Editorials
The 100 Best Horror Movies Of All Time (Ranked)
75. Let the Right One In (2008)
The Swedish film adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel of the same name works because the story, about a pre-teen boy finding love for the first time in the form of a centuries-old child vampire, is so compelling. Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson are simply wonderful as the child leads, and they are supported by some gorgeous shots of a snow-covered Stockholm by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. Be sure to check out Matt Reeves’ 2011 remake if you haven’t already. It’s a surprisingly great adaptation of the story.
74. The Brood (1979)
Is it blasphemous to include The Brood over Videodrome? Maybe, but what David Cronenberg’s sixth feature film lacks in confusing weirdness it more than makes up for with some of the most grotesque body horror moments of the ’70s (Roger Ebert went so far as to call it “reprehensible trash”). On the surface The Brood is a film about a woman’s rage taking the form of evil dwarves that attack those who piss her off, but underneath it is a frightening metaphor for divorce and repression while also double as a critique of certain psychological methods.
73. Don’t Breathe (2016)
Some might say it’s too soon to call Fede Alvarez’s (2013’s Evil Dead reboot) Don’t Breathe one of the greatest horror films of all time, but as I stated in my 5-skull review, “Don’t Breathe is a masterclass in audience manipulation that proves Fede Alvarez isn’t a one-trick pony.” While criticisms about the paper-thin characters are valid, Don’t Breathe is more a film that spotlights the filmmaking (much like the aforementioned style-over-substance method Argento used in Suspiria) more than anything, with Alvarez and cinematographer Pedro Luque pulling off some impressive tracking shots through the Blind Man’s (an incredible Stephen Lang) house. The film may go too far for some people, especially when it comes to a certain turkey baster, but it is a relentless exercise in tension that never lets up.
72. Gojira (1954)
The original is still one of the best. Released nearly a decade after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Gojira is a fascinating post-ware commentary, with the King of the Monsters himself representing a nuclear holocaust. Born as a result of the atomic bombs and radiation testing, Gojira rises from the waves to wreak havoc upon mankind. It was especially timely in 1954, and while current iterations of Gojira have reduced him to a simple movie monster, the film that spawned him will always serve as a potent metaphor that is still relevant today.
71. The Wicker Man (1973)
No need to worry about the bees here, as Robin Hardy’s original The Wicker Man is a solid horror film that worms its way under your skin in such a subtle way that you’ll hardly notice it until its too late. Interestingly enough, The Wicker Man doesn’t even resemble a horror film until its final moments. Outdoor scenes are filmed in broad daylight and interiors in well-lit areas, The Wicker Man just seems like a drama with elements of mystery until it’s twist ending, which pulls the rug out from under you, leaving your jaw on the floor.
70. Re-Animator (1985)
Adapted from an H.P. Lovecraft story, Stuart Gordon’s riotously entertaining Re-Animator helped pioneer (with Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II) the age of the popcorn horror film: tongue-in-cheek horror comedies that were driven mainly by their exceptional effects work. Re-Animator is a brilliant satire with razor-sharp wit that managed to earn a sizable cult following thanks to the advent of VHS tapes and video rental stores (it was a box office bomb when it was released theatrically). Beware: it’s not for the squeamish!
69. The Howling (1981)
While not the definitive werewolf film (more on that in a bit), Joe Dante’s The Howling is a howling (sorry) good time! One of 3(!) werewolf films released in 1981, it stands out among the pack by having a knowing sense of humor, since werewolves are an inherently silly creature. Dee Wallace shines as the lead character Karen, sent to a resort called “The Colony” after witnessing a traumatic event. It’s a clever subversion of the werewolf sub-genre, filled with plenty of gore for gorehounds, and plenty of sex for uh…sexhounds?
