Top 250 Horror Movies (#201-#250)
201 - The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)
Two girls must battle a mysterious evil force when they get left behind at their boarding school over winter break.
Directed by Oz Perkins
Written by Oz Perkins
Starring Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton
Genre: Possession, Mystery
202 - Final Destination (2000)
After a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash, he prevents the accident only to have Death hunt them down, one by one.
Directed by James Wong
Written by Glen Morgan, James Wong and Jeffrey Reddick
Starring Devon Sawa, Ali Larter and Kerr Smith
Genre: Gore, Paranormal, Curses
203 - Oculus (2013)
A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon.
Directed by Mike Flanagan
Written by Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard (from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Jeff Seidman)
Starring Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites and Katee Sackhoff
Genre: Psychological Horror, Paranormal
204 - The Black Cat (1934)
American honeymooners in Hungary become trapped in the home of a Satan-worshiping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Written by Peter Ruric, Edgar G. Ulmer and Tom Kilpatrick (from the story by Edgar Allen Poe)
Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners and Julie Bishop
Genre: Madmen, Satanism
205 - A Bay of Blood (1971)
The murder of a wealthy heiress by her husband triggers a series of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area.
Directed by Mario Bava
Written by Mario Bava, Guiseppe Zaccariello, Filippo Ottoni, Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Barberi
Starring Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli and Claudio Camaso
Genre: Slasher, Gore
206 - Drag Me to Hell (2009)
A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi
Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long and Ruth Livier
Genre: Curses, Witchcraft, Horror Comedy, Paranormal
207 - Knock Knock (2015)
A devoted father helps two stranded young women who knock on his door, but his kind gesture turns into a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Directed by Eli Roth
Written by Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo, Anthony Overman and Michael Ronald Ross
Starring Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
Genre: Home Invasion
208 - Urban Legend (1998)
A college student suspects a series of bizarre deaths are connected to certain urban legends.
Directed by Jamie Blanks
Written by Silvio Horta
Starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson and Tara Reid
Genre: Slasher
209 - You're Next (2011)
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
Directed by Adam Wingard
Written by Simon Barrett
Starring Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg and AJ Bowen
Genre: Home Invasion
210 - I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Four young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.
Directed by Jim Gillespie
Written by Kevin Williamson (from the novel by Lois Duncan)
Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillipe
Genre: Slasher
211 - The Meg (2018)
A group of scientists exploring the Marianas Trench encounter the largest marine predator that has ever existed - the Megalodon.
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Written by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (from the novel by Steve Alten)
Starring Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson and Cliff Curtis
Genre: Sharks, Water
212 - One Cut of the Dead (2017)
Things go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility, when they are attacked by real zombies.
Directed by Shin'ichiro Ueda
Written by Shin'ichiro Ueda (from the play by Ryoichi Wada)
Starring Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama and Harumi Shuhama
Genre: Zombies, Horror Comedy
213 - Brain Damage (1988)
One morning, a young man wakes to find that a small, disgusting creature has attached itself to the base of his brain stem. The creature gives him a euphoric state of happiness but demands human victims in return.
Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Written by Frank Henenlotter
Starring Rick Hearst, Gordon MacDonald and Jennifer Lowry
Genre: Horror Comedy, Parasite, Creature, Gore
214 - The Changeling (1980)
A man staying at a secluded historical mansion finds himself being haunted by the presence of a spectre.
Directed by Peter Medak
Written by William Gray, Diana Maddox and Russell Hunter
Starring George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere and Melvyn Douglas
Genre: Ghosts, Hauntings, Mystery
215 - Daimajin (Majin the Monster of Terror) (1966)
A giant stone statue comes to life to protect the residents of a small town against the depredations of an evil warlord.
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Written by Tetsuro Yoshida
Starring Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama and Jun Fujimaki
Genre: Kaiju, Gods
216 - Backcountry (aka Blackfoot Trail) (2014)
An urban couple go camping in the woods and find themselves lost in the territory of a predatory black bear.
Directed by Adam MacDonald
Written by Adam MacDonald
Starring Missy Peregrym, Jeff Roop, Nicholas Campbell and Eric Balfour
Genre: Survival, Animals
217 - The Mist (2007)
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Directed by Frank Darabont
Written by Frank Darabont (from the novel by Stephen King)
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Laurie Holden
Genre: Survival, Mystery, Supernatural
218 - The Lords of Salem (2012)
A radio DJ is sent a box containing a record - a "gift from the Lords." The sounds within the grooves trigger flashbacks of her town's violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the Lords back to take revenge on Salem, Massachusetts?
Directed by Rob Zombie
Written by Rob Zombie
Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Meg Foster and Bruce Davison
Genre: Witchcraft
219 - Train to Busan (2016)
While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
Directed by Sang-ho Yeon
Written by Joo-Suk Park and Sang-ho Yeon
Starring Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jung and Dong-seok Ma
Genre: Zombies
220 - Demons (1985)
A group of random people are invited to a screening of a mysterious movie, only to find themselves trapped in the theater with ravenous demons.
