20 Horror Movies That Are Actually Scary

Horror movies come in many different styles. Some, like The Shining and Hereditary, are considered artistic and sophisticated. Others, such as Dead Alive and Evil Dead, focus on gore and over-the-top effects. You’ll find psychological thrillers like Audition and Repulsion, body horror in films like Videodrome and Tetsuo: The Iron Man, funny horror comedies like Young Frankenstein and Bubba Ho-Tep, classic monster movies like Them! and The Blob, and truly iconic films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween. However, even with all these great movies, a lot of people don’t find them truly frightening.

As a horror critic, I’ve learned that everyone’s scared of different things. Some people are genuinely terrified by classics like The Exorcist or The Thing, while others find even something like Courage the Cowardly Dog unsettling. But let’s be real, if you’ve been watching horror for years, you develop a pretty high tolerance. It takes more than just shock value or gross-out gags to truly scare you these days. There’s a lot of stuff out there that tries to be disturbing, especially if you dig into those ‘Disturbing Movie Iceberg’ lists, but being scary and being disgusting aren’t the same thing at all. A movie can be repulsive without actually being frightening, and vice versa.

Leaving aside the most extreme and disturbing horror films like A Serbian Film and Slaughtered Vomit Dolls, here’s a list of 20 movies that are truly frightening.

‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ (2016)

The movie The Autopsy of Jane Doe is frightening in several ways. It features Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as a father and son who work as coroners. They receive an unidentified woman’s body for an autopsy and quickly realize the case is much more disturbing than they anticipated. What starts as a standard medical examination transforms into a terrifying and psychologically unsettling experience as the two men begin to have frightening visions, leading them to doubt their own minds.

Alone in a Room With An Unspeakable Evil

The movie’s surprising reveal about the nature of the body will stay with viewers long after the credits roll. Set in a creepy morgue, the film quickly escalates into a genuinely frightening experience, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats with a series of scares.

‘[Rec]’ (2007)

While many found-footage horror films feel repetitive, some still manage to be truly innovative, like Creep and certain segments of the V/H/S series. Arguably the most frightening example of the genre (aside from the extremely graphic Cannibal Holocaust) is [REC], a fantastic Spanish horror movie from 2007.

The Pinnacle of Found Footage Horror

I was completely gripped by this film! It starts off feeling so real – it follows a TV reporter, Manuela Velasco, and her cameraman as they do a simple story on firefighters. But then, everything goes horribly wrong when they respond to a call at an apartment building and stumble right into the beginning of a terrifying zombie outbreak. What really got to me was how expertly it built tension and used the found footage style – it’s genuinely scary! It even spawned a few sequels, though the second one, [Rec] 2, still delivers a lot of the same intense fear as the original.

‘The Descent’ (2005)

As a huge horror fan, I think Neil Marshall really outdid himself with The Descent – it’s a fantastic follow-up to his already brilliant Dog Soldiers. The movie truly earns its title; it feels like a descent into a genuine hell. What’s really clever is how the terrifying cave system, filled with these monstrous creatures, also works as a metaphor for the main character’s inner turmoil. It grabs you right from the start with this incredibly effective and disturbing opening scene that hints at all the awful things to come for her and the other women exploring those deep caves.

Unspeakable Horrors Lying in the Depths

The Descent is a brutally intense and frightening horror film, packed with shocking scenes and genuine artistry. It’s especially unsettling for those afraid of tight spaces, as the story follows cave divers stalked by cannibalistic creatures while they struggle to escape. There are actually two different endings to the movie; the original is famously dark and was considered too depressing for some viewers in the US, so it’s worth seeking out if you want the full, unedited experience.

‘Hereditary’ (2018)

I was absolutely blown away by Ari Aster’s first film, Hereditary. It instantly marked him as a major new talent in horror. The movie centers around a family dealing with a terrible loss, and then things get truly terrifying as they’re haunted by something incredibly sinister. From the very beginning, it’s deeply unsettling, and Aster doesn’t hold back on creating a feeling of dread that just stays with you long after the credits roll. It’s a truly haunting experience.

Ari Aster’s Explosive Debut

Toni Collette gives a career-defining performance in Hereditary, a deeply unsettling film that explores the anxieties of parenthood and complicated family relationships. It’s an intense experience that will likely change how you view everyday things like nut allergies and car trips. The movie was so emotionally challenging that it even affected the actors, with Alex Wolff admitting it took a heavy toll on him.

