My Top 10 Favorite Horror Films

I used to be so scared of literally any scary movie like Jurassic Park scared me but at some point something changed and I started liking horror movies a lot mainly for their stories and social commentary over the gore and crazy visuals. I do love those things too, when they make sense in the grand scheme of the story being told, and here and there some random craziness won't ever hurt.

Here's my HEAVILY BIASED top 10 horror films of all time and why they're so amazing in my opinion.

10. IT (2017) - IT is a crazy movie and I love the visuals being a New England native, the setting of the story makes it feel even more realistic to me as my hometown kind of reminds me of Derry, Maine. The story is heavily character-driven and I love that but given that, the story is kind of typical and I feel sort of like I'm watching Stranger Things on Netflix rather than an iconic horror adaptation. The acting is top-notch from everyone and the visual effects are stunning. My only gripes are with the nature of the story being about a group of "losers" coming together to defeat an ultimate evil and then having an unbreakable bond.

9. Annabelle Creation (2017) - The Conjuring universe is a catalog of some of my favorite comfort and easily digestible horror/spooky movies and out of them all, Annabelle Creation may just be my favorite. I love that 1955 was chosen for the film's time period since I feel like we get so many 80's-90's periods in horror films and that's what makes the Conjuring films so comforting to me is the cozy period and New England style in some of the films. Anyways, Annabelle Creation is creepy and we get to see the terrifying demon Malthus appear the way that the demon was summoned and attached itself to the family makes sense for the story and I love that there isn't necessarily a happy ending either. My only hindrance is that it takes a while for anything substantially scary to happen and while slow-burn horror is amazing and I like it a lot, for something in the Conjuring universe, we need more spooks and action over slow-burn.

8. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Rosemary's Baby is a slow-burn film that takes its time to build up the dread and suspense that ultimately leads up to a huge smack-over-the-head ending. My favorite parts of the film take place in such a confined space like Rosemary's apartment and her neighbors and essentially those are our two main settings of the film. We get to know them quite well and feel familiar with the layout so much so that it begins to feel smaller and smaller throughout the film which adds to the dread. The soundtrack is also incredible and Mia Farrow is chillingly amazing in this film. Everything makes sense and if you re-watch the film you'll pick up on subtle hints and it's a lot of fun! That being said, it's not higher up on my list only because it is a longer film at just over 2 hours long, and not much happens until the final act of the film so it is a lot of household issues and mundane pushing the story along but sometimes, I'm in the mood for that kind of watch.

7. The Exorcist (1973) - Regarded as the scariest film ever made, it is gripping and entertaining but not as scary as what modern audiences may be used to. I love Ellen Burstyn's performance as Chris Macneil and she brings out the true horror of a mother fearing for her daughter turning to every expert she can find for the sake of her daughter. This is a story of a mother and daughter trying to reunite and the exorcism scenes and possession episodes are truly horrifying. The stair scene with Raegan is perhaps the most impactfully scary scene from the whole film for me. It is a great film and I heavily respect the film and the actors but for me, I don't care much for any storyline outside of Chris and Raegan's. Father Karras while interesting in relation to Chris, is a bit boring for me and I find myself not caring much about him or Burke Dennings. I want to care very much but I don't which is the only reason this film is not higher up on my list.

6. Midsommar (2019) - Midsommar is a wonderful film and expertly crafted with symbols in background characters' clothes that mean something to true pagan and Nordic spells written out in runes, every single detail is meaningful and relates to the story's true nature. To have a folk horror film take place primarily in the daylight in summer when all is supposed to be happy and free is a wonderful use of subverting the viewer's expectations! Talking about this film makes me so excited to point out every detail and there are a few videos on the film breaking down each little detail that I heavily recommend. One of my favorites is by Novum on YouTube and while the video breakdown is about 7 hours long, it's worth your time! The only reason this film does not rank higher on my list is due to heavy personal preference. I love love love demons and ghosts in my horror films and this film does not explicitly include anything related to those in a critical role in the story.

