Letterboxd 100 Best Horror Movies, a list by smccrack

8.5

/1051115/

83

/33745/

81

/15889/

4.2

/1656240/

93

/207/

94

/22400/

89

/34/

4.0

age 15+

During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.

90

8.5

/777755/

82

/14288/

84

/10724/

4.3

/1254034/

97

/118/

95

/10327/

97

/18/

4.0

age 14+

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

78

8.2

/518182/

81

/15670/

81

/7642/

4.3

/1160121/

85

/92/

92

/9668/

57

/13/

2.5

age 17+

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

83

7.8

/238250/

77

/5739/

75

/3142/

4.0

/226554/

98

/193/

90

/9767/

82

/30/

3.5

age 17+

When Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.

86

8.1

/727706/

78

/18212/

76

/11243/

3.9

/1545574/

97

/169/

91

/36180/

87

/21/

4.0

age 12+

When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.

82

7.8

/135494/

75

/3501/

75

/2230/

4.0

/181591/

92

/61/

90

/8033/

71

/14/

4.0

age 16+

During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

82

7.7

/35710/

74

/889/

74

/641/

4.1

/63362/

95

/57/

86

/615/

88

/17/

A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed.

72

7.5

/132801/

74

/4376/

73

/2616/

3.8

/281934/

89

/65/

85

/4212/

55

/15/

2.0

age 16+

American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.

87

8.6

/1695090/

85

/35873/

83

/17452/

4.3

/2662249/

95

/157/

95

/29659/

86

/20/

3.5

age 17+

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

75

7.4

/208866/

72

/5984/

73

/3668/

3.8

/821671/

84

/90/

82

/7269/

92

/18/

2.0

age 16+

Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way, they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.

85

7.8

/58179/

74

/1385/

75

/1072/

4.0

/122293/

98

/57/

87

/1148/

95

/16/

4.0

age 9+

Dr. Frankenstein and his monster both turn out to be alive after being attacked by an angry mob. The now-chastened scientist attempts to escape his past, but a former mentor forces him to assist with the creation of a new creature.

82

7.9

/22467/

76

/523/

77

/434/

4.2

/50771/

91

/46/

89

/336/

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.

77

7.5

/531088/

75

/21302/

72

/8073/

3.7

/1176939/

87

/240/

85

/31805/

73

/39/

3.0

age 16+

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.

78

7.2

/141527/

71

/3588/

73

/2664/

3.8

/493650/

87

/84/

82

/4766/

87

/15/

age 16+

First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.

73

7.3

/76411/

74

/2437/

72

/2232/

3.8

/128823/

71

/117/

80

/2380/

66

/12/

3.0

When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.

60

6.9

/152252/

70

/5580/

68

/2785/

3.5

/366520/

71

/55/

73

/3808/

56

/17/

0.5

age 18+

A hedonistic man finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons a group of gruesome beings known as the Cenobites. These otherworldly entities open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.

76

7.3

/193164/

74

/6914/

71

/3231/

3.5

/351210/

88

/80/

79

/5535/

79

/16/

3.0

age 13+

The Freelings' suburban home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a portal to the 'other side'. With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.

84

7.8

/122271/

74

/3080/

76

/2373/

3.8

/388587/

97

/74/

87

/2782/

4.0

age 13+

The mysterious Count Orlok summons a happily married real estate agent to his castle, located up in the Transylvanian mountains, to finalise a terrifying deal.

76

7.1

/77686/

72

/2526/

70

/1621/

3.8

/169610/

90

/127/

82

/2048/

73

/14/

3.0

Conducting clandestine experiments within the morgue at Miskatonic University, scientist Herbert West reveals to a fellow graduate student his groundbreaking work concerning the re-animation of fresh corpses.

88

8.0

/255211/

78

/6231/

78

/4233/

4.2

/522119/

97

/88/

87

/4057/

96

/16/

4.0

age 16+

A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.

65

7.1

/79035/

71

/2188/

70

/1343/

3.8

/101085/

61

/103/

75

/3325/

60

/13/

1.5

As the world is overrun by zombies, scientists and military personnel in an underground Florida bunker must decide on how they should deal with the undead.

82

7.8

/798797/

78

/48266/

76

/18433/

4.1

/3944850/

98

/403/

86

/6257/

85

/48/

3.0

age 15+

Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.

83

7.6

/43271/

73

/1032/

74

/871/

4.0

/94713/

96

/67/

85

/764/

4.0

Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.