68. The Orphanage (2007)
Including The Orphanage on this list is a bit tricky, because it’s not really a horror movie. Don’t get me wrong: J.A. Bayona’s film is about a bunch of ghost kids (one of whom wears a super creepy potato sack over his head) and it is scary, but the heartwarming climax pulls a genre switcheroo and forces you to see the entire film in a whole new light. Up until those final moments though, The Orphanage is a tense and unnerving story about a woman whose son goes missing after she returns to the orphanage she grew up in. Sergio G. Sánchez’s script has plenty of twists and turns, but it is the relationship between Laura and Simón that anchor the film. The Orphanage will give you a newfound appreciation for your loved ones and will stick with you long after it ends.
67. What Lies Beneath (2000)
It’s all about that bathtub jump scare, amiright? Robert Zemeckis’ What Lies Beneath received mixed reviews upon its initial release but, like Michelle Pfeiffer herself, it has aged gracefully. When Claire (Pfeiffer), begins experiences strange occurrences at her posh lakeside home, she beings to investigate what the ghost wants and why it is haunting her, much to the chagrin of her husband Norman (Harrison Ford), a college professor. What Lies Beneath is an eerie tale of betrayal and loss with a gangbusters performance from Pfieffer (Ford is no slouch either, but to say more about his performance would spoil the fun).
66. The House of the Devil (2009)
Ti West still hasn’t managed to overcome the greatness that is his debut feature film, a dread-inducing homage to the great Satan movies of the ’70s and ’80s. A slow burn in the best way, The House of the Devil is a showcase for West, who pours his love and admiration for the horror genre into every frame. The whole thing oozes nostalgia (the freeze frame opening credits should be your first clue as to what type of film you’re in for) and builds the film to a bonkers finale that works as the perfect payoff to everything that came before. If there’s one takeaway from The House of the Devil, it’s to always say “yes” if someone asks you if you’re the babysitter.
65. The Mist (2007)
The fact that Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Mist wasn’t more successful is very depressing (though audiences probably didn’t want to see such a bleak picture when it opened over Thanksgiving weekend). Centered around a group of people trapped in a grocery store when a strange mist blankets the town, The Mist acts as a study of paranoia’s effect on society, especially when religion is brought into the mix. The monsters in the mist may be scary, but they don’t hold a candle to man. Marcia Gay Harden gives a tour de force performance as the religious zealot Mrs. Carmody and Thomas Jane is equally impressive. The Mist also boasts one of the most gut-wrenching and depressing endings that it merits a watch based on that alone.
64. Bug (2006)
Speaking of bleak films, William Friedkin’s adaptation of Tracy Letts’ play Bug is one of the darkest films you’ll ever see, and Friedkin describes it as a black comedy! Like Wolf Creek, Bug is one of the rare films to earn an F CinemaScore. This was mainly due to mis-marketing. You see, Bug was marketed as a movie about killer bugs that burrow under people’s skin, but it’s actually about a weird romance that begins between a paranoid schizophrenic (Michael Shannon, who also starred in Letts’ play) and a lonely woman (Ashley Judd, playing against-type in a bravura performance….just wait till you get to her “Queen Mother Bug” monologue). It’s not an easy watch, but it’s a film unlike any other. Avoid it if you have issues with impromptu dental work though.
63. 28 Days Later (2002)
I was 14 when I saw Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later for the first time and as much as it pains me to say it, I found it extremely boring. Silly me! My teenage self was expecting a straightforward zombie movie. It took me years to see (and appreciate) the movie for what it was: a political allegory that just happens to be set during a “zombie” apocalypse. This isn’t a film about zombies. It’s about the characters, something that many films, horror or otherwise, seem to forget. Shots of a desolate London coupled are appropriately haunting, with Boyle’s directing more confident than it’s ever been. 28 Days Later is all too scary because it seems so real.
62. Under the Skin (2013)
What makes Under the Skin so impressive is that most of the scenes between the alien (Scarlet Johannson, in a haunting and understated performance) and her male prey were unscripted and filmed with hidden cameras (most of the male prey were played by non-actors as well). This isn’t to say the men were unaware of what was going on. They were briefed on everything, but director Jonathan Glazer wanted his film to have an authentic feel when the alien removed their insides, leaving nothing but their skin floating in a mysterious black abyss. It’s a uniquely chilling arthouse film.
