When it comes to being scared, everyone has a different trigger. For some, it’s paranormal activity; for others, it’s vampires or werewolves. Some people even get a kick out of blood and gore (we’re not judging). We’ve divided the horror genre into 13 terrifying categories and offer the absolute best films for each one. So feel free to start from the beginning and click through, or click on a specific category below to jump around.
- Paranormal/ghosts/haunted houses
- Demonic possession
- Home invasion
- Romantic horror
- Horror comedy
- Gothic horror
- Vampires/werewolves/witches
- Zombies
- Found footage
- Torture/slasher
- Based on Japanese horror
- Psychological horror
- Nature and animals
Paranormal, ghosts and haunted houses
Our top picks are…
‘The Sixth Sense’
M. Night Shyamalan’s masterpiece from 1999 is about a boy who communicates with dead people. This film is famous for having one big reveal. Bruce Willis, Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment star.
‘Ouija: Origin of Evil’
A mother and her two daughters create a new trick to hype their scam seance business, but unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home. Set in Los Angeles in 1967, the movie stars Annalise Basso, Elizabeth Reaser and Lulu Wilson.
‘The Conjuring’
Real-life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their Rhode Island farmhouse in 1971. Based on a true story, the movie also stars Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston.
‘The Conjuring 2’
Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) are back, only this time they’re in England. Also based on a true story, as they hunt down the evil presence, the Warrens put themselves in jeopardy when the malicious spirits they find begin to target them.
‘The Amityville Horror’
Newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz (James Brolin and Margot Kidder) move into a large house, where they begin to experience strange occurrences. Frightened, they soon discover a murder had been committed in the house.
‘Poltergeist’
After a family moves into a brand-new home, they begin to experience paranormal activity. But things go from bad to worse when their youngest daughter gets sucked into the television. Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams star.
Demonic possession
‘The Exorcist’
When a young girl is possessed by a demon, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter. Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair star in the film that started America’s obsession with exorcisms.
‘The Rite’
Starring Anthony Hopkins, The Rite is the story of an American seminary student (Ciarán Hinds), who gets more than he bargained for when he travels to Italy to learn the ancient rite of exorcism.
‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’
A lawyer (Campbell Scott), takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Tom Wilkinson), who performed an exorcism on a young girl (Jennifer Carpenter).
‘The Last Exorcism’
Set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a tormented evangelical minister (Patrick Fabian), agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.
Home invasion
‘Hush’
Kate Siegel stars as a deaf writer who retreats into the woods to live a solitary life. Soon, however, she must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
‘Don’t Breathe’
Rocky (Jane Levy) is trying to make a better life for herself and her sister. Hoping to walk away with tons of cash, she and two others break into the house of a sick man who isn’t as helpless as he seems.
‘Lights Out’
When her little brother Martin experiences the same frightening visions she also experienced as a child, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) works to uncover the truth behind the horror. Surprisingly, it all leads back to her mother Sophie (Maria Bello).
‘The Purge’
Set in a dystopian future, a rich family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous faction during the Purge, a 12-hour crime spree that is totally legal. Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey star.
‘You’re Next’
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary vacation, one of the killers learns that Erin (Sharni Vinson), is a talented fighter.
‘When a Stranger Calls’
A psychopathic killer terrorizes a babysitter (Carol Kane) by calling the house asking, “Have you checked the kids?” He then returns seven years later to torment her all over again.
Romantic horror
‘Warm Bodies’
Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer star in this undead love story where a zombie and a living girl form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
‘Life After Beth’
Dane DeHaan plays a young man whose recently deceased girlfriend, played by Aubrey Plaza, mysteriously returns from the dead. At first, he’s thrilled to see her again, but then slowly begins to realize something is terribly wrong with her.
‘Only Lovers Left Alive’
A down-on-his-luck musician (Tom Hiddleston) reunites with his lover (Tilda Swinton), but their unusual relationship is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister (Mia Wasikowska).
‘Twilight’
Based on the best-selling book, Twilight had every teenage girl obsessed with vampires. The trilogy of films also made movie stars out of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.
‘Wuthering Heights’
Based on the classic novel by Emily Brontë, this immortal love story stars Merle Oberon as Cathy and Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff, two lovers that transcend time and space.
Horror comedy
‘Beetlejuice’
If you haven’t seen this hilarious horror-comedy, we highly recommend you do, given that a sequel, also starring Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin, is in the works.
‘Shaun Of The Dead’
A man (Simon Pegg) decides to turn his miserable life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling with his mother and dealing with an entire community that has turned into zombies.
‘Ghostbusters’
Kate McKinnon steals the show in this remake of the classic ghost-hunting film from 1983. When evil spirits descend upon Manhattan, a female group of paranormal investigators bands together to save New York City.
‘The Final Girls’
This meta horror-comedy pokes fun at the horror trope of the “final girl,” the one tough chick who battles the killer and lives. Taissa Farmiga and Adam Devine star.
‘Young Frankenstein’
An American grandson of Victor Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) searches for a way to prove his own genius. When he’s invited to Transylvania, he learns the secrets of bringing the dead back to life.
Gothic horror
‘Crimson Peak’
A young writer (Mia Wasikowska) is torn between love for her childhood friend (Charlie Hunnam) and the temptation of a sexy mystery man (Tom Hiddleston). When she moves into a strange mansion, she’s tormented by the house that has bleeding walls.
‘Sleepy Hollow’
Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate three decapitations. Christina Ricci also stars in Tim Burton’s vision of the legend of the Headless Horseman.
