Saw (2004)
Director: James Wan
Horror visionary James Wan delighted viewers with a new kind of horror movie in 2004 with Saw, a film about a sadistic villain who loves setting up violent traps.
Saint Maud (2019)
Director: Rose Glass
One of the most modern films on this list, A24’s Saint Maud follows a religious caretaker who questions her faith. After self-immolating, she receives signs that warn her to stay ready for a dangerous test.
The Purge (2013)
Director: James DeMonaco
What if murder were legal for 24 hours? That’s the system the government creates to curb crime and overpopulation in The Purge ... to obviously detrimental effects.
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The Wailing (2016)
Director: Na Hong-jin
Korean horror movies will scare you in ways that you never imagined were possible. Train to Busan put zombies on a high-speed train and The Call made even talking on the phone a scary endeavor. In The Wailing, director Na Hong-jin blends multiple genres to tell a unique story of demons and plagues. It’ll frighten horror buffs who think they’ve seen it all.
It Follows (2014)
Director: David Robert Mitchell
The fear of being followed is one of the worst feelings in the world. Naturally, director David Robert Mitchell capitalized on that fear in It Follows, featuring a woman who is targeted by an unrelenting entity.
Braindead (1992)
Director: Peter Jackson
Before Peter Jackson started adventuring with hobbits, the New Zealand–based director wowed audiences with a zombie flick—also known in some markets as Dead Alive—about a woman who turns violent after she’s bitten by a mutant rat-monkey hybrid creature.
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When Evil Lurks (2023)
Director: Demián Rugna
This Argentinian horror film about demonic possession on a farm shocks viewers with some of the goriest imagery of the past few years.
The Strangers (2008)
Director: Bryan Bertino
With the help of some truly ruthless intruders, The Strangers takes the bones of every home-invasion story and kicks it up a notch. When Kristen and James head to their vacation home in (of course!) the wilderness, they expect to have a relaxing retreat. Instead, they’re forced to fight for their lives when a strange woman knocks on their door.
Sinister (2012)
Director: Scott Derrickson
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t buy a haunted house. But in Sinister, true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) thinks it’s a perfectly rational idea. In hopes of writing a best seller, he moves his family into a home where an unsolved murder took place. But he soon learns that curiosity comes at a price.
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Goodnight Mommy (2014)
Directors: Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala
Goodnight Mommy follows two young boys who are reunited with their mom after she has a mysterious surgery. They’re initially overjoyed to see her, but their excitement turns to fear when she sets strange house rules. Is the woman they’ve been sent to really their mom, or someone else?
Talk to Me (2023)
Director: Danny and Michael Philippou
Did you go to a party where the hosts brought out a severed hand that they play a weird Ouija-like ritual with as the main attraction? Definitely do not ask it about your mother’s suicide! “All throughout the film, I was drawing from things that scare me personally,” Danny Philippou told Esquire.
Hellraiser (1987)
Director: Clive Barker
Hellraiser kicks off with two classic horror tropes you should avoid at all costs: moving into an old, scary house where a murder occurred and buying a mystical puzzle box. I’m so glad they did, though—because it gave us Pinhead.
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Skinamarink (2023)
Director: Kyle Edward Ball
Skinamarink is an entirely new kind of found-footage horror film, delighting fans of the genre looking for the next boundary-pushing thrill. The film follows two young children, alone and afraid, looking for their parents as parts of their house disappear.
Poltergeist (1982)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Before creating The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg gave us the family horror classic Poltergeist. The “They’re here...” scene went on to inspire countless horror filmmakers.
M3GAN (2023)
Director: Gerard Johnstone
What M3GAN lacks in horrifying frights it makes up for in fun, as the AI doll slays victims, both literally and on the dance floor. Don’t walk—run on all fours to the theaters to catch this early 2023 hit.
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Barbarian (2022)
Director: Zach Cregger
If your Airbnb has a series of secret tunnels in the basement, I recommend not following them to see what’s down there. Thankfully, we have the indie delight Barbarian to back us up on that worldly wisdom, as you could never guess what monstrous entity is waiting down there for you.
Pearl (2022)
Director: Ti West
The one person who had a better 2022 in the horror genre than director Ti West? His leading star, Mia Goth. Let her creepy, wide-eyed smile—which she holds for eight minutes without blinking during the end credits!—be her ticket to horror Valhalla.
The Orphanage (2007)
Director: J. A. Bayona
Relying on suspense rather than plain shock, The Orphanage makes it difficult to distinguish reality from illusion. Taking place at the orphanage where Laura grew up, her son, Simón, plays with an imaginary friend—who may or may not be make-believe after all.
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Split (2017)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
A man with 23 personalities manages to kidnap three teenage girls in broad daylight. Locked away from the outside world, the girls do everything they can to escape before his 24th personality makes its horrifying debut.
His House (2020)
Director: Remi Weekes
Adjusting to a new country isn’t easy. With menacing spirits lurking around? Forget about it. When you’ve fled a war-ridden country only to encounter otherworldly horrors, where do you go?
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