61. Don’t Look Now (1973)
More so a study of grief than a straightforward horror film (at least until its final moments), Nicholas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now has been incredibly influential on the genre since its release. In the film, John and Laura Baxter (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christy, respectively) are in Venice attempting to get over the accidental death of their daughter while trying to fix their marriage as a serial killer stalks the Italian streets. Roeg edits the film with a unique style, sometimes intercutting scenes taking place in the past, present and future together. The muted color palette, with the frequent inclusion of red, is also a defining characteristic of the film. The film’s climax, in which John comes face to face with his mortality, stands out as one of the most shocking scenes in film history.
60. Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Remember when we were all afraid that Trick r’ Treat would never see a release? Michael Dougherty’s (Krampus) Halloween anthology film began screening at film festivals in 2007, and continued screening for two more years before being unceremoniously dumped on DVD in October of 2009. It’s a bummer that Trick ‘r Treat never saw a theatrical release because it would have played great with crowd. Nevertheless, we at least got a release and for that we can be thankful, because Trick ‘r Treat is a loving tribute to Halloween that seamlessly interweaves four separate stories into one glorious 82-minute film. If this one hasn’t made it on to your annual October viewing list then you need to add it on there immediately.
59. The Babadook (2014)
I know, I know. The kid is really annoying, but Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (both the film and the monster) is a deeply unsettling metaphor look at the aftermath of death and the depression it causes in a now-single mother (Essie Davis, undeniably the film’s strongest quality). Kent opts for mood and atmosphere over jump scares which may put off less patient moviegoers, especially those who were expecting a monster movie. Like it or not, you can’t deny that there is a sort of classiness to the whole affair. Besides, The Babadook is an LGBTQ icon now so we’re stuck with him forever now.
58. [REC] (2007)
Full disclosure: I prefer [REC] 2 to [REC] if only because of the way it expands upon the story introduced in [REC]. Nevertheless, the original is one of the best found footage films ever made, and it’s terrifying to boot. The film follows a reporter (Manuela Velasco) who enters an apartment complex that is put under quarantine just moments after she enters, leaving her and the rest of the tenants to their own devices while….something….hunts them. The film builds to a truly frightening finale with a shocking reveal (one thing that the American remake changed, which was its sole major misstep) that offers up a refreshing twist on the demonic possession sub-genre.
57. Saw (2004)
Saw is not everyone’s cup of tea, but many people don’t realize (or don’t remember) that James Wan’s original film actually emphasized plot over gore. The plot is simple: two men (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell, who also wrote the film) wake up in a dirty bathroom chained to a pipe. One of them is ordered to kill the other, and if he doesn’t then his family will die. It’s a great hook that Wan manages to get a lot of mileage out of. Yes, the film is gory, but not to the extremes that the sequels took it. You also have to admire the film for kickstarting what has become one of horror’s biggest franchises (the eighth installment will be released in just a few days). The Saw franchise has evolved a lot since 2004, but the first one has a beautiful simplicity that the sequels haven’t been able to replicate (yet).
56. Insidious (2010)
After moving on to killer ventriloquist doll’s with 2007’s goofy-but-fun Dead Silence, James Wan and Leigh Whannell moved back to extreme terror with Insidious. With that film, they flipped the haunted house sub-genre on its head by having the Lambert family do what people in haunted house movies almost never do: move. Of course, this doesn’t help matters, as it is the eldest Lambert son who is haunted, not the house, but it’s a nice little subversion of the sub-genre. Insidious is jam-packed with scares, some of them of the jump variety and others of the “Holy shit there’s a small ghost child standing in the corner of the laundry room” variety. The characters, which include the aforementioned Lambert family and the psychic Elise (Lin Shaye, arguably the best part of all the Insidious films), are also likable and (most importantly) relatable. Insidious gets a lot of flack for its unconventional and somewhat silly third act, but it is still a fun scarehouse of a movie.
55. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell holds a special place in my heart because it was the subject of my first piece for Bloody Disgusting. My reasoning for writing a defense of the film (not that it needs one) is because when I used to work at Blockbuster during my college years I always used to recommend the film to people looking for a fun scary movie. It always got returned with complaints that it was either stupid or not scary. Methinks people don’t really understand Sam Raimi’s directing style (or that much of the film is supposed to be funny). Drag Me to Hell is the movie equivalent of going to the county fair (and I mean that in the best way possible): it’s fun, thrilling, scary-but-not-really, and cheesy ride. Raimi gets away with a lot despite the PG-13 rating (cat-lovers beware of the unrated cut), and the final two minutes will leave you absolutely distraught. I don’t think I’ve been hit that hard by a horror ending since. Drag Me to Hell may not be quite up to the level of the Evil Dead films, but it is pure popcorn fun and certainly deserves a spot on this list.
54. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
Who would have ever though that Rob Zombie would take his lackluster Texas Chainsaw Massacre ripoff House of 1000 Corpses and give it a sequel that not only improves upon it, but manages to give audiences the most well-rounded, three-dimensional villains put on screen in quite some time. Part Western, part torture porn, part gritty 70s road trip movie and littered with reprehensible violence, The Devil’s Rejects is most certainly not for everyone, but it is hands down Zombie’s most accomplished work as a filmmaker and one of the best films of the century so far.
53. I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
A nurse (Frances Dee) is brought to the Caribbean island of Saint Sebastian to care for the catatonic wife of a wealthy plantation owner (Tom Conway) in Jacques Tourneur’s I Walked With a Zombie, a poetic horror film that is notable for its exotic setting and score. When people say that a film is atmospheric, refer to I Walked With a Zombie to see what that means. The real horror in the film comes not from the zombie of the title, but from the humans around her who all want to control her.
52. Ringu (1998)
Hideo Nakata’s Ringu could be seen as the film that single-handedly started the J-horror craze of the early 2000s. Nakato fills the film with plenty of nightmarish imagery, creating a spooky atmosphere that permeates every frame. The film blends old-school paranoia with modern fears of technology to marvelous effect, leading to one of the most surprising finales in horror history. ***SPOILER ALERT*** I mean, did anyone expect that Sadako would just crawl out of the TV like that? Ringu earns a spot on this list for that scene alone. It’s ridiculously scary.
51. Diabolique (1955)
In Diabolique, a woman and a mistress team up and murder the man who has abused them, but unfortunately for them the body goes missing and they are subjected to a multitude of strange occurrences. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot supposedly snagged the rights to the novel upon which the film is based before Alfred Hitchcock, who badly wanted to make the film (Hitchcock would get his turn at similarly dark material five years later with Psycho), could. Both directors were attracted to the moral ambiguity present in the source material, as well as some of the darkly humorous macabre touches inherent to the plot. Clouzot did a bang-up job though, as the freaky bathtub climax had everyone talking at the time.
Five decades ago, Stephen King published the story of a bullied girl with telekinetic powers and forever changed the world of horror.
Carrie follows a high school misfit who seeks revenge for a hideous prank by psychically destroying her senior prom. The name Carrie White has become synonymous with the concept of a formal dance thanks to a flawless adaptation from Brian De Palma. Now fifty years after the film’s release, Mike Flanagan is putting his own stamp on the troubling story.
Rather than a feature film, the writer/director will expand King’s relatively slim debut novel into an eight-episode miniseries for Amazon Prime set to premiere on October 7.
Flanagan is no stranger to the world of Stephen King. A long-time Constant Reader, he first made waves with his daring adaptation of Gerald’s Game (2017), a novel many fans considered un-filmable. His underrated Doctor Sleep merges the disparate plot of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with King’s original source material, and his 2024 genre-bending tearjerker The Life of Chuck faithfully executes one of the author’s most metaphysical novellas.