‘Stonehearst Asylum’
Based on a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, a medical student takes a job in a mental asylum only to discover that the “revolutionary” new treatments used to treat the patients are actually terrifying tortures. Kate Beckinsale and Ben Kingsley star.
‘The Pit and the Pendulum’
This movie is classic Edgar Allan Poe. Set in the 1500s, Francis Barnard (John Kerr) travels to Spain to investigate his sister’s death that came shortly after she married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor (Vincent Price).
Vampires, werewolves and witches
‘The Witch’
An ultra-religious family in 1630s New England is unprepared to deal with sexual repression as their daughter comes of age. Soon, the family is torn apart by what seems to be witchcraft, black magic and possession.
‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’
Gary Oldman plays the most famous vampire of all time, Dracula. When he comes to England to seduce a friend’s fiancée (Winona Ryder), things quickly get bloody.
‘Interview with the Vampire’
Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas and Kirsten Dunst star as immortal bloodsuckers in this visually stunning film that’s based on the book by Anne Rice.
‘The Craft’
Teen girls (Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True) from a Catholic prep high school discover their feminine power and become popular when they take up witchcraft.
‘Rosemary’s Baby’
Mia Farrow stars as a young wife who unexpectedly finds herself pregnant after she moves into a new apartment. As time goes on, she becomes more and more paranoid after her occultist neighbors creep her out.
‘An American Werewolf in London’
Two American college students go on a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. When they try to investigate the incident, none of the locals will admit the evil creature exists.
Zombies
’28 Days Later’
A month after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the U.K. turning people into zombies, Jim (Cillian Murphy) and a few other survivors struggle to dodge the frightening plague-ravaged undead.
‘Dawn of the Dead’
When a Philadelphia SWAT team tries to subdue a group of zombies, all hell breaks loose as they discover the walking dead don’t go down easily.
‘World War Z’
Probably the most serious and realistic zombie film ever made, Brad Pitt stars as a former United Nations employee who races against time to stop an apocalyptic zombie epidemic.
‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’
The classic Jane Austen novel gets a big twist when zombies are mixed in with the five Bennet sisters. Lily James, Bella Heathcote and Jack Huston star.
Found footage
‘The Blair Witch Project’
This film is the mother of all found footage horror movies. Hoping to document the legend of the Blair Witch, three film students disappear, leaving only their videotapes as clues.
‘Paranormal Activity’
After moving into a suburban home, a couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) finds that something demonic is haunting their home.
‘V/H/S’
When a group of oddballs is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they realize they’re part of a dastardly scheme.
Torture and slasher
‘Saw’
Two strangers wake up in an unknown room only to discover they are the next victims in a gruesome game played by a serial killer. Cary Elwes and Dina Meyer star.
‘Hostel’
Three young travelers backpack to a city in Eastern Europe where they think all their sexual fantasies will come true. Instead, they find themselves at the mercy of a sick jerk.
‘Deep Red’
After witnessing the murder of a famous psychic, a musician teams up with a feisty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen assailant bent on keeping a dark secret buried.
‘Alice, Sweet Alice’
While taking her first communion, a young girl is murdered, leaving the family devastated. But things get worse when the girl’s older sister becomes the prime suspect. Brooke Shields stars in the creepy flick.
Based on Japanese horror
‘The Ring’
Based on the 1998 Japanese film Ringu, The Ring is the story of a journalist (Naomi Watts) who must investigate a videotape that seems to be killing its viewers one week after watching.
‘Dark Water’
Jennifer Connelly stars a mother distraught after a custody battle for her daughter. As she suffers in her rundown apartment, the ghost of the previous tenant begins to wreak havoc on her life. Based on the Japanese film Honogurai mizu no soko kara.
‘The Grudge’
An American nurse (Sarah Michelle Gellar) living and working in Tokyo gets a terrifying curse put on her. The curse causes people to go into a violent rage before it kills them and spreads to another person. Based on the Japanese film Ju-on: The Curse.
‘The Eye’
A blind violinist (Jessica Alba) receives an eye transplant that allows her to see into the supernatural world. She must search for the eye donor to find out why she’s having these strange visions. Based on the Japanese film Gin gwai.
Psychological horror
‘The Shining’
A family heads to Colorado for the winter to be caretakers of an isolated hotel. The father (Jack Nicholson) hopes to work on his novel, but instead becomes violently disturbed by an evil presence in the hotel.
‘Repulsion’
A beautiful but highly sensitive woman (Catherine Deneuve) thinks she’s losing her mind as she sinks into depression and obsesses over her horrific visions of rape and violence.
‘Psycho’
A lovestruck secretary (Janet Leigh) embezzles $40,000 from her job, goes on the run and checks into the Bates Motel, which is run by a weak young man (Anthony Perkins) who’s bullied by his mother.
‘It Follows’
After having an innocent sexual encounter, a young woman (Maika Monroe) begins to have strange visions and can’t help but feel like some dark presence is following her.
Nature and animals
‘The Birds’
A sophisticated San Francisco woman (Tippi Hedren) pursues a mysterious man (Rod Taylor) to a small seaside town where birds of all kinds suddenly go bezerk and begin to attack people.
‘Jaws’
When a bloodthirsty great white shark begins to terrorize the small island community of Amity, a police chief (Roy Scheider), a marine scientist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled fisherman (Robert Shaw) band together to kill the giant fish.
‘The Ruins’
When a group of friends takes a vacation to Mexico, they embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where they discover something evil lives among the ruins.
‘Antichrist’
After the loss of their child, a grieving couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature has a dark side, and the mournful husband and wife become its victims.
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