76

7.4

/45375/

72

/945/

70

/696/

3.8

/60862/

87

/46/

82

/1135/

74

/10/

Dr. John Markway invites three distinct individuals to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Markway is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself — and they soon see the true nature of its horror.

78

7.4

/80170/

73

/2533/

72

/1259/

3.9

/158162/

93

/76/

82

/1379/

75

/15/

age 14+

The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth.

79

7.3

/115080/

73

/3820/

74

/3116/

3.9

/523745/

94

/64/

83

/3123/

79

/11/

An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.

72

7.1

/44001/

71

/1314/

69

/696/

3.6

/59717/

85

/26/

79

/1090/

70

/9/

2.5

After a tragic event happens, composer John Russell moves to Seattle to try to overcome it and build a new and peaceful life in a lonely big house that has been uninhabited for many years. But, soon after, the obscure history of such an old mansion and his own past begin to haunt him.

80

7.5

/104057/

73

/2890/

73

/1565/

4.0

/285112/

91

/69/

82

/2856/

87

/16/

age 15+

Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.

78

7.4

/287790/

74

/10216/

73

/5549/

3.7

/726673/

94

/70/

84

/16347/

76

/12/

age 17+

Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

79

8.2

/1130224/

81

/26682/

79

/12479/

4.1

/1207924/

86

/167/

90

/39164/

64

/35/

3.0

age 14+

Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.

78

7.4

/74882/

73

/1936/

72

/1311/

3.8

/83666/

93

/120/

89

/2318/

78

/30/

3.0

Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.

75

7.1

/19795/

70

/586/

74

/581/

3.7

/44118/

88

/24/

78

/356/

A vengeful witch, Asa Vajda, and her fiendish servant, Igor Jauvitch, return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch's beautiful look-alike descendant: Katia. Only a handsome doctor with the help of family members stand in her way.

86

8.0

/75435/

77

/1894/

79

/1722/

4.1

/204443/

96

/83/

89

/1670/

4.0

Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.

83

7.8

/149457/

75

/4043/

76

/2638/

3.9

/305402/

95

/82/

87

/6466/

89

/17/

3.5

age 17+

A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.

75

7.0

/346383/

68

/15502/

69

/7460/

3.8

/1370331/

91

/337/

61

/3946/

84

/46/

3.5

age 17+

In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways.

66

6.6

/29234/

67

/849/

66

/614/

3.5

/57963/

75

/16/

65

/735/

53

/7/

A group of people are trapped in a West Berlin movie theater infested with ravenous demons who proceed to kill and possess the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.

76

6.8

/267415/

67

/10730/

65

/6274/

3.3

/718686/

98

/249/

72

/3277/

86

/34/

3.5

age 15+

A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

78

7.7

/194292/

75

/6552/

75

/3373/

4.0

/410850/

88

/84/

89

/8053/

72

/18/

3.0

Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from "The Book of the Dead." As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda's body.

69

6.7

/26885/

67

/983/

64

/490/

3.4

/36407/

76

/41/

74

/1776/

66

/14/

age 17+

The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them.

66

5.9

/23049/

61

/993/

57

/574/

3.1

/17499/

85

/89/

50

/393/

71

/27/

3.5

The Parkers, reclusive people who cling to ancient customs, find their secret lives threatened when a torrential downpour and the death of the family matriarch forces daughters Iris and Rose to assume special responsibilities.

80

7.4

/225455/

73

/6792/

73

/4172/

3.9

/803048/

94

/81/

77

/8903/

86

/21/

3.5

age 15+

Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a dark and violent turn.

82

7.6

/60874/

73

/1239/

74

/1067/

3.9

/90112/

96

/70/

86

/1160/

91

/8/

Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.

77

7.1

/67843/

67

/1620/

69

/1148/

3.8

/121029/

93

/84/

76

/1355/

95

/27/

3.0

age 15+

While grieving a terrible loss, a married couple meet two mysterious sisters, one of whom gives them a message sent from the afterlife.

73

7.2

/111601/

71

/3684/

72

/2385/

3.9

/342287/

83

/60/

80

/2714/

58

/6/

As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

77

7.2

/268876/

71

/7925/

69

/4248/

3.6

/421881/

87

/187/

76

/12674/

71

/30/

4.0

age 18+

After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, cave-dwelling creatures. With rising tension and dwindling trust, the women must fight to survive against both the predators and each other.

83

7.6

/38558/

75

/1030/

76

/779/

3.9

/136374/

97

/60/

87

/670/

90

/9/