Horror exists on a spectrum. There is the prestige, elevated fine art of horror seen in movies like The Shining and Hereditary; the gross-out splatter horror of Dead Alive and Evil Dead; the psychologically twisted horror of Audition and Repulsion; the body horror of Videodrome and Tetsuo: The Iron Man; the horror comedy wonder of Young Frankenstein and Bubba Ho-Tep; the silly old-school classics like Them! and The Blob; and the important, all-time greats like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween. But for many people, as great as these films are, they aren’t genuinely scary.
Of course, there is also a spectrum of horror viewers. For many people, The Exorcist or The Thing are downright terrifying, but then again, many people are disturbed by Courage the Cowardly Dog. If you’re a seasoned horror fan, having built up a tolerance and become desensitized by years of gore, then it takes something very specific to scare you. However, there needs to be something more than just nasty, sick, morally reprehensible content likely found beneath the Disturbing Movie Iceberg; ‘scary’ and ‘disgusting’ are not directly correlated.
Thus, without sinking into the soul-sick depravity of A Serbian Film, Slaughtered Vomit Dolls, or others, for your viewing terror, here are 20 horror movies that are genuinely, actually scary.
‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ (2016)
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a scary film on many levels. The film stars Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as a father/son coroner team who are given the body of a mysterious woman to perform an autopsy on. They shortly discover that this body is something far greater and more horrific than they could expect. What begins as a traditional procedural turns into a haunted horror show as the men start to see terrifying visions that make them question their sanity.
Alone in a Room With An Unspeakable Evil
The major twist in the movie about what exactly the body is will leave a lasting impression on viewers days after they watch it. The setting of a morgue is unsettling enough, but as the night unwinds and things get more sinister, audiences will be glued to their seats through a series of frights.
‘[Rec]’ (2007)
The found-footage genre is often seen as oversaturated, yet there are still stand-outs that continue to push the genre in exciting ways, such as Creep and the V/H/S franchise (depending on the segment). Perhaps the scariest found-footage horror film (outside the mostly gruesome and gross Cannibal Holocaust) is [REC], an excellent Spanish horror film from 2007.
The film follows a TV news reporter (played by the real-life television host Manuela Velasco) as she and a cameraman film a local fire station for a slice-of-life report on their daily lives. However, their documentary turns horrific when a routine call to an apartment building turns out to be ground zero for a deadly zombie-like infection. Mastering the art of the jump scare and tapping into the full potential of found footage, [REC] is legitimately terrifying. The movie also spun off into a franchise with some diminishing returns, though [Rec] 2 still brings the scares in abundance.
‘The Descent’ (2005)
The Descent, director Neil Marshall’s perfect follow-up to the phenomenal action-horror flick Dog Soldiers, lives up to its title by descending into an almost literal hell. A cavernous abyss filled with monsters doubles as an allegory for a woman’s psychology. The film has a quick, excellent, and intense beginning opening with a ghastly premonition that teases the horrors that await the protagonist and her fellow spelunkers in depth.
Unspeakable Horrors Lying in the Depths
A bloody, relentless movie, The Descent is brimming with shocking moments and true horror artistry. Those who are claustrophobic will undoubtedly be put on edge by the tight spaces with cannibalistic creatures waiting to pick off each cave diver as they desperately try to seek a way out. The movie has two endings, with the first one considered too bleak for American audiences; watch the original version if you can.
‘Hereditary’ (2018)
In his directorial debut, Ari Aster quickly established himself as one of the horror genre’s most talented newcomers. His cinematic triumph, Hereditary, follows a grieving family terrorized by a malevolent presence after its mysterious matriarch passes away. The sinister picture is unsettling from the beginning, and Aster doesn’t shy away from inducing unease and an intense sense of dread that sticks with audiences throughout the film.
Ari Aster’s Explosive Debut
Toni Collette delivers one of the most phenomenal performances of her career, and Hereditary examines parental fears and complex family dynamics in the intense flick. Those brave enough to sit through the intense movie will never look at nut allergies and car rides quite the same again. The film even traumatized the cast, with actor Alex Wolff saying the work took an emotional toll on him.
