Horror filmmakers must not only master the art of pace and developing suspense, but they must also have their finger on the pulse of current – or timeless – societal concerns, which is much more difficult than aiming to elicit chuckles in comedy films. In this article, we are going to discuss 10 of the best horror movies to watch.
Horror movies must also understand their target demographic in terms of the many horror subgenres. Horror audiences are highly well-informed and frequently unduly critical of genre clichés, whether they’re seeing slasher, supernatural, psychological, or body horror films. As a result, horror is always reinventing itself, both for its audience and to stay current. The genre’s terrain is continuously shifting as well, tapping into current concerns and using scares to explore societal themes.
The best horror movies of all time come in a wide range of terrifying flavors. Others prey on our very particular phobias of the current world, while others appear ageless with endlessly wicked celluloid showing ancient demons. The finest terrifying movies touch into our deepest fears, and occasionally even offer us completely new phobias we hadn’t considered before. Given below we have created a list of 10 best horror movies to watch.
Table of Contents
Take a look at our list of 10 best horror movies to watch-
1. The Haunting (1963)
IMDB – 7.5
A film about a varied mix of individuals having to spend the night in an ancient, haunted home may sound like the most cliché plot ever, but that wasn’t the case when it originally came out in September 1963. If you enjoy horror films, you must see this film.
The Haunting, based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House, is still extraordinarily scary after all these years. The tension stems in part from witnessing actress Julie Harris go wild. A lesbian character is also included, which was nearly unheard of at the time.
2. The Exorcist (1973)
IMDB – 8.0
The Exorcist is unquestionably the scariest film ever made, so it’s no wonder that it’s at the top of our list of the best horror movies. The Exorcist served as a model for several other lesser possession movies that followed its premiere in 1973.
Regan (Linda Blair) is a twelve-year-old girl who becomes possessed after an elderly priest unintentionally releases a demon. The Exorcist went on to become the highest-grossing R-rated horror film of all time, as well as the first to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
3. The Thing (1982)
IMDB – 8.1
The Thing, a 1982 horror film directed by John Carpenter, had a lot going against it. It not only had to release on the same day as Blade Runner, but it also came out only weeks after E.T., a film that portrayed aliens as adorable tiny beings that got along well with children.
The Thing’s extraterrestrials had a totally different objective. These aliens are shape-shifters who scare scientists in the Antarctic, rather than levitating bicycles. The men are never sure if they are dealing with a friend or a malevolent extraterrestrial that has assumed his shape. Although it couldn’t compete with E.T. and Blade Runner, it is now regarded as a true masterpiece of the genre.
4. The Ring (2002)
IMDB – 7.1
It’s always a challenge to take something that works well in one culture and try to adapt it well into another, but Gore Verbinski did it with The Ring.
Verbinski’s adaptation of Japanese filmmaker Hideo Nakata’s famous horror about a cursed VHS preserved the original film’s remarkable visual picture — the ghost of a young girl in a white dress with long black hair hiding her face — and found that it terrified viewers worldwide.
While it wasn’t as well-received as its predecessor, it boasts a passionate performance by a then-unknown Naomi Watts, and it served as a gateway to East Asian horror cinema for many.
5. Halloween (2007)
IMDB – 6.1
Halloween centers on Laurie Strode as the naïve victim turned into heroin, embracing the typical, contentious last female horror theme. The Babysitter Murders, as the film was originally titled, depicts Michael Meyers preying on teenage girls.
The plot centers around the final girl maintaining her moral purity by abstinence and sobriety, while those who participate in premarital sex and consume alcohol or drugs will perish at the hands of the killer – in this instance, the unsettlingly invincible Michael Meyers. The movie is one of the best horror movies and a definite watch.
6. Insidious (2010)
IMDB – 6.8
Although James Wan and Patrick Wilson collaborated on The Conjuring, they also collaborated on this paranormal thriller about a young child who goes into a coma and learns to channel a demonic spirit. Which makes the movie one of the best of horror movies of all time.
Wan also remarked that Insidious was intended to be a counterpoint to Saw’s unabashed brutality, which forced him to create something on a deeper spiritual level, and the end result is an excellent chiller with one of the finest jumps scares ever seen on film.
7. Sinister (2012)
IMDB – 6.8
For those who didn’t read the “scientific research” stated before, we’ve finally arrived to the picture that was named the scariest in it. The plot revolves around a true-crime writer (Ethan Hawke) who relocates his wife and children to a house where a family was killed, only to learn that the new home already has an evil occupant.
Writer C. Robert Cargill was said to have been inspired to write the script after having a nightmare after seeing The Ring, and the storyline does have a passing resemblance to that picture, what with the eerie snuff film perspective. The film is a must-see for all fans of terrifying horror films.
8. The Conjuring (2013)
IMDB – 7.5
With films like Saw, Dead Silence, Insidious, and this inspired-by-true-events chiller based on the experiences of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, James Wan has cemented his place among the current masters of horror.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga represented the Warrens, who are most known for their work on the bizarre case that spawned the Amityville Horror movies (which played a part in The Conjuring 2), and who grounded the excellent jump scare and freak-out moments with a genuine world-weariness. Wan and his co-stars discovered new fear in traditional genre cliches, resulting in a complex cinematic world that is only getting bigger.
9. IT (2017)
IMDB – 7.3
Clown phobia is a very genuine fear, even if announcing it has become so prevalent that it feels false. If you need any more proof, consider the box office success of IT, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, which broke The Exorcist’s 44-year record as the highest-grossing horror picture of all time.
Andy Muschietti’s big-budget remake used nostalgia to convey the narrative of traumatized youngsters, while Bill Skarsgard’s portrayal of Pennywise the wicked, shapeshifting clown was strange and scary in all the right ways.
10. Hereditary (2018)
IMDB – 7.3
Ari Aster’s feature directorial debut, a dark family drama on the nature of loss couched within a supernatural horror thriller, created a big splash.
Toni Collette’s slowly-ratcheted-up-to-11 portrayal as befuddled mother Annie won her a place in the pantheon of epic Oscar snubs, but the film’s biggest shock came courtesy of… We won’t give anything away here. To say the least, Hereditary struck such a chord with viewers that it immediately elevated. Which makes the movie one of the best horror movies to watch.
Some of the best horror movies to watch are mentioned above. These ten horror masterpieces will haunt you long after Halloween is over. Please give us your feedback in the comment section below, also let us know about your favorite horror movie.
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