Top 20 Best Halloween Movies
Halloween is the perfect time to dim the lights, grab some candy corn and queue up some scary movies. If you are looking for films filled with jump scares, tension and terror, we have got you covered. We have compiled a list of 20 of the greatest and creepiest horror movies to get you in the Halloween spirit. You will find classics from decades past as well as recent blockbusters. So turn off your phone, lock the doors and get ready to scream with our picks for the best horror movies to watch on Halloween night!
| Sr. No. | Movie Name | Release Year | Director | Producer(s) | Earning potential till now |
| 1 | 1973 | William Friedkin | William Peter Blatty | $441.3 million | |
| 2 | 1980 | Stanley Kubrick | Stanley Kubrick | $46.2 million | |
| 3 | 2013 | James Wan | Tony DeRosa-Grund, Peter Safran, Rob Cowan | $319.5 million | |
| 4 | 1978 | John Carpenter | Debra Hill, John Carpenter, Moustapha Akkad, Irwin Yablans, Joseph Wolf, Kool Lusby | $70 million | |
| 5 | 1991 | Jonathan Demme | Kenneth Utt, Edward Saxon, Ron Bozman | $272.7 million | |
| 6 | 1984 | Wes Craven | Robert Shaye, John H. Burrows (executive), Stanley Dudelson (executive), Joseph Wolf (executive) | $57 million | |
| 7 | 1996 | Wes Craven | Cathy Konrad and Cary Woods | $173 million | |
| 8 | 2002 | Gore Verbinski | Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald | $249.3 million | |
| 9 | 2004 | James Wan | Gregg Hoffman, Mark Burg and Oren Koules | $103.9 million | |
| 10 | 2017 | Jordan Peele | Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele | $255.4 million | |
| 11 | 1999 | M. Night Shyamalan | Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel | $672.8 million | |
| 12 | 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred Hitchcock | $50 million | |
| 13 | 1974 | Tobe Hooper | Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel | $30.9 million | |
| 14 | 1982 | Tobe Hooper | Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall | $121.7 million | |
| 15 | 2017 | Andy Muschietti | Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg | $701.8 million | |
| 16 | 1976 | Brian De Palma | Paul Monash | $33.8 million | |
| 17 | 1976 | Richard Donner | Harvey Bernhard | $60.9 million | |
| 18 | 1979 | Ridley Scott | Gordon Carroll, David Giler and Walter Hill | $203.6 million | |
| 19 | 1975 | Steven Spielberg | Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown | $470.7 million | |
| 20 | 1999 | Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez | Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale | $248.6 million |
1 - The Exorcist (1973)
William Friedkin The Exorcist remains one of the most terrifying horror films ever made. It is based on a novel. This is the chilling tale of a young girl possessed by a demon and the priests who attempt to save her. It is often considered the scariest movie of all time. The Exorcist features disturbing scenes and effects that still haunt viewers today. It became a blockbuster hit despite outrage from religious groups and the first horror film nominated for Best Picture.
2 - The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Stephen King novel is regarded as a masterpiece of psychological horror. Jack Nicholson gives an iconic unhinged performance as a writer who loses his sanity while caring for a remote hotel with a haunting history. The film builds tension through its winding hallways, ax murders and the repeated phrase REDRUM. Kubrick directorial choices create an ambiguous nightmarish quality with argued interpretations of the ending.
3 - The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring is inspired by the real-life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren. It follows the couple as they investigate a possessed farmhouse. Director James Wan crafts genuine scares through suspense and dread rather than cheap tricks using a classic haunted house setup. It is part of a successful franchise.The Conjuring brings old-fashioned possession stories into a contemporary setting with strong performances and themes of love triumphing over evil forces.
4 - Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter Halloween is credited with defining the slasher subgenre. The silent masked killer Michael Myers escapes an asylum and returns home to murder babysitters on Halloween night. Carpenter builds nail-biting tension with the simple premise and establishes the final girl trope with Jamie Lee Curtis Laurie Strode. It uses point-of-view shots and Michael chilling theme music. Halloween makes suburbia a terrifying place with its innovative style and decades of influence.
5 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
This movie is based on Thomas Harris' novel which sees FBI trainee Clarice Starling tap the brilliant dangerous mind of Hannibal Lecter to catch a serial killer. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins deliver legendary performances in their iconic roles. The film is an intelligent psychological thriller that explores manipulation and murder while blurring morality. It is one of few horror-thrillers to win Best Picture. It remains a benchmark for dark adult storytelling.
6 - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Wes Craven reinvented the slasher genre with his supernatural villain Freddy Krueger who murders teens in their nightmares. Johnny Depp made his film debut in this story of teenagers trying to stay awake to avoid the claw-gloved Freddy. Craven blends fantasy and reality in terrifyingly creative ways making viewers afraid to fall asleep. A Nightmare on Elm Street had a monumental impact on horror with its unique concept, disturbing imagery and Krueger dark humor.
7- Scream (1996)
Wes Craven satirical slasher Scream reinvented the genre with clever meta-commentary. A masked killer stalks teenagers and quizzes them on horror trivia before attacking. Scream both celebrates and hilariously mocks slasher conventions with stellar performances and great scares while also functioning as an exciting whodunit mystery thriller. Drew Barrymore's gruesome opening phone call scene is instantly iconic.
8 - The Ring (2002)
This American adaptation of the Japanese horror film Ringu successfully brings the creepy story stateside. Viewers after watching a mysterious videotape receive a phone call telling them they will die in seven days. The Ring builds an ominous atmosphere as a reporter investigates the tape's deadly origins tapping into themes of urban legends and technology. Images like the girl crawling from the TV cement it as one of the scariest American remakes.
