THE 6 BEST SCARY MOVIES OF ALL THE TIME

The air forces open the curtained window. Candles snuff out in blackness. And a shiver cascades down your spine. Nope, it’s not only your fantasy. Something is stalking on your screen, fit to kill all your free time: The huge, boo-tiful list of Rotten Tomatoes’ 6 Best Scary Movies of All the Time!

The miracle of seeing the unnamed has always been the luring temptation of movies, and so scary feels especially close to this medium, a genre that exposes audiences to ahead normal, and into death. So we are pulling from 100 years of movie history, from those initial days of German expressionism (Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) & Universal monsters (Dracula, The Wolf Man). Animal characteristics (King Kong, The Fly) nestle by Optimal Picture nominees (The Exorcist, Get Out). Slashers (Scream), zombies (Dawn of the Dead) and vampires (Let the Right One In) abound with panic of the more psychological persuasion (Do not Look Now, The Innocents). Or so it will look like.

And we honour the recent stabs & strides made by female horror directors (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Babadook and The Invitation) & directors abroad (Under the Shadow, The Wailing). All of these best horrible movies thrown into our bubbling cauldron had to have at rare 20 reviews by a Fresh rating, before being sorted by our ranking formula, which accounts for a movie’s calculation of reviews & year of release.

New additions for this year’s update include His House & Candyman, & classics like Dario Argento’s Creepers creeping’ in.

Ready to settle into the dark nights of Fresh fear? Then flip the switch on The 200 Best Horror Movies of All Time…its alive! Its alive!!

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS (1987)

Critics Consensus: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors delivers an imaginative & surprisingly satisfying rebound for a franchise earlier starting to succumb to sequelitis.

Summary: While a hallucinatory incident, young Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) has her wrists cut off by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) …. [More]

Performing: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Craig Wasson & Larry Fishburne

Directed By: Chuck Russell

event (1985)

Critics Consensus: There is no consensus yet.

Summary: An American (Jennifer Connelly) at a Swiss finishing school called on insects to assist fight a paralysed scientist (Donald Pleasence)… [More]

Performing: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, Dalila Di Lazzaro & Fausta Avelli

Directed By: Dario Argento

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992)

Critics Consensus: Over the limit in the best sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola’s view of Bram Stoker’s Dracula saved the character from decades of campy interpretations — & features some great performances to boot.

Summary: Adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel. Play by Gary Oldman Dracula whose alone spirit is determined to reunite with his… [More]

Performing: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins & Keanu Reeves

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

HELLRAISER (1987)

Critics Consensus: Enhanced by writer-director Clive Barker’s fiendishly unparalleled vision, Hellraiser offers a restless – and sadly smart – alternative to mindless gore.

Summary: Sexual deviant Frank (Sean Chapman) casually opens a portal to hell when he tampers with a box he purchased while… [More]

Performing: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence & Sean Chapman

Directed By: Clive Barker

IT’S ALIVE! (1974)

Critics Consensus: Tough & obnoxious, It’s Alive throttles the viewer with its bizarre mutant infant dramatics.

Summary: Leaving his son, Chris (Daniel Holzman), with a family friend (William Wellman Jr.), Frank (John P. Ryan) & Lenore Davis… [More]

Performing: John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan & Guy Stockwell

Directed By: Larry Cohen

JACOB’S LADDER (1990)

Critics Consensus: Further with its disorienting leaps of logic & structure, Jacob’s Staircase is an engrossing, nerve-wracking experience.

Summary: After returning home from the Vietnam Battle, veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) struggles to handle his intelligence. Plagued by hallucinations… [More]

Performing: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello & Matt Craven

Directed By: Adrian Lyne