Horror moviescan be some of the most divisive films out there - those that rely on cheap shudder are often criticized for their lack of story , while those with a more tale - punishing style can often be discount as “ not scary enough . ” Those few horror flick that oversee to perfectly walk the border between the two dash are the ones that really stand out from the crowd , and there are several classics that fit that description . Thebest horror movies of all timeknow how to do this and make it look wanton .

The past decennium has seen a marked addition in so - called “ elevated horror,”which fundamentally refer to scary movies that also have socially relevant concepts bake into their storytelling . The drift started with motion picture such asGet Outand has risen in popularity ever since , and it ’s a perfect example of this precise combining of storytelling and panic attack that ’s so necessary to make a repulsion movie work . But it ’s been around for much long than grand revulsion , and certain task have master the craftsmanship . Manygreat indie horror movieswere the proponent of this idea .

10Hereditary (2018)

Directed By Ari Aster

Hereditaryis a alone kind of film that does n’t really become outright scary until the last act , but uses everything that comes before it to build suspense and fructify the fit for what ’s to add up . The film follows a brokenheartedness - stricken family who begin to see about their antecedent ’ supernatural secrets , as ghosts and spirits begin to blend in into their day-after-day lives . It ’s frightening when it needs to be , but the story has enough twist and turnsto keep the audience concerned .

9The Shining (1980)

Directed By Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick’sThe Shiningis adapted fromthe expectant Stephen King novelof the same name , and instead of relying on saltation scares to keep the consultation on the edge of their seats , it tardily build tension and uses grotesque imageryto get underneath the looker ’s skin . The story follows the Torrance menage , who figure out in a remote hotel through the winter , and soon learn of the building ’s turbulent past .

8The Conjuring (2013)

Directed By James Wan

WhileThe Conjuringhas grow to become a extremely successful horror dealership with its sequels and spinoffs , the original moving-picture show stay the most dread of the bunch . It follows Ed and Lorraine Warren , two extrasensory investigators called to the home of a family who believe they ’re being haunted by ghosts . It ’s a verytraditional haunted house tale , but the way that Wan meander this intricate narrative together with some very efficacious scare is something that ’s not consider too often .

7Us (2019)

Directed By Jordan Peele

Peele ’s be - up toGet Outis often overshadowed by its predecessor , but the filmmaker ’s second movie is just as chilling and well - drop a line as his first . The story centers around a fellowship who fare into contact with their doppelgängers , leading them to discover the truth about a species of quasi - humans who exist underneath the surface of the Earth . There ’s an excellent blend of revulsion , tension , and brutal violence to please fans of all character of skittish pic .

6The Babadook (2014)

Directed By Jennifer Kent

The Babadookis a perfect example of what ’s issue forth to be understood as “ sublime horror . ” While there are plenty of scare and frightening mo that allow the film to be easily classified as repugnance , the project ’s main focus is always the family moral force at its nucleus . It ’s the story of a youthful son who believes he ’s come across sight of a satanic wight known as the Babadook , and his wary female parent , who shortly realize something is seriously wrong .

5Midsommar (2019)

Aster ’s follow - up toHereditaryis much less focused on repugnance than his debut , rather weaving an intricate account about sacrifice , cultural difference , and destiny that gradually make a suffocating atmosphere from start to finish . There ’s a constant sense that something is n’t quite correct , and that in the end pays off in a shocking third turn fill with terror . Midsommaris filled with concealed detailsthat make the film endlessly rewatchable , turn up that every narrative beat is plotted precisely and enact from the beginning .

4Saint Maud (2020)

Directed By Rose Glass

WhileSaint Maudwent somewhat under the microwave radar given its limited release and want of critical fanfare , the film is really one of the scariest spill of the retiring few years . It follows a young nursemaid who gets envelop up in her patient ’s spiritual fervor and dragged into a terrifying instance of deity and sacrilege . The film is a slow burn that claws its direction under the hearing ’s skinbefore finally making itself known in the final act , delivering a impassioned close that is n’t easily block .

3Funny Games (1997)

Directed By Michael Haneke

Funny Gamesis one of thescariest base invasion moviesever filmed , not just because of the brutality on exhibit but also because of its chilling comment on human nature and our inclination towards fury . It speaks at once to the audience , pull them into this story and using horror only as a vehicle to fight forwards its terrifying message .

2The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017)

Directed By Yorgos Lanthimos

Yorgos Lanthimos has a very distinct cinematic dash , and while it ca n’t always be classified as horror , this cinema is the close he ’s ever come . star Colin Farrell , Barry Keoghan , and Nicole Kidman , the movie follow a wealthy surgeon who ’s torture by his young friend ’s supernatural powers and demonic visions of the future .

1Candyman (1992)

Directed By Bernard Rose

Candymanis filled with ominous linesand creepy-crawly imagery that forthwith plant the scene for this intellectual horror , long before the actual terrors strike the screen . It ’s a masterclass in how to nurse an audience into a story , setting up a gripping mystery with fascinating characters and tangible clue - before burn it all down in a lurid close that catch the viewer totally off - guard .

Collage of Willow and Clash of the Titans

still from They were expendable

Godzilla and Kong charge into battle

Morfydd Clark in Saint Maud standing in front of a cross.

Jack covered by snow in The Shining

Carolynn investigating the mysterious clapping in The Conjuring (2013)

Lupita Nyong’o as Red and Adelaide fighting in the underground in Us

Florence Pugh wears a flower crown and necklace while sitting in a flowery chair in Midsommar

Morfydd Clark as Maud lying on the ground with her hair in her face looking scared in Saint Maud

Peter and Paul sitting with the family in their house in Funny Games

Colin Farrell as Steven listening to Barry Keoghan as Martin’s heart in The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Candyman Tony Todd

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