Hey there fellow horror hound! Looking for some killer scary movie recommendations? With over 2.7 million members, Reddit‘s r/horror subreddit offers a killer list of the greatest horror movies ever made. Ranging from terrifying supernatural thrillers to gory slashers, r/horror‘s diverse favorites showcase the most compelling accomplishments of horror cinema across decades.
Overview: Why r/Horror‘s Opinions Count
But can you really trust a bunch of anonymous internet users to judge horror movies? Absolutely! Reddit may consist of random strangers, but the site contains thousands of niche communities passionate about every topic imaginable. For horror fans, that‘s r/horror.
With millions of members, the subreddit covers the full historical gamut of scary movies. Better yet, Reddit‘s voting system surfaces the most popular and acclaimed titles according to tons of knowledgeable genre fans. Between longtime enthusiasts, casual viewers, and even critics, r/horror‘s aggregate opinion clears out the noise to highlight seminal must-see horror.
Let‘s delve into the specifics of each honored film while exploring why Reddit still obsesses over these landmark scary movies.
15. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Best Supernatural Slasher
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 91 minutes | Wes Craven |
- A Nightmare on Elm Street fundamentally changed the horror genre with its imaginative dream killer Freddy Krueger
- The hugely successful movie saved New Line Cinema from bankruptcy, building the company into a Hollywood force
- Wes Craven intentionally created believable characters to make audiences truly care about their bloody fates
- Impressively, the film was shot in just 30 days with a budget under $2 million
- According to r/horror fans: "It created an iconic monster that is still spooking new generations!"
Though diehard fans debate the best Elm Street sequel, the chilling original birthed a legendary horror franchise and spooky new boogeyman.
14. The Witch (2015)
Best Modern Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 92 minutes | Robert Eggers |
- Debut filmmaker Robert Eggers painstakingly researched 17th century life to create authenticity
- With stark cinematography and sparse dialogue, The Witch generates constant atmosphere and tension
- Breakout lead Anya Taylor-Joy cemented herself as a contemporary scream queen after her haunting portrayal
- By embracing claustrophobic isolation in the remote wilderness, The Witch terrifies with mood and implication
- According to r/horror fans: "It perfectly balanced historical accuracy with horror in a unique, unsettling tale!"
The Witch signaled an exciting new directorial voice and proved horror remains compelling when merging realism with fear of the unknown.
13. The Exorcist (1973)
Best Classic Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 117 minutes | William Friedkin |
- Even after 50 years, The Exorcist retains its shock value and emotional power
- Revolutionary special effects and makeup physically transformed child actor Linda Blair into a monster
- Director William Friedkin utilized shocking tactics on set to elicit authentic reactions from cast
- The first horror film nominated for Best Picture, rewarding cinematic ambition over cheap scares
- According to r/horror fans: "One of the most emotionally draining horror experiences that holds up magnificently!"
The Exorcist endures as the crown jewel of character-focused religious horror thanks to Friedkin‘s uncompromising vision.
12. Scream (1996)
Best Meta Slasher
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 111 minutes | Wes Craven |
- Scream revitalized horror by playfully mocking the clichés and tropes of the declining slasher genre
- Kevin Williamson‘s whip-smart, pop culture-savvy script attacked conventions via self-referential humor
- By featuring young, charismatic actors, Scream tapped into the lucrative teen demographic
- Impressively, Williamson‘s original script was sold for a record-setting $400,000
- According to r/horror fans: "More than just a satire, Scream is also consistently funny, thrilling, and brutal!"
With the smash-hit success of Scream raking in $173 million worldwide, Craven‘s postmodern masterpiece both reinvigorated and reinvented horror for a new generation. The beloved franchise it spawned remains a staple among Gen X and millennial viewers alike.
11. Re-Animator (1985)
Best Horror-Comedy
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 86 minutes | Stuart Gordon |
- Re-Animator deftly balances gruesome body horror and dark humor in twisted, gleefully lurid fashion
- Loosely based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, the script‘s campiness adds a pulpy B-movie spin
- As Dr. Herbert West, Jeffrey Combs delivers an manic, frenzied performance both scary and silly
- Special effects master John Naulin provided memorably vibrant, gooey visuals on a modest budget
- According to r/horror fans: "It captures the vibrant fun of ‘80s horror cheese through inventive gross-outs!"
Injecting life into horror with eccentric low-budget charm, Re-Animator lives on as a nostalgic midnight movie staple.
10. Don‘t Look Now (1973)
Best Slow-Burn Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 110 minutes | Nicholas Roeg |
- Don‘t Look Now accumulates anxiety through elliptical editing and haunting imagery
- Director Nicolas Roeg portrays grief and the supernatural via ambitious, complex visual storytelling
- Forster‘s performance balances intense emotions from grieving fatherhood to unraveling torment
- According to r/horror fans: "An ingeniously edited classic where the viewer pieces together the mystery in satisfying fashion!"
Don‘t Look Now demands patience to connect the dots, but delivers ample scares through one couple‘s abstract, ominous descent into despair.
9. The Evil Dead (1981)
Most Influential DIY Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| NC-17 | 85 minutes | Sam Raimi |
- The micro-budget production epitomized how creativity surpasses low resources
- Director Sam Raimi displayed ingenious resourcefulness through handcrafted effects
- Starring then-unknown actor Bruce Campbell as unlikely cult icon Ash Williams
- According to r/horror fans: "The special effects were so shocking and realistic for its time – extremely impressive even today!"
Against all odds, The Evil Dead terrified audiences and inspired horror hopefuls with its grisly imagination despite shoestring means.
