynReleased: 1973
Directed by: William Friedkin
2
16,4006,059The Shining
Jack Nicholson, Shelley DuvallReleased: 1980
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
3
13,8555,935Halloween
Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle RichardsReleased: 1978
Directed by: John Carpenter
4
12,1175,170A Nightmare on Elm Street
Johnny Depp, Robert EnglundReleased: 1984
Directed by: Wes Craven
5
13,9103,288The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony HopkinsReleased: 1991
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
6
10,8734,658Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock, Janet LeighReleased: 1960
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
7
10,9124,765The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn BurnsReleased: 1974
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
8
9,8044,344Poltergeist
Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth WilliamsReleased: 1982
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
9
11,2395,360Alien
Sigourney Weaver, John HurtReleased: 1979
Directed by: Ridley Scott
10
8,7003,939Carrie
John Travolta, Sissy SpacekReleased: 1976
Directed by: Brian De Palma
11
11,7175,263Jaws
Steven Spielberg, Richard DreyfussReleased: 1975
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
12
7,6653,595The Omen
Gregory Peck, Lee RemickReleased: 1976
Directed by: Richard Donner
13
9,2822,679The Conjuring
Vera Farmiga, Patrick WilsonReleased: 2013
Directed by: James Wan
14
9,7695,046The Thing
Kurt Russell, Keith DavidReleased: 1982
Directed by: John Carpenter
15
7,6453,730The Evil Dead
Bruce Campbell, Sam RaimiReleased: 1981
Directed by: Sam Raimi
16
10,1644,344It
Tim Curry, Seth GreenReleased: 1990
Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace
17
7,1983,109Insidious
Rose Byrne, Barbara HersheyReleased: 2010
Directed by: James Wan
18
7,5183,262Pet Sematary
Stephen King, Fred GwynneReleased: 1989
Directed by: Mary Lambert
19
6,8643,050The Amityville Horror
James Brolin, Margot KidderReleased: 1979
Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
20
6,5522,958Misery
Lauren Bacall, Kathy BatesReleased: 1990
Directed by: Rob Reiner
21
7,6413,996Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero, Duane JonesReleased: 1968
Directed by: George A. Romero
22
9,4284,759Friday the 13th
Kevin Bacon, Tom SaviniReleased: 1980
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
23
8,1234,092The Ring
Naomi Watts, Pauley PerretteReleased: 2002
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
24
6,8193,668Aliens
Sigourney Weaver, Bill PaxtonReleased: 1986
Directed by: James Cameron
25
7,6793,821Saw
Danny Glover, Monica PotterReleased: 2004
Directed by: James Wan