5. The First Omen (2024) - A prequel to the original 1970's Omen film series, it follows the main focal point of the sequel series, Damien (The anti-Christ), and his origin. I like how the "villains" or antagonist parties of the film have a clear and grounded motivation as to why they want to create the epitome of evil when they, the Catholic church, despise everything the anti-Christ represents. Nell Tiger Free is THE shining star of the film with her climactic scene giving me chills no matter how many times I watch it. It's feral but elegant and grounded and Nell absolutely brings it in this scene and all of the rest of her scenes. The groundedness of the film is what makes it shine in my opinion. Yes, it's about bringing the anti-Christ into existence and there's a giant basement Jackal but the way Margaret ends up in the situations she does, makes sense and would be something a young woman would do and fall into. The visuals are astonishing and the costumes and makeup are just *chef's kiss! The only thing I did not like was the long scenes of Margaret being carried in the basement on a gurney. Every time I watch the screen it feels like 30 minutes of nothing.

4. The VVitch (2015) - I love Robert Eggers with all of my heart and soul and you'll find that out very quickly about me. His stories are grounded and original and raw and it's so refreshing! The VVitch is a subtle supernatural horror focused on how religion can break apart a family and spell ruin for even the most devout and true people. It's a period piece as well and nearly everything is period accurate to the Puritan settlement era. It's a gorgeous-looking film, amazingly acted and the ending is bone-chilling and oddly happy. Honestly, I love anything that Robert Eggers does so having this placed at 4th place is saying something about my top 3.

3. Evil Dead Rise (2023) - I love the original Evil Dead film a lot but this was the film that broke me into the horror genre. I love the massive amounts of action and gore and demons and it doesn't hold anything back! They never do something just for the sake of the scare factor or the novelty of it, every choice made by the filmmakers and cast is intentionally made to impact the story. Once again, it's a family story, and that dynamic is expertly acted by everyone in the cast. I love the isolated setting of a single run-down apartment building feeling so isolated but not in the middle of nowhere and randomly cut off from the rest of the world. The voices of the deadites are chilling and some of my favorite horror movie monsters. Everything is just amazing about this film and I love the cyclical nature of it all and how it relates to every other Evil Dead movie in a subtle way. It could also stand alone as its own movie and I think that's how prequels and sequels should be.

2. Hereditary (2018) - Another slow-burn horror that really just brings it. Toni Collette's performance is heart-wrenching, feral, and refined. Everyone brings it in this film and I love finding new details and foreshadowing each time I rewatch the film. The fact that the big kick-off to the events of the story happens in I think 30 minutes into the film is a kick to the gut. The music is eerie and adds to the dread and perhaps the scariest scene in the film is the dinner scene. Everyone's emotions pour out and once again, Novum on YouTube has a very long but in-depth breakdown of this film and it's some of the most beautiful work I've seen on YouTube. This film is always a rewatch and I love sharing about it with others.

   
   

   Honorable mentions: before we get to number one on my list, I want to share a few of my favorites that I had a really hard time with deciding where they'd go and who to take off of this list but a few honorable mentions are:

   - The Coffee Table (2022)

   - Carrie (2013)

   - Crimson Peak (2015)

   - Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

   - Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

   - The Last Exorcism (2010)

   - Prey For The Devil (2022)

1. Nosferatu (2024) - Surprise! Robert Eggers lands on top again! This film - I don't even know where to begin. I guess, it's a tragic love story with demons and vampires and set in the 1800's and Willem Dafoe is a vampire hunter who hordes cats and the music is just - I need to take a breath! I love period dramas and Victorian horror/gothic horror so much intertwined with a great love story, a spooky vampire with a motivation and a cat named Greta that's just freaking adorable. I will do a whole review dedicated to Nosferatu at a later date but I have so much to say as to why this is my favorite horror film of all time! The acting is phenomenal and the costumes! Linda Muir got snubbed at the Oscars in 2025 I swear! Go watch it please, that's all I gotta say.