15 Best Hollywood Horror Movies Ever Made | Best Scary Movies

Yes, HORROR! As in the genre and not the real-life feeling. Horror is considered to be one of the most looked out genres in the entertainment industry. It is the most difficult genre and yet there is something dazzlingly fun about horror anthologies. So get your blankets and popcorn ready as we list down the Best English horror movies. And if you think that nothing can scare you, then you should definitely binge-watch the films listed below.

Best Hollywood Horror Movies

1. Psycho (1960)

IMDb Rating: 8.5

If perfect movies ever existed, “Psycho” is definitely one of them. It was filmed in 1960 and it is still considered to be one of the most terrifying movies of all time. Yes, there are not any perfectly detailed, scary sceneries (especially for those who have watched modern horror/thriller films), yet the storyline is scarier and more uncanny than most modern movies. The acting is flawless and Alfred Hitchcock created nothing but a miracle.

Phoenix office worker, Marion Crane, gets fed up with the way life treated her. Not being able to marry her lover, Sam as he has to give away most of his money in alimony, she steals forty thousand dollars trusted to the bank by her employer. With the money, she leaves the town and heads toward Sam’s California store. Due to a heavy storm, she takes shelter into the Bates Motel alongside the highway. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman who is dominated by his mother.

2. The Exorcist (1973)

IMDb Rating: 8.1

Accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter, Regan, actress Chris McNeil relocates to Washington DC where she is filming a movie. They share a strong bond but not long after Regan starts acting absurdly. This absurdity in her behavior starts soon after she couldn’t control her curiosity about the Ouija board. She undergoes various neurological tests but the doctors fail to explain such behavior. When the condition of Regan reaches the proportions of crisis she is tied to the bed, speaking various languages and swearing like anything- Chris turns to Father Karras, a Roman Catholic priest, and psychiatrist to see if an exorcism might be the key to their problem.

This film is the best and the most profitable one of all time. A must-watch people!!

3. The Conjuring (2013)

IMDb Rating: 7.5

No list of horror movies is ever complete without the mention of the blockbuster “The Conjuring”. It is a supernatural film directed by James Wan. In 1971, when Roger and Carolyn Perron along with their 5 daughters move into a dilapidated farmhouse experience some not-so-common happenings in their house and worried about the safety of their children summon paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren. Though the manifestations are moderately benign at first, events Soon soar in horrific fashion, especially after the Warrens find out about the house & macabre history. This one too is based on true events as if the story wasn’t chilling enough. Yet again one of the most hit movie.

4. The Conjuring 2 (2016)

IMDb Rating: 7.4

And of course another part of one of the best horror movies. Not to worry though, it stands up to the expectations created by the first part. James Wan spreads his magic yet again by directing yet another horror film based on a real-life incident.

In 1977, Peggy Hodson, a single mother to 4 children faces difficulty raising her children due to the financial crisis as her husband left her for a neighbor. When her daughter Janet starts to sleepwalk and claims to talk to the spirit of an old man who claims the house is his, Peggy refuses to believe her daughter. But soon she witnesses the happenings by herself and seeks help from the neighbors. That’s when Ed and Lorraine Warren, the demonologists, come to the aid of the lady after verifying that the events were true. Deep into the investigation, they realize the truth is way more intricate than it seems to be. The film in all is a spine-chilling depiction of horror events.

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

IMDb Rating: 7.4

The film at first wasn’t recognized as much in the beginning due to some horrific events displayed and was even banned in some countries.

The plot of the story is utterly illusory (good news), however, the character of Leatherface and minor plot details were enthused by the crimes of real-life Ed-Gein, a cannibal who wore a human skin made a mask. The film entirely revolves around an idyllic summer afternoon drive that became the worst nightmare. The film is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular, Sally Hardesty and her brother, Franklin when they go to the graveyard to visit their grandfather. The events that occur could not have been anticipated nor would they have wished to see as much barmy and terrifying as they were to see that day. The events of that day were to show the way to the unearthing of one of the most mysterious crimes in the records of American history, The TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

IMDb Rating: 7.4

A monstrous spirit of a slain janitor seeks revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers whose parents were responsible for his untimely death. The movie introduced one of the scariest villains of all time – Freddy Krueger. Gory, tense, and full of over-the-top death scenes, A Nightmare on Elm Street brought something new to the horror genre which made it go down in history as one of the best horror movies ever made.

