Title |
Year |
Rating |
Rank |
Review |
Conjuring, The | 2013 | 90 | 1 | - James Wan's best horror flick yet! |
Exorcist, The | 1973 | 90 | 1 | - In my estimation, the greatest horror flick of all time. |
The Visit | 2015 | 90 | 1 | - From the director branded by his famous plot twists and showing us things that aren't what they really seem, how's this for a twist? An underdog film from a household name director that's been in a slump recently that is genuinely unsettling yet riveting, creepy yet human, and terrifying yet sincere. |
You're Next | 2011 | 90 | 1 | - Nothing short of a cinematic roller coaster, the twists, for plenty of them there are, are fast and unpredictable and it's all over before you want it to be. |
Cabin in the Woods, The | 2011 | 88 | 5 | - A funny, thrtilling horror flick that turns the genre on its head? What's not to love? |
Dark Skies | 2013 | 88 | 5 | - It's Paranormal Activity with an extraterrestrial twist. The funny thing is that it works pretty well. And even as it gives away the end in the beginning, 'Dark Skies' saves one last surprise that it pulls off with decent success. |
Don't Breathe | 2016 | 88 | 5 | - 'Don't Breathe' seems to almost toy with your senses as plot twist after plot twist ratchets up the tension! |
Aliens | 1986 | 87 | 8 | - From its scope to its imagination to its just overall sense of purpose, James Cameron's sequel is SO much better than Ridley Scott's first installment. |
Blair Witch Project, The | 1999 | 87 | 8 | - Absolutely terrifying. |
Cloverfield | 2008 | 87 | 8 | - One of the first mainstream films to popularize the found film genre. |
Dawn of the Dead | 2004 | 87 | 8 | - Zack Snyder's recreation of Romero's classic is a thing of beauty. It is the original only more vivid. The zombies are scarier, the characters are cookier, and the battle plan for survival doesn't deviate into the looney. Even the intermittent comedy hits better. |
Friday the 13th (1980) | 1980 | 87 | 8 | - The original is deliberate with its sense of fright. It's not in it for cheap thrills and frills, it's genuinely creepy. |
Shining, The | 1980 | 87 | 8 | - It's a mind-melting horror show, and might've been darn near perfect had it been about 30 minutes shorter. |
Silence of the Lambs, The | 1991 | 87 | 8 | - It's rare that a thriller is, at the same time, both genuinely creepy and compelling. Ultimately, that's what makes The Silence of the Lambs special. |
V/H/S/2 | 2013 | 87 | 8 | - It's the first V/H/S only more refined. The end result? A pretty spectacular homage to both the found film and horror genres. |
Zombieland | 2009 | 87 | 8 | - Even if you could dream up a dark, post-apocalyptic, zombie COMEDY, I guarantee you it wouldn't be as good as Zombieland. Because nothing is. |
World War Z | 2013 | 86 | 17 | - 'Z's' real triumph is creating a truly global, realistic view of a virtually apocalyptic event. The only irony is that the novel the film is based on did it even better. |
American Psycho | 2000 | 85 | 18 | - A really, really, really well done film. In fact, it may be OVER done. We could've lived without the "questioning reality" side of the story. It's commentary on greed, superficialness, and intimacy are enough. |
Paranormal Activity | 2007 | 85 | 18 | - This is the next landmark film in the evolution of the horror genre. |
Saw | 2004 | 85 | 18 | - Saw wants to be a commentary on society, but it doesn't need to go that far. Just be happy with having a sick S.O.B. who wants to terrorize largely innocent people for illogical reasons. It's been the key to success for countless horror classics. Why mess with the formula? |
Shaun of the Dead | 2004 | 85 | 18 | - It's not just a great zombie-laden comedy. This is one of the smartest, funniest satires to come out since the turn of the century. |
Sixth Sense, The | 1999 | 85 | 18 | - The final plot twist (you KNOW the one I'm talking about) goes right up there with Vader telling Luke who his father is. |
Goodnight Mommy | 2015 | 84 | 23 | - One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. |
Take Shelter | 2011 | 84 | 23 | - While the apocalypse angle will be the main pull for prospective audiences, its the film's honest, raw depiction of a family struggling with mental illness that makes it so unforgettable. |