‘The Strangers’ (2008)
Nothing is more terrifying than a strange knock at the door late at night. The Strangers perfectly taps into that fear. Centered around a young couple in a remote cabin, their picturesque existence is disrupted when three masked assailants attack them. These kills are not for any religious or personal reasons; the couple is only targeted for the simple fact that they were home and the killers wanted to.
Home Invasion Horror
The Strangers is a nihilistic film that leaves little hope but only dread and terror. Anyone who chooses to watch this one will want to make sure they are not home alone and lock their doors just to be safe. The movie did spin off into two sequels, but the original is by far the most terrifying experience, capturing the paranoia of an unwarranted home invasion with extreme intensity.
‘They Look Like People’ (2016)
Written and directed by Perry Blackshear with his usual cast (Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andrews, Margaret Ying Drake), They Look Like People is a real outlier. Though it’s a beautiful study of friendship and mental illness, it also has some of the most unsettling imagery and moments in recent horror, from an almost subliminally horrifying beginning to sudden bursts of terror.
Mounting Paranoia Between Two Friends
Following two friends who reunite after some time, one suffering from either a bad breakup or a psychotic episode, They Look Like People digs deep into insecurity and paranoia as it grows between the two friends till one’s delusions of shadowy figures take over the other. As an audience aware of what is happening, it is a truly terrifying decline to watch.
‘Goodnight Mommy’ (2014)
In the Austrian psychological horror film Goodnight Mommy, ten-year-old twin brothers Elias and Lukas begin to suspect the woman claiming to be their mother might be an impostor after she returns to their remote lake house after undergoing intense cosmetic facial surgery. The siblings become progressively uncertain and frightened as their mother’s behavior and personality completely change, and the tension keeps building and building as the movie works towards its jaw-dropping climax.
A Family Broken Down
Goodnight Mommy left viewers squirming in their seats with its deeply disquieting atmosphere and extremely graphic visuals of torture and violence. The terror-fueled ride will undoubtedly stick with audiences long after the final credits have rolled. Goodnight Mommy is a great starting point for those wanting to expand their horizons with international horror.
‘Evil Dead Rise’ (2023)
Widely considered to be the most terrifying entry in the enduring horror franchise, Evil Dead Rise abandons much of the signature humor found in previous installments and instead sets out to tell a truly traumatizing story full of endlessly disturbing imagery and relentless blood and gore. The film focuses on estranged sisters Beth ( Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) as they are forced to set aside their differences and fight for their lives against the demonic entities known as Deadites.
A Truly Traumatizing Horror Sequel
Evil Dead Rise feels very different and more mature than the other movies and takes itself extremely seriously, confining the main characters into a claustrophobic atmosphere in a small apartment building while they are targeted by the demonic Deadites. The film fully utilizes its pulse-pounding premise and is unapologetically dark and depraved, with Time Out accurately pointing out in their commendable review, “It’s not for the faint-hearted but for long-time fans and horror nuts, just sit back and let the blood wash over you.”
‘Insidious’ (2011)
Lauded for its exceptional ability to build an overwhelming feeling of suspense and dread, James Wan’s supernatural horror hit Insidious tells the story of married couple Josh and Renai Lambert (Patrick Wilson & Rose Byrne), who will stop at nothing to keep their son safe when he goes into a comatose state after they move into a home haunted by a demonic entity.
What Lurks in the Shadows
Though it doesn’t hesitate to utilize some jump scares, the creepy flick thrives on its ability to make moviegoers anxious about what might be lurking around every corner. The angst-ridden film was accurately described by the Associated Press as “the kind of movie you could watch with your eyes closed and still feel engrossed by it,” and its horrific visuals and overall sense of terror helped launch a lucrative and frightening franchise that remains some of the horror genre’s greatest offerings.
‘Martyrs’ (2008)
Martyrs is a grimy but brilliant example of the New French Extremity movement, which shocked the world with excessive gore, sexuality, and misanthropy. High Tension, Inside, and Raw are all excellent examples of this, but Martyrs may be the scariest.
A Stand-Out in the French Extremity Movement
Following a woman who was seriously abused in her youth. Martyrs studies her maturation and revenge but complicates any easy ethics by utilizing supernatural imagery. Something the French movement often shies away from in its depiction of purely human horrors, Martyrs incorporates some significant jump scares in its mix of intense violence, psychological horror, and pure terror. The movie was remade, but stick with the original.