7. Scream (1996)

IMDb Rating: 7.4

Veteran scare lord Wes Craven had already reinvented the slasher film years earlier with the brilliant A Nightmare on Elm Street, and now he’d all but destroy the sub-genre with a knowing, winking, and consistently clever horror comedy smash entitled Scream. Not only is the film legitimately scary, but it’s also unexpectedly funny, and of course, it’s a massive treat for anyone who has seen enough slasher flicks to know the “unwritten rules” by heart.

8. Hereditary (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.3

Home is where the heart is. It’s also where the worst horror lives. You know, hiding just beneath the surface of the perfect family life. Hereditary follows a similar strain wherein a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences after their matriarch passes away.

9. The Descent (2005)

IMDb Rating: 7.2

Director Neil Marshall drops five female friends into an uncharted cave and forces them to contend with not only feral humanoid monsters, but also horrific injuries, rampant claustrophobia, and the bitter sting of betrayal. The result is one of the most intense creature features of the 2000s.

10. The Ring (2002)

IMDb Rating: 7.1

The Ring, directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman and Brian Cox, revolves around Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) a newspaper reporter who is skeptical of a story that suggests that people die in exactly seven days after watching a video tape until four teenagers die after watching the same tape. Out of curiosity Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. What follows is the mystery behind the cursed tape.

11. The Babadook (2014)

IMDb Rating: 6.8

There are lots of horror films that deal with children, either as aggressors or as potential victims, but very few have been able to capture both of those ideas simultaneously as well as Jennifer Kent’s endlessly fascinating The Babadook. On the surface, it’s the story of a book that certainly seems to be possessed by the soul of a horrible creature, but it’s also about the bond between mother and child, the fear of losing your grip on reality, and the deep instinct to protect your family at any cost. Plus, yes, the titular creature is darkly wonderful, as is the creepy storybook in which he resides.

12. It Follows (2014)

IMDb Rating: 6.8

A school-going student, Jay is pursued by a supernatural entity after having a sexual encounter with her boyfriend who ties her up in a wheelchair and passes on the entity from him to her, and tells her that she dies if the entity catches her. Later at school, she comes across the first occurrence of the entity which can only be seen by her. Death, Jay learns, will creep inevitably toward her as either a friend or a foreigner. Jay’s friends don’t seem to trust her apparently suspicious ravings until they too begin to see the phantom assassins and group together to help her escape or protect herself.

A brilliantly depicted film. Even days after watching it, all people can think of are the ways that they could have used to escape it.

13. Paranormal Activity (2007)

IMDb Rating: 6.3

Paranormal Activity is an American supernatural horror film, which was released in the year 2007. This movie was directed by Oren Peli. This movie basically revolves around a young couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) who are haunted by a mystical presence in their house. To find out about the cause of these unnatural happenings they then set up a camera to record and document the dark entity haunting the house.

Also Read: 15 Best inspirational movies for Entrepreneurs

14. Case 39 (2009)

IMDb Rating: 6.2

Emily Jenkins thinks she has seen it all in her many years of social service where she councils people who are in trouble with their situations or feelings or parents and brings justice to the victims– until she meets 10- year-old Lilith and the girl’s cruel parents. When the parents try to hurt the girl, flabbergasted Emily takes custody of Lilith while simultaneously looking for a foster family. However, she soon finds out that the seemingly innocent kid is surrounded by the dark forces, and the more she tries to help Lilith overcome what she faced, to protect her, the more horrors she encounters.

It is a good-quality movie and certainly a rare one in its genre. The cinematography is amazing and the storytelling is not rushed.

15. The Nun (2018)

IMDb Rating: 5.3

The Nun is the prequel to The Conjuring 2. This film reveals the story of the existence of the nun who haunted the Hodson house. In 1952 Romania, two Roman Catholic nuns living at the Saint Cartha & monastery are attacked by an unseen force when they enter a passageway to retrieve an ancient Christian remnant. The surviving nun, Sister Victoria, flees from the demon appearing as a nun and hangs herself. Her body is found by Frenchie, a villager who transports provisions to the nuns. To investigate the matter the Vatican asks Father Burke to look into the matter and Sister Irene accompanies him. Together, the father, sister, and Frenchie unravel the horrific happenings and pave their way to the actual truth.

Final words

Even though these movies literally scare the soul out of us and drive us to sleepless nights, this is and forever would be the best way to spend time with your friends and family. Because as they say, there is no better bonding than the one over horror movies.

Puck one tonight.