The Descent | 2005 | 84 | 23 | - 'The Descent' wants you to believe it's not sticking to the same, tired formula. There are no buffoon-like jocks, and it's female characters aren't of the slutty variety. But what 'The Descent' realizes is that it needs some of that old formula to work. There are monsters, check. There's plenty of cheap "jump scenes", check. And the women, even as supposedly experienced splunkers, make profoundly stupid decisions in order for the story to work. If it sounds, like I'm knocking the film, I'm not. I'm just saying the world hasn't been proven to be round here. Here's to "breaking new ground", ladies. |
The Strangers | 2008 | 84 | 23 | - It's scary, yes, but even more so it's just very, very dark. There never seems to be any real hope of getting out alive for the poor protagonist and thus the whole movie feels like a morbid countdown to their inevitable doom. |
Tucker and Dale vs Evil | 2010 | 84 | 23 | - Practically out of nowhere, this comedy that spoofs slasher films with uncommon wit is an absolute riot. |
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | 1984 | 83 | 28 | - A classic horror film. There's something about Freddy's fatalistic zingers you just can't help but to love. |
An American Werewolf in London | 1981 | 83 | 28 | - A pretty straightforward horror story that incorporates elements of many horror subgenres and spiced with a healthy dose of comedy. |
Evil Dead (2013) | 2013 | 83 | 28 | - An interesting redo of a horror genre staple. |
Green Room | 2016 | 83 | 28 | - So it turns out white supremacists manufacturing drugs under the watchful eye of a cult-like leader are not the most wonderful people. Who knew? |
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later | 1998 | 83 | 28 | - Steve Miner's turn on the Halloween sequel train is a fun ride. More importantly, though, it stays true to the spirit of both the film franchise and the holiday. |
Jurassic Park | 1993 | 83 | 28 | - Fans of the book will be dismayed by some of the altered plot points, but overall a nice adaptation. |
Jurassic World | 2015 | 83 | 28 | - Easily the best of the 'Jurassic Park' franchise since the original. |
Paranormal Activity 3 | 2011 | 83 | 28 | - As far as the franchise go, PA3 is equal parts creative reinvention and same old ish. Though, to be honest, the third installment reinstills a palpable creepiness level. |
Dawn of the Dead | 1978 | 82 | 36 | - This was the genre's first look at not only trying to SURVIVE a zombie apocalypse, but LIVE in one. This is Romero's 'David'. |
Scream | 1996 | 82 | 36 | - The no-frills teens slasher knows what its about and doesn't deviate from a solid concept. It's a low-risk, moderate-reward plan that leads to glass-ceiling success. |
The Hitcher | 2007 | 82 | 36 | - The remake of a thriller into more of a slasher/horror prospect is in an interesting concept. And this sub-90-minute film works in its own little world. |
Final Destination (2000) | 2000 | 81 | 39 | - It's a very, very intriguing premise held back only by some less-than-stellar filmmaking. |
Hostel | 2005 | 81 | 39 | - The only thing holding back Eli Roth's gore-a-palooza is the constant barrage of oversimplistic stereotypes. There are no characters here, but rather a series of judgments in human form. |
Hostel: Part II | 2007 | 81 | 39 | - If you liked the first one, you won't have a problem with the second. Considering Part II is the same story with different characters, that's about as much praise as the film can hope for. |
Orphan | 2009 | 81 | 39 | - Thoroughly unsettling. |
Ring, The | 2002 | 81 | 39 | - Like the constant presence of seeping water, you're eventually soaked in fear which leaves you with a queasy feeling as the credits roll. |
Scream 2 | 1997 | 81 | 39 | - The second installment steers the franchise into a surreal |
The Conjuring 2 | 2016 | 81 | 39 | - Can't quite live up to the original, but much better than 'Annabelle'. |
What We Do in the Shadows | 2014 | 81 | 39 | - A very, very funny mockumentary! |
Wrong Turn | 2003 | 81 | 39 | - A conventional slasher. The only people allowed to be upset with this film are probably the Department of Tourism in Greenbrier County, WV. |