9 - Saw (2004)
The notorious Saw franchise is synonymous with torture porn horror. In the first installment, two men wake up chained in a room and must complete gruesome tasks set by the sadistic Jigsaw killer. It is made on a small budget. Saw impresses with complex puzzles, plot twists and visceral cruelty as it launches a lucrative series. Jigsaw evolves into one of horror's most recognizable villains.
10 - Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele puts a razor-sharp satirical spin on the horror genre with his brilliant directorial debut Get Out. A young Black man visits his white girlfriend's family and realizes something sinister is afoot. Get Out offers an incisive take on racism in America masterfully blending suspense, gallows humor and social critique. Its Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay was well deserved as both a genuinely scary movie and profound commentary.
11 - The Sixth Sense (1999)
M. Night Shyamalan breakout hit The Sixth Sense helped redefine supernatural horror with emotional depth. A child psychologist counsels a boy who can communicate with spirits helping him come to terms with his gift. The film deals with somber themes of grief and guilt balancing melancholy and mystery. But most iconic is the completely unexpected twist ending which instantly became one of the most famous revelations in movie history.
12 - Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock revolutionized psychological horror with his adaptation of Robert Bloch novel Psycho. Janet Leigh stars as a woman on the run who checks into the Bates Motel run by disturbed mama's boy Norman Bates. The infamous shower murder scene with its shrieking violins is cinema's most famous death. Hitchcock subverts expectations and preyed upon contemporary domestic fears with sly humor and generous shocks. Psycho opened the door for more complex character-driven horror.
13 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Tobe Hooper The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has earned a reputation as one of the most shocking horror films ever made. A group of friends meet a gruesome fate when they encounter Leatherface and his cannibalistic family in rural Texas. The visceral atmosphere and brutality tapped into primal fears and left a lasting impact on the genre despite a small budget. Hooper's uncompromising vision and the iconic chainsaw-wielding madman with little onscreen gore propel the film into horror legend.
14 - Poltergeist (1982)
This movie is co-written by Steven Spielberg. Poltergeist is a spooky haunted house thrill ride that set the standard for supernatural horror in the 80s. A family fights to get her back with the help of parapsychologists when ghosts invade suburban California and abduct their daughter. The film features amazing practical effects and iconic scenes like the menacing tree outside the window and the freaky face-peeling bathroom mirror moment blending wonder and terror. Poltergeist proved that PG-rated horror could still deliver chills.
15 - It (2017)
Andy Muschietti adeptly adapted Stephen King's 1000+ page novel It into a scary coming-of-age story set in the 80s. Young outcast kids called the Losers Club confront their fears when an evil shape-shifting clown named Pennywise starts preying on local children in the cursed town of Derry in Maine. It captures both the camaraderie and horrors of growing up focusing just on the characters' youth. Bill Skarsgård leaves a memorable mark as Pennywise without copying Tim Curry's iconic 1990 miniseries portrayal.
16 - Carrie (1976)
This movie is based on a Stephen King novel. Brian De Palma adaptation of Carrie remains one of horror's most poignant teen tragedies. Sissy Spacek gives an Oscar-nominated performance as the shy Carrie White who is a bullied high school girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers. She unleashes her abilities with devastating and bloody fury as cruel classmates target her for humiliation at prom. The film ably captures the angst of adolescence and features De Palma's signature style, Pino Donaggio's haunting score and one of the most shocking endings ever.
17 - The Omen (1976)
Richard Donner apocalyptic horror thriller The Omen became a landmark occult film upon release. An ambassador and his wife adopt the mysterious Damien after their child dies. His parents come to suspect he may be the literal Antichrist as sinister accidents occur around the boy. Donner builds tension through foreboding signs, prophecy intrigue and gruesome death scenes like the brutal nanny suicide. The Omen spawned multiple sequels to complete Damien's story as an evil incarnate.
18 - Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott sci-fi horror masterwork Alien spawned a beloved franchise and new genre styles. The mining ship Nostromo comes upon a deadly xenomorph creature that hunts the crew on a deep space towing mission. Scott with atmospheric tension and strikes of shocking violence minimized dialogue and relied on H.R. Giger's iconic sexualized monstrous design to create primal fears. Sigourney Weaver also left a mark as the tough and heroic Ellen Ripley becoming cinema's greatest female action protagonist.
19 - Jaws (1975)
The original summer event movie Steven Spielberg's Jaws set the template for crowd-pleasing popcorn horror. A sheriff, scientist and fisherman team up when a great white shark begins attacking a small resort town to hunt it down. Spielberg uses deft directing and John Williams score for nail-biting suspense around the mostly unseen underwater predator. Its huge success paved the way for big-budget creature features with broad appeal. Elements like John Williams' score became instantly iconic.
20 - The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez micro-budget indie film The Blair Witch Project revolutionized horror using the found footage technique. Compiled documentary clips follow student filmmakers venturing into the woods to investigate a witch legend soon getting lost and encountering paranormal forces. Its lo-fi aesthetic, viral marketing campaign and lack of on screen violence made it a zeitgeist-defining hit. It inspired countless found footage successors to come as one of the most successful independent films ever.
Now Enjoy Any of Above 20 Top Halloween Movies
We hope you have enjoyed our selections for the top 20 horror movies to watch this Halloween. Our list spans decades and subgenres from early silent films to recently found footage. So there is something to scare all kinds of horror fans. These films have brought us iconic villains, jump scares, chilling atmosphere and clever twists.