One of cinema’s most storied and successful genres, horror movies are intended to terrify, disgust, and unsettle their audience by their very nature. Accordingly, it’s a deeply ironic state of affairs that this often proves to be easier said than done in practice. Played-out genre tropes like jump scares, CGI monsters, and industrial amounts of gore will only go so far in terrifying a film’s audience, particularly when they have seen similar offerings before. Given the genre’s over-saturation of media, this has become an increasingly likely state of affairs.

Fortunately, in spite of the seemingly endless list of horror movie flops, this is not always the case. Every once in a while, a rare offering comes along; a film so terrifying that it will make its viewers never want to leave the house again. From blood-curdling monster movies to horror films where the heroes lose in devastating fashion, the genre’s scariest films have an innate ability to leave their viewers checking under the bed and leaving the lights on for the foreseeable future once the credits roll.

10

Barbarian (2022)

Directed By Zach Cregger

The feature film debut from director Zach Cregger, 2022’s Barbarian is unique in the sense that while it presents a terrifying viewing experience, it’s more likely to make viewers avoid rental properties as opposed to leaving their own homes. The film sees Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård’s charges accidentally double book the same AirBnB, blissfully unaware of the horrors that lurk in the building’s sinister basement.

Barbarian makes for invariably terrifying viewing, from the claustrophobic sequences depicting the exploration of the catacombs beneath the home to the nightmarish visage of the movie’s monstrous “Mother.” Beginning with a slow burn pace, the film steadily cultivates an aura of white-knuckle tension through unsettling imagery like doors opening in the middle of the night. Kicking into overdrive with the creature’s discovery, the end result is one of the more frightening monster movies in recent years.

9

Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (2013)

Directed By Fede Álvarez

A movie labeling itself as “The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience” may have seemed like hyperbole to many fans, but that’s exactly what Fede Álvarez set out to achieve with 2013’s Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Following a group of friends who are terrorized by demonic enтιтies at a secluded cabin, the director’s reboot offering wasn’t far off his initial promise. Sacrificing much of the franchise’s trademark black humor in favor of upping the scare factor to maximum levels, Alvarez’s finished product is an unholy triumph of a horror movie.

Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ’s blend of supremely graphic violence, heart-pounding jump scares, and disturbing source material is enough to tear even the most stoic viewers’ nerves to ribbons. A fast-paced horror movie that keeps viewers entertained and terrified in equal measure, the industrial amounts of gore and hellish demons that can be found in Alvarez’s outing have been prompting viewers to check their closets at night since it debuted more than a decade ago.

8

Insidious (2011)

Directed By James Wan

The brainchild of the mind behind The Conjuring Universe, James Wan’s Insidious is one of the more stressful viewing experiences that horror has to offer. Following a family whose young son is possessed by a malevolent demon, the 2010 horror is renowned for its laundry list of terrifying moments, seamlessly blending nerve-racking psychological horror with enough jump-scares to make a marble statue leap out of its skin.

The movie sees Wan expertly cultivate an atmosphere of nail-biting suspense, one that steadily builds in intensity across 101 petrifying minutes. Insidious’ horror factor is ramped up even further by the fact that the majority of the film’s horrors occur within the alleged safety of the Lambert family homes, replacing the aura of comfort and safety typically ᴀssociated with such dwellings with an unrelenting air of terror. Accordingly, Insidious can perhaps best be described as a terrifying horror movie that will make you never want to come home again.

7

The Thing (1982)

Directed By John Carpenter

Widely regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever made, John Carpenter’s The Thing is the rare example of an older horror film that remains just as scary as it did upon release, despite debuting almost half a century ago. Following a group of researchers as they are plagued by a predatory enтιтy capable of ᴀssuming its victims’ appearances, the 1982 outing’s timeless themes and meticulous design mean that it retains the fear factor that rendered it such a classic in the first place.

The quintessential cinematic case study in paranoia and suspense, The Thing’s central premise of a murderous creature capable of pᴀssing under one’s nose undetected is just as unnerving as it was in 1982. Speaking volumes to the inimitable talents of legendary practical effects artist, Rob Bottin, the creature’s hellish visage has also lost none of its terrifying aura, rubber-stamping the movie’s credentials as a uniquely disturbing outing that will make fans want to stay home.

6

Eden Lake (2008)

Directed By James Watkins

Placing a heavy emphasis on the alleged social decay ᴀssociated with “Broken Britain,” 2008’s Eden Lake sees Kelly Reilly and Michael Fᴀssbender star as a young couple on holiday in the English countryside, who find themselves lost and hunted through the woods by a gang of murderous youths. While the movie’s subject matter is a far cry from British reality, the sheer horrors endured by the movie’s leading duo are likely more than enough to put paid to any upcoming holiday plans that viewers might have had.