Ghostbusters | 2016 | 80 | 48 | - A solid reincarnation of a beloved franchise. |
King Kong (1933) | 1933 | 80 | 48 | - For it's time, it's nothing short of wonderous. |
Rosemary's Baby | 1968 | 80 | 48 | - It's more "creepy" than it is "downright scary". |
Scream 4 | 2011 | 80 | 48 | - The sort of |
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) | 1974 | 80 | 48 | - Tobe Hooper's vision lays down the architecture for the modern crop of slashers so perfectly that, even without anything else, it would be enough to turn this slasher into something of an icon. |
Train to Busan | 2016 | 80 | 48 | - The end product is a solid, if not occasionally overacted, addition to the zombie genre. |
Black Christmas | 2006 | 79 | 54 | - People can hate on this movie all they want -- and they will -- but I have no problem with it. In fact, dare I say it, I even kind of like it. |
Grizzly | 2015 | 79 | 54 | - As far as apex predator horror/thriller flicks go, there are far worse renditions out there. |
Jaws | 1975 | 79 | 54 | - It depends on how you view it, quite frankly. A thriller? A compelling one, to be sure. But a true horror? Well, let's just say it's not as big of a fish as it thinks it is. |
The Purge: Election Year | 2016 | 79 | 54 | - The best 'Purge' yet. |
All The Boys Love Mandy Lane | 2013 | 78 | 58 | - A functional little slasher with some fresh new elements. |
Evil Dead, The (1981) | 1981 | 78 | 58 | - Some parts are brilliant. Others are eye-rollingly tacky. |
It Follows | 2014 | 78 | 58 | - Genuinely unsettling. |
The Omen | 1976 | 78 | 58 | - The most frustrating aspect of The Omen is the amount of potential that it doesn't quite live up to. |
The Purge: Anarchy | 2014 | 78 | 58 | - Far and away better than the original. |
10 Cloverfield Lane | 2016 | 77 | 63 | - Inside the fallout shelter lay a wonderfully thrilling story. Psychological in a cabin fever sort of way, clostrophobic as three virtual strangers are forced into confinement with one another, and eerily twisted like a Hitchcock great. Then she pops the lid, runs from aliens, and everything we go through suddenly feels a bit more silly. |
Carrie (1976) | 1976 | 77 | 63 | - The first half is almost a teen drama. It's in the second half of 'Carrie' that you really get your money's worth. |
Halloween (1978) | 1978 | 77 | 63 | - John Carpenter's Hallow's Eve tale proves to be a clinic on slow, methodical build-up, but I'm not sure the payoff is really there. |
Halloween II (1981) | 1981 | 77 | 63 | - A functional sequel. A 'Halloween 2' in every essence of the phrase. |
Poltergeist | 1982 | 77 | 63 | - Gorier than it is genuinely scary, Poltergeist should be remembered as the modern start to the paranormal horror subgenre. |
Psycho | 1960 | 77 | 63 | - It's value isn't necessarily what is on the screen so much as what it has inspired since. |
Saw II | 2005 | 77 | 63 | - Once again showing no interest in how the police might actually behave in stopping Jigsaw, Saw II is all about the forced brilliance of its villain. Jigsaw -- AKA John -- is a genius. But mostly because everyone else is really, really stupid. |
The Lazarus Effect | 2015 | 77 | 63 | - I enjoyed it and didn't even need DMT. So sue me. |
Thing, The | 1982 | 77 | 63 | - Scarier than the alien that wants so desperately to become them is everyone's willingness to submit authority to a boozing helicopter pilot when things go awry. |
Children of the Corn | 1984 | 76 | 72 | - As with almost all Stephen King tales, a solid, simple, scary plot has to go supernatural an force you to roll your eyes. |
Hills Have Eyes (2006) | 2006 | 76 | 72 | - The film is like a dinner at Chili's. It has everything you came for, but nothing is exactly "gourmet". |
Mama | 2013 | 76 | 72 | - Mired in such a been-there-done-that genre, it's actually SOMEWHAT original. That is, until it takes what I can only assume to be the dark alternate ending to Casper The Friendly Ghost. |
Thing, The (2011) | 2011 | 76 | 72 | - A marginally-successful reboot. |
Cabin Fever | 2003 | 75 | 76 | - It's your standard-issue teen scream. All the textbook characters are there as well as the formulaic plot. Like the Honda Odyssey of horror flicks. You won't brag about it, but it'll get you where you want to go. |