Directed by Lamberto Bava
Written by Dardano Sacchetti, Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava and Franco Ferrini
Starring Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey and Karl Zinny
Genre: Demons, Possession
221 - Prince of Darkness (1987)
A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by John Carpenter (as Martin Quatermass)
Starring Donald Pleasance, Lisa Blount and Jameson Parker
Genre: Possession, Demons, Prophecies
222 - The Omen (1976)
Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?
Directed by Richard Donner
Written by David Seltzer
Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Harvey Stephens
Genre: Prophecies, Supernatural, Satanism
223 - The Grudge (2004)
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Directed by Takashi Shimizu
Written by Stephen Susco (from the screenplay by Takashi Shimizu)
Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr and Clea DuVall
Genre: Ghosts, Remakes, Hauntings
224 - Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
Directed by Mike Flanagan
Written by Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel
Starring Kate Siegel and John Gallagher Jr.
Genre: Home Invasion
225 - Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)
Thirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge.
Directed by Bruce Pittman
Written by Ron Oliver
Starring Lisa Schrage, Michael Ironside and Wendy Lyon
Genre: Ghosts, Possession, Revenge
226 - [REC] (2007)
A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.
Directed by Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza
Written by Juame Balaguero, Luiso Berdejo and Paco Plaza
Starring Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza and Jorge-Yamam Serrano
Genre: Zombies, Handheld
227 - Island of Lost Souls (1932)
An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.
Directed by Erle C. Kenton
Written by Waldemar Young and Philip Wylie (from the novel by H.G. Wells)
Starring Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi and Richard Arlen
Genre: Madmen
228 - The Crazies (2010)
After a strange plane crash, an unusual toxic virus enters a quaint farming town. A young couple are quarantined, but they fight for survival as they battle their former friends.
Directed by Breck Eisner
Written by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright (from the screenplay by George A. Romero)
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell and Danielle Panabaker
Genre: Zombies, Virus, Remake
229 - Krampus (2015)
A boy who has a bad Christmas ends up accidentally summoning a festive demon to his family home.
Directed by Michael Dougherty
Written by Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty and Zack Shields
Starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner
Genre: Christmas, Monster, Home Invasion
230 - The Howling (1981)
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless (from the novel by Gary Brandner)
Starring Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee and Dennis Dugan
Genre: Werewolves
231 - The Devil's Backbone (2001)
After Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Written by Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras and David Munoz
Starring Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega and Federico Luppi
Genre: Ghosts, Haunted House
232 - Child's Play (1988)
A single mother gives her son a much sought-after doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.
Directed by Tom Holland
Written by Don Mancini, John Lafia and Tom Holland
Starring Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon and Alex Vincent
Genre: Dolls, Possession, Serial Killers
233 - Halloween (2018)
Laurie Strode confronts her long-time foe Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
Directed by David Gordon Green
Written by Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Andi Matichak
Genre: Serial Killer, Sequel
234 - Open Water (2003)
Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat left them.
Directed by Chris Kentis
Written by Chris Kentis
Starring Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis
Genre: Sharks, Water, Survival, Handheld
235 - Scanners (1981)
A scientist sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt others like him.
Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by David Cronenberg
Starring Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack and Patrick McGoohan
Genre: Gore, Psychics, Mad Scientist
236 - The Golem (Der Golem, wie er in die Welt Kam) (1920)
In 16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates the Golem - a giant creature made of clay. Using sorcery, he brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.
Directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener
Written by Henrik Galeen and Paul Wegener
Starring Paul Wegener, Albert Steinruck and Ernst Deutsch
Genre: Witchcraft, Silent Film
237 - Near Dark (1987)
A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Written by Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red
Starring Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton
Genre: Vampires
238 - Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
The Gremlins are back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper.
Directed by Joe Dante and Chuck Jones
Written by Charles S. Haas (with characters by Chris Columbus)
Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and John Glover
Genre: Creatures, Horror Comedy
239 - Apostle (2018)
In 1905, a drifter on a dangerous mission to rescue his kidnapped sister tangles with a sinister religious cult on an isolated island.
Directed by Gareth Evans
Written by Gareth Evans
Starring Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn and Paul Higgins
Genre: Cults, Thriller, Gore, Monsters
240 - Sinister (2012)
Washed-up true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt finds a box of super 8 home movies which suggest the murder he's currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960s.
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill
Starring Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance and James Ransone
Genre: Serial Killers, Demons, Possession, Ghosts
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241 - Halloween II (1981)
While Sheriff Brackett and Dr. Loomis hunt for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to hospital, and the serial killer is not far behind her.
Directed by Rick Rosenthal
Written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and Charles Cyphers
Genre: Serial Killers, Sequel
242 - All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
A group of high-schoolers invite Mandy Lane, an innocent, desirable girl, to a weekend party on a secluded ranch. While the festivities rage on, the number of revelers begins to drop mysteriously.