‘The Strangers’ (2008)

There’s almost nothing scarier than hearing a mysterious knock at the door in the middle of the night. The movie The Strangers plays on that primal fear. It follows a young couple enjoying a quiet getaway in a secluded cabin when their peace is shattered by a brutal attack from three masked strangers. What makes the violence so unsettling is that there’s no motive – the couple is simply targeted at random because they happened to be home.

Home Invasion Horror

As a huge cinema fan, I have to say The Strangers is a truly unsettling film. It doesn’t offer much hope, just a relentless sense of dread and pure terror. Honestly, after watching it, I immediately checked all my locks and made sure I wasn’t home alone! While there are sequels, nothing compares to the original’s terrifying portrayal of a home invasion and the intense paranoia it evokes. It really gets under your skin.

‘They Look Like People’ (2016)

Perry Blackshear’s latest film, They Look Like People, starring Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andrews, and Margaret Ying Drake, is truly unique. While it’s a touching exploration of friendship and mental health, it also delivers some genuinely disturbing and frightening moments – from a subtly creepy opening to shocking bursts of horror.

Mounting Paranoia Between Two Friends

They Look Like People follows two friends reconnecting after a period apart, with one struggling with either a painful breakup or a mental health crisis. The film explores the growing insecurity and paranoia between them, eventually leading to one friend’s delusions influencing the other. Knowing what’s really happening makes their downward spiral particularly frightening to watch.

‘Goodnight Mommy’ (2014)

The Austrian horror film, Goodnight Mommy, centers around ten-year-old twins, Elias and Lukas, who become convinced that the woman who returns home after facial surgery isn’t their real mother. As her behavior changes drastically, the boys grow increasingly scared and unsure, and the movie builds to a shocking and unexpected ending.

A Family Broken Down

Goodnight Mommy is a truly unsettling horror film that uses disturbing imagery and violence to create a deeply uncomfortable experience for viewers. It’s the kind of movie that stays with you long after it ends. If you’re interested in exploring horror films from other countries, this is a great place to start.

‘Evil Dead Rise’ (2023)

Often hailed as the scariest film in the Evil Dead series, Evil Dead Rise takes a much darker turn than previous movies, ditching the usual comedy for a genuinely horrifying experience filled with shocking visuals and intense gore. The story centers on sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who must overcome their strained relationship and work together to survive a terrifying encounter with demonic creatures called Deadites.

A Truly Traumatizing Horror Sequel

Unlike previous installments, Evil Dead Rise is a much darker and more serious horror film. It traps its characters in a confined apartment building as they’re terrorized by demonic forces. The movie fully embraces its intense and disturbing premise, delivering a truly shocking experience. As Time Out noted in their review, it’s not for the easily scared, but fans of the series and horror enthusiasts will find it a thrilling and bloody ride.

‘Insidious’ (2011)

James Wan’s horror film, Insidious, is famous for creating intense suspense and fear. The movie follows Josh and Renai Lambert (played by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) as they desperately try to protect their son after he falls into a coma, seemingly due to a demonic presence in their new home.

What Lurks in the Shadows

While the movie uses a few sudden scares, it’s mostly effective at building a constant sense of dread and making you feel uneasy about what’s coming next. The Associated Press perfectly captured its atmosphere, calling it a film you could enjoy even with your eyes closed. Its terrifying imagery and overall sense of horror helped create a very successful franchise that continues to be a highlight of the horror genre.

‘Martyrs’ (2008)

Martyrs is a disturbing yet impressive film that embodies the New French Extremity movement – a style known for its shocking violence, sexual content, and bleak outlook. While films like High Tension, Inside, and Raw also represent this trend, Martyrs is arguably the most terrifying of them all.

A Stand-Out in the French Extremity Movement

The film Martyrs follows a woman who suffered severe abuse as a child, exploring her journey towards adulthood and her quest for revenge. However, it avoids simple moral judgments by adding supernatural elements – a departure for the French horror tradition, which typically focuses on realistic terrors. Martyrs blends brutal violence, psychological suspense, and genuine fear, including several shocking jump scares. While a remake exists, the original version is far superior.

2025-10-24 01:22