Fly, The | 1986 | 75 | 76 | - It's more a sci-fi misadventure then it is a horror. It's An American Werewolf in London meets Back To The Future |
Hills Have Eyes II (2007) | 2007 | 75 | 76 | - It's not nearly as bad as the original sequel, but it's far from being groundbreaking, either. |
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension | 2015 | 75 | 76 | - Some wooden acting and obvious 3D gimmicks aside, it's a palpable addition to the popular franchise. |
The Devil's Rejects | 2005 | 75 | 76 | - Gun to my head, 'House of 1,000 Corpses' is a little better. |
Scream 3 | 2000 | 74 | 81 | - At a basic, conceptual level, this movie is an exact clone of the second. |
Black Swan | 2010 | 73 | 82 | - Sort of plays like a choppy music video, rife with innuendo and insinuations. It's rather easy to delve into the mind of a crazy person and call it art. |
Creep | 2014 | 73 | 82 | - It's a fun little bare-bones horror, but let's be honest: Mark Duplass is not your serial killer. While he brings the only star power that will attract you to the movie, he himself belongs nowhere near a movie entitled 'Creep'. |
Hills Have Eyes (1977) | 1977 | 73 | 82 | - While the story overall is better constructed than the remake(s), these hill people just are too human to be truly scary. |
Killer Joe | 2011 | 73 | 82 | - As messy as a bloodied piece of K Fried C. |
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones | 2014 | 73 | 82 | - Does it have all the pieces it needs? Yeah, sure, fine. But this is the first installment where even I, fan boy numero uno of the franchise, began to wonder 'haven't we had enough?'. That, and by validating the end to the fourth movie, they made this ending even more ridiculous. |
V/H/S | 2012 | 73 | 82 | - It's a haunted house of a film: full of spine-tingling thrills....and not even a shred of a cohesive story to tie everything together. |
Sleepy Hollow | 1999 | 72 | 88 | - The frustrating thing here is that Tim Burton can't help but to put his own little twist on a classic story. Everything feels a little less scary "Burton-ized". |
House at the End of the Street | 2012 | 71 | 89 | - It's Hitchcock-ian twists are fun, but the level of material is clearly only satisfactory. |
Paranormal Activity 4 | 2012 | 71 | 89 | - How many times can the same basic premise be redone without it feeling redundant? The steps the fourth installment takes to try and be different delve into the depths of obsurdity, but it's still worth the price of admission. |
Prom Night | 2008 | 71 | 89 | - Though not a remake in the traditional sense (the 1980 'Prom Night' has a different plot entirely), THIS 'Prom Night' steals unapologetically from successful horror films of the past. So while it is wholly unoriginal, it is undeniably functional. |
The Voices | 2015 | 71 | 89 | - Is it comedy? Is it a thriller? Is it a drama? I honestly don't know. But more importantly, I don't think the cast and crew do, either. |
31 | 2016 | 70 | 93 | - Not Rob Zombie's best, but definitely not his worst. |
Clown | 2015 | 70 | 93 | - Similar to 'Krampus' in that it spins its horror yarn off old world folk tales while splashing some comedy on the horror subject, 'Clown' is a satisfactory product. |
Goosebumps | 2015 | 70 | 93 | - Capturing the nostalgia some of us have for the 'Goosebumps' books buys it some good will but it's not enough to overlook the fact much of the films shtick is sorely overplayed. |
Krampus | 2015 | 70 | 93 | - A horror/comedy that also tries to tug on the heart strings can only work so well. |
Mist, The (2007) | 2007 | 70 | 93 | - Frank Darabont's film adaptation of Stephen King's novella is more concerned with the beasts within. The monsters in the mist aren't nearly as scary as the monsters inside the grocery store once everything turns all 'Lord of the Flies'. |
Oculus | 2014 | 70 | 93 | - The story quickly spins out of control, flipping interchangably and relentlessly between reality and hallucinations until I'm not sure even the cast and crew themselves no exactly what is real. |
Planet Terror | 2007 | 70 | 93 | - It's the sort of cult action horror thriller with go-for-broke ridiculousness that will leave hipster everywhere pitching tents in their pants. |