He’s currently mired in pre-production for an expansive adaptation of The Dark Tower series, keystone to King’s connected universe, and Warner Bros. recently announced that Flanagan will helm a new version of The Mist, King’s 1980 novella which sees a small Maine town overrun by otherworldly monsters.
Considering the vast array of the author’s previously unadapted material, an obvious question arises. Why reimagine Carrie in 2026? Noting the timeless nature of the content, Flanagan expressed his desire to bring the story of a bullied girl into modern times, mirroring his approach to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. He explained, “The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie. Otherwise, there’s really no purpose in trying to retread ground that’s been so beautifully walked before.”
His miniseries will maintain the novel’s bloody bookends while delivering “big surprises” along the way.
A New Prom Night Nightmare
The roughly 60-second teaser introduces Summer H. Howell as Carrie White just before the moment of catastrophe. Standing in a prom dress, she smiles at her applauding classmates with an ominous crown perched upon her head. Moments later, Carrie unleashes a rage-filled scream into the night air while promgoers rush for the exit doors. But careful examination of this scene shows Carrie wearing a different, albeit dirty dress as she seems to telekinetically punish her peers.
In an exclusive first look with Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan explains that in his version of the story, “the events of that prom are going to be completely different.” An open trunk emitting a crimson glow does hint at the pig’s blood dumped on Carrie’s head, but it’s likely Flanagan’s formal dance will be a different kind of horror altogether. Despite these changes, the series may end with the widespread destruction outlined in the source material. Unlike any previous adaptations, King’s novel ends with the near-total destruction of Chamberlain, Maine. A flaming street in Flanagan’s trailer promises similar carnage no matter what prank sparks Carrie’s deadly revenge.
The Monstrous Addition of Social Media
On the opposite end of this fiery conclusion is an extreme act of bullying that brings together the story’s main cast. King’s novel begins as Carrie gets her first period while showering in the girls’ locker room. Completely unaware of the concept of menstruation, the sheltered girl thinks she’s bleeding to death. Her classmates respond with vitriolic rage. Led by ultra-mean girl Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton), they mock the terrified teen while pelting her with tampons. Glimpses of this disturbing event reveal that Flanagan has excised the scene’s nudity while adding a seismic update. As Carrie sobs in the shower stall, Chris and her friends film the breakdown with their phones.
Other scenes note the presence of social media, bringing King’s fifty-year-old story into the digital age.
Flanagan’s adaptation promises to explore the destructive power of social media, an often invisible entity with a potential for harm rivaling Carrie’s own powers. While King’s tormented heroine suffers in front of a small group of girls, Flanagan’s version of the incident will likely become a viral video, potentially circling the globe on social media. Similar to Katt Shea’s criminally underrated The Rage: Carrie 2, which includes elements of revenge porn exploitation, Flanagan’s modern retelling will distinguish itself by exploring the nebulous cruelty of online bullying, a force ten times more powerful than the irl pranks King first envisioned.
A Completely Reimagined White Family
In addition to modernizing these canon events, Flanagan hints at updates to Carrie’s oppressive upbringing at the hands of her mother, Margaret White (Samantha Sloyan). Dead before the novel begins, we never meet Carrie’s domineering father Ralph, known to carry a bible alongside his gun. Flanagan’s White household will be an altogether different beast. In his version of the story, Carrie and her mother have been hidden away in the unassuming home, forced out of hiding by Ralph’s unexpected death. Perhaps we will finally meet this elusive man whose shadow hangs over his wife and child. Considering the White family’s fundamentalist lifestyle, this reimagining hints at tradwife culture and a home ruled by staunch patriarchal control.
