The 50 Best Horror Films of All Time, According to Critics — Best Life

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        The 50 Best Horror Films of All Time, According to Critics
    Here's a ranking of the greatest horror films ever made, based on Metacritic scores.

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By Richard EvansSep 15, 2020
Richard Evans
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Have you found yourself watching more scary movies than ever lately? You're not alone. Our fraught times have made many of us gravitate toward the most frightening films imaginable. But with so many great movies to choose from, where do you start? To make things a little less daunting, here's a list of the best horror movies of all time, according to critics.
This ranking is based on scores from review aggregator site Metacritic. To make sure this list focuses on the spookiest and most spine-tingling entries in the genre, we only included movies that can be firmly categorized as "horror." Some are funny, some are gory, some are decades-old classics, and some are new additions to the canon—but all of them are bound to get under your skin. And for more recommendations, these are The 18 Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right Now.

                50 | The Blair Witch Project (1999)
            
        LionsgateMetascore: 81
And to see how the critics felt about other '90s movies, check out Ranking Every '90s Teen Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.

                49 | The Exorcist (1973)
            
        Warner Bros.Metascore: 81

                48 | The Wailing (2016)
            
        Well Go USAMetascore: 81
And for more movies the critics loved, These Are the Top-Rated Movies on Rotten Tomatoes.

                47 | Us (2019)
            
        Universal PicturesMetascore: 81

                46 | A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
            
        Vice FilmsMetascore: 81
And for more of the all-time greatest films, discover The Best Movie That Came Out the Year You Graduated, According to Critics.

                45 | In Fabric (2019)
            
        A24Metascore: 81

                44 | Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
            
        Warner Bros.Metascore: 81

                43 | Revenge (2018)
            
        NeonMetascore: 81
And to see how more thrillers stack up against each other, check out Ranking Every Alfred Hitchcock Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.

                42 | Raw (2017)
            
        Focus FeaturesMetascore: 81

                41 | Wait Until Dark (1967)
            
        Warner Bros.Metascore: 81
And for more fun content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

                40 | Mandy (2018)
            
        RLJE EntertainmentMetascore: 81

                39 | The Love Witch (2016)
            
        Oscilloscope LaboratoriesMetascore: 82

                38 | Let the Right One In (2008)
            
        Sandrew MetronomeMetascore: 82

                37 | Black Sabbath (1964)
            
        MGMMetascore: 82

                36 | A Quiet Place (2018)
            
        Paramount PicturesMetascore: 82

                35 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
            
        Paramount PicturesMetascore: 83

                34 | It Follows (2015)
            
        Radius-TWCMetascore: 83

                33 | Taxidermia (2009)
            
        Here TVMetascore: 83

                32 | Drag Me to Hell (2009)
            
        Universal PicturesMetascore: 83

                31 | The Lighthouse (2019)
            
        A24Metascore: 83

                30 | The Witch (2016)
            
        A24Metascore: 83

                29 | Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary (2003)
            
        CBCMetascore: 84

                28 | Under the Shadow (2016)
            
        XYZ FilmsMetascore: 84

                27 | Carrie (1976)
            
        MGMMetascore: 85

                26 | The Host (2007)
            
        MagnoliaMetascore: 85

                25 | Get Out (2017)
            
        Universal PicturesMetascore: 85

                24 | One Cut of the Dead (2019)
            
        Shinichiro UedaMetascore: 86

                23 | The Babadook (2014)
            
        Entertainment OneMetascore: 86

                22 | The Wolf House (2020)
            
        AntoMetascore: 86

                21 | The Wicker Man (1974)
            
        LionsgateMetascore: 87

                20 | Hereditary (2018)
            
        A24Metascore: 87

                19 | Jaws (1975)
            
        Universal PicturesMetascore: 87

                18 | Eraserhead (1978)
            
        Criterion CollectionMetascore: 87

                17 | Halloween (1978)
            
        Compass International Pictures / Aquarius ReleasingMetascore: 87

                16 | The Invisible Man (1933)
            
        PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock PhotoMetascore: 87

                15 | The Innocents (1961)
            
        20th Century FoxMetascore: 88

                14 | Night of the Living Dead (1968)
            
        Criterion CollectionMetascore: 89

                13 | Alien (1979)
            
        20th Century FoxMetascore: 89

                12 | Deep Red (1976)
            
        Blue Underground, Inc.Metascore: 89

                11 | Eyes Without a Face (1960)
            
        AF Archive / Alamy Stock PhotoMetascore: 90

                10 | King Kong (1933)
            
        Warner Bros.Metascore: 90

                9 | The Birds (1963)
            
        Universal PicturesMetascore: 90

                8 | Repulsion (1965)
            
        Columbia PicturesMetascore: 91

                7 | Frankenstein (1931)
            
        Allstar Picture Library Ltd. / Alamy Stock PhotoMetascore: 91

                6 | Werckmeister Harmonies (2001)
            
        Pierre Grise DistributionMetascore: 92

                5 | Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
            
        Paramount PicturesMetascore: 92

                4 | The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
            
        United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock PhotoMetascore: 95

                3 | Don’t Look Now (1973)
            
        Paramount PicturesMetascore: 96

                2 | Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
            
        Paramount PicturesMetascore: 96

                1 | Psycho (1960)
            
        Universal PicturesMetascore: 97
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