The Shallows | 2016 | 70 | 93 | - For every moment where 'The Shallows' comes off as a smart, true-to-form survivalist tale there's another moment where it reaches for the incredulous. |
Unfriended | 2015 | 70 | 93 | - While it gets points for originality, it just doesn't really work. |
Poltergeist | 2015 | 69 | 102 | - While it ups the horror ante from the original, it is almost a story point by story point facsimile of the original. Which begs the obvious question...why would you not just watch the original? |
Halloween (2007 Rob Zombie remake) | 2007 | 68 | 103 | - Rob Zombie's ambitious attempt to remake this classic is a work of pure genious. As in, it takes some sort of brilliant genius to make a slasher that will frustrate mainstream audiences and horror afficionados equally. |
Paranormal Activity 2 | 2010 | 68 | 103 | - If the original were a video game, this one would be an expansion pack rather than a full-fledged sequel. |
The Conspiracy | 2012 | 68 | 103 | - If this were a college film project, it'd probably get an 'A'. As it is though, with it's film school-esque rawness, it's no more than slightly above average. Entertaining, yes. Captivating, yes. But rough around the edges? Way too much so. |
Regression | 2015 | 67 | 106 | - I guess we weren't supposed to see the obvious twist coming? |
Suspiria | 1977 | 67 | 106 | - It's like a well-intentioned student film. The production value leaves something to be desired, but you appreciate the effort. |
Frankenstein | 1931 | 65 | 108 | - It has that silliness that comes along with many older movies, but if you're looking for a horror flick chock-full of classic Halloween spirit, it's hard to beat this one. |
The Witch | 2015 | 65 | 108 | - Humanity's capacity for paranoia is the real villain here. |
Devil's Due | 2014 | 64 | 110 | - Devil's Due is Paranormal Activity meets Rosemary's Baby. That is to say, one way or another, it's all been done before. But just because it goes down the path of a lowly retread doesn't mean the tension or fear isn't real or, at times, even palpable. |
I Am Legend | 2007 | 62 | 111 | - So you're telling me if you're the last man on earth you're bound to go a little crazy? Wow, who knew? |
Tusk | 2014 | 62 | 111 | - Kevin Smith's understated parody plays more like an inside joke. By the time chuckles turn into genuine laughter, 'Tusk' is nearly over. |
Night of the Living Dead | 1968 | 61 | 113 | - The original zombie flick. It's pretty obvious how this film unearthed (pun intended) our love for the undead. |
Alien | 1979 | 60 | 114 | - Even if you can forgive the first half of the movie essentially being build-up, the pace is just brutally tedious. No me gusta for a sci-fi horror flick. |
28 Days Later | 2002 | 59 | 115 | - It's ironic that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's infected humans are adrenaline-packed, raging monsters, because they are cast amidst a rather slow-moving world, and in a movie that never really takes off. |
Final Destination 3 | 2006 | 59 | 115 | - Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Amanda Crew bring some much-needed competent acting to the franchise, but the story has the structural integrity of swiss cheese. |
Final Destination 5 | 2011 | 59 | 115 | - It's actually a noticeable comeback from the travesty that was 'The Final Destination', but let's be honest: this franchise would still be better off just stopping. |
Annabelle | 2014 | 58 | 118 | - Definitely a major let down coming off 'The Conjuring' |
Final Destination 2 | 2003 | 58 | 118 | - It's the first movie all over again, just with much shoddier execution. |
28 Weeks Later | 2007 | 57 | 120 | - Not the best post-apocalypse movie ever, but it will entertain you through the run time. |
Audition | 2000 | 57 | 120 | - What's Japanese for "bitches be crazy"? |
Saw IV | 2007 | 54 | 122 | - What started off as a movie franchise about social philosophy shrouded in sheer horror has devolved into almost every relevant character suffering cheap deaths in order for the story to escape the unfathomably numerous plotholes it's left behind. |