Whereas King’s Carrie has been tormented by her classmates since Kindergarten, Flanagan’s Carrie will be a wide-eyed newcomer to public school, eager to make friends and engage with her peers. We glimpse Carrie cozying up to Chris and the equally popular Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) as she navigates a new social scene. Of course, we know this kindness is part of an elaborate plot designed to lull Carrie into a false sense of camaraderie, setting up an atrocious act of public humiliation. These brief moments of feigned compassion put Sue’s own complicity into question. Will Flanagan’s version of the character find the courage to defend Carrie from vicious bullies or will she succumb to peer pressure and join in the mob mentality?
Perhaps the biggest deviation from King’s original text is the relationship between Carrie and her mother. King’s Margaret White is a horrifically abusive religious zealot whose worldview has been hardened by internalized misogyny. She shames Carrie for menstruating, locks her in a closet to “pray,” and regrets not killing her child in infancy. She’s also responsible for Carrie’s social ostracization. Known to berate her neighbors for their “sins,” Margaret forces her daughter to live by an extreme code of conduct and disallows any potential friends lest they corrupt the girl with their worldly ways.
Flanagan’s version of the character is perhaps just as much a victim as Carrie herself. Also trapped inside her home, his Margaret is overly vigilant, her own trauma manifesting as strict control. Describing a more sympathetic depiction of the iconic villain, Flanagan explains, “Our Margaret White is a woman who fiercely loves her daughter and wants to protect her from this world … [She] doesn’t know how to do that and thinks the way to protect her is to close her off; not punitively, but to create this private utopia.”
Despite this potential softening, Sloyan’s Margaret may still have a sharp edge. Though she has appeared in many Flanagan projects, from Hush (2016) to The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), she is best known for her role as the abhorrent Bev Keane in the poignant saga Midnight Mass (2021). Perhaps inspired by King’s Margaret White, Bev is pious and sadistic, willing to punish anyone who does not adhere to her warped approximation of Catholicism.
Flanagan specifically wrote Margaret with Sloyan in mind, likely remembering the actress’s eerie ability to create deceptive empathy and shift our allegiances on a dime.
Expanding Stephen King’s Telekinetic Universe
While most of King’s story deals with an unthinkable prom night in Chamberlain, Maine, large sections of the semi-epistolary novel see experts debating the nature of telekinesis. Do Carrie’s frightening abilities represent a new phase in human evolution or is the prom night carnage merely a fluke? King settles the debate with a shocking denouement in which a young mother recounts her infant daughter’s ability to dangle her crib toys in midair. We’re left to wonder if she will become another tormented girl who surprises the world with metaphysical strength.
Flanagan plans to build out this brief scene while amplifying themes of female empowerment. After introducing our main cast of characters, episode two will open with an unrelated story in which we meet another girl with the TK gene. Each subsequent chapter will expand this world, building out a roster of telekinetic young women. Considering King’s fondness for stories about powerful kids, often described as possessing “the shining,” Constant Readers will no doubt have their eyes peeled for various Easter Eggs nodding to the author’s vast catalogue.
Giving Carrie Her Own Voice
Perhaps the most striking distinction in Flanagan’s new trailer is the extent to which we hear Carrie’s voice. The sneak peek is fully narrated by the titular prom queen as she demands accountability. “I want to know why,” she explains while detailing Chris’ elaborate plan. Aside from the aforementioned coda, King’s book essentially ends with the aftermath of the prom night tragedy, leaving little time for Carrie to reflect. His shifting narrative does bring the reader into her fragile mind, though not before she’s been cowed by relentless cruelty. We watch Carrie sink into bloodthirsty revenge, but never hear a considered desire for justice or repair.
Flanagan’s original monologue allows Carrie to voice her pain and mourn the life she could have had. We’re also treated to a mug shot-style photo of Chris with a bruised and bandaged face, implying that the mean girl will have to answer for her senseless sadism.
Flanagan is known for filling his series adaptations with heartwrenching speeches that cut to the heart of his thematic intentions, and this teaser seems to follow suit. After years of fans, critics, and scholars analyzing Carrie’s pain, perhaps his modern retelling will offer the titular anti-hero a chance to finally speak for herself.
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