Eden Lake’s brutal atmosphere of visceral authenticity is compounded by the realistic nature of our heroes’ plight. While England is not widely patrolled by gangs of bloodthirsty hoodlums, there’s nothing implausible about the suffering on display in James Watkins’ lauded outing, leading to a terrifyingly relatable viewing experience. Throw in one of the most desolating endings of all time, and this underrated outing could contentiously be British cinema’s most upsetting horror movie.

5

The Descent (2005)

Directed By Neil Marshall

A front-runner in the debate over the greatest horror movie of the 2000s, Neil Marshall’s The Descent has been scaring its viewers silly since debuting in 2005. Chronicling the unenviable plight of a trapped caving expedition as they are set upon in the subterranean gloom by predatory humanoids known as “crawlers,” The Descent’s claustrophobic setting and the predicament the trapped group finds themselves in already makes for a living hell long before the monsters first appear.

Utilizing some of the greatest jump scares that the genre has to offer, The Descent’s use of this played out trope is meticulously implemented in a manner that never feels repeтιтive or forced. The crawlers’ horrifying appearance and erratic movements render them live-action nightmare fuel, a state of affairs that remains unchanged nearly two decades after the film was initially released. If one is to leave the house after watching The Descent, it certainly won’t be to go caving.

4

It Follows (2014)

Directed By David Robert Mitchell

A criminally underrated staple of modern horror, 2014’s It Follows revolves around a Sєxually transmitted curse, one that sees the infected relentlessly pursued by an implacable supernatural enтιтy. Featuring Longlegs star Maika Monroe in the leading role, It Follows was widely acclaimed, with many critics labeling it as the rare example of a quality horror movie that was still capable of scaring its viewers half to death.

Intensely atmospheric and unrelentingly eerie, David Robert Mitchell’s picture is creepiest when it depicts the various forms of the movie’s monster. The director gleefully uses every upsetting piece of imagery in the book, from the naked man on Jay’s roof to the gargantuan, black-eyed form that the creature takes when invading the safety of her home. A nuanced testament to the importance of safe Sєx, It Follows is scary enough to make audiences nail their doors shut and never leave the house again.

3

Hereditary (2018)

Directed By Ari Aster

One of the most blood-curdling horror movies in recent memory, Ari Aster’s Hereditary presents an anomaly in the sense that it’s more likely to leave viewers never wanting to return to their family home again. The modern horror virtuoso’s feature film debut chronicles the abhorrent experiences of a family following the death of their mysterious grandmother, with Aster producing what is likely the most terrifying family drama of all time.

From Charlie’s decapitation to Steve’s immolation, Hereditary’s scariest scenes hit home harder than usual because of the intimate bonds between family, adding an extra layer of emotional devastation to proceedings. Of course, that’s not to say that Aster skimps on more traditional methods of eliciting fear. The scenes revealing nightmarish figures lurking in the shadows number among the more unnerving moments that modern horror has to offer, made all the more terrifying by their location in the purported safety of the Graham family home.

2

The Exorcist (1973)

Directed By William Friedkin

A watershed moment for the horror genre and wider popular culture, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that cinema had never witnessed anything quite like 1973’s The Exorcist. Chronicling a pair of priests’ desperate attempts to save a young girl’s soul from demonic possession, William Friedkin’s offering is one of the most influential and celebrated horror movies of all time, serving to legitimize the genre after years of derision from critics.

In addition to its many accolades, it doesn’t hurt that The Exorcist retains its status as one of the most unnerving and terrifying horror movies ever conceived. Regan MacNeil’s possessed visage has lost none of its terrifying aura, to say nothing of the disturbing scenes depicting the girl spider walking down the stairs or puking industrial amounts of green bile. Highlighting this state of affairs, vomiting and fainting were common occurrences throughout the film’s theatrical run, with rarer reports of miscarriages and spiritual crises also brought on by its harrowing subject matter.

1

Sinister (2012)

Directed By Scott Derrickson

A horrific tour de force from Scott Derrickson, 2012’s Sinister follows Ethan Hawke’s Elliot Oswalt. A true crime author looking for fresh inspiration, the movie sees Oswalt’s family tormented by the demon Bughuul after moving into a house that has witnessed an array of gruesome murders over the years. Loaded with carefully selected jump scares and petrifying visuals, the acclaimed horror has a reputation for reducing grown adults to emotional puddles.

Sinister is a front-runner for the scariest horror movie ever made, a label that is backed up by legitimate science. Using heart rates as a metric, the Science of Scare Project has reaffirmed the supernatural horror as the most frightening movie of all time, despite briefly losing top spot to 2020’s Host. Literally every aspect of this nerve-jangling picture is designed to make viewers jump into bed and pull the covers up to their eyes, from the appalling snuff films depicting the murders to the nightmarish appearance of Bughuul himself.