Silent House | 2011 | 53 | 123 | - Films like these feel so incomplete when the credits roll. Elizabeth Olsen was also in Martha Marcy May Marlene, and you won't be able to help yourself in comparing the two films. |
Videodrome | 1983 | 52 | 124 | - 'Videodrome' could've easily been renamed 'Supreme Irony', since afterall in discovering some weird version of plotless torture porn, it itself becomes just that. |
The Green Inferno | 2015 | 51 | 125 | - Quite frankly, this is a bit of a disappointment coming out from Eli Roth. |
Insidious | 2010 | 50 | 126 | - I can only wonder what damaging photos Hollywood execs had of Rose Byrne to coerce into doing this movie. |
Insidious Chapter 2 | 2013 | 50 | 126 | - The only thing different in Chapter 2 is Insidious no longer tries to hide being nothing more than 'Poltergeist' fan fiction. |
Purge, The | 2013 | 50 | 126 | - A word to the wise: horror flicks that want to have moral lessons just don't work. |
Insidious Chapter 3 | 2015 | 49 | 129 | - Definitely weaker than the first two. |
Saw III | 2006 | 49 | 129 | - A profoundly disappointing addition to the franchise. |
Alien 3 | 1992 | 48 | 131 | - Such a letdown compared to Scott's and Cameron's films. Fincher does virtually nothing different and fails to keep your attention to boot. |
As Above, So Below | 2014 | 48 | 131 | - It all feels very artificial and forced right up until it's preposterous ending. |
Underworld: Awakening | 2012 | 48 | 131 | - The best part of this movie was the soundtrack. Skip the film and listen to that. |
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | 2012 | 47 | 134 | - The really out there premise is no longer an excuse for a movie failing to deliver. We've seen it work. It certainly doesn't here. |
Alien Resurrection | 1997 | 47 | 134 | - It took four movies for Ripley, in some form, to make it to Earth, but the last quarter was probably the worst part of the ride. |
Grudge, The (2004) | 2004 | 47 | 134 | - The fear builds at an unbelievably slow pace and, just as you think the film is getting somewhere, the horror dissipates as slowly as it rose. |
The Haunting | 1963 | 47 | 134 | - The Haunting's real success is its dialogue, which is strange, because that should never be the strength given its genre. |
Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013) | 2013 | 46 | 138 | - The frustrating thing is that it's plausbile, ambitious even, until, like most modern day slashers, it devolves into something completely ludicrous on several fronts. |
Lords of Salem, The | 2013 | 43 | 139 | - Listen, we all know Rob Zombie is a hit-or-miss director. Unfortunately for us this year, 'Lords' is a decisive miss. |
Drag Me to Hell | 2009 | 41 | 140 | - Alison Lohman can't act even if her life were ACTUALLY in jeopardy, and 'Drag Me To Hell' offers more laughs at its own expense than it does legitimate chills. |
Final Destination, The (part 4) (2009) | 2009 | 41 | 140 | - It's not Final Destination 4, it's THE Final Destination. As in, THE worst Final Destination. It's just that definitive. |
Halloween II (2009) | 2009 | 41 | 140 | - A memorably bad sequel. |
Piranha (2010) | 2010 | 40 | 143 | - Is it utterly ridiculous? Without a doubt. But like a misbehaving puppy, there's something about it's shamelessness you can't help but to love. |
Haunted House, A | 2013 | 39 | 144 | - Some jokes hit, others miss, others still miss badly. It's the mainstream, halfwit parody you assumed it was. |
Zombeavers | 2014 | 39 | 144 | - Bad....like a glorious train wreck. |
Piranha DD (2012) | 2012 | 35 | 146 | - The thing that made the first one work at least marginally was that, like a misbehaving puppy, you couldn't stay mad at it with all its shortcomings. Here, in the sequel, the charm is less so. |
Saw V | 2008 | 34 | 147 | - This will be the last Saw movie I see. I'm sorry, I can't do it any more. I'm honestly surprised they can still drum up actors for these money-making travesties. |
Evil Dead II | 1987 | 31 | 148 | - Awful. Just absolutely awful. |
Resident Evil: Retribution | 2012 | 25 | 149 | - Horrifically awful. With each sequel, this franchise redefines just what rock bottom is. |
Cabin Fever | 2016 | 24 | 150 | - Practically a shot-for-shot regurgitation of a good-not-great horror flick that is only 13 years old. Utterly useless. |