8. Suspiria (1977)
Best Atmospheric Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 92 minutes | Dario Argento |
- Vibrant art direction transforms the dance academy into an entrancing, ominous setting
- Argento‘s roaming, voyeuristic camerawork heightens suspense around each corner
- Composer Goblin‘s instrumental prog rock heightens the film‘s unnerving dream logic
- Utilizing advanced lighting technology, cinematographer Luciano Tovoli created stunning visuals
- According to r/horror fans: "A complete feast for the senses – lavish, daring, technically masterful!"
Through technical experimentation and hypnotic style, Suspiria casts a spellbinding assault on reality.
7. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Most Vicious Slasher
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 83 minutes | Tobe Hooper |
- Based on the crimes of real-life serial killer Ed Gein for startling plausibility
- With no CGI available, practical effects like real bones and blood convincingly disturb
- Shot on 16mm film stock, the gritty look enhances its vicious, sweltering atmosphere
- Despite limited violence onscreen, the suggestion of atrocities proves deeply unsettling
- According to r/horror fans: "An unrelenting fever dream of primal terror – still just as potent today!"
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre set a punishing template for hardcore brutality and deranged terror few films can match even today.
6. Hellraiser (1987)
Best Otherworldly Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 93 minutes | Clive Barker |
- As debut director, author Clive Barker translated his own perverse vision to the screen
- Practical effects still impress through skinless Frank and the iconic Pinhead
- Hellraiser introduced the memorably disturbing Cenobites – mutilated extradimensional beings
- According to r/horror fans: "It opened the genre to more philosophical dimensions beyond slashers!"
Hellraiser forged intimacy between pleasure, pain and evil via Barker‘s signature combination of profane sensuality and nightmarish imagery.
5. Alien (1979)
Best Sci-Fi Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 117 minutes | Ridley Scott |
- With Alien, Scott seamlessly blended sci-fi and horror genres to petrifying effect
- The xenomorph creature design by H.R. Giger ensured lasting nightmarish impact
- Sigourney Weaver portrayed one of horror‘s first true female action heroes as Ripley
- Groundbreaking pacing techniques build tension through long takes and silence
- According to r/horror fans: "I still struggle to name many other films that generate that level of raw, claustrophobic horror."
Blending sci-fi tension with Lovecraftian cosmic dread, Alien‘s first installment ensures the xenomorph remains an apex predator in horror‘s vast pantheon.
4. Hereditary (2018)
Best Psychological Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 127 minutes | Ari Aster |
- Hereditary mercilessly torments a family through methodical stages of tragedy
- Toni Collette delivers a shattering performance as matriarch plagued by grief and guilt
- Utilizing camera angles from a child‘s perspective, Hereditary chillingly conveys disorientation
- According to r/horror fans: "I left the theater crying and wishing I had a therapist to talk to!"
Writer-director Ari Aster emerged a generational horror talent crafting emotional agony few films dare depict so cruelly. Hereditary may scar your psyche, but cements him as the future of horror auteurism.
3. The Shining (1980)
Best Haunted House Horror
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 146 minutes | Stanley Kubrick |
- Legendary auteur Kubrick alone elevates King‘s novel into a masterwork of psychological horror
- Through intricate set design and Steadicam work, Kubrick generates overwhelming dread
- Portrayed largely isolated, Nicholson‘s performance chillingly conveys Jack Torrance‘s descent into violent madness
- According to r/horror fans: "I appreciate it more every time I watch it. There‘s just so much to unpack and appreciate!"
Kubrick squeezed every last unsettling drop from the haunted hotel backdrop, forging archetypal imagery of paranormal corruption and ruin.
2. Halloween (1978)
Most Influential Slasher
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 91 minutes | John Carpenter |
- Produced for just $300,000, Halloween earned $70 million, igniting the slasher craze
- From its moody suburban atmosphere to the instantly iconic score, Carpenter displayed a mastery of horror craft
- Michael Myers (Nick Castle) personified "pure evil" behind the chilling blank white mask
- According to r/horror fans: "It has everything I want in a horror film – atmosphere, likable victims, amazing score and an awesome killer!"
Carpenter distilled horror to its frightening fundamentals, birthing the unkillable slasher genre with Michael Myer‘s monumental big-screen debut.
1. The Thing (1982)
Best Horror Movie Ever
| Rating | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|
| R | 109 minutes | John Carpenter |
- Rob Bottin‘s groundbreaking practical creature effects remain nightmare fuel 40 years later
- Palpable escalating tension as the isolated team turns against each other in paranoia
- Carpenter‘s apocalyptic tale warns that mankind is the most terrifying monster lurking within
- According to r/horror fans: "It‘s everything horror should strive to be – tense, engaging characters, practical effects that hold up and incredible pacing."
Cast in Antarctica, Carpenter unleashed an interstellar apocalyptic force shredding apart reality and identity. Frozen in icy nihilism, The Thing chillingly asks, if we cannot trust our eyes, who can we trust at all?
Conclusion
Hopefully after this deep dive, you‘ve discovered some new horrifying favorites! But now the credits have rolled and it‘s time to turn on the lights. After all, the sinister fun of horror movies relies on eventually leaving their sinister embrace to enjoy reality… or is reality the real nightmare we must wake from?! Regardless, for better or worse, horror cinema speaks to the dark shadows within society and ourselves that we avoid examining too closely.
Or as the beloved horror author Stephen King once mused, "…the horror story […] serves as a rehearsal for dealing with the real monster that waits at the end of life’s dark corridor."
Let me know your picks for the best horror movies on Twitter @HorrorHistorian!