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Written by Jacob Forman
Starring Amber Heard, Anson Mount and Whitney Able
Genre: Serial Killer, Home Invasion
243 - Monkey Shines (1988)
A quadriplegic man has a trained monkey help him with his paralysis, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master.
Directed by George A. Romero
Written by George A. Romero (from the novel by Michael Stewart)
Starring Jason Beghe, John Pankow and Kate McNeil
Genre: Mystery, Killer Animals
244 - It: Chapter One (2017)
In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
Directed by Andy Muschietti
Written by Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman (from the novel by Stephen King)
Starring Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis
Genre: Remake, Monster
245 - The Monster (2016)
A mother and daughter must confront a terrifying monster when they break down on a deserted road.
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Written by Bryan Bertino
Starring Zoe Kazan, Ella Ballentine and Aaron Douglas
Genre: Monster, Trapped
246 - The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
A hooded serial killer terrorizes the residents of a small Arkansas town in 1946.
Directed by Charles B. Pierce
Written by Earl E. Smith
Starring Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine and Dawn Wells
Genre: Serial Killers, Mockumentary
247 - Troll Hunter (2010)
A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.
Directed by Andre Ovredal
Written by Andre Ovredal
Starring Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoletenberg and Knut Naerum
Genre: Trolls. Handheld
248 - Viy (1967)
A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.
Directed by Konstantin Ershov and Georgiy Kropachyov
Written by Konstantin Ershoy, Nikolay Gogol, Georgiy Kropachyov and Aleksandr Ptushko
Starring Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley and Aleksey Glazyrin
Genre: Witchcraft, Witches, Demons, Ghosts, Revenge
249 - Wrong Turn (2003)
Chris and a group of five friends are left stranded deep in the middle of the woods after their cars collide. As they venture deeper into the woods, they face an uncertain and bloodcurdling fate.
Directed by Rob Schmidt
Written by Alan B. McElroy
Starring Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku and Emmanuelle Chriqui
Genre: Cannibals, Hunted
250 - The Wailing (2016)
Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.
Directed by Hong-jin Na
Written by Hong-jin Na
Starring Jun Kunimura, Jung-min Hwang and Do-won Kwak
Genre: Plague, Curses, Witchcraft
13 Honorable Mentions
Trick R Treat (2007)
Five interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband; and a mean old man meets his match with a demonic, supernatural trick-or-treater.
Directed by Michael Dougherty
Written by Michael Dougherty
Starring Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes and Leslie Bibb
Genre: Anthology, Paranormal, Serial Killer
Phantasm (1979)
A teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man, who keeps a lethal arsenal of terrible weapons with him.
Directed by Don Coscarelli
Written by Don Coscarelli
Starring A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery
Vault of Horror (1973)
An anthology of five horror stories shared by five men trapped in the basement of an office building.
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Written by Milton Subotsky (from the comics by Al Feldstein, William M. Gaines, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando and George Evans)
Starring Curd Jurgens, Terry Thomas and Tom Baker
Genre: Anthologies, Paranormal, Vampires
Cronos (1993)
A mysterious device designed to provide its owner with eternal life resurfaces after four hundred years, leaving a trail of destruction in its path.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Written by Guillermo del Toro
Starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman and Claudio Brook
Genre: Paranormal
Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
British archaeologists and their American investor ship an Egyptian mummy's sarcophagus to London but someone has the amulet to revive the mummy that will then kill all those who disturbed its tomb.
Directed by Michael Carreras
Written by Michael Carreras
Starring Terence Morgan, Ronald Howard, Fred Clark and Jeanne Roland
Genre: Mummies
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, California, where they replicate the residents into emotionless automatons one body at a time.
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Written by W.D. Richter (from the novel by Jack Finney)
Starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy
Genre: Remakes, Aliens, Doppelgangers
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
Written by Tommy Lee Wallace
Starring Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin and Dan O'Herlihy
Genre: Mystery, Paranormal
Green Inferno (2013)
A group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.
Directed by Eli Roth
Written by Guillermo Amoedo and Eli Roth
Starring Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy and Aaron Burns
Genre: Cannibals
Spring (2014)
A young man in a personal tailspin flees from US to Italy, where he sparks up a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.
Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Written by Justin Benson
Starring Lou Taylor Pucci, Nadia Hilker and Francesco Carnelutti
Genre: Romance, Monster
Waxworks (1988)
A wax museum owner uses his horror exhibits to unleash evil on the world.
Directed by Anthony Hickox
Written by Anthony Hickox
Starring Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman and Jennifer Bassey
Genre: Paranormal
The Burning (1981)
A former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
Directed by Tony Waylam
Written by Peter Lawrence, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Tony Waylam and Brad Grey
Starring Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres and Brian Backer
Genre: Slasher
The Lighthouse (2019)
Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Directed by Robert Eggers
Written by Robert Eggers and Max Eggers
Starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe
Genre: Isolation, Paranoia, Mermaids
Ravenous (1999)
In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.
Directed by Antonia Bird
Written by Ted Griffin
Starring Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette and Jeremy Davies
Genre: Cannibals
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